Nine News boss: “We’re back!!”
EXCLUSIVE: In an email leaked to TV Tonight, a rapt Nine News Sydney boss congratulated staff on their reporting of the Michael Jackson story, even branding it "F***ing Gold."
- Published by David Knox
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EXCLUSIVE: Last Friday the death of Michael Jackson sent newsrooms into a spin.
They scrambled their news teams here and in Los Angeles and frantically threw out the schedule to give, ahem, ‘blanket’ coverage to a major international story.
Nine’s Sydney News boss Darren Wick was so rapt in his team’s effort that he congratulated his team in an internal “Gold Star Effort” email, now leaked to TV Tonight.
After a frantic day following the breaking news, here’s how a buoyant Wick assured staff that Nine News was ‘back!’
“Two words to sum up today – GREAT JOB!!” he wrote.
“We may not land an immediate blow on SEVEN in the ratings, but that’s not the point – we’re pushing while the opposition is taking a nap. We won’t turn our fortunes around in a day – but they will turn.
“I was massively proud of today’s Michael Jackson coverage. To have a packed newsroom watching the 50-minute bulletin was fantastic. But that was the final set in a match that began with rolling coverage from early morning.
“You all nailed it. We were a NINE NEWS machine.
“Look at how the past 24 hours unfolded. From the middle of the night when Margaret scrambled crews/reporters on the Truck Driver shooting story. Denham Hitchcock and Simon Bouda owned that story…and both were running hard to get the best angles. They blitzed the Opposition. SEVEN began its borefest with still pictures.”
Channel Nine covered the Jackson story through an extended Today show running until midday, a 90 minute special bulletin from 4pm, a 50 minute Nine News bulletin at 6pm and a 40 minute edition of A Current Affair.
“When the Jackson story broke, EVERYONE kicked into action – and Sydney saw it FIRST ON NINE. It was just like the promo!!” wrote Wick.
“Special accolades to our editing department – how much pressure have we put you guys under!! Loading you up with new technology wasn’t enough – we even threw in a beefy, sweaty worker smashing his hammer against the wall while you worked. Sorry – that was Slam !! (Just joking Big Guy – you know I love ya !)”
He also praised the LA Bureau saying, “Noel & Carla made everything so easy for the rest of us. They are simply the best. Aussie Bob Penfold was born for big stories. Rob is a legend to watch and work with, and it’s a joy to have him anchoring our US coverage. Pete Stefanovic and Tom Steinfort excelled in the field.
“Back home….huge accolades for everyone, from Kellie Connolly, Fergo & Pete Overton who hosted our programming to all the producers, editors, autocue, studio crew, cameraman and reporters.”
For some reporters there was an extra-special acknowledgement.
“How good were the packages from Mark Burrows and Peter Harvey? F***ing GOLD would be the correct answer!!
“We did it right – hold your heads high and be proud of NINE NEWS – WE’RE BACK!!”
….now where did that “Still the One” jingle go?
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- Tagged with A Current Affair, Nine News, Today
42 Responses
@ rob
you really think people would be stupid enough to leak directly from their work email address? If so, they deserve to lose their jobs…
Andrew, what you say is probably true – but if the Nine Network want to win back ratings and beat Seven Brisbane, there is only one way – don’t kill off a show (Extra) which was delivering the goods (regardless of whether some did not like it). The ‘This Afternoon and Eddie’ combo will keep Nine way behind Seven – its as simple as that. If you want ratings then serve your audience even if that means not following a ‘one size fits all, network approach”.
Nine News in Melbourne always has been a very solid rater,compared to the rest of the country.Keep up the great work guys Channel Nine News any day for me
Seven’s coverage was blanket as well don’t forget.
@Curtis. Sorry I don’t see why Brisbane is somehow to be protected in isolation to the rest of the country. Every other city in Australia has lost a lot of its localism on TV, and these are cities that in the past embraced local content on TV. Melbourne, and even Adelaide and Perth, are all very parochial cities and have all seen their local TV eroded. It happens, life goes on and Brisbane should be no different. And there are still locally-based news bulletins on four networks in Brisbane anyway, it’s not like they’ve all just shut up shop and moved out completely.
If I were Darren Wick I’d quite simply be asking the I.T. dept to scan every recipient of that email’s outgoing messages to identify who leaked it and sack that leaking bastard in a very public display in the Ch9 cafeteria without remorse.
Will you report that please, David?
its a shame the leak got out..I saw alot of the coverage on all networks flicking over, yes – we can get news from pay tv, and internet, but, in this situation, the free to air tv channels were on at my place, and thats where it stayed because of the great coverage from Nine especially. The TNT linehaul driver shot at Milperra was a good story too on Nine, I listened to talkback radio all day and saw news online, but Nine still showed information i didnt know on this story. I’ve noticed a difference since Peter Overton has taken the chair, i enjoyed watching the backdrop of the harbour prior to it being closed in like a picture(like on 7), but the new angles are a great new look, so a thumbs up for these little things that do make a difference. I see a come back coming, the ratings arent there yet, but for God sake, let us get used to the reader, dont keep changing!
Nine will chase after Seven and one day wake up to discover the audience gets news in other ways – PayTV, IPTV, NotYetInventedTV
How many people stayed glued throughout the day to that ghoul-fest? Sadly it was the same (but better covered) on SkyNews, CNN, BBC and even FoxNews (wtf?).
Sorry Andrew, Kuttsy is totally spot on – the network bosses at Seven and Nine seem not to understand that the Brisbane audience is unique – localism in television news and current affairs is something Queenslanders want – that is why Extra, Ten News, many years ago Seven’s State Affair all have done well. Earlier this decade, Seven’s Local Edition only flopped because of the overly formal style of presentation (especially Melissa Downes) and the hour-long, drawn out format. Brisbane will not adapt to the Sydney-centric This Afternoon – locals will be looking for an Extra replacement – a local TV alternative, Ten News will pick up greater audience.
Hope Nine has a contingency plan – they will not be back in Brisbane until Extra is returned to our screens.
Oh my God! Can people stop complaining about their stupid Extra crap? No one really cares anymore apart from Queenslanders. The show wasn’t even that great. When I was in Brisbane for a month last year I watched an episode, and they told us how to make jam! I don’t care how to make jam – you just buy it in the store.
Get over it, because the rest of the country has.
“Still the One” jingle should be changed to “Still the First”! Heheee…
“F***ing Gold” is not really the right term to descibe their effort on the MJ first news update. Though majority of people tuned in, the coverage seemed a bit rushed…I guess there are times that it’s more important to be first than to look clumsy…
Kudos to 9 for admitting they’re not the # ONE anymore, but great to see they’re making an effort and risking big to be back on top!
I really hate those “first on 9” commercials – I think it’s a bit of a wank and is just a huge turn off. I think they are really unprofessional and annoying…
Kuttsywood I don’t think you can equate Nine axing one show in Brisbane to 20 years ago when Seven axing its entire production slate in Melbourne except for news, and totally disassociating itself from the Melbourne community. But you know, life goes on, and the truth is that QTQ, like GTV, has been run and scheduled out of Sydney for years and they were bloody lucky that Extra got as long there as it did – no other city managed to.
He’s drunk on his own bullsh*t. What a wanker, does he realise much of what they broadcast was complete and utter rubbish, or does he think any time on air is quality…
Thumbs up to the source – it’s ncie to see what Nine are actually thinking…
when will the muppets in QLD realise they are part of Australia, not a separate country? Extra was axed, good riddance, build a bridge and get over it!
Nine won’t be back truly in my eyes until they repair the “rift” that they did when Extra was axed.
As long as the Wick don’t burn on both ends, everywhere but Brisbane will have great returns.
Brisbane is the toughest task, as they lost their “parochial” audience, by introducing Sydney-based programming. It will not be a overnight job, but will take years, just like Seven Melbourne did, when they did the exact same blunder twenty two years ago.