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A Current Affair with Oprah Winfrey

A Current Affair producers have passed off Oprah clips as stand-alone segments for the second time in a week.

For the second time in a week, A Current Affair has devoted an entire segment to re-screening interviews from The Oprah Winfrey Show.

The first one, in which Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman appeared to plug their film Australia, was arguably newsworthy.

Winfrey’s endorsement of the film, enthused on her own makeshift Aussie porch, was a brief American love affair with the country. Not to mention a big boon to the success of the film. Nine has a deal with 20th Century Fox to promote the film (which led to Tuesday’s edition devoted entirely to the red carpet premiere). But the Winfrey moment was news and reported by most media.

Last night ACA revisited the Winfrey show for an interview with Brad Pitt and (ever so briefly) Cate Blanchett, for their new film.

Introduced by Tracy Grimshaw, the entire segment thereafter was edited Oprah moments, without any additional reporting. What was the human interest story here? Brad loves working with Cate? And where was the journalism? Sandwiched into a live to air broadcast from storm-affected Brisbane suburbs, it detracted from ACA‘s more-serious news pitch.

Last week a thoughtful Grimshaw told TV Tonight she didn’t always get her way on the editorial of the show. If ACA plans on passing off more segments from other programmes as stand-alone segments, perhaps producers should consider paying more attention to the ideas of the host.

Otherwise, maybe Nine could just set about acquiring the rights to Oprah from TEN and air the whole bloody thing…

12 Responses

  1. Hi David

    There is speculation of a change in presenters in Brisbane, with Heather Foord leaving in 2 week and Andrew Lofthouse coming from the ABC to co-present the weekend edition of Nine News as of the Start of Next year. I am just wondering whether you have any information to ad to this as many are saying Bruce Paige has only 40 days left on his current contract, and Andrew may actually be coming to replace Bruce which I believe would be a great shame.

    I’d love to hear in more depth the whole situation.

    Thanks

  2. ACA is actually really over the top sensationalism, i know today tonight does it too but it isn’t as bad. You should hear the voice over promo things for a recent story on Adelaide’s ACA, just pathetic, don’t know if the same story aired interstate but the guys like ” How to survive schoolies week ” people have managed up to now thanks. then there was one about how SA water isn’t spending enough money on fixing water pipes, “The pipe system is a mess but SA Water gets a new building” its laughable really

  3. Well I must say I’ve been quite impressed by A Current Affair lately and I think it has improved and it is clear to me they are making an effort in staging a comeback against Today Tonight.

    Put aside the edited Oprah moments on A Current Affair last night, I was impressed to actually see Tracy experiencing the storm first hand, as opposed to Matt with Today Tonight back in the studio. Tracy has been getting around alot lately being in Sydney for the World Premiere of Australia a couple of nights ago!

    Then tonight as I write this the first story on A Current Affair an exclusive interview in regards to Sydney’s top news story of the day, the Gordon Wood verdict, whilst Samantha Amrytage at Today Tonight is introducing a story about a cat born in Australia with two heads! – How about Australia’s only interview with Marcia Brady?!

    Don’t get me wrong I hate the cross promotions, the ‘still to come’ teasers, and the bra stories, but the majority of the content over the last few nights has been pleasing and has been far more impressive than that on offer with Today Tonight! – If A Current Affair was a spitting image of Today Tonight which some argue then we wouldn’t have had the exclusive Marcia Brady story etc…

  4. don’t watch aca (just cbf changing channel after the news) but i do think TT has improved slightly in the last few weeks, lasts nights story on those alchoholics and their neighbors was quite good.

    if they’re doing stuff like this they cant possibly wonder why it never wins the ratings to TT.

    and why would they do this anyway? it had no substance and its not even cross promotion, oprah is on ten.

    but mind you TT does show their fair share of oprah and ellen clips,never as its own story.

  5. Aside from this bizarre segment, I’m sure Brisbane viewers must have been amused to see Tracey host the show “live” from the suburb of The Gap last night. Behind her it was calm and bright. But it was actually chaos and lightning at that time with another destructive storm arriving just as ACA was broadcast in QLD making that time delay embarassingly obvious.

  6. Oh FFS, that is just pathetic. Watching either ACA or TT I don’t expect world class journalism, but I don’t expect to sit through a blatant Oprah ripoff, cross promotional, baseless piece of s**t. That is up there with one of the laziest, non stories of the year *rant over*

  7. I didn’t get to see this as like a lot in Qld our power went out but we were lucky compared to others who lots everything.

    BTW any chance ch10 will air the Oprah Australia special again?

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