SUNDOWN

The inevitable happened this morning. TV3's breakfast show, Sunrise, was axed.

The only surprise is that it didn't happen earlier. The show has limped along for over two years or so, consistently rated badly, and never made money for the Australian owners.

This was a badly devised show from the off.

Although it wouldn't of been my cup of tea exactly, I would have taken notice of a liberal alternative to the egotistical and reactionary viewpoint of the loathsome Paul Henry on TV1's Breakfast.

But we didn't get that. It might have been packaged differently, the presenters might have been younger but the politics was much the same as Breakfast, albeit without the caustic and baying tone that Henry lends to everything he does.

Just a fortnight ago hosts Oliver Driver and Carly Flynn were agreeing with each other that Paula Bennett's attack on welfare beneficiaries was a good thing.

Similarly instead of offering a harder news show, Sunrise again aped the opposition. It was more of the 'once over lightly' news stories, more fluff about celebrities, holidays, music, movies, food. Oh, and more cheesy banter between presenters who all thought they were incredibly funny.

Some twenty staff are out of work although some will be redeployed within Mediaworks. Perhaps Oliver and Carly could do another breakfast show - this time on Kiwi FM. No one watched Sunrise and no one listens to Kiwi FM. So Oliver and Carly would feel right at home.