Melissa Doyle had no choice but to accept Channel Seven bosses' decision to sack her. The TV presenter was unceremoniously told by the network management that she would leave Sunrise, the morning show she hosted for 14 years, and would take a $150,000 pay cut.

In June, the 43-year-old mother of two broke down on national TV as she revealed on the show that she would be leaving the show to take "an incredible new opportunity" in the same channel.

Watch the video here:

She was offered to front the network's 4:30 pm Seven Afternoon News bulletin, which is regarded as a semi-redundant position by some. It's hardly a step-up from her "Sunrise" position, but it was how they made it sound like.

It turns out that it wasn't Doyle's choice to get "promoted." In fact, she wasn't given any choice at all.

Sources told Confidential that Seven bosses met Doyle in a meeting in June, and told her to step down from her programme. The publicity team would be calling it a promotion from her long-time Sunrise presenting duties to news casting.

That's not all, she would also be taking a huge pay cut at around $150,000 per annum.

"She thought she was going to die in the chair and was stunned that the decision had been made to replace her. But because she works and has become accustomed to being on a high salary, resigning was not an option," an insider told Confidential.

TV bosses also told her that she could be joining former Today Tonight presenter Matt White for a possible new evening news programme on the network's digital channel, 7Two.

Apparently, Doyle wasn't as popular with audiences as her co-host, David Koch, or even as their rivals on Channel Nine, Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson. She is now being replaced by Weekend Sunrise co-host Samantha Armytage, who reportedly, doesn't get along well with Doyle.

Seven executives had been reportedly plotting to axe Doyle weeks before she announced her "resignation" on air. Her substantial pay cut is also part of the network's strategy to force its big stars to cut their salaries as well.

According to Fairfax Media sources, one unnamed presenter even had his/her pay check cut more than half.