ABBA reuniting? But why, Mr. Harvey?
Nine News files a flimsy story on talk of a possible ABBA reunion that is more history lesson than entertainment news.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
For some time now I’ve been bothered by an increase in stories in our nightly News that don’t seem to pass the test of being News at all.
We’re being subjected to an increase in stories about celebrity, fashion launches, and various topics that were once the domain of current affairs shows. Even Executive Producers have spoken to me about the frustration of their domain being quietly hijacked by New Directors.
Last night Peter Harvey filed a story on Nine News about a possible ABBA Reunion. Fair enough. In a quiet summer season I have no qualms that this qualifies as Entertainment news.
As I watched the story, Harvey told me there was some talk of a possible Reunion by Sweden’s most successful band. It had been as far back as the early 80s that they last performed together, he reminded me. There was an old clip of Bjorn talking about Australia’s enduring “love affair” with the group; a mention of them once turning down $1B to reunite; a song from a cover band (who didn’t even sport a beard on ‘Benny’) and a quote from Promoter Michael Chugg saying an ABBA tour would surely be the world’s biggest tour.
But wait.
Where was the news? Where was the part about Agnetha Fältskog, who for years has rejected talk of a Reunion, this week floating the idea of a one-off concert for charity? Isn’t that the actual “news” we should have heard? I read about that on Monday (that’s two days earlier, Mr. Harvey).
Instead we got a history lesson with a few pretty pictures.
Reporting on Agnetha and her reclusive issues could have also put into perspective what a long shot any actual Reunion might be (let alone ridiculous talk of a World Tour).
Thankfully Paul Cashmere on The 7PM Project, which also tackled the topic last night, did note it was a passing comment by Agnetha and that bookmakers are already taking punts on the notion.
On this occasion Peter Harvey, who has a very good history of covering Australian politics, seemed content to simply narrate a few clips of a band we once loved, leaving the actual “news” on the cutting room floor. A News Director should really have whipped that into shape before letting it go to air.
Yep. Must be the silly season.
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- Tagged with Nine News, The 7pm Project
39 Responses
I hope they will never reunite. Let the past be the past. To many bands are reuniting. Its like the new hype or something.
FWIW Ten mentioned the ‘why’ in their item on this story.
I’ve found nine news pretty ‘light’ on content – but don’t all the commercial news stations repeat the same stories anyway? We use to call the news on nine followed by current affair the ‘doom and gloom hour’. Great GEM has Friends – so I can avoid nine, ten and seven @ the 6:30pm slot.
You can watch the clips of the recent TDS/Colbert episodes on the Comedy Central website. Stuff Foxtel! I’m not sure why ABC2 is lying about Colbert being “on a break” this week when they were just going to show Demetri Martin from later in the week anyway.
As for 7PM, what is with the recent EBay product placements? It feels like Moira should be conducting the interviews with the Ebay representatives.
@A. – I get all my information about US politics from Stewart and Colbert! Accurate and amusing.
@ Trix
I didn’t memorise the dates that David told us about. But I know it’s this month. I did remember The Colbert Report will end first tomorrow (Jan 6th ). I checked out the ABC TV Guide and that seems confirmed. I think The Daily Show will end somewhere in the twenties. David please help. Although the ABC TV Guide doesn’t go that far at the moment so that’s why I can’t confirm when.
I’ll admit I really hate Pay TV for taking them away and it won’t make me get it. I just wish it was illegal for Pay TV to have exclusive rights to overseas shows. Nor should free-to-air have exclusive rights either except when it comes to other free-to-air networks. Because that would give viewers a real choice.
As a fan of ABBA in my childhood I found the news interesting, but quickly realised it was probably just a throw away comment, in a much longer interview, being beaten up by the media. Found it odd that Nine ran the story in the first segment of the bulletin while Seven ran it in the second block.
I weep for what commercial TV “news” has become. Can’t wait for 6pm to start. I hope Ten will promote it as a newstainment free zone. I’m fed up with celebrity stories in the news and the lack of old style international reports.
I can’t comment on Peter Harvey’s heyday but as a casual viewer of 6pm news bulletins, I have never seen him doing anything but fluff or emotive stories akin to ‘Kent’s People’ (from the Simpsons).
@A, just on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report – both of which I love – any news on when they’ll cease to be broadcast on ABC2? I’m dreading switching over hoping to see it and seeing some Godawful British comedy rerun.
I agree. See also Nelson Aspen’s piece on Sunrise about “other bands that had reformed” which failed to address how many (NKoTB, Spice Girls…) failed to meet expectations and fizzled. Fluff piece on weak gossip.
@Sall Agnetha, who has always seemingly been the member most reluctant to reform, said she would consider a one-off show in an interview with a Swedish Magazine called M.
@ Secret Squirrel
I watch Seven News then SBS News except at the end I flick to The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. I don’t watch Ten because they have the news on at 5. I might try their new 6pm News. Also whenever the ABC (or these days ABC1 ) decides to put classic Doctor Who on at 6pm I’ll watch that. I did in 2003-5. Except when they replaced it with sport or sport like shows. I don’t need to watch the 6pm news but the ABC doesn’t have Doctor Who on. Plus it’s a habit. When they put the celebrity junk or the like on I don’t take it or them seriously. By the way I used to watch Brian Naylor on 9 but 9 just became too awful. I like Peter Hitchener just not most of the rest of the stuff produced.
That said the Doctor Who habit is much older than the news watching habit as I’ve loved the former since childhood. And it will never go away. It’s just they don’t play it so I can’t watch it. Maybe the 50th year in 2013 they’ll show them again.
I’m sorry, but this whole 7PM Project is the most credible news source stuff is a bit much for my stomach. I tried to give it another go last night, partially due to the inordinate amount of fanmail it gets on this site. And it started with Angela Bishop reading the news. Just think about that…Angela Bishop reading the news.