AGRO CANCELLED!!!
Mola-Ram
Source: Sunday Mail - 23rd November 1997
Jamie's aggro over sack
by Dianne Butler
Jamie dunn is aggro.
"I think it's safe to say I'm extremely unhappy," said the creator and
voice of Agro the angry puppet.
His fury is directed at Channel 7 executives and their handling of his
axing as host of Agro's Cartoon Connection.
"I'm quite philosophical about the outcome, but the end result is I
didn't enjoy being met at Brisbane airport and told over a cup of coffee
that something so successful was gone. They (Seven executives) flew up
specifically, so I went out and met the flight.
"This is television, so I knew exactly what was happening."
Seven, which broadcast the show, said the program's declining ratings
prompted its decision to axe Dunn and co-host Terasa Livingstone.
"I don't agree that poor ratings were the cause," Dunn said.
"We were on air eight years for seven logies - that's popular. I just
think that maybe there's an overall shift in their (Seven's) focus.
"Maybe they want to be more news-based or something.
"My legal people are speaking to them, and the latest is I have a major
meeting with them next week about what's happening next year.
"It worries me that after such a successful show, there's no planned
future. They can come and say it's over and you're a wonderful
character, but they don't say this is what he's going on to.
"They want Agro back on television in the afternoons, but in my initial
discussions with them they were talking about maybe June, and that's of
no interest to me at all.
"Who will I be in June? I may as well be Fat Cat.
"If the suit fitted, I'd do it."
Dunn, whose contract was believed to be worth about $120,000 a year,
reportedly reaps between $600,000 and $800,000 a year in Agro
merchandise.
"I want to make sure Seven has the best interests of the character at
heart.
"It's their character... they own Agro lock, stock and barrel... it's
not my character. So really, you could be talking to a nobody," he said.
A network spokeswoman said: "(Agro) has a very loyal audience, but that
audience is diminishing, so we want to move him somewhere where he will
have access to a greater audience."
She said the network had plans for Livingstone next year, but would not
elaborate.
Livingstone moved from Brisbane to Sydney when the production of the
show relocated last December.
She relinquished the helm of Popcorn, a Seven show made in Brisbane,
because budget constraints did not allow her to do both shows.
"We only struck problems when we shifted the show from Brisbane to
Sydney," Dunn said.
"That's when we started striking a different attitude to the show."
Dunn denied reports of offers from rival networks.
"No, not yet. I don't know whether you're aware of it, but it's a lonely
old game. Although you might hear Argue on B105 next year. That's my new
character - Argue," he said with a laugh.
"I was - I am - extremely disappointed about it. If they (Seven) don't
find the right vehicle for Agro, he's done, I think."
He said he hoped the issue would not end up in court.
"I don't like that sort of stuff - because you can lose."
But his sense of humour appears as mordant as ever.
"If you walk past Paddle Pop Lion in a shopping centre somewhere, say,
'Is that you Jamie?' And from deep inside the suit, 'Yeah, I lost'."
(Two photos appear with article - one of Dunn seated with a coffee cup
in front of him, and one of Agro.)
_______________________________________________
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Frere
>"We were on air eight years for seven logies
Congratulations, it could have a lot worse. 8, 9 even 10 or more Logies.
Now, how many is Toupee up to?
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