David Koch has confirmed he has been in talks to discuss his retirement and leaving Sunrise with Seven’s bosses.
On Monday, The Australian reported that following a discussion with Seven West CEO James Warburton, Koch, 66, has agreed to continue on with the breakfast show until at least the end of 2024.
The report noted that Koch was persuaded to stay by Warburton on a two-year deal and negotiated for more flexibility that would allow him to take more breaks from the show.
The publication also reported that billionaire businessman and Seven’s chairman, Kerry Stokes, was a key figure in the discussions with Koch.
Koch told The Australian: “After 20 years, I’ve felt I needed more flexibility in my life with my wife Libby and my business interests,” in reference to his business streaming service, ausbiz TV, and content marketing and video production business, Pinstripe Media.
“So when I mentioned leaving to Seven, James very kindly asked me whether we could work together on a plan that I wanted, which also kept my connection to the network and my focus on Sunrise.”
Koch noted to the publication that he was grateful to Warburton and Stokes’ approach to his retirement plan.
“I’ve had long chats with both of them, and they asked me is there a way to come up with a plan that gives you the flexibility you want, and gives you a connection to the network and a continuing focus on Sunrise. I love it dearly. So I’m really fortunate to have the best of all worlds,” he added.
Koch began on Sunrise in October 2002 as a temporary fill-in when was Seven’s finance editor. Months later in January 2003, he was appointed as the permanent co-host of the breakfast show with Mel Doyle.
Since then, Sunrise has regularly maintained its dominance in the breakfast TV ratings over Nine’s Today and ABC’s News Breakfast.
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Top image: David Koch