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George Negus to move to 6:30pm

TEN has announced that George Negus’s news and public affairs program will move to 6.30pm and it will extend its 5pm news service.

TEN has announced that George Negus’s news and public affairs program will move to 6.30pm from Monday April 4.

In a statement it says, “This change in TEN’s early evening schedule is in response to audience feedback, which has been strongly supportive of the program as a unique, credible commercial television offering, yet has revealed a preference for it to be scheduled in the more traditional public affairs timeslot.”

TEN’s News at Five will now extend to 6:30pm.

David Mott, Chief Programming Officer TEN said: “We are making this alteration in the early evening news schedule based on feedback from viewers who value competitive, intelligent and incisive news and public affairs programs.

“We are strong supporters of quality news, comment and analysis and believe that Network TEN should remain a leading player in this space.”

Update: The title will be 6.30 with George Negus. Sandra Sully will return to the Late News. 6.30 Evening News presenters have been offered positions within the TEN roster (ie. In Melbourne, Helen and Mal Walden Monday to Thursday for News at Five and George Donekin will present on Friday-Sunday).

A recent reader poll on TV Tonight indicated 73% would prefer the show at 6:30pm.

UPDATE courtesy of The Australian:
Sydney – Sandra Sully goes back to Late News, Kath Robinson will do the Early, Tim Webster will revert to his previous role as primary back-up anchor for News and Sport.

Melbourne – Helen Kapalos stays on Ten News at Five. Mal Walden will do News at Five Mon-Thurs, George Donikian will do Friday-Sundays. Hermoine Kitson (current weekends) to be back-up presenter and senior reporter.

Brisbane – Bill McDonald and Georgina Lewis stay as co-host for 90-minute Ten News at Five Bulletin. Peter O’Dempsey will host sport. Jonathon Williams (currently Evening News sport) will report and host weekend sport.

Adelaide – Rebecca Morse to host Mon-Thurs, Belinda Heggen to host Fri-Sun.

Perth – Narelda Jacobs and Craig Smart to co-host.

100 Responses

  1. Have heard that we may be losing George Negus at 6.30pm. I would be really sad to see this show go as the current affairs programmes on 7 & 9 keep re-hashing things that usually are not current affairs. Your program at 6.30 really does seem to report on current affairs and frequently brings to our notice newsworthy people who we would otherwise not heard about.

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  3. LOL. Just watched Encore…
    Is it just me or they they trying to start a drinking game among us over his use of the term “but ahh”… (has anyone else ever seen a show called “How I met your mother”).. LMFAO

  4. Its a pitty now that we have *More* channels that one of the networks don’t think outside the box and run a news service earlier – at say 9pm. Later than 10.30 is miles too late. Please be creative with your news schedule people!

  5. I suggest to 10 they do the following.12 to 1:30pm Ready Steady Cook and Bold and the Beautiful followed by two hours 1:30 to 3:30pm of Dr Phil and Oprah,A cooking show to see us through to 4pm then a return to some family friendly for all including the children to 5pm News to 6pm and a OC type show for an hour as a lead in to 7pm Project.No George for anyone come back never again!!!

  6. I hope this works for Ten and Negus. I hope the Australian public start to realise just how much better it is than ACA or TT and the ratings increase. Only problem for me is I am a Neighbours tragic, so I hope the late night encore of Negus continues (though I think there is merit in the idea of having the late news first, then Negus, especially now that Sandra will be making a welcome return (I have missed the flirting and giggles between her and Brad)).

  7. Why? Is all I ask!!!!

    And Why do we need a repeat of the 6pm News with George Negus later?
    When we could all be enjoying the David Letterman show a bit earlier,
    rather than a Negus repeat????????

    What is going on with Channel 10?????

    Do they even know?????

  8. The extra news/Negus programming costs Ten $20M a year. Carve that up between their 5 stations = $4M a year.

    That’s more than ample funding for the best state based current affairs shows possible, plus a few dollars left over to continue their cheap & cheerful weekend news.

    We need proper, newsy, state based current affairs programs that put the spotlight on the matters that 2 decades ago would’ve been facing tough scrutiny.

  9. If they were serious about the 5.00-6.30 news they should offer a more detailed analysis of news stories (more interviews like lateline/more world news) i have a feeling they will just start the sport at 6.10pm and weather at 6.20pm

  10. Great move Ten, hopefully it will pay off and crush the other so-called current affairs shows!
    I actually think a good move would be to have a one-hour news from 5:30-6:30, convenient for people who’ve just arrived home from work (depends on where you work I guess), and if viewers stay with them, they will take viewers from the other channels news bulletins at 6.

  11. I think Georges ratings will improve in the 6.30pm timeslot.But news from 5.00pm-6.30pm is too long,Ten should of gone back to 1 hours news service.

  12. I like the change. I would rather get my News/Current Affair shows from Ten, and between 6-7pm, and in the new order of things that they intend to go with soon. But, will be hoping the 5-6.30pm News will have a recap ‘of the days stories’ around the 6pm mark, besides just leading off with such things at 5pm only.

    Don’t watch 7pm Project, a Home and Away watcher, but the bits I have seen of it at times, has me thinking there shouldn’t be a problem with it following Negus, haven’t they got a different sort of approach to how they do things with that show anyway?

    The Late News/Sports, I would put it back at 10.30pm and have Negus Encore following it instead. But if they leave it like it is now, I guess is okay as well. I do think it is a good move to have Sandra Sully back in the chair, and doing all Cities besides just one, as she was with Evening News in Sydney.

  13. Reminds me of the you blogged we listened crap they did for The Office. Just like that show I think the sum of George’s viewers might be on this site?

  14. I also would like to see a different lead in at 5pm, be good to bring back something like Totally Wild, Simon Townsend’s Wonder World, or even perhaps a show like ABC2’s Good Game, then have a 5:30pm News Service leading into 6:30 with George Negus and 7pm Project.

  15. People power

    Well done TEN. You tried something new, it didn’t work now you’re listening to the audience.

    If only the others could do the same

  16. Poor Belinda Heggen. But Rebecca Morse deserves the #1 anchor spot. Is there some rule where 2 women can’t co-host??
    Ten news Adelaide really need to get rid of Mark Aiston from sport though. Promote Ian Shuttleworth or Corey Wingard. They’re both much better journalists and presenters. Aiston makes a mockery of the news and if they wanna seem serious about news then he has to go.

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