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News dominates Day #1

The first day of the 2009 ratings year is deeply affected by News coverage, changing the outcome for all.

snightFigures for the first day of ratings were heavily affected by coverage of the Victorian bushfires.

In Melbourne Seven’s schedule ran late due to an extended Seven News bulletin.

Nine News and TEN News also ran for one hour before resuming normal programming.

This meant plans for the premiere of Sunday Night were delayed in Melbourne. As usual preliminary figures released by OzTAM do not include overruns, only numbers for the shows as they were originally scheduled.

Unofficially the night went to Nine with a 34.0 share ahead of Seven’s 30.9% and TEN’s 18.7%.

Seven News took a huge 1.90m viewers with 529,000 in Melbourne between 6-6.30pm (it’s actual broadcast was from 4:30pm – 7pm).

Nine News was close behind with 1.88m and a bigger audience of 825,000 Melbourne viewers between 6-6:30pm. (Please note figures for Nine’s Perth News are believed to be an additional 180,000).

There were big unofficial figures for Border Security, Triple Zero Heroes and Sunday Night (1.6m) -all aired half an hour later in the Melbourne market, which means some of the share for Border Security was actually for Sunday Night in that city.

For TEN the evening was not good, but with attention on the Victorian disaster, clearly people didn’t feel particularly in the mood for light fare. So You Think You Can Dance Australia was its top performer at 1.2m with Rove on a slimmer 882,000.

ABC News also took 1m viewers with 402,000 in Melbourne. SBS was hit hard by the evening on just 2.7% share. At least Dateline’s new night was its best performer on 167,000.

Again, all figures do not reflect actual audiences and should be considered preliminary only.

Week 7

19 Responses

  1. The most pathetic exploitation of the fires i saw on the news (apart from the as mentioned harassment by vulture like journos) had to be that RACV insurance spot on 7 (sat night i think). It was nothing more than blatant advertising & i wonder if 7 accepted revenue from RACV for it. If so then thats absolutely appalling, but it seems like this is what the commercial news broadcasts have turned into nowdays.
    For those who didn’t see it, it was basically Jennifer Keyte interviewing RACV insurance rep asking what fire victims should do in relation to insurance claims. He very briefly mentioned to make lists of what they lost & call them etc (thats assuming fire victims are even customers of RACV or have access to a TV to see the ‘story’) then went on a longer spiel about how RACV insurance will be providing them with accommodation etc. as one of the many benefits of being insured with them. If 7 were serious about doing a story on the insurance issue then they would have interviewed a more general insurance representative rather than someone representing one particular company.
    Have to agree that more would watch the ABC news if it was on earlier, which i would also do if it didn’t clash with the H&A timeslot.

  2. I have seen ABC’s Coverage and It is More Comprehensive than the Commercial Ones,Too bad ABC News aired an an hour later than Seven and Nine News that’s why it didn’t get the Majority of Viewers.

  3. Sunday Night, at least up in Sydney, was a total schmozzle. They clearly didn’t get to run the premiere that they wanted. The big story on brit lapthorn was bumped lower in the rundown than it wouldve been if the bushfire story hadnt arisen. The crossing between the studio and Mike Munro was awkward at best. The interview with the firebug specialist was superficial at best. Monique Wright’s ‘story’ was a mess. they threw to her as interviewing the distraught older couple, instead the package began with her talking to some other guy. her package could seriously have done with some tightening and maybe voice-links to go with the schmaltzy music. The lapthorn story itself was the very definition of padding. all-round i think it was an unfair representation of what that show might be. ill give it another go, though.

    Sorry, if you want to see professional, non-sensationalist coverage of the Bushfires you had to be watching the ABC. The advantage they have is that the ABC are actually everywhere and they have roots into local communities through the local radio stations that and local newsrooms that seven/nine simply don’t have. They’re coverage – i kid you not – was brilliant. It was empathetic, professional and indepth. The fires are a shocking event and a heartbreaking one. thats why you need a network that is committed to actual public service broadcasting.

  4. The extended news programs tonight were awful. There is reporting the news, and exploitation of the tragedy and the survivors. Time for everyone to back off a little!!

  5. Agree Richard W. Andrew O’Keefe’s constant laughing when crossing to the bushfires not only demonstrated his unprofessionalism and arrogance but also his lack of compassion. Why 7 persists in keeping O’Keefe in the limelight is beyond me.

  6. seems like the bushfires sadly are becoming another circus, just like the beaconsfield trapped miners. With every anchor flying in to unneccesarily host from whittlesea, and it sounds like there are just choppers constantly buzzing over the sites as every reporter is reporting to have had a view from the air.
    I just wonder if there is a bunch of Naomi style make-up trailers parked everwhere??

  7. Didn’t watch 7 at all. Their news and attempted current affairs shows have always been too dumbed down. I feel insulted watching them. ABC, 9 or 10 for mine. They seem to push less agendas too.

  8. This is the first time Ive seen Sunrise on Sunday but the coverage of the bushfires on Sunday was awful. Swtiching from bushfire cross directly to a light hearted pre recorded segment on the new movie, “He’s Just Not Into You” was simply pathetic. Seven must have had some contractual arrangement to show this promotional dross.

    The current trend to dumb down and cheepen news and current affairs on commercial TV has to stop. Because when big news stories actually do break live in our backyard, the stations are caught with their pants down because they actually have to get off their bum and show us something that is not scripted.

  9. I couldn’t agree with you more James, I actually feel extremely uncomfortable when the Journalists behave in this way. I mean what do they expect them to say with such stupid questions. As with most updates throughtout a show are usually more than enough for me, especially when they don’t have any new news to report on. Pehaps they can start reporting on some of the good survival stories coming out of this, it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom for quality TV.

    Not sure about this telethon, I think nine might be jumping the gun a little and it seems a little to opportunistic on their behalf, maybe I’m wrong and their intentions are in the right place but it is Channel nine we are talking about!

    I will be watching my normal viewing tonight, might sound bad but their really isn’t much I can do from where I am anyway.

  10. As much as I understand this is a large news event, I really wish these film crews would ease up a little. Its one thing to put extended coverage but I also think its very poor when these large number of journalists keep poking and prodding these victims and trying to get them to open up. I mean seriously stop asking “How are you feeling right now?”. Gee they might have lost their house, friends and/or family, I doubt very good.

    These people need help and privacy to grieve, don’t make wall to wall coverage the top news priority for a tragedy like this.

  11. SC10 would have had a big audience in Gippsland, it’s the only FTA channel we can get at the moment, due to the Mt Tassie transmitters being affected by the bushfires.

  12. GuanoLad, Nine’s coverage wasn’t “sensationalist” yet it was very comprehensive!

    Earthquake I agree with you 100% – Whilst this is an absolutely tragic event in our nations history, and is sure to effect the lives of thousands of people for many years to come, I agree a distraction could potentially help thousands or rather millions of people. Tomorrow night’s One Dayer is a very good example, as is the telethon Nine will be having on Thursday night.

  13. I’m surprised people went anywhere other than the ABC news, but I’m always wondering that.

    btw, I’m glad I watched ‘Cranford’ rather than record it as I’d earlier planned; all the TV guides listed it as 90 minutes but it ran for 2 hours.

  14. I think there needs to be some shows that are of lighter fare on. When September 11 occured Channel Ten was the first station to break back to normal broadcasting.

    The bush fires are terrible and the effects on them will last for years, but this doesn’t mean we should dwell and devote our whole lives to listening and watching about them for days and weeks, dominating the schedule.

    Sometimes people need a distraction from reality, and generally that is what television is and should be.

    While it needs to reflect society it also needs to entertain.

    A good marriage of that is tomorrow night’s One Dayer. They haven’t stopped the match just because of the bushfires, but will be appealing for people to donate to help out the less fortunate as well as playing what should be a fine game of cricket.

  15. I thought Seven’s coverage was outstanding. Comprehensive, without being sensationalist. I’m surprised so many people turned to Nine for the 6pm bulletin, when they can be so superficial.

    I also expected Rove to do better, but I suppose it wasn’t a very spectacular line up for a first episode.

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