Angry Hey Hey fans call for Nine boycott
Update: It was Facebook fans who were instrumental in Hey Hey's return. Yesterday they had another message for Channel Nine.
- Published by David Knox
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Even for a repeat of Hey Hey it’s Saturday fans are passionate.
Yesterday fans of the show vented their anger towards Channel Nine after the network suddenly backflipped on plans to screen Wednesday night’s reunion.
TV Tonight broke the news yesterday afternoon that the reunion, due to replay at 9:30pm last night, was being replaced with the movie 50 First Dates. It didn’t take long for fans to make their feelings known.
Online, via phone and via emails they let Nine have it.
The Facebook site, which had famously gathered some 200,000 fans (now over 266,000) went into meltdown with complaints:
Chris: Hit channel nine where it hurts and forward all complaint’s to the sponser’s of these frigin movies, actually lets just start taking note of which organisations are proudly presenting any of channel 9’s wonderous programing and ask th…em if they share the same contempuous opinions of the Australian public. Channel 9’s Hey Hey issue today Federal Goverment’s Public Health Care system tomorrow….. Power to the Viewers!!!
Levi: I didnt watch it on Wednesday because it wasnt Saturday!! Its a Saturday show!!!
Edy: Just emailed my complaint to all and network bosses. Subject… Boycott starts now. You’ve probably got heaps of emails by now.So here is another one.I WILL NOT be watching your network until the next episode of Hey Hey is on.What a major stuff up… by the network bosses.You bunch of deadsh$ts.Ahhh well lost revenue for your guys.Hopefully someone loses their job for this kind of stuff. Many people would have stayed home tonight to watch and get stuck with some crappy repeated movie. BAD BAD BAD
Antony: Why advertise you are going to replay Wednesday night’s episode if you end up showing an Adam Sandler movie that has been repeated approximately 159 times instead. Shame on you Channel Nine!
Hanna: Typical Channel 9! I phoned Channel 9 to complain. It took me over 35 minutes to get through – their switchboard was in meltdown. I was very polite and friendly to the lady on the switchboard who told me that I was the only person who hadn’t …been rude to her. I felt quite sorry for her. Apparently Channel 9 has not given switchboard staff any reason for the ‘late program change’.
Lynn: wot cheeses me off is the wasted energy I used getting excited waiting to watch the encore presentation
Tony: Just dont watch Channel 9! That is the best way to deal with this!!
The site even published the email addresses of Nine Programmers to complain about the switch. Many phoned Nine’s switchboard to vent their anger.
Meanwhile, over100 opinions have been lodged by TV Tonight readers.
Corrine Lawrence, the devoted fan managing the Bring Back Hey Hey Facebook page said: “Hi Everyone, as soon as I have some information about why Hey Hey was cancelled this evening – I will post it! Hopefully we will know something by tomorrow – and it better be a bloody good reason!”
Yesterday a Nine spokesperson told TV Tonight replays of the two reunion specials who play some time after this week’s second event. No reason was given for the belated cancellation. Talk of rights was denied as being part of the problem.
The switch certainly soured what was a much-needed triumph for Nine. Hey Hey‘s return had been widely praised as one of Nine’s best moves all year. It is unfortunate for Daryl Somers and the team that Programming has dented such good will.
Nine may well be holding the show to rerun in one of the last ratings weeks of the year, when it needs the extra shot in the arm to win the week.
Yesterday it was sitting at 28.8% over Seven’s 28.3%. Did it feel so confident of winning the week that it decided to put the reunions in reserve?
Either way Nine needs to heed the voice of the people. As Daryl Somers rightly acknowledged it was the outpouring by fans on Facebook that got the attention of the network execs.
Yesterday those same fans were singing a much different song.
Update: The Herald Sun says Daryl Somers asked Nine to remove the show from Saturday’s schedule.
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- Tagged with Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Hey Hey the Reunion
51 Responses
David, do you think the removal of Hey Hey had anything to do with the fact Telethon was on in WA?
I could be just making stuff up but maybe Daryl didn’t want to take away from their audience at all? Or maybe he just has a giant ego – who can say!
Doubt it. I’m thinking Xmas DVDs…..
I don’t understand all the fuss over the non-repeat. I didn’t watch it on Wednesday but was able to watch it all on Youtube all commercial free.
@ Jerome and to anyoner else who blamed ch9….
read the paper… as i said… it was somers carroll
@ Neon Kitten…. are u kidding??
@vid: The quality of a television show is not determined by the number of people that watch it. You only have to look at the top ten shows each week to realise that.
Daryl Somers did not want to risk hurting ratings for next Wednesday’s program by repeating the first episode. and will Air The Re-Runs after the initial realtime show ratings conclude.
So…Just Cause Hey Hey’s Reunion Show Cut Into The Launch of The Apprentice…Nine Bickering starts and decides to play an Apprentice Re-Run to smite Hey Hey….Nine Programming Manager…Your Fired !!!
I think it was a bad idea on scheduling a repeat before you know how the first screening went. Looking at the figures, Hey Hey didn’t need to repeated – everyone who wanted to see it probably saw it. It also might take away the anticipation and charm for the finale – and the whole show works better being live anyway!
But if you make a commitment, you shouldn’t go back on your word Nine! Why do you always treat their audience like crap?
@ Jerome…… sorry but nine doesnt own the rights to hey hey…somers carrolls own it.. and yes they can take the show off if they wish….
in this case nine is not to blame..
@vid, sommerscarrol may not have wanted the repeat, but production company’s don’t have that kind of power. they can make requests but the decisions in terms of airing are all 9’s decisions.
the only way it is possible is if there was a anomaly in the original contract in which case the repeat would not have been allowed to be scheduled in the first place.
sorry but i wouldn’t be trusting your source from sommerscarrol ever again.
“do u think nine would really take off hey hey after the ratings they got last wednesday????would any network???””
with 9 you can never assume anything. so yes.
Nines promo saying 3.9m viewers watched wednesday, i reakon a third of that would have watch again saturday.
@ david…. do u think nine would really take off hey hey after the ratings they got last wednesday???? would any network???
@ david.. ppl i know from somers carroll
Nothing new from Ch9. Only weeks ago they told their audience that the US Open tennis women’s semi-final would be screened live as soon as the weather cleared and the players entered the court. Two hours later I heard the result of the match on radio before Ch9 had even began their delayed “live” telecast. They even kept up the pretense that the match was live.
I didn’t watch Wednesday’s Hey Hey because it was supposed to be rescreened on Saturday. So I have missed it.
Ch9, this bad marriage is over!
It goes to prove once again the tv execs and programers dont care or listen to viewers. And if i was an advertiser last night i’d be pretty upset to. I reckon hey hey would have given them a bigger audience and protential sales than 50 first dates. I for one turned on at 9.30 for hey hey and turned straight off again when it didn’t come on, so the advertises lot my attention. How many others did that? Let 9 know.
@ Neon Kitten….. before u make your one sided comment.. u need to know the facts …. and here is the fact…… it wasnt nine who pulled the show … its was somers carroll… thats it!!! 100%
hey hey is quality australian television….. why??? cos it was watched by so many ppl!!!
we all know u love ch7…. has ther been a ch7 show that has lasted as long as hey hey????….. No!
ill be waiting your comments on this.
And you’re basing this fact on?
Think it may not have been Nine’s decision… Somers Caroll’s on the other hand…
gee 50 first dates?..how many times has that been on…I feel a bit like Drew in that movie.
I’m actually quite upset with nine. They really have just done it for the last time. I decided to watch the NRL final from Melbourne, 60 minutes story on a woman taking kids and claiming she is ‘God’.and then I just plan to watch nine in very minimal slots. I will also watch the Hey Hey Reunion 2, then I’ll see how they go? Maybe the movies and show changes, have to do with the school holidays? Maybe they need to align the school holidays, so therefore every 2.5mths we have 2 weeks worth of changes, rather than changes every week at the last minute.
This is hilarious.
Nine has been pulling shows without notice for years now, and every time people complain they’re labelled as whingers and told to “get a life” etc.
And now they pull a repeat of Hey Hey and there are calls for a boycott?
Suck it up, Hey Hey fans. Us viewers of quality television have suffered like this at the hands of Nine for a long, long time now. Welcome to the party.
I’m going to see Hey Hey this week in studio, and my parents will probably be watching. Once it’s over, Nine will probably disappear from my house again, we barely watch nine in my house, we watch Seven and Ten for footy and During the Holidays we’re always out, or on Youtube, or watching movies..
I personally don’t understand why it was such a big deal, it went for about 3 hours and that is a lot to repeat. Why couldn’t people tape it or find some other way of watching it? I’d get it if it was a first run episode but a repeat?
I’d say I would stop watching Nine but I don’t really watch Nine to begin with. 😛
Hey Hey was great, I only tuned in after the first hour until the end but it was great light-hearted fun. I can see why all the fans would be pissed.