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.
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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
7pm project should have been 60 minutes all along…it never worked trying to cram it all into a 22min show….now neighbours should be on at 6pm on ten
I wish they’d axed The 7PM Project instead – the less of Charlie Pickering and Dave Hughes on my TV, the better.
Another complaint about Channel 10’s programming changes – taking the new series of “Glee” off the schedule after only 3 episodes.
I knew the writing was on the wall for 6.30 when it became a clone of Today Tonight some months ago – we’ve got a lot to thank Lachlan & Gina for.
I predict the axing of “The Projecf” within 6 months. I hour, every day, of live news/comedy is just too much. They will run out of topics to talk about.
The Kay, TEN is attracting viewers to your main news, which keeps them on your channel all night. That is why Seven News-TT-H&A consistently rate higher. TEN, no one watches the full 1.5 hours of your flagship bulletin, then hangs around for another hour to watch The Project, another news based show. I predict numbers less that 500K in less than 3 weeks after The Project is lengthened.
All I can say is Lachlan Murdoch, you are stabbing a knife in the heart of a network which is already dead.
I guess that’s one way to get rid of a decent show from tv, and in the process potentially destroy an established show by moving it’s time slot to an earlier time.
It remains to be seen, but I honestly think this is a bad move for 7pm project, i’ll only be tuning in from 7 so the second half better be good.
No surprises there.It was dumb of Ten in the first place to replace Bart with George.So they bombed out with a dating show a year or three ago,And tried but failed with the Bold and the Beautiful for the summer of 2008/09 and the US sitcoms were done to death too at the same time including some of those older Simpson’s episodes but it would not have cost them anything to put some of the 2007 and later ones on instead of subjecting the younger generation to something that has little relevance to their lives.
Well done David Mott! *slow clap* interesting when Leckie took over running Seven in 03, he focused the network being strong in News and Current Affairs (ok, he got lucky with having 2 big shows in Lost and Des Housewives aswel but you get the point) and now look at the powerhouse it is today! TEN has become so irrelevant these last 12 months, it’s amazing they’re still on the air.
I do wonder if having the project from 6 with Negus at 7 would have been a better idea?
Who would have thought TEN would have this much of a problem replacing Neighbours in its schedule?
TEN has lost the plot….reminincent of ’10 TV Australia” days of Bob Shanks in the early nineties and we all know what happened then – one axing upon another. TEN doesn’t seem, to know what audience to appeal to – one things for sure, like much of free to air TV, TEN no longer appeals to me, as a 40+ year old.
I’ve really enjoyed GN as an alternative to Neighbours, TT and ACA, looks like I’ll be watching more SBS. I find TT and ACA to be tabloid gutter trash of TV. A recent ad for TT in my opinion is fear mongering , creating pseudo reasons for tension between nationalities which only represents the attitudes old racists.
I’m a young adult and enjoy the stimulating topics on GN, I don’t mind The 7pm Project but not as informative as I would like.
what a shame..the show was the only decent current affairs in the timeslot that had any substance. i think i’ll be listening to the radio now.
Tebbs, while you are entitled to your opinion I strongly disagree.
Where is the mix of new talent and experience in this country?
George Negus is a great interviewer and host, and I hope Ten continue to use his talent.
Hopefully we’ll see Hugh and Hamish on the project then. Can we get less Dave Hughes and Steve Price though, they drag the show down.
Unequivocal proof that the dumbing down of the Australian media is now complete. God help us all.
If they were gonna make 7pm project an hr then they should have it from 6-7pm and p*ss off their extended news coverage!! That way masterchef, biggest loser and so on can go back to 7pm starts and that also might cover the p*ss poor results bewteen 6 and 7.
I’ve said many times that ‘the project’ should be an hour. The best bits when they discuss the story are always cut short just when it gets interesting. Now they will have time to really get stuck into meaty conversations. Sad about Negus, it really was a quality show.
I wonder if this means less flippant, shallow, 30-seconds-and-done treatment of stories on ‘The Project’.
Hopefully we’ll see Hugh and Hamish on the project then. Can we get less Dave Hughes and Steve Price though, they drag the show down.
George ahead of his time?$%#@ What the? About 20 years out of date more like it. We are so starved of decent current affairs in this country, if GN is considered ahead of his time then we are a lost cause. Honestly the arrogance of the man. How could anyone… anyone in their right mind consider George Negus and that boring show he’s been airing each night to be ahead of its time. Next they’ll be saying re- runs of Prisoner is ahead of its time. Please. Come on people. It you honestly rely on local free to air content for your news then you deserve today Tonight.
Are ch10 gonna survive long term? The only real winner they have left is MC and that has lost some of its shine. Its not looking good for them, they cannot afford to program their digi channels for most of the week and capitulate on their main channel on several nights.
Not surprising but still a shame given it is arguably the best program of it’s type this side of 7:30 on the ABC. Hopefully George Negus will continue to do reports for other TEN news programs.
Another day, another Ten show axed. Sad thing is we had to endure the 6:30pm Encore every night, pushing back the Late News by half an hour. The Late News would have rated well if put on regularly at 10:30pm. Keep swinging that axe Murdoch – soon there will be nothing but a test pattern on Channel 10.
I gave up on The 7pm Project ages ago , im a bit tired of Ms Bickmore and her nasally voice , and the comic relief from Dave Hughes , its become a tad dull , an hour will be way too much.
no surprise here.
Yay now 1.5 hours of Ten news then 1 hour of The project.
Ten could have 3 hours of ready steady cook then 2.5 hours of news then they could have 3 hours of masterchef a night followed by a NCIS marathon for 3 hours.
It would be so easier to be a programmer at ten
Just bring back Simpsons at 6pm, too many children are growing up unexposed to the brilliance of seasons 2-8.