7:30 looks to more journos
The ABC is looking to add new journalists to 7:30 in a bid to thwart diminishing numbers.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
The ABC is looking to add new journalists to 7:30 in a bid to thwart diminishing numbers.
Last week the show averaged 574,000 viewers, well down on the kind of numbers Kerry O’Brien once attracted.
The Australian reports ABC wants Annabel Crabb to have her own segment on the show, but there are no firm plans yet. Crabb has appeared regularly on The Drum on ABC News 24, as well as Gruen Nation, and been a good performer.
Economics correspondent Stephen Long will also join next month.
According to the newspaper, executive producer Michael Carey has been pushing to bring in news-breaking journalists, rather than focusing on the longer-form stories that have been the mainstay of the show.
Fifteen years of red Kezza is certainly a big ask to match, at a time when multichannels are adding to viewer demands.
“Kerry was the life and soul of The 7.30 Report and he was a large part of why people tuned in, and he was also a great interviewer,” executive producer of news and current affairs, Denise Eriksen said.
“But Leigh and Chris are both very experienced journalists and they bring their own strengths and diverse interests.”
Eriksen says while she would love more “cracker stories”, Uhlmann has broken several, including on the carbon tax and the Malaysian deal, and Sales has conducted some memorable interviews, including the recent one with John Hartigan, chief executive of News Limited.
But there will be more change ahead following news that Leigh Sales is pregnant with her first child.
She is expected to take maternity leave at the end of the year.
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- Tagged with 7:30, Gruen Nation, The 7.30 Report, The Drum
16 Responses
While Kerry O’Brien was definitely biased towards Labor he at least had a presence. Mind you all the ABC journo’s, Ulhmann, Lenore Taylor, Annabel Crabb, are all biased towards Labor anyway. Interestingly when Ulhmann ran for parliament he didn’t choose Labor.
I watched 7:30 Report religously for decades but I have switched off with Leigh Sales at the helm. To be honest I find her style quite boring and she is defintely not in the mould of O’Brien. At least Kerry even fired up Keating.
Kerry had a great presence and although he too was biased towards Labor, he anchored the show very well.
Leigh is a nice lady and Chris okay too but it needs someone with authority and no bias. Annabel is far too Labor biased and from memory has links there so will turn conservatives like myself off.
Lets face it, viewers will be of a certain age and demographic and not watchers of the crap that’s on the commercial stations. Get the right person and viewers will return.
Keep Labor bias and the show will continue to go south.
While ever the ABC has lightweight reporters doing puff pieces for the Opposition people will turn off as they have done in huge numbers. Objective reporting as Kerry O’Brien did was the reason the show was a success. If you really think Annabel Crabb is the answer then the ABC really does not have a clew.She is also a lightweight who seems to think she is a comedian.Give us someone with some substance, a Mike Carlton or a Peter Fitzsimons,these blokes have substance.
Breaking news stories ? ????? thats what the 24 hr repeating channel for . Ditch both and get some balance and experience , like George Negus (you beat me Deadly Dave ) or like Flora suggested. Sales and Chris are soft on their side of politics and watch how Chris tries to chop the Labor /Greens answers short and just sits back with Abbott rants .
A bbotts
B roadcasting
C ompany
Leigh Sales is the reason why I will not watch this show, she is not the right person to head 7,30.
With Leigh approaching ‘maternity leave’ it is a great opportunity for the ABC to try some other formats/journalists.
I really like Sales. But the Hartigan interview was soft. Needed more facts too expose Daily Telegraph’s uneven presentation of news. Media Watch managed it very nicely last week. Perhaps Media Watch’s producer should also work on 7.30.
How many times do people on this site need to quote the Poochie episode before they get it? Adding Annabel Crab and diluting the show further is completely the wrong way to go.
First thing they need to do is totally forget about attracting a younger audience. Second, return political interviews to the top of the show, minus Chris Uhlmann.
I agree with my namesake Deadly Dave re Chris Uhlmann – i find him without screen energy and presence. I like Leigh, but her whole vibe is so different to Kerry – they were always going to be huge shoes to fill. The look of the show, is also distancing and cold. I would opt to keep Leigh (depending on when she returns) and ditch Chris, and have shorter, punchier items. The colour pieces off the shelf always feel exactly that. The show wants to be a reactive, expanded version of the daily events, but the stories often work against that rhythm and edge.
Uhlmann’s interviews are lacking authority, and he has no screen presence. I often switch the channel and wait for his segment to finish.
Sales should head up the show herself, with more interviews. Congrats to her, and the timing of her maternity leave is very opportune to the ABC.
A perfect time to revamp the show, demote Uhlmann, and offer George Negus the job.
574,000 isn’t too bad for the week considering the alternatives elsewhere like a weekly Big Bang Theory which screens at the same hour,Hour Long Blocks almost every other day bar Tuesdays on 9 and various factuals/talent shows and outdated British sitcoms over at 7 and Masterchef too.What will happen once the cooking show ends ratings wise is unknown but I do assume that 7:30 viewers will return
It’s the qualty not the quantity that counts.
I find 7.30 has certainly gone down hill and I would like to see quality journalists like Lenore Taylor, Laura Tingle, Steve Cunnane who are very balanced. I find balance is a big problem with the ABC now. Steven Long will be great. Thank you.
I hear Channel 10 have a few journos looking for work now…
Uhlmann isn’t That experienced.
Kerry was the 7.30 Report. The show feels lightweight now. He is wasted on 4 Corners.
First of all congratulations to Leigh Sales.
Secondly, could it be that the core audience is simply fatigued of the political debate in this country, and therefore wouldn’t be watching 7.30 anyway. Has 4 Corners suddenly gone gang-busters because Kezza is the host?