10:00AM Clem Bastow | When it comes to Australian television, there are some things in this world that are a given: Jeannie Little wearing something made out of Chux Superwipes and/or garbage bags, Darryl Somers cracking really bad dad jokes, and Ray Martin on Channel Nine.
Well, you can scratch that last item from the ledger, as the network’s golden son has
quit in a huff! (Incidentally, he was probably more upset than in a huff; we just wanted to use that term, as we’ve long wanted to quit a job of our own in a huff, but it’s hard to walk triumphantly out of your living room in your pajamas the sort of high-powered and five-star offices the Defamer Australia crew frequent in a hurry.)
It goes without saying that this is massive news; he’ll be a big hole in Nine’s roster of stars, which is steadily dwindling – and we can’t see Tracey Grimshaw being elevated to Ray’s echelon in his wake, somehow.
Ray Martin, on a $1.2 million salary, has been unhappy at the restructuring and cost cutting at Nine and has been a constant critic of his employer.
His walkout is a major blow to the once mighty network which has fallen hard into second place in the ratings, and third in advertising revenue.
Martin last night said he was quitting to become a “gun for hire”.
“It is not hard to jump off the edge of the carport and fly again,” he said.
Word is that the network is happy to see the back of him, having grown increasingly tired of his diva (divo?) tendencies and constant grandstanding.
Ray’s been at Nine for over twenty years now, so we’ll be interested to see just how he adjusts to being said “gun for hire”. The stench of Nine is so deeply ingrained in him that we’ll be surprised if anyone will pick him up as a roving reporter now!
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