Axed: 6:30 with George Negus
Network TEN has axed 6:30 with George Negus, to be replaced with an extended version of The 7PM Project.
- Published by David Knox
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Network TEN has axed 6:30 with George Negus, to take effect from the end of next week.
It will be replaced with an extended version of The 7PM Project, to be re-titled as The Project.
Negus will remain with TEN in news and current affairs and return to a regular panel role on The Project.
The axing follows disappointing ratings for the show in the competitive 6:30pm timeslot, after it was moved from its original home of 6pm mid year. Last night it rated 340,000 viewers.
David Mott, Chief Programming Officer, said, “The move to expand The Project from a half hour format to the hour reflects our belief that this type of contemporary, informative, fast-paced, funny, yet relevant news offering is what best connects with our audience.”
“We’re incredibly proud of George and our 6.30 team, both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes. 6.30 has been a high quality, credible, and thought provoking news program for the network. The decision to discontinue 6.30 was a commercial one and in no way reflects on the quality of George, the program or the team. We are grateful to George for establishing and steering this bold experiment over the last 10 months.”
George Negus says, “Working on 6.30 has been incredibly fulfilling. From reporters to production crew, we have worked together to bring viewers a high quality, soil-breaking program and some of the year’s biggest stories and interviews. We are immensely proud of all we have achieved. The truth is that unfortunately a program like 6.30 was ahead of its time, but who knows about the future?
“Though sadly 6.30 has come to an end, I’m looking forward to getting back with my mates at The Project. They’ve also broken new ground with their irreverent approach to what’s going on around us, it’s my kind of tongue-in-cheek program.”
At TEN’s 2012 Programming Launch the network had promised George Negus and the 6:30 team would return, but did not specifically name the show itself, fuelling rumours that Negus might take a different role on the show.
Negus left Dateline at SBS at the end of last year to take up the role as part of TEN’s news revamp.
The Project switches from Monday October 31st.
Charlie Pickering said, “TEN has given us more time and we’re not going to say no. Carrie, Hughesy and myself have always got something to say and whether or not the world needs to hear it we’re just glad to have the extra half hour to say it.”
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105 Responses
I just hope that the next thing Ten doesn’t intend to cull, is the local news at 5pm. If they did that, it could be ratings suicide.
Its a shame, its was the best content at 6.30pm by a long margin.
I agree with George, it was ahead if it’s time – by 3 hours each night. An hour of The Project will become insufferable.
@ AS
Perhaps “Not The 7pm Project” ?
Journalism is going down the sh!thole, but it’s actually all the public’s fault. Sad that majority of people are idiots and would rather watch trash like TT and ACA, when good quality journalism and stories like on George Negus is ignored. I’ll prob watch the whole hour of The Project, but only cos there’s nothing on at 6.30. Not sure extending it is the right move, but what other option is there?
Hilarious Channel 10 LMAO!!!! Replacing one flop with an extended version of another major flop!!! lol!!! Great strategy!!! Best just turn the lights off now and let Channel 10 RIP!!!! lol!!!!
Ten just keeps axing programs but ratings keep falling.
So this 2011 ‘news overhaul’ has now officially collapsed. Is our TV industry ever going to move forward, instead of backward?
And another one bites the dust, guitar riff. but seriously this is very bad as one of two shows from 6 to 7pm slot to offer something more genuine then tabloid journalism i liked this show i know i definetly did. If the ratings are or were correct then the people of australia have spoken then dont want informative tv shows on, or at least not on commercial tv. Network Ten is quickly being molded to resemble 7 and 9, goodbye point of difference, oh wait that went out months ago. I also agree ready steady cook will be next, the question which keeps coming up is what are they going to replace it?
I’m loving watching Ten Fail! Fist they cut the simpsons, then lose the AFL rights and in the process dump HD football for the rest of their final years rights. Karma’s a bitch Ten
@mark – I thought the same thing. Surprising.
Obviously not enough ‘miracle bra’ stories…
Nooooo!!!
Now 7pm Project will be killed. Why TEN? Why?
Stupid idea. This will kill 7pm project.
I welcome this news with open arms!!!
I still preferred 6:30 over TT and ACA but it did need some improvements, I thought it would improve over time but it never really seemed to change.
I like The Project and hope this means more segments and have more time to properly separate jokes from serious issues.
I concur with many of the sentiments on here. It started to slip in the ratings when it began running more trashy stories, overlapping with some of TT’s and ACA’s territory. Most people would have watched Negus because it was a more enlightened alternative to the bilious garbage on 7 and 9 at that time. Once it started stooping to their level, those people would have been turned off.
Network Ten must be like a big wobbly tower of Jenga. Surely, any moment now, they’re going to dump yet another show and the whole lot will come tumbling down. While Ten and Nine consume themselves, Seven can do what they want – eg Rafters “season finale” at ep 15 – and continue to coast to another win.
They shouldn’t mess with the 7PM Project, half hour show is good and enough.
1 hour every single day will be too much and audiences will get bored and drop off.
Lol. No david Mott! You extended it because you have no idea what to replace it with.
Just want to echo many sentiments made by other posters…
It really is a shame that quality current affair programs can’t survive and it really is a poor representation of the current Australian television climate. I’m also glad The Project gets more time, it has always been far too rushed. I hope that they now add a few new segments (movie reviews or tech reviews) and then take the remaining time to really analyze the the news stories and make it into more of a panel discussion than a light look at the news.
I’m actually surprised Ten didn’t try a more integrated approach and combined both shows by having George join The Project full time and try switching between his serious stories with Project’s general news updates
7pm will be the next victim.
I was suprised Gina and Murdoch didn’t demand that Bolt have the 6.30 pm timeslot, 7 nights a week
People who really want to know what’s happening in the world will continue to watch SBS World News. I think The Project will adjust to an hour-long format pretty easily.
1 hour of 7pm Project is way to much… it is going to turn into oprah or dr oz just to fill in the time
It was going to happen sooner or later.What Ten need to do now that Oprah has left the building is reorganise the daytime line up through to 5pm.Move the Bold and the Beautiful Back to 1pm like it was before 1996 Then have your cooking shows,comedies and Judge Judy through to 4pm and a hour of family friendly shows for after school as a lead in to the News.4:30pm when I was a kid was Either Wonder World or Double Dare from memory not some slow full on soapie.
I imagine Hamish will stay with Ten and his reports will be played on the news and/or ‘The Project’.