Sunrise host David Koch shares advice for his replacement 

David Koch has shared an advice for this successor, after he revealed he is leaving Sunrise after 21 years as co-host.

‘You cannot pretend to be somebody you are not because the viewers will see through you,’ the 67-year-old told The Daily Telegraph. 

‘Breakfast TV strips you bare, you cannot bulls**t. You have just got to be who you are because they will sniff it out in a flash.

David added that fans of the show may see the new host as a ‘a d***head’ but, ‘That is the joy of viewers, they really let you know.’     

The celebrated television host made similar comments to Daily Mail Australia earlier in the day. 

Koch has not anointed his replacement host at Sunrise but had plenty of advice for whoever takes the role, which he calls a lifestyle as much as a job.

‘I don’t have a personal pick,’ Koch told Daily Mail Australia of his successor after announcing he was quitting the breakfast television program.

‘But there’s some great next-generation hosts coming through.

‘My biggest advice is just be yourself. Three-and-three-quarter hours of live television every day strips you bare as a human being.

‘Viewers know you intimately. If you pretend to be someone you’re not, they will know and it will come back to haunt you.’

Among those tipped to take Koch’s position at Sunrise is retired Olympic sprinter and regular fill-in host Matt Shirvington but Koch would not single out any candidate. 

‘You cannot pretend to be somebody you are not because the viewers will see through you,’ the 67-year-old said

Koch said he had considered leaving the program at the end of last year but decided to hold off his departure after discussions with his ‘unbelievably supportive’ bosses at Seven.

Network executives had told Koch he had earned the right to do what he wanted but asked him to stay on for six more months to bed down the transition of a new host.

They had also asked that Koch ‘keep a connection’ with the network for the next 18 months. 

‘Why now? It just feels right,’ Koch said of quitting. ‘Almost 21 years, almost 16,000 hours of live TV, that is a frickin’ long time.’ 

Koch would spend more time working on his business interests including the Ausbiz finance streaming platform which he said was expanding overseas and ‘close to my heart’.  

‘I basically want to work business hours and I’ve got a big family who’ve really supported me for a long time so it’s a time to sort of live a more normal life,’ he said.

‘Sunrise is the world’s best job but it’s also a lifestyle. It’s not just a job. It completely takes over your life and I just want a bit more flexibility.’ 

The celebrated television host made similar comments to Daily Mail Australia earlier in the day

Koch said whoever took his seat could expect to face criticism but the quickest road to failure would be pretending to be someone they are not.

‘There’s lots of people who have an opinion,’ he said. ‘Lots of people who tell you what to think, what to do, the whole lot. 

‘You just be yourself and people will respect it. 

‘They may not agree with you from time to time on what you say and your opinions but they will respect you for having your own opinion and believing in your own opinion and you can never lose sight of that. 

‘There’s no other timeslot that knows you better… and you just can’t fake it.’

Koch attributed much of Sunrise’s ongoing ratings success to the quality of its competitors – Today on the Nine Network and the ABC’s News Breakfast. 

‘My biggest advice is just be yourself. Three-and-three-quarter hours of live television every day strips you bare as a human being’ he said 

‘In this country all three breakfast TV programs, compared with the rest of the world, are really first-rate,’ he said. ‘It’s been highly competitive and that’s made us be better and better. 

‘The only reason we’ve won 20 consecutive years of ratings is because the competition has kept us honest.’

Koch said he had received hundreds of messages since the announcement of his departure but had not seen one from Today host and longtime rival Karl Stefanonovic.

‘I haven’t heard from Karlos yet,’ he said. ‘I don’t expect to but I’ve always had great respect.’ 

Former co-host Melissa Doyle had sent a message but Koch did not know if his onetime on-air partner Samantha Armytage had been in touch. 

Current co-host Natalie Barr told Koch this morning: ‘The show would not be what it is today without you. It’s been an amazing ride and we’re going to celebrate that in the next two weeks.’ 

Koch joined Sunrise to present finance reports in 2002 and in October that year became Chris Reason’s replacement when the journalist was diagnosed with cancer

Koch joined Sunrise to present finance reports in 2002 and in October that year became Chris Reason’s replacement when the journalist was diagnosed with cancer. 

Not much was initially  expected of Koch’s pairing with Doyle in the face of Today’s dominance. 

‘Remember when we started this, this was before Facebook,’ Koch said. ‘We were I think five per cent of the Today show’s audience at the time. 

‘No one watched it. No one cared about us. Seven executives didn’t care about us.

‘We started in a demountable office in the carpark at the studios at Epping. No one gave a toss.

‘And that was the secret for us because we were just very quietly able to try different things, make mistakes, and build a really loyal audience for which I’ll be forever grateful.’

Koch was proud to be going out a winner, with Sunrise still dominant. 

‘Everyone wants to do the best and have the best product that they possibly can,’ he said. ‘And I leave this job with enormous pride as well as gratitude for being involved in it.’ 

Koch, who has four children with wife Libby and is chairman of AFL club Port Adelaide, will leave the program on June 9.

Koch, who has four children with wife Libby and is chairman of AFL club Port Adelaide, will leave the program on June 9