Teary end to Wake Up
Hosts of the defunct Wake Up program Natarsha Belling and James Mathison may still have a job after Network Ten left the door open to "rehiring" the pair.
Wake Up ended on Friday after some six months on air, leaving Belling and Mathison's future at the network in limbo.
Belling broke down and sobbed on the final show while the two hosts used their last appearance to thank viewers.
Not only was the fledgling breakfast show axed, Ten also ditched its early (6am), morning (11am) and late (10.30pm) news bulletins and will make 150 employees redundant.
A network spokeswoman said because there had been a call-out for voluntary redundancies, Belling and Mathison could technically survive the employee cull.
"We have only just started discussions with staff and it would be premature to pre-empt the outcome of those discussions," the spokeswoman told AAP.
Wake Up launched on November 4 and has struggled to gain more than 50,000 viewers per show.
This week alone the number of viewers who have watched each show has 26,000 (Monday), 40,000 (Tuesday), 47,000 (Wednesday) and 44,000 (Thursday).
Belling and Mathison see-sawed between emotions on Friday.
There were tears, laughter and well-wishes as the program was finally put to bed two days after chief executive Hamish McLennan announced it would be getting the chop.
Belling broke down after correspondent Nuala Hafner paid a teary tribute to the show's cast and crew.
"You've cried first, so you lose," Mathison quipped to Hafner.
"I think it was technically second," Belling interjected, voice breaking.
Mathison had to throw to an ad break after she then became too overwhelmed to read the teleprompter, sobbing audibly under overlay footage.
Belling managed to regain her composure, but teared up again in the show's final moments.
"Jimmy, I absolutely adore you," she said.
"It has been my absolute pleasure sharing this ... journey with you."
Spruiked as the beginning a new era for Ten, the program never approached the ratings reached by rivals Sunrise and Today, which regularly attract more than 300,000 viewers.
But the short-lived breakfast show did receive condolences from some of its competitors as the final episode went to air.
"Thoughts this morning with the crew at Wake Up," ABC Breakfast host Michael Rowland tweeted.
"Brekkie TV is a hard, hard gig."
Starting from Monday, Ten's new morning line-up is Ready, Steady Cook, Entertainment Tonight and The Bold and The Beautiful repeats, and Jamie's 30 Minute Meals.
