The boss of the Nine network has made a shocking admission after the spectacular implosion of the broadcaster’s relationship with its biggest star Karl Stefanovic.Nine Entertainment boss Matt Stanton said the axing of the longstanding host of the Today Show after his controversial podcast interview with controversial UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson was due to a difference in “opinion”.“We’d already agreed some time ago that Karl was leaving us,” Mr Stanton told a media lecture on Tuesday night.“It just came to a natural point of Karl … with his podcast was going in different directions.”When asked why Nine did not task Stefanovic to cover Robinson through 60 Minutes, Mr Stanton replied: “I have to ask the 60 Minutes guys that.”“We could have had that interview with Tommy Robinson,” Mr Stanton said.“The way Karl did it is the way Karl wanted to do it. It’s his podcast.”On the same panel, ABC managing director Hugh Marks said Stefanovic’s comments about ‘being free’ is “obviously saying he’s free of standards”. Stefanovic had taken leave from the Today Show in June to travel to the UK for a series of interviews for his personal podcast, The Karl Stefanovic Show.One of those interviews was with Robinson which led to crisis talks with Nine management.Robinson, born Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has a string of convictions ranging from assault to stalking.British authorities have also investigated him for his ties to Russian government propagandists and travels to Moscow.Nine parted ways with Stefanovic in late June after his pally podcast interview with the Robinson.“Nine Entertainment and Karl Stefanovic have agreed that it is no longer possible for him to continue hosting Today at the same time as his independent podcast,” a statement from Nine read.“While Karl and Nine had previously agreed he would leave Today at the end of this year, they have subsequently decided he will leave the network immediately.”Nine axes another 30 jobsEarlier on Tuesday, Nine announced the axing of 30 journalist jobs axed which Mr Stanton said were “not directly” related to increased use of AI. “We are constantly evolving our business model,” Mr Stanton said. “So the announcements we made today, which is always a difficult one to do, but it is about reshaping our business to continue changing.” “I think people have got to realise it’s not just journalism. It’s journalistic journalism and I mean that by investment in tech and product as well.”The job cuts at its newspaper businesses were described as being part of a restructure towards digital media.The cuts are being made across Nine’s metro editorial division, which includes The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times, and WA Today.In a statement, media union the MEAA called Tuesday’s announcement devastating for the journalists and other workers impacted. “They come at a time when quality public interest journalism has never been more important,” the MEAA said.“Newsrooms cannot keep absorbing job cuts without consequences for workloads, diversity, quality journalism, and the ability of journalists to hold power to account.” In a note to staff on Tuesday morning, Nine Publishing executive Tory Maguire asked staff to attend a town hall where they would discuss changes to structure and operations. “The best way to protect our quality journalism is to ensure our organisation adapts to a changing media landscape, that we’re growing commercially and investing in new areas which connect with new audiences. In particular we need to keep shifting towards the digital-first future,” she said in the email.“Therefore, we are constantly reviewing our business to ensure it is fit for purpose in our changing environment. As a result we are going to be making some changes to our structure and how we operate.”The MEAA called for transparency about the proposed changes and how they would impact the company’s obligations to uphold its charter of editorial independence and ensure quality journalism. “Nine must engage in genuine consultation with staff through their union and do everything possible to avoid forced redundancies, including redeployment and voluntary options,” the MEAA said. The redundancies are on top of an announcement made in April when Channel 9 confirmed it would axe 20 jobs in the first sweep of redundancies to hit its news and current affairs. Staff were told the network had been investing in its Future News project with new technology, training and equipment, and all roles across its news and current affairs division would become more streamlined and multiskilled.“This represents the largest investment in Nine news and current affairs in decades, with new technology, systems and workflows revolutionising the way we produce and deliver news, “Nine executive director of news and current affairs Fiona Dear said in April.“We’ve said from the beginning that this will touch all roles in some way, shape or form.“This isn’t about doing the same work with fewer people to save money; it’s about acknowledging that the work itself is changing across our industry and we must adapt to survive and thrive.”