0/5

George Negus to move to 6:30pm

TEN has announced that George Negus’s news and public affairs program will move to 6.30pm and it will extend its 5pm news service.

TEN has announced that George Negus’s news and public affairs program will move to 6.30pm from Monday April 4.

In a statement it says, “This change in TEN’s early evening schedule is in response to audience feedback, which has been strongly supportive of the program as a unique, credible commercial television offering, yet has revealed a preference for it to be scheduled in the more traditional public affairs timeslot.”

TEN’s News at Five will now extend to 6:30pm.

David Mott, Chief Programming Officer TEN said: “We are making this alteration in the early evening news schedule based on feedback from viewers who value competitive, intelligent and incisive news and public affairs programs.

“We are strong supporters of quality news, comment and analysis and believe that Network TEN should remain a leading player in this space.”

Update: The title will be 6.30 with George Negus. Sandra Sully will return to the Late News. 6.30 Evening News presenters have been offered positions within the TEN roster (ie. In Melbourne, Helen and Mal Walden Monday to Thursday for News at Five and George Donekin will present on Friday-Sunday).

A recent reader poll on TV Tonight indicated 73% would prefer the show at 6:30pm.

UPDATE courtesy of The Australian:
Sydney – Sandra Sully goes back to Late News, Kath Robinson will do the Early, Tim Webster will revert to his previous role as primary back-up anchor for News and Sport.

Melbourne – Helen Kapalos stays on Ten News at Five. Mal Walden will do News at Five Mon-Thurs, George Donikian will do Friday-Sundays. Hermoine Kitson (current weekends) to be back-up presenter and senior reporter.

Brisbane – Bill McDonald and Georgina Lewis stay as co-host for 90-minute Ten News at Five Bulletin. Peter O’Dempsey will host sport. Jonathon Williams (currently Evening News sport) will report and host weekend sport.

Adelaide – Rebecca Morse to host Mon-Thurs, Belinda Heggen to host Fri-Sun.

Perth – Narelda Jacobs and Craig Smart to co-host.

100 Responses

  1. Not a surprise and it’s good that just like 7PM they are sticking with Negus, let the other bullies fight amongst them selves.

    So now a full 90 minutes of News and Sport, lets hope we get more sport!

  2. David,

    I’m all in favour of Negus at 6.30pm – yep, that gives me something to watch. Can you clarify if this means the local bulletins have been axed?

  3. I consider this to be a really positive move. Whilst I still think the 2.5 hour news block is a bit much (and Simpsons or another comedy would sit better at 6:00pm) the correct place for Negus is certainly 6:30pm, providing a counter-balance to the despairingly dull offerings from the other two commercials.

    On a side note it is interesting that the ABC consistently fails to do anything interesting wit the 6:00-7:00pm slot. The only show I have ever watched on the ABC in that timeframe was good old Doctor Who in its early years.

  4. @mjr: I am also worried that a 90-minute bulletin may be stretched on a quiet news day. We could see interstate stories filling half of the bulletin before sport.

  5. why are ten insistent on replicating what is already catered for by Seven and Nine. Personally, I would prefer something different at 6pm (but leave neighbours on eleven) eg. comedy, entertainment, game show, etc. I really dont think this will make much of a difference. The extended 5pm bulletin will just drag down the overall figure for News at Five, and Negus will be competing against ACA and TT which both have established audiences

  6. 25 comments on this in 50 minutes…That’s quite a response. Well done TEN….we just have to stop ACA /TT from rating as high as they do….Who watches their crap!!! Herald Sun readers probably!
    Hopefully TEN stick at providing a creditable product even though it will rate third. Cause I can’t see George catching up that much. Wish you all the best though!!!

  7. For everyone here who quite rightly takes issue with the content & style of ACA & TT and who has suggested that Negus has the right show at the wrong time – the next step is yours. If you think it’s a show worthy of a chance, vote with your eyes, watch it & tell everyone you know about it. This is the best way to prove that an option to the dross passed off as ‘current affairs’ elsewhere can get a viable audience. Back Negus @ 6:30 as a weapon against low rent content.

  8. Too early to make the change. But if they have to make one:
    6pm-6pm Project
    6:30pm-6:30 with George Negus
    7pm-10 Evening News.
    If the reasoning is 6:30pm is traditionally a current affairs timeslot, well for ten viewers 6pm is traditionally younger skewed timeslot.

  9. well done- look forward to now watching George up against the other rubbish at 6.30 and great to have sandra back on late night!! please /hopefully its on at 10.30!!!

  10. And what for 6pm?
    More repeats of Modern Family with less than 2 seasons’ worth of episodes available?
    Perhaps they could poach Letters and Numbers from SBS, easily the best show on at 6pm.

  11. George is great and far more credible than ACA and TT (but then who isn’t?), but so much news! Half hour news, half hour George then halfa of Project is more than enough. Ten need to find a good non-newsy lead in at 5 and it’ll be perfect. God, they bug me.

  12. Ten should name the 6pm-6:30pm as Ten Evening News and not Ten News At Five, that way it will create a 7 day a week brand at 6pm.
    At 5:59:30 the presenters could throw it over to a 6:30 with George Negus promo and be back at 6pm with the same presents but a different program.
    If the 5pm-6:30pm is coded as one program Ten’s average will be down from its 800,000 it gets now between 5-6.

Leave a Reply