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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 …
Alec Baldwin on 60 Minutes
Now that 30 Rock has finished on Seven, it’s safe for Nine to air an interview with Alec Baldwin, without really giving the network any free kicks.
Diane Sawyer talks to Baldwin about why he is such an angry man (well he did bag My Name is Earl and Scrubs recently)
Then there’s a divorce from Kim Basinger, and a custody battle over their daughter.
Press Release:
Deadly Treasure
It’s a breathtaking, white-knuckle adventure. Little boats battling mountainous waves and raging storms. A drama played out in sub-zero temperatures, right up there near the North Pole …
US dramas struggling for Heroes
As the global financial market continue to slide, so too are ratings for American television programmes in Australia.
Despite the recent cast member promo visit, last night’s premiere of Heroes’ supposedly revamped series managed a rather paltry 878,000. A second episode took 785,000. At 10:30pm the new season of Prison Break tanked at a lousy 387,000. Thanks to its early evening shows, Seven will be pleased it still won the night in 16-39, 18-49 and 25-54 demographics.
These are shows that two and three years ago were hailed as shining beacons for Channel …
A new beautiful Sunday?
Seven unveiled some of its 2009 titles to advertisers this week, including Sunday Night, a new Sunday evening current affairs programme. The last time Seven went anywhere near this territory was arguably Witness / The Times.
Certainly for a network that boasts its dominance in News and Current Affairs it is lacking a tough, credible evening format. TEN is the only other free to air network without an equivalent.
Looking at the success of Nine’s perennial 60 Minutes it isn’t hard to see why the network is looking for a piece of the …