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TEN shareholder “puzzled” by News strategy

Bruce Gordon is the first TEN shareholder to go on the record questioning the revamped 6 - 7 news hour.

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“All the main stations do news while the ABC have a 24-hour news channel,” says Bruce Gordon. “TEN’s 5 o’clock is the equal of Seven and Nine . . . But all of a sudden they are doing 2 1/2 hours of news each day. It’s got me puzzled.”

With that, TEN shareholder and WIN boss Bruce Gordon is the first of the network’s owners to go on the record questioning the revamped 6 – 7 news hour.

82 year old Gordon is a long-term shareholder of TEN’s, owning 13% of the network.

“I should not be overly critical because we are still TEN’s largest shareholder, but it has got me puzzled,” he tells The Australian. “If anyone was against the idea of doing more news it’s me. I think we are over-catered for when it comes to news.”

It can’t be helpful for the network to have the Bermuda-based mogul speaking out on its new strategy, although he is complimentary about ELEVEN (it will “do very well” he notes). But WIN is also a recent Board member, joining Jamie Packer, Lachlan Murdoch and Gina Rineheart. There will be method in his madness.

Last week media reported Packer and Murdoch also held concerns about the amount of foreign content in 6PM with George Negus, but a TEN spokesperson denied this.

“This is not a two-week plan or three-month one – you can’t do what we’ve done and expect instant results – this is a long haul,” a spokeswoman tol the Daily Telegraph.

Gordon’s role in the media is likely to remain prominent this year, especially if WIN makes a bid for Nine shares if an expected float arrives. That could see him choose allegiances between Nine and TEN.

He currently owns Nine in Perth and Adelaide as well as WIN’s regional stations.

6PM with George Negus averaged 451,000 viewers last week, down from 484,000 in its debut week.

Source: The Australian, Daily Telegraph

Amended.

36 Responses

  3. Not sure if it’s a flow on from the “disaster” over kill where the networks were desperate for their 9/11 moment but I am just not in the the mood for two and half hours of news and current affairs from anyone.

  4. I never get why Ten has the most boisterous fans of their content and channel, because it is so low rated it isn’t funny.

    I mean Rush fans inundated this site last year claiming what a brilliant drama it was (The viewing figures and larger majority thought otherwise). Now Negus fans come out to defend the decision to shove more news on tv. Such a vocal minority.

    I agree with Bruce, the market is just too saturated.

  5. @FJ: He might have the years in the business but he’s never had to independently program a commercial TV channel in a competitive environment. WIN Television is basically a mirror of the Nine Network except in WA where he throws in some Channel Ten content. So he’s never had to provide much input or strategy into programming apart from just taking what the metro channels send out to him. Apart from WIN News his independent programming slate is not much to crow about (the Susie Elelman shows?) so he should perhaps leave Ten alone and let them get on with things.

  6. Well, Bruce has successfully demonstrated that he knows absolutely nothing about contemporary television ratings and programming. He needs to accept that, as an 82-year-old, his views are no longer relevant to the majority of modern television viewers.

    This news overhaul has a lot of issues, but “Hurr now there’s 2.5 hours of news, that is a lot” isn’t one of them. People want to watch news.

  7. @Andrew

    Stories about Shonky Washing Machine Salesmen (paid for by Gerry Harvey of course)

    Sadly that sort of crap caters to the lowest denominator. It also rates and can generate money through paid spots.

    Ten is taking the high road here and while I appreciate them doing it, I think it’ll take a built of time to build up an audience (like the 7PM project)

  9. tapeboy – if you want ‘world stage’, may I suggest SBS News. Fantastic for overseas news, not light weight local stories.
    Tens should meove their 5pm news to 6pm, Negus at 7, 7pm project at 5.30.
    5.30: 7pm project
    6pm-7pm: News
    7pm: Negus at 7.

  11. Well, is anyone surprised…? Really? I still don’t get why News rates So well, considering the amount of news sources we have in 2011, I mean, who was the genius at TEN that said, “you know what we need on top of the 6 hours of news a day we already have? Another hour of it!”

    I’m absolutely sure airring an episode of The Simpsons from 1994 is significantly cheaper than forking out who knows how much to pay the various people involved in Negus’ show, which, let’s call a spade a spade, a News broadcast.

    Now, if I’m hearing the news “first” at 6pm, then I might as well go grow a thick mustache and lamb chops, because, c’mon, it is 2011, who doesn’t use the internet/newspaper/phones to read/view the news today, during the day when at work/school/uni…?

  13. @ Camo- As a long-time-ago Presentation Co-Ordinator at WIN4 (think late 70s when Rupert Murdoch owned it) I can’t watch WIN these days. Virtually every News Update or commercial break or promo is clipped very badly by the MediaHub “presentation”, not to mention the “crashes” you point out. If this had happened in the 70s the person repeatedly responsible would have been out the door in a flash. Of course Bruce wouldn’t see much of this, squirreled away in tax-haven Bermuda. WINTV used to promote SelecTV constantly up to a year ago. Since then not a word. Now SelectTV’s folded. So much for cross-promotion. Same is the case with WIN’s Sydney & Wollongong radio stations. Hardly ever a commercial for them these days. Odd.

  15. The opening quote also has “got me puzzled”. Bruce’s own WIN does News 4:30-5:30 & 6-7:30. TEN now does 5-7:30. That’s 2 or 2.5 hours for everyone. Yes Bruce, there is ABC24 but most Australian’s still can’t yet see it, being on a HD channel. More importantly, Bruce, TEN is the only commercial station doing a late news.

  17. Over catered for in terms of news? Come on!! I for one would really appreciate a little more ‘world stage’ news. Too much grandstanding by hosts and regurgitating of info for my liking.

  18. Mr Gordon might like to suggest what Ten should be programming in the 6pm hour instead? The Simpsons/Neighbours clearly wasn’t cutting it anymore, both were losing viewers and obviously revenue so something had to change and obviously the management evaluated and found news to be the most efficient option. If he seeks to be critical then offer an alternative?

  19. dear Bruce,
    If you want to be “puzzled” by stuff…please look at mediahub…its a wonderful place of mystical television…where your own news has several commercial breaks …some appearing halfway thru a story…or sometimes during today when the weather is on…or my favourtie…seeing countdowns go to air or complete freeze frames of commercials for upto 2 mins at a time…. you have alot of problems urself oldboy…. i’d be looking at your own backyard and trying to get your own TV channel to air in a 24 hour period without any “ooops…thats was wrong…” happening with mediahub…… then you can worry about what TEN have too much of…. opinonated billionaires…please just go count your money…

  20. Yes the ratings for “6pm” and the local editions of “Ten Evening News” are lower than most expected… and they really need to increase by at least 50% to be viable.

    But what this Bruce Gordon is failing to understand is that with all the new digital networks, pay TV – not to mention catch up TV and the NBN and literally hundreds of entertainment options coming in a few years…. live news is one of the only things that IPTV can’t compete with. It is a sound long term strategy.

    Ten need to be patient, but also they need to listen to the audience.

    I all already starting to think the two shows need to be flipped.

    Local “Ten Evening News” at 6 and “6.30” with Hugh at 6.30

    Ditch George!

  21. Negus is doing ok (and only ok) its the 6:30pm news that isnt doing anything specail.

    the average (of the week) is no better than Neighbours (year on year)

    Weekday week 6 average @ 18:30
    2010 – 555,800
    2011 – 423,000

    Neighbours on ELEVEN normally out rates it in at least 1 market.

  22. I dont think there is anything wrong with the idea, it just needs to find it’s feet and change a few things like repeating stories from 5pm news into 6pm and 6.30pm, also the local 6.30 pm show isn’t local at all and it seems like ten can’t be bothere finding interesting local stories. Also they need less ads and actual live talks with people and not pre recorded crap that had been edited

  24. What would the man who ran SelecTV into the ground know about running a TV station?

    He doesn’t even have to do any of his own scheduling on his WIN network – he just hangs off Nine’s shoulder.

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