Since the advent of online, television fans have had ways of letting networks know what they think. No more writing letters to newspapers, it’s as easy as logging onto a network website anonymously and speaking your mind.
TV Tonight has been looking at how our networks embrace free and open discussion. Here’s how they stacked up.
ABC:
Within the ABC site there are individual show pages, many of which have open forums. Shows including Enough Rope, Compass, Can We Help?, At The Movies, Life at 3, Good Game, Media Watch, Spicks and Specks and Sunday Arts all feature messages from viewers, both positive and negative. Some shows like The Hollowmen and Very Small Business didn’t feature a discussion board. The ABC also features a more general message board divided into ABC1, ABC2 and ABC TV Online, but within these there is no clear heirarchy, making it near impossible to find a topic or discussion. Linked by a “Have Your Say” link on the TV homepage, many viewers head straight to the general board, ignoring shows that have specific boards. Some nifty navigation might help send the right comments to the rightful homes, which will only help everyone in the long run. Grade: B
SEVEN:
Seven has separate messageboards for key shows, which operate on a “last post first” basis per show. As part of the Yahoo brand, it requires contributors to have a Yahoo ID. A number of posts have been deleted for “breach of service” along with some complaints by users that their negative comments have been removed. That said, there are still plenty of negative and positive posts. Sunrise’s very-developed website appears to include discussion mostly for specific topics such as “Why can’t women break the glass ceiling?” and “Are we a nation of cheapskates?” The show’s personalities have individual blogs with reader comments, with a handful of comments, which were overwhelmingly positive. The Morning Show‘s only comments were so old they wished the presenters “good luck with the new show.” On Dancing with the Stars readers were unhappy with “racist comments” by Sonia Kruger. Prison Break fans are angry over the show resting for 3 weeks. Today Tonight’s site invites feedback, but doesn’t appear to publish it, not even allowing discussion on its most recent stories. For programmes without a dedicated forum, viewers are sent to a Yahoo messageboard for television which even includes forums for Australian Idol and Big Brother. GRADE: C
NINE:
Nine’s site is desperately in need of a makeover. There is one gigantic discussion board expected to support almost all of its brands. Only 8 shows are listed with unique forums -the rest are lumbered into a general discussion, again making it nigh on impossible to track any conversation. Right now popular topics include complaints about the absence of Fringe and questions over the return of McLeod’s Daughters. The 9HD forum is exploding with complaints. 60 Minutes dedicated blog welcomes comments on its stories, but The Today show site has no viewer input visible. Kerri-Anne Kennerley has added a blog on her own site, but there is no reader contribution element either. A Current Affair story comments are attached to a video -very hard to find. The Nine News site, in conjunction with MSN, allows comments on certain news stories. The overall impression of inviting viewer input, is that it is currently very far down Nine’s priority list. GRADE: D.
TEN:
TEN has a single messageboard for most of its shows, with a long title list allowing comments. Popular threads include a call for Burn Notice to return. Supernatural is popular. There is even a section to ask a TEN moderator questions. Like Nine, the TEN HD forum indicates lots of confusion. Other shows have dedicated sites / messageboards including 9am with David and Kim, So You Think You Can Dance, Neighbours, Australian Idol and 90210 -lots of calls for the latter to return. Rove’s site is devoid of any comments. Generally speaking, the TEN board appears to function with some order and focus. For a network with younger viewers it’s just as well. GRADE: B+.
SBS:
Key SBS shows have their own site and forums including First Australians, Global Village, My Generation, The Circuit, Insight, Dateline and more. But there is no general messageboard, meaning if the show isn’t listed comment isn’t invited. With just 14 titles listed (including radio) this leaves too many shows on the outer. Mythbusters forum link didn’t work. There is no place to discuss Top Gear Australia (TV Tonight has previously reported SBS doesn’t have copyright to run these over the TGA magazine). Bogan Pride invites no comment -a spokesperson recently told TV Tonight comments would return once abuse had been cleaned up. It hasn’t. As yet no comments for Swift and Shift Couriers have been published. And the Newstopia forum appears to be so unmoderated as to include some comments full of obscenity and racial vilification. For SBS this is unacceptable. GRADE: D.
FOXTEL:
Foxtel parcels any viewer interaction off to separate channels, many of which are separately managed. But in doing this it sidesteps the need for a general viewer messageboard too. Where do viewers post comments on subscription fees, new channels, upgrades or customer service? They appear to be unwelcome. A few channels have excellent messageboards including Arena, W Channel, Channel [V] and Sci Fi. The History Channel’s forum didn’t load. Others including FOX Sports and Sky News are either non-existent or useless. Some individual shows also feature good forums including Australia’s Next Top Model and Football Superstar. But all Crime Investigation Australia offered was a poll. With so many channels and shows it was impossible to check them all, but Pay TV appears to have both top and bottom of the class players. It really needs a general subscriber’s forum pronto. GRADE: C.
Running an effective messageboard for a television show clearly requires not just good design and navigation, but ongoing attention, including moderation. Some sites are clearly under-resourced when it comes to such support. The best ones are simple to find and participate in, with a clear balance of positive and critical commentary.
If you’ve had an experience in adding comment to a network show, feel free to share your thoughts. And as with any website, remember to abide by conditions of use (refer footer!).
Mark, next time please post a comment on a story that matches the subject? You can use the search in top Menu to look for a keyword or use the TV Lounge. I doubt anyone from Seven will see your comment on a story this old. Cheers.
You will prob pay no attention to this but your Nascar Highlights coverage is appalling this week you introduce it by Marcos Ambrose he leads the race you miss 3 caution periods without even knowing what they were he ends up in forth then next thing its up to lap 139 13 caution periods he is 67 laps down without any notice what has happened. You then jump to lap 367 15 caution periods without showing what any of them are for i have to go to nascar website to look up lap for lap detail however you show happy hour and qualifying with more detail something is wrong her we would rather watch more racing than all the rest I spoke to Marcos he was unknown that this was happening. You can show NFL & Baseball in full you promote full Nascar coverage how about showing it instead of Highlights which arn’t even highlights.
You probably wont even take any notice to this but a number of Marcos Ambrose family ,Friends and supporters arn’t happy and can’t wait until November when Speed channel starts on Pay tv because your coverage is Poor you shouldn’t advertise you cover it because 50 from 400 laps is hardly coverage
re Pi**ed off Fan
Mark Jeffery
To the person complaining about the Ten forum being biased against newbies, I’d say that isn’t the case in my experience (as a moderator on other forums). Many new members simply make a new thread and rant, even when there’s 5 existing threads there! Rinse and repeat every time they do something that frustrates viewers and you can see why the “regulars” and moderators get annoyed. 99% of the lockings and deletions are justified and would be done on most forums. The moderator do an outstanding job and are very helpful and friendly (if not a bit too friendly). If you’re not a nonstop ranter and someone who gives credit where it’s due (and I think it’s due for Channel Ten a lot more than it is for Seven and Nine) you’ll find it a positive experience. After all, it’s a forum, not the complaints hotline (that can be found on the Contact Us page of the Channel Ten site).
And I’m not a regular, and am in fact someone who was a newbie not too long ago (my status could be described as an on-again/off-again poster who’ll go 2 months without posting and then post 10 times in a week).
this network has rights to a few good shows but never air them
=fail..
too many commercials too often
=fail
their programming of reality and mass market garbage(idol, biggest loser)
=fail
Glee
=fail
the network should play shows they started to play but didn’t. shows like battlestar galactica and smallville, they they stopped without any word about it at all.
i am also tired of constant repeats of the simpsons without any new episodes.
u say its a new show but its all repeats.
this network sucks
the report is great and very accuarte
Doubt this comment will get noticed on this topic. Try the TV Lounge.
If you are going to show the Golf Show the Golf , not start halfway through with English sports Which is of No Interest at all to the Majority of Australians but the Golf is one weekend and a very important tour The Bridgestone , so please get your act together and show the Damn Golf you bunnies and the Omni sport gave a leader board result that was ahead of your Socalled live coverage ***********
am I a Little annoyed ??? you bet ya and so are many others
And That’s The Way It Is
-Walter Cronkite, CBS News, For 19 Years: 1962-1981.
The religion here is slick and fast and so polished as to have no name, soaked-up, subliminal and not-so-subliminal, night after night, a ritual aesthetic, fills the spaces, tele-grazing vidiots, coccooning, periscopes up, retreating, hermetically sealed in a sensual immediacy and intensity, perceptions rendered into many
languages, structured, amusing ourselves to death in an endless round of entertainment and some disturbing shallowness, glamour, exoticism and chicness with our
perceptions structured, in an eider-down of unreality and a smorgasbord of ephemeral, light-weight, engineered appearances with revolution coming to be closer to sheer impulse-a narcotizing dysfunction and truth running along behind an implosion of playful trivia..knowledge’s vast explosion everywhere in evidence…….
Ron Price
Elvie I’d be keen to look at this further if I had some better info, preferably with examples and wider opinions. You can email me via the Contact page.
In response to Channel Ten having decent forums and Border Patrol “Senior Moderator” beating their own drum.
I am incredulous at the inconsistency of moderation on the Channel Ten forums. Consistent favoritism for example allowing “long term online friends” to post anything they like while beating down newbies, deleting and locking threads because “it is already being discussed” without posting a link to where the topic is already being discussed.
Regulars seem to be able to post anything they like, including sexually suggestive posts. While newbies are consistently beaten into silence by having their posts deleted and their starting threads locked without any real explanation or any link to where their thought might already be being discussed.
The forums on Channel Ten are a total clique. They might be great for the long term posters and regulars but as for new posters, forget it. The moderators do not want new posters and neither do the regulars.
I’m the only one in this world. Can please someone join me in this life? Or maybe death…
fair dinkum this dance crap is the biggest load of garbage since 9′s 20 to whatever junk with moon face! maybe 10 nad bert can jump shipo and go to the moon or somewhere else gawd what a load of cobblers!
Thanks Channel 10 for the great Rush webpage which includes an excellent forum!! Not only are there all the episodes on there, there is also Behind the Scenes footage and trailers for the following episodes.
The forum is fantastic with heaps of people weighing in on what’s going to happen in future episodes and giving their interpretations of what has happened in past episodes.
Keep up the great work with the forums and the show!!
Not really bothered with checking out forums run by Networks.
Call me cynical but get feeling anything controversial or too negative would get censored heavily.
Anyway being totally honest, since I found this site many moons ago, I do not feel the need to go elsewhere.
TV Tonight offers me opportunity to have my say, keeps me much more informed and upto date than vast majority of other media and in many cases before the networks even bother to tell us.
Throw in the bonus that other users are prepared and allowed to ‘have their say’ within reason, even if I don’t agree with their opinion.
Plus super bonus, I don’t have to make phone call or vote sms to be heard.
Hi David, I am also a senior moderator on the TEN Site and appreciate your positive feedback on the TEN forums. I am blessed to be able to work with a great team who help to make the forums a user friendly and safe environment for all aged members to be involved in.
I agree with your comment re: HD, very confussing for many at the moment, however, we (moderating team) do support the members with their questions and concerns quickly and do so because we have amazing administrators, who in turn support us with the information and tech support we need to keep meeting the needs of our members.
OK back to forums for me also so I can work on that A+ rating for your next review.
Keep up the great work. Cheers. BP
i use 10′s website all the time, if i miss a shows ep its rite there to watch with no hassels, if you have a question about something its answered by moderators who help us as much as they can, and its been upgraded which makes it alot more easy to use
A pay-tv forum would be great under one site. You would think with all the technology Telstra/Foxtel has it would have a more advanced website.
Yes the Gruen Transfer site is very dedicated, and I’ve previously reported on it before. It was impossible to check each show, so I focussed mostly on ones that are current (naturally their comments haven’t moved much since August).
That said, I wasn’t reviewing actual website designs, so much as capacity to invite comment. It’s not about who has the snazziest website but who allows for easy viewer comment.
why no mention of the gruen transfer for the ABC?
The Comedy Channel used to have a very active messageboard that was shut down after people kept complaining about the endless repeating of the same half a dozen shows. Sadly, the only thing that seems to have changed is the fact that it is a different half a dozen shows.
Thanks Adelady….nice to hear from you. Yes clearly I was just giving a taste of the vast landscape so I couldn’t check every single show. Keep up the good work!
Hi David, I am one of the Senior moderators on the Channel 10 forums. Thanks for the report card. Its actually great feedback for Admin, Senior moderators, and Junior moderators. It takes a lot of work by all of us to keep the forums in good shape. We have some very dedicated posters on all of the forums. (You missed a few of the other forums – video hits and Biggest Loser). I have of course gone to the other boards to check them out, but sometimes they are hard to follow. However, I guess I am now used to our set up to be fair. Anyway, back to the forums for me lol
Nice analysis, Dave.
Nice analysis David!
Nine’s is pretty pathetic. I’m sure people have noticed that the tv shows that people desperately want back on the air are at the very front of the discussion board, probably to discourage people from calling them directly, and minimal effort by the network. Moonlight, McLeods, Fringe etc.
The day that prison break’s season premiere came out (september 2) an entire thread of getting the show via other means was deleted, i guess not surprisingly
10′s is pretty good since its reinvention.
Nope Knuttsy…. A blog has a different purpose to a messageboard in my book, and we have several TV messageboards out there already, both within networks and independently run. There’s ample comment on posts here and a TV Lounge for other comment. I’m comfortable staying as a blog!
What a surprise none of the networks scored an A. They don’t want to make an effort to get viewer feedback because they know it won’t be good!
David, are you using this to test the waters for a TV Tonight forum?
i hate channel 9′s website. no information whatsoever. when a show’s not on the air it’s impossible to find. or even the shows on really late.
channel 7′s is……ok i guess.. but i really like channel ten’s. it has all the shows that have been on it in the past 8 years. like the OC and veronica mars. which i am hoping will be repeated on TEN HD as the third season isn’t availiable on DVD yet.
i think network websites should always have information on the shows that aren’t on the Air atm. and tell us if it’s ever gonna return. and every show should be availiable to watch online
have to say I agree with the report card. Some networks websites are so nazi it’s not funny. And some don’t seem to give a hoot about the viewer, and there’s me thinking that we the viewers were the actual customer of the network. I have a producer friend who said to me that all TV is concerned with is advertising revenue, at first i didn’t believe him but now I really do! Because the way shows are axed left right and centre it appears that networks have lost the plot and they don’t want to read about it on their websites.
Thanks David – a very intersting topic. Over the past few years I have frequented the Ten and NIne sites – sometimes to ask questions, other times to complain and quite often to enter into a discussion or two (forum style) about my favourite shows – e.g. BB, Idol, The BIggest Loser, Survivor, The Amazing Race.
Nine’s “Discussion Board” is a poor excuse and does not even live up to its name. It does not allow true discussion. Posts are moderated, fair enough, yet spoilers still get through – which I am particularly annoyed about when one of my BIG issues is the delay in which they are screening the Survivor franchise. At the very least if you are going to take 12 – 24 hours to allow posts to be read, then moderate for the good of all. Channel 9 never offers any comment or answers to questions that are posted in their Discussion Board. Still, I like to vent, and I figure someone at NIne must monitor public opinion via this medium – even if they don’t want us to think so. There is no attempt to keep popular “threads” at the forefront of the board so discussion can continue – you have to troll through old pages to see if another viewer has replied or added to your post.
Ten’s set up is far more real in terms of discussion and the specific sites for the big shows have served them well over the years – allowing people to develop online “friendships” etc. Ten does at least try to answer programming questions as they are posted – I respect them for that.
I have had very little hands on experience at Seven or ABC – so unfair to comment.
great to see you looking at this issue david, i only go to the 7, 9 and 10 ones so can’t comment on the others but i definately agree with your gradings of these.