Curious how Seven Network likes Lisa Wilkinson, the veteran ACP
magazine editor and wife of Fairfax columnist and writer Peter
Fitzsimons. She’s been used several times now by Seven as talent, as
well as on Foxtel and now she’s fronting Sunday Sunrise along with the lugubrious Chris Reason.

There was Wilkinson yesterday morning looking matronly and sounding
girly! Next there’ll be wall to wall eligible bachelors and members of
Sydney’s A-list of wannabe celebs parading through the studio! The
generosity towards Wilkinson from Seven is unusual, given the intensity
of competition between the Packer and Seven media empires.

Her co-hosting Sunday Sunrise is therefore a little odd, a bit of cross media pollination perhaps? She’s the executive editor of Madison, the new women’s magazine from ACP, a magazine that’s going head to head with Marie Claire, which is published by Pacific Magazines, the magazine arm of Seven.

You don’t see too many Pacific Magazine editors popping up on rival Nine on the Today Show , do you? Mia Freedman on the ABC’s Glass House every now and then, but that’s about all. And there was that curious flirtation in February between Seven, Pacific, Madison and ACP. The ACP launch of Madison in February was skilfully done with an ad placed in the episode of Seven’s Desperate Housewives on Monday 21 February.

A smart move considering more than two million people tuned in and many of those were women in the target demographic for Madison of mid 20s to late 30s. But a week later, there was suddenly no room at the inn for Madison. Seven claimed the adoption of a floating rate card (it’s amazing what success will bring) had priced Madison out of Desperate Housewives. And no, there was no unhappiness expressed by Pacific executives.

And why didn’t Marie Claire book a spot in Desperate Housewives that week? That’s never been explained, especially as Madison is aimed at its readership. So there’s Lisa Wilkinson fronting the new Weekend Sunrise
on a Sunday, full of chat and talk of the wedding, a little bit about
the Pope and Sea Kings, but frocks, hair dos, hats and lovers. Madison or Woman’s Day, anyone? Why that’s a New Idea!

Oh, there was also a bit of news and sport but no politics or finance.
Can’t go there, Uber producer, Adam Boland says they’re no-go areas
because they’re worthy but boring.