Furious viewers say Sunrise host David Koch has ‘outstayed his welcome’

He may be one of Australia’s longest-serving breakfast TV anchors, but Sunrise host David ‘Kochie’ Koch is still dividing opinion 18 years after stepping into the role.

After it was reported last week that Basil Zempilas once thought Channel Seven was lining him to replace Kochie, fans flocked to Facebook to share their thoughts on the veteran presenter.

‘Basil would be much better than Kochie,’ one viewer wrote, while another added: ‘Koch has long outstayed his welcome.’

Divisive: He may be one of Australia’s longest-serving breakfast TV anchors, but Sunrise host David ‘Kochie’ Koch is still dividing opinion 18 years after stepping into the role

A third fan commented: ‘God, anyone would be better than Kochie.’

One Facebook user suggested: ‘It is time for Channel Seven to get some new blood. Kochie and team are so boring. The Today show is so much better.’

Others agreed they preferred Channel Nine’s breakfast show, which is hosted by Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon.

‘Can’t stand Kochie or Sunrise. Karl, Ally and the Today program for me all the way,’ one wrote.

Another added: ‘Sorry, Kochie, you bore me to death. Even [though] I’m not a great supporter of Karl, I’d rather watch him.’

Views: After it was reported last week that Basil Zempilas once thought Seven was lining him to replace Kochie, fans flocked to Facebook to share their thoughts on the veteran presenter

Views: After it was reported last week that Basil Zempilas once thought Seven was lining him to replace Kochie, fans flocked to Facebook to share their thoughts on the veteran presenter

They wake up with Today! Many viewers said they preferred Channel Nine's Today show, which is hosted by Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon

They wake up with Today! Many viewers said they preferred Channel Nine’s Today show, which is hosted by Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon

Last week, former Weekend Sunrise host Basil Zempilas revealed he was convinced he was next in line to take over from Kochie as Sunrise co-anchor.

But his hopes were dashed when network bosses made it clear they were sticking with Kochie, who signed a new two-year deal in July.

Basil, 49, who quit Weekend Sunrise in 2019 for family reasons, assumed Seven had big plans for him because of the travel required for his job. 

Successor: Last week, ex-Weekend Sunrise host Basil Zempilas (right, with Monique Wright) revealed he was convinced he was next in line to take over from Kochie as Sunrise co-anchor

Successor: Last week, ex-Weekend Sunrise host Basil Zempilas (right, with Monique Wright) revealed he was convinced he was next in line to take over from Kochie as Sunrise co-anchor

For two years, he commuted from Perth to Sydney every weekend to host the show.

‘Look, I suppose if you’re living in Perth and they ring you up out of the blue and say, “Can you fly to Sydney every weekend and host Weekend Sunrise and we’ll see how it goes” … I guess there was a sense of expectation that if they didn’t have a role for me, they wouldn’t be flying a bloke from Perth every weekend,’ he said on Triple M.

But it seems no plans were forthcoming, as Kochie, who joined Sunrise in 2002, signed a two-year contract extension in 2018, which was renewed in July 2020. 

Not going anywhere: Sadly, Basil's hopes were dashed when network bosses made it clear they were sticking with Kochie (pictured), who signed a new two-year deal in July

Not going anywhere: Sadly, Basil’s hopes were dashed when network bosses made it clear they were sticking with Kochie (pictured), who signed a new two-year deal in July

Basil said he ‘wasn’t annoyed’ at Kochie, but he did think Seven had dangled a carrot when there was no job opportunity available.

‘Did I think maybe there was an opportunity there and maybe was that the direction I was heading? Yeah, I probably did,’ he said.

Fortunately, Basil has other duties keeping him busy: he hosts 92.9 Triple M’s breakfast show in addition to being the Lord Mayor of Perth. 

High hopes: Basil, who hosted Weekend Sunrise for two years before quitting in 2019, assumed Seven had big plans for him because of the travel required for his job. He used to commute from Perth to Sydney every weekend to host the show. Pictured with Sam Armytage

High hopes: Basil, who hosted Weekend Sunrise for two years before quitting in 2019, assumed Seven had big plans for him because of the travel required for his job. He used to commute from Perth to Sydney every weekend to host the show. Pictured with Sam Armytage

While Kochie did renew his deal with Seven six months ago, it’s believed he didn’t get a pay rise because of the Covid-19 recession.

He’s said to be earning $800,000 a year to host breakfast show Sunrise.

Television expert Rob McKnight told Daily Mail Australia it was a ‘smart play by Seven’ to lock in Kochie for another two years.

No hard feelings? Basil said he 'wasn’t annoyed' at Kochie, but he did think Seven had dangled a carrot when there was no job opportunity available

No hard feelings? Basil said he ‘wasn’t annoyed’ at Kochie, but he did think Seven had dangled a carrot when there was no job opportunity available

‘Kochie has always been the driving force of Sunrise and is loved by viewers,’ said McKnight, who is the editor of industry website TV Blackbox.

‘Sunrise has been a dominant number 1 and it makes sense to stay with a winning line-up. Kochie and Sam have proven to be a great team who connect with viewers.

‘In these tough times, Kochie won’t mind the fact there’s no pay rise as reported; he has always been a team player.’