Hardy headed to Oz's Ten Net

By VARIETY STAFF

Valerie Hardy is ankling as managing director of the South Australian Film Corp. to sign on as head of drama and light entertainment at the Ten Network, effective July 1.

Hardy left Ten, which is partially owned by Canadian broadcaster CanWest Global Communications, as head of drama in 1989.

She signed on at the then-troubled SAFC in May 1991, and has since trimmed and restructured the state film agency and set up a hefty development slate.

Her appointment to Ten, announced Thursday, comes as debate continues over how much control CanWest has over the web; foreign ownership limits restrict the company to a 15% stake, yet it has a 57% "economic interest."

Managing director Gary Rice resigned April 30, with a CanWest senior exec, Peter Viner, widely tipped to replace him.

However, a "neutral" chairman, John Studdy, has been appointed as the web's chairman. And the return of Hardy, an astute player in the Oz TV industry, indicates a more formal commitment to local drama.

Sources say the appointment is part of a new exec roster, to be announced June 9 or 10, that will better reflect Ten's ownership status.

For South Australia, Hardy's departure will trigger an earlier review of the SAFC (the state government was reviewing its funding next year), which will dovetail into a review of the local state film industry due to be released soon.

SA's arts minister Anne Levy said Hardy's decision and change in the structure of the film industry across Australia meant "perhaps now is the time to consider a new model for the management of film in South Australia."