News, Top Stories Archive:
Tracy sticks with ACA
EXCLUSIVE: In Part 2 of an interview with TV Tonight, Tracy Grimshaw shares her thoughts on the changes that have encroached upon the landscape in the battle between A Current Affair and Today Tonight.
In the last two months there have been major developments to a once-familiar contest.
Anna Coren has vacated the TT chair, taken up by sports presenter Matt White. So far the Seven show has won the national ratings stoush. But this doesn’t tell the whole picture.
After years against local TTs, WIN Television has also begun locally-produced editions of …
Domestic Blitzes the night for Nine
Nine scored a big hit with its Domestic Blitz special last night, grabbing a huge 1.67m viewers. It thrashed both Seven and TEN, and helped the network win Monday night.
The special for Bianca Saez and her family clearly struck a chord with viewers, especially those who had seen her struggle against Tourette’s Syndrome on 60 Minutes. Anyone who saw the family home saw it was indeed falling to pieces (there were walls smashed in, and doors that you could see right through). Now the home is decked out in every modern …
The race that tops the nation
It was the week a Pay TV spokesperson called broadcaster feuding “juvenile” while another exec wanted better inclusion at the digital switch table, a TEN programmer conceded it had massive timeslot problems, Nine axed production staff, Sonia Kruger was criticised for an on air joke, a former soap star said he didn’t really enjoy soaps, belated guide amendments left viewers confused, an ABC journo pleads guilty to charges in Singapore, drug charges against a Seven personality were dropped, Seven revisits its C7 case against Pay television, the ABC launches its new …
TV Forums report card
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 …
Packered by the Rafters
It was the week the Packer family parted ways with Nine causing David Gyngell to vow to prove James Packer wrong, TEN announced a new channel, Pay TV launched another three, Minister Stephen Conroy signalled support for increased ABC & SBS funding, commercial networks (briefly) found a conscience but upset David Leckie, WIN sat down at the gambling table, Kath & Kim (US) got a greenlight for a full season, Andrew Denton announced the end of Enough Rope, David Tennant set his exit from his iconic role, Rove visited …
Dateline moves to Sundays in 2009
Sundays sure are the place to be for current affairs next year. SBS is moving Dateline to 8:30pm Sundays in 2009.
The George Negus-hosted series has previously aired its international series on Wednesdays. The move will put Negus in a timeslot that follows his former stable, 60 Minutes at 7:30pm on Nine.
Channel Seven has already indicated it will unveil its new current affairs programme Sunday Night next year, though a timeslot has yet to be declared.
“This move reflects Dateline’s position as a flagship program for the network, which will sit well at …
Nice work if you can get it
Interesting to note that this Sunday’s edition of 60 Minutes has only one story by a regular member of the team, Peter Overton.
There are also stories by Michael User and Ben Fordham, one on Mexican drug barons and another on surfers. Both reporters have previously filed for the show, but like Ray Martin, are occasional journos for 60 Minutes. As they say, nice work if you can get it!
Tara Brown of course is to take maternity leave.
60 Minutes continues to win its timeslot on Sunday Nights, despite the tough compeition from …
Today duo to host Carols by Candlelight
Today hosts Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson will host Channel Nine’s Carols by Candelight, replacing Ray Martin who is no longer a network regular despite his occasional reports for 60 Minutes.
But the two Sydney-siders are likely to cop a Melbourne backlash in what is a fiercely Victorian institution.
Carols was first hosted by radioman Norman Banks in 1938. Ray Martin -also a Sydney-sider- hosted for 18 years, following the departure of GTV newsreader Brian Naylor in the role.
The Today show is certainly popular with Melbourne viewers, regularly beating Sunrise, but Melburnians are …
Current affairs surge at Seven
It was the week that current affairs and finance dominated. Ray Martin lamented the state of commercial news and current affairs at the same time as a former sports presenter won his first week behind a public affairs desk, a CEO lashed out at his rival networks but shot off about the starting date of his new current affairs project, while the network signed a former Sunday journo, TEN reported a 25% slump in earnings, a Telstra boss said Foxtel subscriptions were slowing, another Murdoch stitched up a production deal with …
Block it in, Eddie.
As PBL Media struggles with its crippling debt and the global financial crisis swirls, the axe has been falling on staff. But Eddie McGuire is buying up, moving from one street in Toorak to another, and paying handsomely for the privilege.
He is believed to have paid $11m for a single story Georgian style mansion in a small court just off prestigious St Georges Road. The block includes a tennis court, swimming pool and huge garden.
Title records show the property was offloaded in a quiet sale by Applied Chemicals executive Ian Hicks, …
Liam Bartlett sticks with 60 Minutes
The Nine Network is believed to have increased the contract “significantly” for 60 Minutes reporter Liam Bartlett in a bid to keep him from returning to his home city of Perth for a local radio job.
He will stay with the top rating show until the end of 2010.
According to The Sunday Times, Nine’s chief executive, David Gyngell, likes Bartlett’s “hard-hitting, intellectual style”.
“He was definitely a priority at the station,” an insider said. “There was some negotiating, but he’s finally agreed and everyone’s happy.”
Yesterday, 60 Minutes executive producer Hamish Thomson said he …
NRL wins it but Seven takes glory
It was the week that TEN was in breach of subliminal ads (a ruling first leaked by TV Tonight), ACMA instructed Nine to sell part of its Darwin operation, two former premiers will now defend Pay TV v Free to Air battles, while two television gardeners faced off over the environment, a Footy Show comedian defended a school principal under fire, a musical about the media in Beaconsfield was branded as tasteless, a former Idol died in tragic circumstances, Perth’s Telethon broke its own record, SBS lost a top Drama …