Why David Koch and Seven’s complaints about Sunrise snubs miss the mark
On Monday, if you listened closely, you could hear screams coming from the Seven Networks, followed closely by the voices of their predecessors. sunrise host David Koch writes angrily, venting his anger at what he thinks Sunrise Don’t be snubbed in the Logie nominations.
“So let me get this straight.” he wrote on Instagram. “This year’s Logies nominees for Most Popular News or PR Presenter include both TODAY hosts but none sunrise is hosting. A few facts you may have missed; sunrise He won every day this year. sunrise It averages 424,000 daily viewers (+4% y/y), while Today averages 308,000 (-3% y/y). This has been going on for years. If you complain you are seen as a bad sport. But now I can say I’m out of it @tvweeklogiesawards @tvweekmag honestly WTF?
I’m not here to defend the Logies – love them or hate them, they’re the only award given solely to the Australian TV industry – but if you’re going to complain at least state your facts.
Logies is a popularity contest. Ratings have little to do with the nomination, as they were removed this year as part of the voting requirement to create a fairer playing field for streamers with a smaller audience and streamers who can’t or don’t want to provide viewer data. Judges of industry experts were instead asked to evaluate the nominees based on selection criteria and “audience engagement” that were not based on data. more air.
This change has worked, as the “best” categories now feature a wider range of lineup programming and new faces nominated across all broadcasters. SBS, which traditionally has the smallest free-to-air audience, has seen its number of candidates increase from two in 2025 to eight this year.
Another example is Network 10. Like SBS, they have a smaller free-to-air audience but received 11 nominations, including four Gold Logie awards (Poh Ling Yeow, Robert Irwin, Julia Morris and Sam Pang). The answer is again simple: audience connection.
We’ve been following Yeow since she first appeared as a contestant. MasterChef Australia 18 years ago; Morris has been on the big screen since he was 17 I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! For 12 years. Irwin needs no explanation, Pang’s everyman has been working at Seven, Ten and SBS for years (and even cracked the ABC this year).
More importantly, they are also family-friendly faces. They appeal to all ages (my nine-year-old knows who they all are), as are fellow Gold Logie nominees Lisa Millar (ABC darling, friend of the regions) and Todd Woodbridge (that nice young man on telly).
So just because sunrise Just because it gets ratings doesn’t mean it’s the “best”. Of course, people are watching, but are they invested enough to vote? Are the hosts just doing their job, or do they have a larger story to draw the attention of viewers and voters?
If we were using Today You have two hosts with a story to tell, for example, hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo, who were nominated in the categories that Koch complained about. Stefanovic’s problematic shift to the right and his presence on TV, radio and podcasts have clearly attracted a new audience; Abo’s fertility struggles and her pregnancy announcement earlier this year are a resonant, feel-good story.
When you look at the other nominees in this category, there are two ABC reporters (Sarah Ferguson and David Speers, both extremely good at their jobs), 7News anchor Michael Usher (widely appealing, Dancing with the Stars) And A Current Event presenter Ally Langdon (who won the Ray Martin award last year and is a two-time Gold Logie nominee).
It seems that sunrise Presenter Natalie Barr, who has worked on the show for 23 years, was nominated by Seven for both the Gold Logie and most popular presenter categories. His failure to reach the nomination stage is a reflection of how Seven manages his talent rather than the Logies themselves.
Is it fair to blame the Logies? No. Has the logic been broken? Yes, a little. All award shows are like that. The Logies created a voting plan by combining the “popular” and “outstanding” categories in 2024 into a single “best” category (a 50/50 vote split between industry and audience).
So if Seven are offended by the Logies’ snubs, perhaps they need to look closer to home. Who appeals to everyone? Who has a story to tell? Are they investing in new talent? Or are they employing former England cricket captains as meme machines in the Ashes commentary box?
Ironically, the only one with broad appeal right now is sunrise; weatherman Sam Mac. He was nominated for the Gold Logie in 2019 and ran an energetic campaign but was not nominated again. This could be a coincidence, it could be the hierarchy, it could be the ego of the co-stars. Who knows!
What I do know is that Koch and Seven behaved badly. sunrise They were so angry about missing out on the nomination that they didn’t even cover the Logies’ announcement on Monday morning. sunrise Leading lady Samantha Armytage boycotted the awards in 2016 because they were angry about being “underrated” at the time.
It will be a little harder for Seven’s stars to avoid the awards this year, especially since they are the presenting broadcasters. Instead, they can use this as a good opportunity to reconnect with their audience and promote (or find) their new talent. Because after all, that’s what the Logies should be about: celebrating our local industry, full of great people making extraordinary shows that get noticed around the world. And if you can’t handle it, then maybe you should stay home.
The 66th TV Week Logie Awards will air on Seven on Sunday, August 16.
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Louise Rugendyke is National TV editor and senior culture writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect with: X or email.
