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David
Gyngell
David
Gyngell (b. 1966) is the C.E.O of Australian commercial
broadcasting network Channel Nine.
He
is currently serving his second stint as C.E.O after
resigning from the job in May 2005. After a period
of declining ratings compared to Channel Seven, He
returned to the job in October 2007.
Gyngell
is the son of Australian television pioneer Bruce
Gyngell, the Godson of Kerry Packer, the best man
of James Packer and the husband of Leila McKinnon.
(Credit: Wikipedia).
Nine boss David Gyngell |
The
Daily Telegraph Photos
Channel
Nine (9) chief David Gyngell & wife reporter Leila
McKinnon
Bondi
Beach Australia
residents
Article
Gyngell
returns to Nine top job,
by Marcus Casey, September 26, 2007
David
Gyngell and Leila McKinnon on their wedding day at
Byron Bay Picture: Brian Pamphilon (Credit: The Daily
Telegraph)
Article
Gyngell
gets another Nine life,
by Amanda Meade - 26th September 2007
(Credit: The
Australian)
JAMES Packer's best friend and
best man,
David Gyngell, will rejoin the Nine Network as chief
executive next month - two years after quitting what
he described as an "untenable" position.
Mr
Gyngell has been lured back to Nine from his job in
the US by PBL Media chief executive Ian Law, after
months of negotiations that began when the two caught
up with each other at Mr Packer's wedding in the south
of France in June.
Nine
executive director Jeff Browne will remain at the
network, but will report to Mr Gyngell and will relocate
to Melbourne, where he will take on the role of managing
director of GTV 9 as well.
The
Australian understands the PBL Media board has promised
MrGyngell a free hand to run the network without the
interference he faced under the previous management
structure at Nine.
"I
am under no illusion as to the magnitude of the task,
because our opposition at Seven are very good at what
they do," Mr Gyngell told The Australian yesterday.
"But I'm coming back to win. You can't be in
this game if you aren't in it to win. It will take
time, but my aim is to take Nine back to its former
pre-eminence."
It
will be Mr Gyngell's second term as chief executive,
having been appointed by the late Kerry Packer in
2004. But less than a year into the job he quit in
April 2005, citing constant meddling from PBL management.
Former Nine chief Sam Chisholm and then Publishing
and Broadcasting Ltd chief executive John Alexander
were the main problem.
"I
reached the determination that I was simply not prepared
to allow my position to be rendered untenable by what
I regard as increasingly unhelpful and multi-layered
management systems developing between Nine and PBL,"
he said at the time. "Without the absolutely
and unmistakably clear mandate required by all CEOs
to properly run any major business, I believed it
was in my best interests to move on."
At
the time, Nine was wholly owned by the publicly listed
PBL, which was controlled by the Packer family's private
company, creating several layers of management.
PBL has since sold 75 per cent of its stake in PBL
Media, the owner of Nine, to the private equity firm
CVC Asia Pacific.
Nine
has endured serious management turmoil, with Mr Gyngell
the latest in a string of recent chief executives,
including entertainer and businessman Eddie McGuire,
who stepped down in May after just 15 months. Its
internal ructions have helped Seven beat it in the
ratings.
Mr
Gyngell believes he can manage Nine properly now that
it has been restructured. In January last year, Mr
Gyngell flew to Los Angeles as head of British television
giant Granada's US operations.
Mr
Gyngell was a popular boss. When he quit Nine, personalities
appeared on screen dressed in black, including Tracy
Grimshaw, Mr Gyngell's wife and Today newsreader Leila
McKinnon, weatherman Steve Jacobs, Sunday host Ray
Martin and reporters Kellie Connolly and Christine
Spiteri.
Mr
Law said in a statement that the appointment was a
critical step in the continuing process of accelerating
Nine to a position of market leadership.
In
a statement, Mr Gyngell said: "This network has
been my passion. Everyone who knows me knows that.
In the last few years, my time running Granada Television
in North America has broadened my experience and made
me a better television executive.
"It
is a great time to return home to Nine."
Profiles
Network
Nine Australia
Media
Companies
James
Packer
(Photo:
The Age)
Bondi
Beach
Bondi
Beach News Media
James
Packer with best friend David Gyngell after his wedding
at the Antibes
Article
-World Report: Australia
David
Gyngell set to shake up Nine
by Paul Chai, Posted: Wed., May 7, 2008 (Credit: Variety)
New
programs attract younger audience, One
of the first jobs of Nine Network CEO David Gyngell
has been to shake up the network's image as the gray
web, appealing only to older viewers. And late last
year, he did just that, when he presented a raft of
programs aimed at attracting a younger audience. At
least one of those -- "Underbelly" -- has
truly hit the mark.
But
Gyngell's return -- he dramatically left the web in
2005, saying "multilayered management systems"
had made the top job impossible -- has been far from
a quick fix.
Last
year, Nine lost its 20-year ratings crown to rival
network Seven while experiencing a prolonged period
of of management turmoil, including a short-lived
turn in the top job by "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"
host Eddie McGuire.
Gyngell
was well liked during his previous stint at Nine;
at Granada in Los Angeles, he oversaw a local development
unit and a multimillion-dollar fund for scripted series.
But not everything he has touched has turned to gold
back at Nine.
Local
skeins "Monster House," a "Candid Camera"-
style show, tanked in its first outing; "The
Chopping Block" -- a cross between "Ramsay's
Kitchen Nightmares" and a reality TV competition
format that came from Granada -- failed to grab viewers;
and despite a strong start, quirky drama "Canal
Road" has been losing auds. A heavy push into
gameshows (a special A$5 million version of "Who
Wants to Be Millionaire" and "Power of Ten")
also has failed to ignite, with "Power of Ten"
being axed after just two weeks.
So
while there have been some hits for Nine, it looks
like Seven won't have to give the ratings crown back
just yet.
Granada
America chief executive David Gyngell talks on the
phone while working in his office
Nine boss David Gyngell |
The
Daily Telegraph Photos
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