The big business of breakfast
From the advertising dollars to the ratings rivalry – television’s earliest timeslot is big business. Brooke Hemphill sets her alarm and goes on set to find out the perfect recipe for making breakfast TV.
It’s after midnight on a Thursday evening in Sydney’s CBD. The streets are largely deserted as the final day of the working week looms. While the nine to five set are safely tucked up in bed, in the heart of the city, Seven’s Martin Place studio is quiet, although never sleeping. Several journalists staff the newsroom on the first level and one flight of stairs above, two producers work the overnight shift for Seven’s market-leading breakfast program, Sunrise. Soon they will be joined by line producer David ‘Dougie’ Walters who is about to begin his day.
At a time when hospitality workers and university students contemplate calling it a night, Walters is at his desk. His morning starts at 1.30am, liaising with Seven’s newsroom and catching up on breaking stories before giving the three-hour show’s rundown a final once over.
Walters has been a member of the Sunrise family for a decade, acting as the unseen voice in presenters Melissa Doyle and David Koch’s ear.
