THE FIGHT FOR TV’S TOP JOB!

Within minutes of Tracy’s shock news the mobile phones of Nine executives started blowing up, as some of the biggest names in Australia’s media started their campaign for her $1 million-a-year job.

Some media commentators insist Nine wants to replace Tracy with another woman, while others claim that Today co-host Karl Stefanovic is the frontrunner.

But the truth is there’s a huge field of potential candidates and Nine isn’t rushing into a decision. Two contenders who are tipped to be up there, alongside existing fill-in hosts Deb Knight and Leila Mckinnon, are 2GB breakfast talkback host Ben Fordham, who was once seen as a likely replacement for Karl on Today, and 60 Minutes star Sarah Abo.

“The Nine executives love Ben and see a big future for him. But he already earns a fortune and is a huge success on radio, so it may not be the right fit. Sarah, however, is just about perfect,” one Nine insider reveals.

TV Blackbox host Rob Mcknight, who was an executive producer on Studio 10, tells Woman’s Day that Nine will not rush into a decision and the network is open to considering all options – even luring legendary former ACA host Jana Wendt back!

“Jana would be an absolute gamechanger, there’s no doubt about that, but whether they can convince her to take on the daily grind again is another matter,” he says.