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 …
Current survivor
EXCLUSIVE: The landscape for television current affairs has been moving almost at the rapid pace with which some journos would chase a shonky builder. There are budget cuts, new hosts, state-based editions and media speculation about the future. Sitting front and centre through it all is Nine’s Tracy Grimshaw, who took up the permanent hosting role on A Current Affair in 2006.
In a rare interview, she spoke to TV Tonight about her thoughts on the current climate of television current affairs, reflecting everything from their content to ratings to Eddie McGuire’s …
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 …
WIN launches ACA in Perth
WIN Television has announced the local Perth edition of A Current Affair will launch tonight on STW9.
Hosted by Louise Momber, the Perth edition is part of WIN’s push to compete with a local edition of Today Tonight. An Adelaide-produced ACA with Kate Collins will follow soon.
This leaves Tracy Grimshaw as an “east coast” host in the same way as Matt White serves on Seven’s TT. ACA’s Perth edition will comprise a mix of local and national stories.
WIN’s Managing Director David Butorac says, “We are very proud to be investing in the …
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 …
Monique Wright for Sunday Night?
Monique Wright will be a reporter on Seven’s Sunday Night programme, according to the Sunday Telegraph.
Producers Adam Boland and Mark Llewellyn are believed to be looking at two hosts, with Andrew O’Keefe a front-runner, possibly alongside Samantha Armytage, claims the newspaper.
If speculation proves correct, O’Keefe and Wright would be the third personalities from the Sunrise / Morning Show / Night Cap camp to win new roles recently.
Matt White, who helmed the desk during the short-lived 7HD show The Night Cap is now fronting Today Tonight.
But talk of Sunday Night airing …
TT accuses Idol of “insider trading?”
Move over “Hillsong scandal.”
Last night Today Tonight had another story sticking the boot into Australian Idol. Our current affairs shows love to run stories on the machinations of reality shows (instead of the machinations of current affairs shows). It’s commonly seen as a win / win. The show pulls in fans of the reality show which in turn gets a bit of exposure, frequently on a rival network.
TT ran a story on a supposedly huge bet being wagered on former finalist Brooke Adamo. It was wagered when she was at $15 …
From Malcolm Turnbull to Sophie Monk
From Malcolm Turnbull to Sophie Monk, Matthew, sorry Matt, White did it all in his first Today Tonight bulletin, replacing Anna Coren.
“It’s great to be in the chair,” he said, and with that he knuckled down to business.
The programme had a mix of reports and an interview with Opposition Leader, Malcolm Turnbull, the first to congratulate him in the new role. No doubt the interview on the financial crisis was an attempt to prove White can hold his own with political interviews. The Liberals got a free kick as a result.
But …
It’ll be all Matt White on the night
It’s now White. ‘Matt’ White.
Tonight, Matt White presents Today Tonight.
It’s not alright to call him ‘Matthew White’, following a belated re-write to ‘Matt’, got that right?
No doubt the overwrite is to make Matt seem more of a delight.
So don’t be impolite, and use your eyesight. ‘Matthew’ is now finite and ‘Matt’ is here to excite.
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 …