★★★★★ 0/5

A Current Affair promo risks the great divide

In what must have seemed like a good idea at the time, a "Made in Melbourne" promo for ACA does a pretty good job of inadvertently trashing Sydney.

55
Leave a comment

The Great Dividing Range may separate the eastern seaboard from most of the rest of the country but A Current Affair’s latest promo has drawn a line through the Murray River.

In what must have seemed like a good idea at the time, a “Made in Melbourne” promo does a pretty good job of inadvertently trashing Sydney.

“The other 6.30pm shows all come out of Sydney – so how can they possibly understand the issues affecting us?” it purports.

That would be Today Tonight and 6:30 with George Negus, in case you’re wondering, both of which are hosted in Sydney.

Tracy Grimshaw has been hosting ACA in Melbourne for two years, now at their new Docklands studio. Before that she, and her predecessors, were also in Sydney. Nine has frequently branded Melbourne productions with the words “Made in Melbourne,” (including The Block) and while it’s fine to include an acknowledgement, the editorialing in the latest promo will backfire.

In this age of the interwebs and Twitter, it doesn’t take much for Sydney residents to hear about how their own are being given a swipe.

It’s also incorrect. Martin King says, “Our reporters, producers, researchers all live and work here.” All? The show’s executive producer lives an works in Sydney, along with several Melbourne reporters who have relocated to Sydney for the gig.

So what’s behind the move?

ACA has traditionally been strongest in Melbourne, but since the arrival of 6:30 with George Negus the numbers have begun to slip, although it still remains well ahead. It does need to retain the numbers from Nine News in Melbourne, but having a go at Sydney may not be the most effective way of doing it.

The story has made news in the Sydney press today, republished in Melbourne.

55 Responses

  2. @Peter – when i said “there’s nothing new here” i meant that seven has done it before.
    @Rob – seven did make ads (im not saying if they made ads) as Nick also said before, i remember seeing on youtube or somewhere like that.
    @Secret Squïrrel – i didn’t say nine are evil im saying that people are making nine ‘look’ evil on these comments. (i should have said comments instead of page)

  3. @Peter when i said “there’s nothing new here” i meant that seven has done it before.
    @Rob seven did make ads (im not saying if they made ads) as Nick also said before, i remember seeing on youtube or somewhere like that.
    @i didn’t say nine are evil im saying that people are making nine ‘look’ evil on these comments. (i should have said comments instead of page)

  5. While i dont like Melbourne i also dislike Sydney, why? Because Sydney i overblown. They have been riding on the back of the Sydney Olympics for a decade and they have not done anything to improve that city they keep wasting oportunities and its in my opinion the most unlivible city in Australia. The polution the congestion skyrocketing house or apartment prices ect. Whilst the population increases and job oportunities have atracted people and businesses to the harbour city it will be the simplest day to day things which will make the city become a ghost town you will see. People will flee to Melbourne and Brisbane. As for that promo well what do you expect they all do it at least for their sate news bullitens.

  6. @Ingle – Nine aren’t evil, just parochial and clueless. Have a look at how their ratings continue to slide. Seven get bagged when they do something unpopular like change their programming schedule at short notice or TT steals footage without attribution, it’s just that Nine does it far more often.

    Any perceived negative bias here is a direct result of there being more to complain about, despite what camo and other one-eyed people might think.

  7. “Im dead sure when today tonight was filmed in Melbourne with naomi robson, seven made a big deal of it too”
    Your right 7 probably would, maybe not as tacky clumsy delivery as 9 though. I don’t think 10 would though and Negus is the one who’s been sapping ACA of it’s numbers in Mel lately.

  8. Ingle (1:22am), the thing is that Channel 9 is living in the past, and can’t grasp the present, heaven forbid the future!!! The utter crap that is being dished up by them is so ho-hum-why-bother. Freeview it is, because I personally wouldn’t pay for this tripe on the menu. For the record, other stations don’t get off too lightly on these blogs either, your comment shouts out a little bit of sensitivity! You state “there is nothing new here”…. the point exactly, so Channel 9 these daze 🙁

  9. Im dead sure when today tonight was filmed in Melbourne with naomi robson, seven made a big deal of it too.
    So theres nothing new here
    i love how on this page, nine are just so evil now. im sure if seven done it again, it would be a stroke of genius.

  10. So, based from stories regularly featured on ACA, the burning issues in Melbourne would be miracle back pain cures and celebrity gossip? I think not.

  11. Won’t dont we just stick all 6.30pm shows in Canberra between the two cities. Remember how many problems that solved last time we made that decision? lol

  12. oh and the made in melbourne “stamp”? Was standard issue for 7 and 9 for over a decade.. its slowly disappeared as the years have gone by from both stations.

  13. So hypocritical considering the other “localised” “voice of perth, adelaide”, etc ads used in every other city for ACA and then inadvertently says trashes anywhere else its broadcast. Great.

  14. The real problem here is that, the people at Nine in Melbourne, they’ve been thinking about this crap!

    TT and ACA and both such trash. If you want decent news in Australia you really have to watch ABC news, free of infomercials dressed up as news.

    On a programming side of things, when you claim to be a national network, and you and creating content that is of less relevance to the 1st and 3rd biggest TV capitals in Australia (Not to mentional “regional” NSW and QLD which are bigger audiences than other capital cities) you have to expect your ratings to fall.

    Its crazy that people at Nine get paid great money to make such catastrophic decisions.

  19. I don’t get why there’s been all this fuss about the promo. Melbournians always prefer things that are done from Melbourne so it could work even if it’s a bit misleading. It doesn’t slag off Sydney or anything and it’s just a promo (yes, it’s stretching the truth but that’s generally what all promos do). There should be greater focus on actual stories the shows produce rather than promos.

  20. That’s actually a smart move by 9. Melbourne is so self-indulgent and ignorant of what’s important to the rest of the country a promo like that would really hit home with Victorians…whereas in Sydney we just couldn’t care less.

  22. I thought TT is produced in 3 cities – Sydney, Adelaide and Perth?

    Anyway, it’s been happening since last year that ACA promotes itself as ‘The Voice of Queensland’ with Story Bridge behind Tracey. Sometimes they go with the wrong promo ‘The Voice of Gold Coast’ but it’s still Tracey with Story Bridge behind. What the?

    I don’t live in GC but their GC promo is wrong by using Story Bridge (if they claim to be the ‘Voice of Gold Coast’).

    So, ACA even divides one state into two – Gold Coast & the rest of Queensland.

  23. @ducko if you only knew how silly this is, yes, even the ABC do it with localised versions of the network promo being broadcast but with the ‘made in melbourne’ or ‘proudly melbourne’ parachoil claptrap stamp added to it. It is a Melbourne only thing which you don’t see elsewhere. All part of the insecurities of Melbourne TV management, has been that way for years. Cut transitions into the start of commercial breaks in Melbourne news bulletins are another Melbourne oddity not done anywhere else, it looks crap.

  24. @ Camo do you call this channel 9 bashing? Why? Do you really think that promo isnt offensive to any anyone? Based on their own promo, because aca is made in melbourne, how can aca possible understand the issues affecting the rest of australia? cmon mate its not rocket science to figure out this one once again makes channel 9 Stink.

  25. you could also say aca comes out of Melbourne – so how can they possibly understand the issues affecting sydney, brisbane, perth , darwin etc, etc.

Leave a Reply