The program, which looked like it might be axed from Nine’s schedule at the end of the year, has been confirmed for next year.
During Wendt’s protracted departure from Sunday, The Bulletin and
Nine in 2006, she alleged privately and through her acolytes the once
great program was heading downmarket and being destroyed by severe
budget cuts.
She wasn’t going to hang around to see it destroyed. Photographs of
Wendt striding through Hyde Park were strategically placed in
newspapers, as were her views on the demise of Sunday, in
off-the-record briefings from Wendt and her supporters including former
Sunday reporter Graham Davis.
Conflict was rife as Wendt did not get on with the program’s
executive producer, John Lyons, who outlasted Wendt only to join The
Australian as a senior writer last month.
But last week the 27-year-old program, now hosted by Ray Martin and
Ellen Fanning, was nominated for a record five Walkley awards. Oh, and
commended in a sixth.
The ABC’s Four Corners, in contrast, received not one journalistic
nomination this year, just a technical one for cameraman Andrew Taylor.
So Sunday, despite a 40 per cent budget cut in 2005 and the loss of
most of its producers and resources, is still producing outstanding
journalism.
All commissioned by Lyons, and all produced without Wendt’s help.
Executive producer Paul Steindl, a 15-year veteran of the program, took over from Lyons in August.
"With reduced facilities and staff we’ve concentrated on producing
good stories," Steindl said yesterday. "And all power to those
journalists, because we’ve had plenty of pressure, but that’s how we’ve
responded to it."
During his time on Sunday, Steindl has seen the budget go from a
high of $14million to a modest $4.5 million. He said nothing much had
changed in terms of approach except the cover stories have become
shorter.
Steindl, who was supervising producer under Lyons, said that after two years of rumours and turmoil morale was high.
"The way to keep people enthusiastic is to keep them on the road doing stories they want to do and stories that are important."
Adding to Wendt’s woes was a cover story in Fairfax Media’s Good
Weekend magazine. The profile of Wendt, who is promoting her first
book, A Matter of Principle, revealed that she has fallen out
spectacularly with Davis, once her great supporter and colleague on
Seven’s Witness, SBS’s Dateline and more recently on Sunday.
Wendt claimed she had taken a stand on issues that cost her
emotionally and financially in her career. In particular she has said
she couldn’t stand by as Sunday became "lighter" due to budget cuts.
But according to Davis, her stand was always self-serving. When Good
Weekend journalist Greg Bearup went to Davis for a supportive quote, he
got this: "Let’s put it this way," Davis said. "The courage of her
convictions doesn’t extend too much past her looking after No1. What’s
good for Jana is good for the world. As soon as Jana gets what she
wants — whether it is a massive cash settlement or a clean removal
from a particular place — then all is right with the world again."
Bearup said Wendt was "shocked and hurt". Not surprising, she may
have walked away from Sunday and Nine with $1 million, but does anyone
believe she isthe custodian of quality journalism anymore?
Editors Note: Sunday is broadcast on NBN in the Hunter and Northern NSW.
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