Sacked Seven weatherman Paul Burt has apologised for a series of ‘abhorrent and totally unacceptable’ comments about beating women made on his network adventure show.
Burt – who was brutally axed from his weather presenting gig less than a year ago – took to Instagram at the weekend to to address a series of misogynistic remarks that were in his adventure show Step Outside with Paul Burt on 7Mate.
During a cooking segment on the show, which was broadcast on March 23, a regular guest remarked: ‘Beat the egg like you beat the missus…that’s what I do. Tie her to a tree and beat her with fencing wire.’
An appalled viewer last week revealed the had made a formal complaint to FreeTV, and demanded an official apology from the network and a donation to a domestic violence service.
Burt offered a ‘sincere apology’ on Saturday in a post addressed to his ‘loyal viewers.’
‘They (the cooking guest’s comments) were uncalled for, appalling and contrary to everything I believe in,’ Burt said.
The 52-year-old blamed the show’s former editor for the scandal, reasoning they were responsible for the offensive comments finding their way on air because the crew member had left ‘without notice’ partway through the production process.
‘By way of explanation, and by no means excuse, my show editor who would ordinarily have deleted the comments in editing, left without notice mid-production,’ he said.
Former Seven weatherman Paul Burt has publicly apologised for a series of misogynistic remarks that appeared in his adventure show Step Outside with Paul Burt on 7Mate last month
The 52-year-old broadcast veteran says the offensive comments managed to find their way on air after his former editor quit ‘without notice’
‘Whilst searching or a replacement I have endeavoured to manage this aspect of the production and I had thought the offensive comments had been removed.
‘I was clearly wrong in this assumption and as mentioned above, I am absolutely appalled and upset that the show aired as it did.’
Burt said he intended to put ‘structures in place to ensure that this occurrence or anything similar will never occur again’.
Seven’s group managing director, Angus Ross, also apologised to the program’s audience.
‘Seven was appalled and shocked by the comments made by a guest in Step Outside with Paul Burt,’ he told The Guardian’s Amanda Meade.
‘They were abhorrent and totally unacceptable. The show has been removed from 7Mate and 7Plus with immediate effect. Seven unreservedly apologises to viewers.’
Burt, who had filed weather reports for both the Gold Coast and Brisbane news bulletins since 2013, was among 150 staff to be axed by Seven West Media last June – but continued to front his adventure show on 7Mate.
Daily Mail Australia revealed at the time that he had been tapped because internal network research had indicated he was no longer a drawcard with viewers.
Veteran weatherman Paul Burt was sacked because focus group research found he was unpopular with audiences, according to a senior Seven Network insider. Fans are pictured holding signs supporting Burt
‘Paul Burt was sacked after extensive audience research across the Queensland market that identified he was one of the least-liked presenters on-air, with the dreaded ‘switch-off’ factor,’ a senior network source said.
That research had been conducted in the first quarter of 2024.
The source said perceived audience appeal was an important consideration when deciding which ‘talent’ would be let go from a program and ‘it’s not like names were picked out of a hat’.
‘Networks spend a fortune on polling and focus groups to identify emerging talent and test long-serving presenters,’ they said.
‘The audience decides who reads the news.’
Burt address his brutally axing in his final weather report last July, saying: ‘If I’d had the opportunity, I wouldn’t have wanted to go this way – it’s what happens when you get sacked.’
Burt, who was been inundated with online messages of support since his departure, told Daily Mail Australia he did not accept the findings of the network research.
‘I mean, these people are going to try and cover their backs,’ Burt told Daily Mail Australia.
The presenter, who was known for his entertaining reports, continued to host his own fishing and adventure show on 7Mate despite being sacked by Seven News
‘I think if they’re looking at numbers like that, they might want to change the people who are giving them those numbers.
‘Because I’m on the ground, I hear what people say and I understand what they want. I’ve been doing it now for 28 years.
‘It feels horrible. It makes you feel sick in the stomach.
‘Sometimes you just want to sit down and talk to the big, big bosses because they probably don’t know what we do up here.
‘We basically turned up [for our final weather report] and there were a couple of hundred people with banners and everything. I think that says it all.
‘All those people who turned up with banners, they’re our customers. They’re the customers who watched – past tense – and were loyal to me and the network.
‘They’re our ratings. They’re the ones who are going to bring money in for the advertisers.
‘They’re our viewers and the people that we have to listen to.’
Burt (pictured, right) with fellow Seven weatherman Sam Mac
Burt thanked his former Seven colleagues for their ongoing support in a heartfelt all-staff email obtained by Daily Mail Australia last July.
‘Hey everyone, never thought I’d be writing this email anytime soon, but here we go,’ he wrote.
‘First and foremost, I want to say thank you to everyone who I have worked directly with, you have all been incredibly awesome and do sensational jobs and deserve far more recognition than you get.
‘Secondly, those who reached out to me after the news over the weekend and today to ‘check in’ on me and pass on your kind words, wow, it’s been very humbling so thank you.’
Since leaving Seven News, Burt has signed on with rival Nine’s Brisbane talkback radio network, 4BC, and now fronts a two-hour adventure program each Saturday and Sunday from 6am.
The show, also called Step Outside with Paul Burt, covers largely the same content as his 7Mate program – and debuted last month.
‘Whatever the weather is doing, what the surf is doing, where the fish are biting, whether listeners are after gardening tips or if they want a good seafood recipe, I want to bring it all to the 4BC audience,’ he said after announcing the switch.
