Rumour: Local News bulletins next for Seven?
Could Seven introduce local News at 5:30 next year ahead of its 6pm News and local current affairs?
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
The rumours on perceived changes to Seven’s news and current affairs in 2013 are abuzz with talk about local, local, local….
One theory doing the rounds is that Seven is considering local News bulletins at 5:30pm ahead of their current 6pm bulletin. Locally-hosted current affairs, possibly still retaining the Today Tonight brand, would follow at 6:30pm.
Helen Kapalos continues to be linked to a Melbourne-based current affairs show at 6:30pm, with Samantha Armytage (pictured) tipped for the chair in Sydney and ex-TEN presenter Bill McDonald for Brisbane.
Under that scenario Deal or No Deal would have to move, possibly to 5pm, or face the chop. Seven has previously confirmed the show will return with Andrew O’Keefe but as it loses to Hot Seat, change is still expected.
Remaining in the mix is Seven News at 4:30 but the network is rumoured to be keen to see it shift to Melbourne with Rebecca Maddern as host. Seven is keen to communicate to the Melbourne audience that it is not just a second cousin to Sydney, all of which will hopefully improve its ailing 6pm numbers.
Whether all, or some, of this comes to pass is unclear. It almost sounds like TEN’s 2011 News revamp all over again.
But as revealed on TV Tonight, Seven has been advertising for producers, reporters and researchers in all 5 cities. Added to Matt White’s resignation last week and Peter Meakin’s recent comments that Today Tonight will “evolve,” it’s clear that sweeping change is on the way.
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- Tagged with Deal or No Deal, Hot Seat, Seven News, Today Tonight
39 Responses
I think a national ‘The Project’ style program at 5.30pm would work with some of those let go by Ten. The Project itself isn’t performing as well as it once was, and is much better as a lead in to the ratings period rather than a key program of a network. Channel 7 could really improve a panel like show with more social media inclusion, and more discussion rather than a lot of autocues and pre-recorded interview. That would lead into 7news then a refurbished local editions of Today Tonight.
I think Seven would be better off fixing up their news so that it was actually news, rather than wall-papering the current pap from 4:30pm.
During Once Upon a Time last night there was an ad for another unmissable segment on tonight’s news about the “millions of Australians suffering in agony” from back pain. Ignoring the ridiculous hyperbole of that statement, it ain’t news if they know about it more than 24 hours beforehand. The subject matter isn’t real news either. This would be fine on Today Tonight.
Until they can manage to show 22 minutes of actual news, I won’t be watching.
We already get local news at 4.30 now in Perth, not the bulletin from the eastern states.
So that would mean we would get news at 4.30, 5.30, 6.00 and TT at 6.30. I don’t think there are enough local stories to fill the schedule.
In Perth the 4:30pm news is live and local though some stories they say they’ll have more in the 6pm bulletin and only give you a brief version of it.
Let’s be honest. 15 of the 30 minutes would be about cross promotion
Big mistake 7. Today Tonight use to be local and never dominated the national ACA. People today like to get their news from different sources and not just one. We can jump from our local paper to the Internet, to Commercial TV, to ABC and SBS.
We can get it from Facebook, Twitter and TV Tonight. Not many people are going to let 7 thrash all their news down our throats. Just give us 6pm news and a new decent current affairs show at 6.30. If you give us a 5.30 pm news, you will cannabilise your 6pm news as people will go to 9 for something different.
I don’t care where a national news is broadcast from.It will be the same news regardless
But let’s not kid ourselves that the content will be any different, nor that it will be like an SBS news
I’ve never understood the fascination with “local” news and current affairs on the commercial networks. How much back to back pretend news can anyone tolerate?
Well I can say that it would be a great move getting Rebecca Maddern back in the 4:30 News Chair, that’ll get the AFL Fans watching again.
But David Knox would that 5:30 Bulletin idea happen in Adelaide?
@ Russell – because all American formats and ideas work excpetionally well when we copy them here?
No.
To those confused – this format works for thousands of local stations in the US.
5pm – Local News
6pm – Local News
6.30 – National News
Some even do local news at 4.
It doesn’t damage 6pm. It helps.
Firstly, the choice to make local Today Tonight at 6.30 is a big tick and I think will pay off.
Secondly, the choice (if correct) to go for a new at 5.30 is horrid. Has Ch10 not taught us anything? Huge blocks and chuncks of news telecasts dont help your ratings. This means from 4.30-7.00 will all be news and acurrent affairs.
They would be best to try find a new format for a gameshow overseas and pump money into it. Not Price is Right or Wheel of Fortune…something new and exciting. Deal and No Deal was so popular for a long time, it needs a rest. It’s time for its protege to stand up.
History repeats. The 4:30 was always made in Melbourne from its inception. And Maddern hosted it! It was so much better when it was Melbourne based. A lot of international news. Sort of felt like SBS news. Then they moved it to Sydney and it went to nonsense.
So are they talking local news, or local magazine? Extra was, after all, fluff.
And in QLD, I’m pretty sure residents in the far north really aren’t going to get a real look in during a local based bulletin, and they won’t care about Brisbane City Council news.
And – didn’t everyone say up front that Ten’s news push was too much news with 90 mins of news with Negus wedged in the middle?
Put Sammy fronting something national she is awesome !!
Interesting stuff.
But I’m slightly confused.. how ‘s a possible new local (state-based?) bulletin at 5.30pm followed by the existing 6pm state bulletin going to help? Wouldn’t that scenario simply be likely to reduce the audience of Seven’s 6pm news; even loyal Seven viewers surely aren’t going to watch two bulletins back-to-back? Or have I missed something?
The main problem for Seven at the moment is what I understand is the (currently) widening gap with Nine in Melbourne… I believe it’s moved from a gap of about 100k/night to an even bigger gap in recent days?
How would a 5:30 local news differ from a 6:00 local news bulletin?
Local news would be just your city/state. Don’t forget Brisbane Extra ran for years.
What would the difference between Seven News at 5:30 and 6pm be? Unless it is a local ‘extra’ style program I do not see how it would be of any benefit.
Hopefully the rumour about Bill McDonald is true for Brisbane. Bill McDonald & Sharyn Ghidella would then make an incredible team once Rod & Kay go (I’m talking… best in the country).
I’m in two minds about Samantha Armytage going local only. Weekend Sunrise need her. I guess she isnt irreplacable, but she is very suited to a team. She would become stagnant hosting something night after night all on her own.
Of course the alternative to that is if Seven are assembling some kind of panel show at 6:30 and they use a personality from each capital city, being Helen, Sam and Bill. Now that would be interesting, albeit unlikely.
I think networks need to be carful of not scheduling too much news. A National bulletin @ 4:30pm, then one @ 5:30pm with a local twist means more repetition @ 6pm for the State Capital news. News is important to be informed but other options need to be considered. Will probably not wat h a local edition of TT unless it is less trashy and revamped. Would prefer a more Negus style approach without the recent ‘stories’.
Why don’t they cut the 4.30pm national news & replace it with the local edition?
I can’t see an audience for a 5.30 local bulletin followed by 6pm bulletin followed by 6.30 local TT.
Didn’t Ten try something similar? Remember how that went?
The current 6pm bulletin is a state based “local” bulletin.. so I don’t see how this supposedly new “local” bulletin would be any different
Moving Deal to 5pm is quite a possibility. I hear that Price is Right won’t be returning.
However, there is still this perennial problem that not everyone is home in time for a 6pm news. Could perhaps TT sit in the middle?
In that hour from 5.30 to 6.30 there is a tremendous number of people still driving home in their cars and squeezing into public transport. I really think there is a market for a 6.30 News on a commercial network – even if it supplemented a 5.30 bulletin.
State based local news and state based Today Tonight will cost ’em heaps – but, indeed, sends a signal that 7 wants to take back the checkered flag for that 90 minute block.
Especially Melbourne.
Local news at 5.30pm sounds like a good move.
I think there is no need for a 5:30pm bulletin. It just seems like a lazy way to fill the time. Id still prefer to watch TEN Perth news at that time anyway.