Not Discrimination, Business

Let’s get some perspective on Melissa Doyle being “moved on” from Channel 7’s Sunrise program:

Sunrise is not Four Corners. It’s not even Dateline. It’s guff. It is not there to explore serious issues or uncover matters of genuine importance. The only reason it airs is to earn Channel 7 advertising revenue.

So no, Tracy Spicer, Mel Doyle’s ousting is not a case of “a woman being discriminated against because she either is not seen as sexy enough, seen as too 'mumsy' or is a little older than they'd hoped". She may or may not be all of those things, but that’s not the point.

Since not just Sunrise, but all morning “news” programs are about generating the maximum amount of advertising revenue for the station, if management have formed the belief that Mel is too old and / or not sexy enough to maintain the viewing audience, they will replace her with a younger, more energetic model. It’s cold, but it’s just business.

It’s the same as a long serving first grade footballer who is a bit past it being replaced with the next potential drawcard, or a sponsor not renewing an endorsement contract for a sports or entertainment star on the wane.

It’s possible that Mel Doyle’s age, attractiveness and “mumsiness” were all factors in the network’s decision. It’s also possible the decision was based on flawed market analysis. But that doesn’t equate to a case for workplace discrimination in a business environment which is all about the ability to pull viewers to support advertising billings. Perhaps it’s a sad indictment that her popularity is waning because she’s old and “unsexy”. But that’s life in commercial television.

If Mel’s pull with the advertisers is waning, is she going to be carried for political reasons, to the detriment of shareholders? Socialism often looks great when you’re the beneficiary.

If Mel Doyle was a serious journalist, Tracy Spicer would have a point. But she’s not. So dollars make the decision, because there is no intellectual credibility at stake.

So be thankful for the money fountain while it lasted, Mel. Hope to see you and Tracy on Blacks On Cougars real soon.