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Logies changes to level the playing field

By moving voting online, the Logie Awards will boost the number of names up for consideration, as TV Week Editor Emma Nolan explains.

When TV Week opens voting for its next Logie Awards in December, viewers will have more voting choices than ever before.

With the shift to voting exclusively online, organisers will no longer put a limit on the number of submissions for the Popular Awards.

In previous years, networks were limited in the number of TV shows, Actors, Actresses and Presenters they could submit.

Emma Nolan, TV Week Editor, tells TV Tonight that opening votes in December will give more people more time to interact with the awards process while the TV year is still fresh in people’s minds.

“This allows us to run it over 12 weeks and it frees up pages in the magazine so we can do a lot more editorial coverage about the nominees and awards. With so many Australian dramas at the moment there are so many actors, actresses and presenters and it was getting really tight to actually fit them in the magazine. Online gives us a lot more room,” she said.

It will also give more equity to those in the industry.

In previous years many stars have missed out on having their name on the preliminary voting coupon, which triggered a ripple effect that automatically left them out of the running for Gold.

Last year Daryl Somers’ name wasone of many not included in preliminary voting, automatically ruling him out for Gold. Two years ago Ray Meagher wasn’t even put forward for consideration in the acting stakes. From December all names put forward by networks for Popular votes will be up for grabs, but there will be a limits in the peer-voted Outstanding categories: 5 actors & actresses per network and 3 shows per category. This is due to juries having to view footage of all submissions.

Juries are also undergoing a change, with actors to vote for fellow actors and similar industry experts to help judge the Outstanding categories.

“We used to have one representative from each network and one independent (judge) but we’ve changed the system so that all the judges will be independent. We’re looking at 7 panels with at least 5 independent judges on each,” says Nolan.

“We’re going big. So without naming names we’re going to quite high-profile actors, actresses, head of production companies, people who are well-respected and with a lot of expertise in their particular area.”

With the earlier voting, did TV Week consider bringing the event forward from May?

“We look at it every year, maybe bringing it forward to March, but there are a lot of factors involved. We’ll re-assess it next year,” says Nolan.

“All the judges have to view all the material in January / February, so it would be a lot to expect them to do it all at the end of the year.”

The Hall of Fame award is chosen from a list of names or shows submitted by networks, which is voted by all the juries. Since it was introduced in 1984, only three TV shows (Four Corners, Play School and Neighbours) have entered the Hall of Fame and just one woman: Ruth Cracknell.

“I can’t really say who I would like to see win,” says Nolan, “but it would be great to see a woman win because it’s been too long. In the last few years we’ve discussed it and it would be great to see a woman win it. I think it’s long overdue.”

Also overdue is the addition of Community TV into the voting. Gold Logie winner Rove McManus is the Best known graduate from Community Television. Next year it’s in the running too.

“Going online will give us more room, so we’re opening it up to include Community TV so that we can definitely include every show that the networks submit and that meets the criteria.”

Another change coming in 2011 is moving the annual Monday morning nomination breakfast to an early-evening Sunday announcement on April 3rd.

“In previous years we’ve done it on the morning when the magazine is already out. But it’s a bit more exciting as the names are read out -it will be the first time people hear it.

“We think it needs to be a true announcement to build up the excitement.”

Internet voting will be limited to one vote per IP address, but just as industry stories of publicists madly filling out magazine coupons are the stuff of legend, there is nothing to prevent viewers from voting on multiple computers. Indeed, the Gold Logie is subject to similar cracks in its system with multiple SMS votes.

“If people want to spend their own money voting for their favourite star, we can’t stop that,” she admits.

“Last year there was a street parade for Harold from Neighbours and we think it’s fun. It’s part of the awards. It builds up the excitement right up to the awards. We had no idea who was going to win. The front runner can be changing right up until an hour before the awards.”

What impact the changes have on the Logie winners remains to be seen, but as Nolan points out the event has always undergone change across its 52 years.

“Obviously the whole process has changed in terms of the voting and how it works. Going back 8 or 10 years ago you could only vote in TV Week. But technology has evolved and people are interacting with the magazine in a different way. So we’ve kept up and changed the voting system,” she says.

“Being there on the night and seeing so many celebrities I still get a buzz. It’s amazing. We do have our knockers, but it’s big and glamorous and it’s very important. The stars love it.”

17 Responses

  1. I still buy TV Week every week and have done since I was very, very young, and I still find it interesting. I visit this site regularly (daily, usually) and I still read stuff in TV Week that hasn’t been published online. The Logies are an Australian institution and regardless of its detractors, they still have a role in today’s industry. Is PTTR the most popular show in the country? Yes, it is. Have the Logies reflected this? Yes, they have. The “Outstanding” categories recognise brilliance, while the “Popular” awards recognise….popularity. What’s the problem with that? I’m still waiting to hear that they’ve *finally* decided to publish a Logies Almanac! It would be a great read!

  2. Based off a magazine with declining sales, that only exists for the Logies, if you can only vote online (which I’m not complaining about), then doesn’t that
    render TV Week as a magazine, even more useless than it largely already is and has been. All the TV news people want, they can freely get by just reading this site.

  3. Lets hope the actual telecast has some class next year,instead of this ridiculous stand up comedy show that every awards show appears to try on.I mean i want to see some glitz & glamour.I want to see 1 host that can see the show right through.I want to see presenters that announce the nominees & winners,only,not try to do a 3 minute stand up routine that falls flat everytime (the host can throw in the funny lines).A show that doesn’t mimic American awards shows.I want to see big dance routines,aussie singers giving it their all.And lastly i want to see an Australian awards show with Australian presenters only.We have enough celebs to not have os celebs come over & give the same old “I love the aussies””I have no idea why i’m here or what that show is,or who that actor/actress is” mumbo jumbo.Please Channel 9?Oh and my choice for a host if it has to be a channel 9 personality is Kerri Anne or Daryl (minus drums & singing).

  4. Does anyone know if The Pacific is eligible for next year’s Logies? It is largely American-funded although Seven paid some production costs for the broadcast rights. It was entirely filmed in Australia and featured some local actors.

  5. Thanks David, I forgot that i too can vote and try to shift the trends. Your site is an excellent consciousness raiser for readers, and those industry folk who frequent TV Tonight.

  6. I hope you have to register to vote otherwise it will be just a mess with people who have numerous email accounts clocking up false figures. It could create something really farsical.

    I would love to see Kristian Schmid get something for his brilliant guest performances on Packed To The Rafters !

  7. Michael Caton, John Waters, Jackie Woodburne, Noni Hazelhurst, Kat Stewart etc would all benefit, and of course, Angus McClaren and Callan Mulvey , younger actors who get sidelined by the leads or the superspunks in the Most Popular vote. This watcher can but dream!

  8. Dave many of those supporting actors are eligible in Preliminary voting, but yes they are thrown in with lead actors so it tends to muscle them out. There was also the issue of a limit on the numbers but now that is changing.

  9. I have said it before and say it again in the hope that someone from the Logies will listen. Bring back the Supporting Actor and Actress categories. There are So many great Aussie actors in soaps, series, mini series and telemovies that it is a crying shame that they never get rewarded. If the AFI can honour them, why on earth doesn’t the Logies? Rush, Offspring, City Homicide, Rafters all have terrific supporting performances. C’mon TV Week – audiences love actors, it would give the telecast a boost.

  10. It’s good to see the Loge Organisiers changing some things for the Logies (like the voting process and the ‘industry awards’ judging process). For the public awards, it’s a good chance now to actually vote for who we want to, not just the handfull of choices there usually is.

    I would also like to see the awards move to an earlier date (early May is just too late, i think). And i think that 12 weeks of voting is a bit too much as well.

  11. It’s basically the Kids Choice Awards but adults allowed to vote. Logies are irrelevant and meaningless. Until they change the awards and voting system and the event itself it will always be seen as such.

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