Chris O’Mara, the former programming and
production chief at the Seven Network, has been asked if he wants to
put his name forward for the head of ABC TV. The Sydney head hunters
running the search for the job, Braithwaite Steiner Pretty Executive
Search, approached O’ Mara who is now running a independent production
company, Freehand.

Freehand co-produced My Restaurant Rules for Seven this year and did the local version of Queer Eye
for Ten, along with telemovies and a couple of other productions. His
partner is Peter Abbott – ex Southern Star and a former executive
producer of Big Brother.

O’Mara left Seven just over two years ago and went into independent production.

He’s
considered to have been a good programming and production chief at the
network, but didn’t have the early evening strength of a solid
performing news and Today Tonight on which to build each evening.

If
his name does go forward, he will be a well-credentialled candidate to
stack up against Shaun Brown, the head of SBS TV who is also in the
mix, along with Denise Eriksen, the head of ABC TV Factual programming,
and Ian Carroll, the head of ABC TV’s Asia Pacific Service.