What do The Project hosts Waleed Aly and Hamish Macdonald have in common beyond starring in my romantic fantasies? Well, both their jobs might be on the line, at least according to a spicy new source.
There’s been rumblings that the primetime Channel 10 news program — co-hosted by Sarah Harris and a list of rotating panelists that too-often includes Steve Price — is headed for cancellation amid low viewership.
So low, in fact, that The Project’s hosts and staff have reportedly been sent into an existential crisis about the future of the show.
That’s according to Daily Mail, who reported on Thursday that The Project is headed for “imminent collapse” and that some hosts are “dusting off their CVs” in anticipation of being axed.
Apparently, the program is “under review” at Channel 10, and when contacted about the fate of the show by Daily Mail, the network said it “won’t be commenting on this”.
For those eager to know whether Macdonald will continue to bless our screens, an industry expert weighed in on what might be happening behind the scenes.
“With audiences shrinking across the board and the subsequent cost-cutting, it’s hard to be optimistic about any show”, Peter Meakin — who has worked as a news director for Network Ten, Network Nine and Network Seven — told Daily Mail.
Meakin clarified that he has had “no involvement” with The Project since his departure from Channel 10 over a year ago, and said that while he doesn’t “have anything constructive to add” about rumours of the cancellation, the show might be at the mercy of budget cuts.
“Budgets have always been important. In the old days, they were a starting point – and, if the show was successful, complaints of over-spending were often muted,” Meakin said.
Now, however, shrinking viewership has led to cost-cutting measures at news networks, to the point where “there’s no money anymore and very little fun”, he added.
Meakin didn’t go as far as outright confirming that The Project is on the chopping block, so it remains to be seen whether any of these rumours will come true.
To be sure, The Project has had its fair share of talked-about moments over the years, grabbing headlines for its interviews with Raygun and Nicholas Braun and issuing apologies for its coverage of Pro-Palestine protests and airing X-rated jokes about Jesus.
Meanwhile, regular The Project host Georgie Tunny recently joined the cast of the upcoming series, The Amazing Race: Celebrity Edition, so at least she has that gig lined up. As for Macdonald, well… he’ll continue to star in my dreams.
Lead image: @theprojecttv/Instagram.
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