Channel 7 has come under fire after footage of a dancing group of “sexy Santas” emerged from what has been described as a routine staff meeting.
The meeting of Seven Network parent company Seven West Media in Perth was reportedly held on Friday and was intended to introduce new appointments, including Chris Dore as newspaper The West Australian’s new editor-in-chief, Sarah-Jane Tasker as the first female editor and Adrian Lowe as the first LGBT appointment as head of the weekend newspaper The Sunday Times.
Deputy news director Ray Kuka was discussing upcoming programming, including the airing of Perth’s annual Christmas Pageant on December 7, when Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas started playing, as first reported in the AFR.
A group of female dancers wearing Santa hats and short red dresses then appeared on stage.
A photo of the event was shared online and drew heavy criticism, with some saying it was a scene pulled directly from the 1980s.
Female staff reportedly reacted with shock, with some walking out in protest.
“OMG – if they thought that was even slightly appropriate given everything we’ve found out about them, the cultural makeup of that organization is badly broken,” one person wrote online.
“That will help fix the culture issues which have been uncovered.”
A spokesman for Seven West Media defended the dancers, explaining that they were part of the Christmas Pageant, which is a “Perth institution”.
News.com.au has contacted Seven West Media for comment.
This incident comes amid ongoing scrutiny over alleged inappropriate behavior at the network.
In recent weeks, veteran Sydney reporter Robert Ovadia launched legal action in the Federal Court against the company.
Mr Ovadia was stood down on June 21 following an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior.
Earlier this month, Ovadia lodged proceedings in the Federal Court against the Seven Network and its news boss, Anthony De Ceglie.
Ovadia has claimed that Seven told him that no complaints had been made against him.
“Any suggestion that I have behaved inappropriately at any time is false, malicious and will be defended”.
For its part Seven has said that it takes any allegations in retaliation to sexual harassment, bullying and other behaviours deemed to be inappropriate “seriously”.
Ryan Stokes, managing director of Seven Group Holdings Ltd, recently addressed inappropriate behavior in the media, calling it an “industry-wide problem”.
Seven West Media takes a tumble
Seven West Media released its full-year results last Wednesday, days after an ABC investigation reported misogynistic behavior from senior staff in multiple newsrooms.
Shares in Seven West Media and parent company Seven Holdings Group had dipped since the ABC reporting on Monday, but Wednesday’s financial results saw early bounces in both equities.
Before tax profit fell 65 percent to $67m at Seven West Media this past financial year.
Statutory net profit after tax slipped 69 percent, to $45m. Revenue decreased 4.9 per cent. However, traders were buying in early trading on Wednesday, with the share price rising more than 6 per cent in the first hour.
“A softer economic and advertising environment and an evolving media landscape have challenged traditional media business models,” chairman Kerry Stokes writes in the results.
“We call on the federal government to support the domestic media industry in maintaining a fair and equitable playing field, by compelling foreign-owned operators to fully comply with the Australian regulatory environment.”
