They recently appeared on The 7pm Project to tell all about their decision. Speculation is they will produce more specials or a regular television series.

Ten declined to officially confirm the news, but the newspaper [The Daily Telegraph] was told the decision was final and that production company Roving Enterprises would be advised.

The network’s director of programming, David Mott, said they were extremely pleased with the present success of the show.

“I’m so proud of this show after we took a huge risk and everyone wrote it off at the beginning.

“But we tweaked it, gave it a more newsy edge and Charlie’s old look was a victim of that process. The old look wasn’t right and the new one is. We’re very, very happy at how Project is coming along,” he added.

Network insiders suggested that the team’s recent image and wardrobe overhauls have also contributed to the improvement. Presenters Carrie Bickmore, Dave Hughes and Charlie Pickering were all given ‘straight-overs’ so they represented newsreaders.

The Logie award winning, almost one year old show beat all competition in the 7pm timeslot last night in total viewers and all demographics. 1.11 million viewers watched nationally, the most viewers the show has received since its premiere week. Earlier this week it also pushed the million mark.

MasterChef following 7pm obviously helps but the show had already added at least 100,000 regular viewers before the MC juggernaut this year. Hopefully the trend continues, having watched every single episode of the show thanks to the magic of the IQ, I can say its been an uphill struggle but the show has turned itself around into a show you truly enjoy watching.

Her co-host Charlie Pickering’s other show, Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation, picked up two awards, including Most Popular Light Entertainment.

TEN will give The 7PM Project some extra airtime over summer.

The show will be getting an extra thirty minutes on Monday and Friday nights in December and January.

Tuesday – Thursday will remain at 30 minutes.

TEN is keen to get extra people to sample the show in the non-ratings season, and as lifestyles and schedules shift there is every chance it will pick up new eyeballs.

Hopefully it will allow for longer interviews too and maybe a few more risks.

So far the show is yet to have a big break-out moment on air, but alas they can’t really be manufactured in live telly. They come when you least expect it. It also hasn’t really had a big news day to chase yet.

The show has been guaranteed a place over summer and into 2010.

ROVE McManus is going to live life on his terms and he doesn’t give a hoot what TV executives, the media, or even you think about it.

It’s an “I’ll do it my way” attitude that’s won him a legion of fans, a thriving production company and a successful TV career for 10 years.

Another example of that “my way” spirit is McManus’s decision to delay the return of Rove in 2010 until April/May. The 2009 season finale is on November 15, so the 35-year-old will have nearly a six-month break.Rove has had its ups and downs. It peaked at 1.54 million viewers nationally in June but has dropped to about 880,000 in recent weeks after losing Dave Hughes and Carrie Bickmore and being shunted back into a 9.30pm timeslot. The show hardly featured in Ten’s 2010 program launch last week. Weekend rumours had it getting a major revamp for next year, perhaps into a Hey Hey it’s Saturday-style format.

A Ten spokesperson says: “Rove will be back in 2010.”

“With the 7PM Project, it’s a new show and I’m assuming it will need time to find its feet as a program and a format and hopefully people will give it that time,” McManus says.

“This show (Rove) is my love and my passion and it’s always what I’ve wanted to do. If everything else fell down, as long as I still get to do this thing I love the most then I’m happy.

“We have that (a connection with the audience) at the moment and I think that’s where my enthusiasm is coming from.

“When your personal life is in a good place it helps with your professional life as well.

“People say to me, ‘do you still have plans to go to the States?’ and (the answer is) no, because I’m happy with what I’m doing here.

“It’s nice to enjoy the ride, which I haven’t always been able to do.”

NETWORK Ten is planning to “rest” its flagging show Rove before a major overhaul that may turn it into a Hey Hey It’s Saturday-style variety program.

The network denied rumours Rove will be axed completely, despite the show hardly featuring at the network’s 2010 programming launch last week.

Ten’s head programmer, David Mott, said Rove would not return at the start of the year but he would not comment on the reason or when the next season would screen, The Sunday Telegraph reports.

A Ten spokesperson later said: “Rove will be back on Ten in 2010.”

A source close to the production said changes were being proposed to the Gold Logie-winner’s show after Ten executives eyed the recent success of Channel Nine’s Hey Hey It’s Saturday specials.

“Things will be different (on Rove) and, with the numbers attached to the recent Hey Hey outing, it’s possible to see a more encompassing variety-type format when we come back,” the source said.

Since the return of Australian Idol on Sunday nights, Rove’s ratings have again slid to under a million people nationally. Last Sunday it was well down on its 2009 peak, with just 852,000.

Recent media reports that the hiatus for Rove would enable its star, Rove McManus, to make changes to The 7pm Project were labelled “untrue” by the source.

The 7pm Project has struggled in its slot, with a nightly national audience of around 700,000.

Sydney University media lecturer Dr Marc Brennan questioned the future of Rove’s current format.

“It’s been through so many changes over the years to keep it fresh, there’s possibly nothing left, really,” Dr Brennan said.

What do you think of ‘The 7pm Project’?
Love it – 43% (34 votes)
It’s not bad – 38% (30 Votes)
I don’t like it – 19% (16 Votes)

David Mott, Network Ten’s Chief Programmer has also indicated this week it would run over summer and continue from February onwards.

Rove’s last episode for 2009 airs November 15th.

All this leads you to ask if he will be hosting or joining the panel on 7pm in the new year? Of course this is only reporting from Peter Ford… We’ll see.