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Networks adjust schedules for bushfires

Nine and Seven provide extended News bulletins to cover the Victorian bushfires, delaying Sunday Night's premiere in Melbourne by 30 mins.

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firevicNetworks are adjusting their schedules in Melbourne due to the extent of bushfires in the state of Victoria.

Updated: 173 lives have been lost, over 750 homes destroyed with a 100km firefront and towns razed.

The threat is far from over.

Both Nine News and Seven News in Melbourne are expected to air extended bulletins to 7pm.  Seven coverage begins as early as 4:30pm. TEN News has also aired a special one hour bulletin from Melbourne, instead of its normal Sydney weekend bulletin.

TV Tonight is advised by a spokesperson in  Melbourne the premiere of Sunday Night is pushed out to 7-8pm (Vic only).

The All in Call will air in Melbourne at 8pm on 7HD, 7:30pm elsewhere.

Photo:  The Age

70 Responses

  1. Sandra, yes Seven ran an extended one hour bulletin last night in Melbourne in comparison to Nine’s 30 minute bulletin, however Nine had another 20 + minute bulletin after Stuart Little just past 9.00pm, whereby they recapped the days events and covered more unfolding events and breaking news which Seven did not.

    Also, Weekend Sunrise wasn’t extended till midday, it ran one hour longer than Today On Sunday (7 – 10am), Weekend Sunrise ran from 7 – 11am. Today on Sunrise was entirely dedicated to the bushfire crisis, unlike Weekend Sunrise, their coverage was absolutely appaling, and it was due to a lack of coverage for the first three hours that lead to their extension of the program by one hour!

  2. Last night, Seven ran a whole hour on the bush-fire with Jennifer Kyte, which was commendable.

    However, did anyone notice that the retirement of one of most senior and well respected judges, Justice Michael Kirby was completely ignored last week by Seven news? One thing I congratulate nine and ten on is their completeness. You really only get half the story on channel 7. 🙁

  3. Allow me to add fuel to the fire so to speak. Firstly, yes these fires are tragic – obviously. They are certainly news worthy. But think if 35 people had lost their lives in a bus crash or a mass suicide by a cult. I don’t think we’d be seeing much extra news – a little more yes, but not a changing of schedules amount.

    I think it’s just that Australians have a fascination with bushfires, they get top billing on the news even when no one is injured at all. My cynical side says that these changes are as much for ratings as to give the public information. Bushfires are a sure ratings winner, but I don’t need to know if the fires are still dangerous here in northern NSW. I already know what happened, why keep reporting it? It’s because they know people will watch, and that = ratings. Call me crass, but if no one was going to watch the special news, there is no way in hell they’d put it on.

  4. i agree with tommyk. for some reason my family persists with 9 news but after they cut to the beach bum story after 8 minutes of fire coverage i doubt we will be switching back to 9 any time soon. there have been people calling into radios about it all day and all last night. there might be an apology tonight like there was when 9 put the death of jane mcgrath as a 3rd rate story.

    it does go to show how far 9 have fallen from the #1 rate news network.

  5. David, has there been any faults reported at Docklands?

    Apparently at 2pm QLD time, we got a news update from Sydney, complete with “Watch Ian Ross on 7 News” and watermarks are taking longer to load, some local ads, plenty of national ads.

    Also 7 has been streaming across the screen after each commercial break (before the watermark appears), that they will run a news bulletin at 4pm QLD time.

  6. I am just one who doesn’t like continual bad news…maybe you lot thrive on it. To me, it is the networks making a buck out of someones misfortune. Now all the sponsors will call in and pay big bucks to ahve thier adds shown, and I bet it will be adds like “Buy a hose” “buy gutter protectors to keep out dry old leaves” “Maccas old add…get down low and go go go!”

    Maybe have some postive viewing in all this negative stuff.

  7. @Mark, what could be more important than what is happening in Victoria, parts of NSW and SA at the moment? People have died, People have lost there homes, people’s lives have been ruined, and yet you are complaining about whether you fave TV programming is going to be on time???
    Maybe you should get your priorities right???

  8. Seven (Melb) had one of their news reporters on the line who lost his house in the fire, and was talking about how his neighbours lost their houses too. He mentioned how there was a blockade to stop people entering the bushfire zone. Heartbreaking stuff but possibly a little bit self-indulgent too?

  9. I agree with those who said Today on Sunday’s coverage was better.

    Ten News don’t have local weekend bulletins, It would have helped them out a lot, if they asked ATV to run a bulletin with a Melbourne specific focus, similar to what TVQ did when Brisbane had those savage storms in November last year.

    Condolences to those who have lost their lives in this unbelievable tragedy, that will leave a big scar on the psyche for years to come.

  10. I didnt see any of the main bulletins last night. But I did see the Nine special bulletin in between their two movies. I thought this was a good move, as an esentially a twenty minute “update” on the fires and weather.

  12. Today on Sunday had excellent coverage, much better than Weekend Sunrise.

    However, Weekend Sunrise did improve in their coverage in their extended hour from 10-11.

  15. 9 news melbourne coverage was pretty hopeless last night. they did a quick top story on it and then moved onto people that thought it was a good day for the beach but then realised it was windy and went home. meanwhile people were dying, towns being destroyed. and 7 was doing a 40 minute coverage of fires only. looks like a similar thing is happening tonight.

    i know its bad talking about ratings at a time like this but. this will be a great opportunity for the premier of sunday night. they can show the advantages of broadcasting live straight away. with chris bath they will have a popular newsreader on hand and 7 news will be a great leadin.

  17. Simple fire. 35 lives lost at least. Whole towns wiped off the maps. Mass Devastation. I’d like to see what you think would quality as a complex fire.

    Ch7/Prime broke into their late movie last night with a special report around 1/2 past 11 direct from Melbourne with Jennifer Keyte.

    In other news on Sunrise this morning, did they really need the satirical coverage of Canberra politics or O’Keefe acting like a goon? There’s a time for levity, this morning wasn’t the time.

  18. 3AW has been excellent and in crisis times like this that radio really demonstrates its power over television.

    Sunday Night: R all I can tell you is what a Seven source advised me. Maybe it’s changing across the day….

    Mark this is no “simple” fire. 35 people have lost their lives. Towns have been wiped off the map. It is already dubbed worse than Ash Wednesday. Networks are reacting with the magnitude of its importance.

  19. i am i 9 news watcher, and so far all i can say is that their coverage has been very dissapointing, they played repeats of funniest home videos while the fires were at their worst. i switch to ch7 and they are still covering and because i had watched 9 missed what i have heard was an excellent coverage. 7 also had updates throughout the footy and a bulletin at midnight.

    again this morning 7 ran coverage into midday while 9 did their usual thing.

    it’s events like this why 7 news is #1 and should be further #1 in melbourne

  21. Mark, these fires are a major disaster and probably going to have a toll greater than Ash Wednesday – that’s why it changes the viewing schedule. Haven’t you been watching the news?

  25. This is great but about 24hours too late….

    I gotta say very disappointed in the network news services last night, as I posted elsewhere it was treated almost like a regular thing and I have to say huge praise to 3AW who actually treated this as a huge story as it should be.

    10News spent more time talking about Sydney’s weather, 9 did a decent job, I didn’t see 7’s News but this is long overdue and should’ve been done last night, looking at the Melbourne news figures people were starved for news in Melbourne and the networks just served up the usual. 3AW is wall to wall coverage on this, all their news updates are solid fire related as they should be, a golden opportunity was missed last night by the big 3(or 4) to really put their stamp on ‘News’

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