Nine Today, The Project tomorrow

October 16, 2017

At 6:56pm tonight a big name in the Australian TV industry decided to stand her ground and ask for what she deserves…the same amount of money as what her co-host is paid and unfortunately she lost the battle against the female wage gap in Australia. Lisa Wilkinson has parted ways with Channel 9’s The Today Show as of today via a twitter announcement. After 6 months of negotiations between Lisa’s management and Channel 9 they weren’t able to come to an arrangement amicable for both parties. Meaning, they weren’t able to give Lisa the same amount of money that co-host Karl Stefanovic receives. Another blow to the females in the working world? Yes, however it is also a step in the right direction to remind people that we are equal and deserve just the same as our colleagues in the same position as us regardless of our sex. Lisa has really given us the stepping stones to keep moving forward in our quest to break down the wage barrier.

Darren Wick, Nine’s Director of News and Current Affairs confirmed the breakdown in talks to The Daily Telegraph this evening. He stated ‘We have been trying to negotiate this contract for near on six months and haven’t been able to come to terms’. I don’t know the full extent of the contractual demands of both parties, however it is pretty clear when a woman as strong as Lisa Wilkinson digs her heels in and makes a stand there is a reason behind it. My favourite quote from Darren Wick ‘Nine will take the Today show in a different direction, although we are not sure yet what direction that will be.’ Oh, no shit mate! One of the leading ladies of Australian television has just slammed the door on her way out and you have just given 12 million other Australian women the opportunity to stand up themselves in their own work place.

The Today Show’s new direction will be interesting to watch play out in the coming days as they find out that Lisa Wilkinson has in fact gone across to Channel 10 to sit alongside Carrie Bickmore & Waleed Aly on The Project. *Snaps* to you Lisa, you have not only slammed the door on the way out when you left Channel 9, you have also opened it up again and told them to Get F*cked in the most lady like way possible!

What annoys me the most I think is that CEO’s will support male TV hosts and let them get away with embarrassing their wives by cheating on them in the broad light of day, yet they aren’t willing to get behind a woman who has been in journalism her whole life, run a magazine empire and has hosted the Today show for ten years with ratings that have been on the forefront since she joined the team all while bringing up a family, being a wife and washing her husbands dirty jocks!

If we can take anything away from this ladies, it is that we need to stand up for ourselves. This is helping us to keep the conversation alive and make sure that we are all doing our part for the equality of the wage gap in Australia and the rest of the world. Oh and also, if someone isn’t going to pay you what you deserve, go and ask the opposition to see what they might offer you! See ya Channel 9!

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