If it’s curtains for Negus show, what then for current affairs?
Media today look at the ramifications of the Negus axing and ask what it means for the rest of us...
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
The Sydney Morning Herald today takes a good look at the ramifications of 6:30 with George Negus being axed, and whether it signals the death of serious current affairs on commercial television.
Michael Idato writes, “What will endure is this question: can commercial television sustain “quality” current affairs? Even as Ten euthanased the show, many lamented the bigger loss, as if 6.30pm with George Negus was testing the water not just for Ten but the industry at large.”
We don’t yet know how significant this week’s axing was. Only in the future, when networks brave the waters of serious journalism in a primetime slot -or they avoid it- will history put this into perspective.
60 Minutes, Sunday Night and A Current Affair are also considered by Idato for better or worse.
But it is the defunct current affairs shows that intrigue me the most: Page One (TEN), Seven’s Witness and The Times (a show I recently noted had been axed way before its time) and of course Nine’s outstanding Sunday.
“Its honour roll was a who’s who of Australia’s best journalists and producers — Jim Waley, Jana Wendt, Laurie Oakes, Helen Dalley, Ray Martin, Ellen Fanning, Michael Usher, Ross Coulthart, Graham Davis and Stephen Rice among many, many others — working on-air and behind-the-scenes.”
On the very day that Mr. Laurie Oakes will give the Andrew Olle Media Lecture (and surely he will note the Negus demise), this is a good read.
You can check it out here.
32 Responses
Even more of a reason why SBS World News Australia is needed.
There is zero chance of me giving up Neighbours for the project try hards.
Hopefully it ends up staying at 6.30 for 30m & 10 can get the 7pm slot back for proper shows
Hopefully with the axing of George, the 7 pm project can add pieces of high quality journalism. Even a couple of times a week . If 7 pm just stretch the current format to an hour they will suffer audience fatigue. They really need to step it up and get George and Hamish to sneak a few big budget incredible stories in. The younger audience will lap it up. I also agree about The Times. A different current affairs show that was ahead of its time. Maybe time for a network to re look at this show.
George, your downfall was lack of road accidence, house/factory fires, holdups and domestic violence. This is just another indication that the majority of viewers have no respect for current affair programs that have good investigative journalism. I’ll miss you.
630 rates as well as neighbours, neighbours is still rating as good as ever. so with the ratings from 630 and neighbours combined im guessing beats both 7 and 9 in the time slot
There goes a news revolution and what a short 360.
We couldn’t even get 1 year out and here we are with none of TENS’ new lineup. Why couldn’t they axe Bolt! He in my opinion is so far to the right it’s like he doesn’t connect!
I don’t think the show was anywhere near as hard-hitting as it promised to be. Was good to have an alternative to ACA & TT, but still not good enough.
People need to remember this show has had 60 to 90 minutes of news as a lead-in.
The main reason I tuned out was Negus himself. Too old school. I already have several uncles I can ask for an opinion.
What a shame. Unfortunately audiences are stupid. Look at the political debate and the medias role in it. Its a symbiotic loop. The media must be smart and educational if we have any hope as success as an educated nation. If people are going to spend so much time watching and reading content, it will surely effect who they are. Show me what you eat and I will show you the man.
It is a sad state of affairs –oh wait, why don’t we just watch The ABC instead?
Anyone with half a brain could have told Ten that this show wouldn’t have worked for them. For starters, since when has Ten taken their news seriously? The only time I can recall when Sandra Sully did an interview special on Tony Bullimore’s rescue which was nothing more than cheque book journalism by offering the highest bid for the exclusive interview. It is the home of the Simpsons and the mainly a younger demographic audiance than the other networks. The show was ok but was not in the same league as ABC or SBS. I personally preferred SBS news then would switch to ABC news during its time slots. Some of their stories were at times scrapping nearing the tabloid barrells of ACA and TT. Good luck to George if he got a massive pay day by moving to Ten. Can’t see why he would what to hang out on The Panel which is the dumbest thing ever made and is tailor made for the so called Ten TV market. He should seek a payout and release from his contract with Ten.
Is 6.30pm the right time for anything other than the lightweight trash that TT and ACA present? Our kids have grown up but that time of the day no doubt the majority of parents are picking children up from ballet or sports training, kids doing homework, mums or dads preparing dinner, or workers coming in the door after an hour and a half in a train or traffic jam.
I don’t think that at 6.30pm people can be expected to sit down and take in an extensive coverage of real current affairs. Perhaps when Mike Willesee on the original ACA defined true current affairs it was different, but lifestyles have changed. Really for what its worth, any indepth coverage of news and current affairs before 9.00pm is wishful thinking.
Going to miss George at 6:30.. it was a serious step up from the tabloid crap that TT and ACA constantly dish up. At least we had some quality TV journalism, even if short lived. Thanks George
I agree with many comments that news & current affairs are no longer quality!! TT & ACA have been trash for years!
Axe A Current Affair and Today Tonight s well…they’re both trashy tabloid programs……not current affairs programs…..
Current Affairs has had it’s grave dug for a long time. Tabloid crud will always survive though. Just look at the nights where TT is the top rated show in the country.
@Tony Bee – Exactly! The same could be said of Bill Maher
Isn’t The Drum already on News 24?
good call tony…
@Armchair Annalyst very well said and very true it is a shame really isnt it that people prefer trash than a quality current affairs show like George was
You just have to look at comments made on here and else where about this. Comments like how people, “don’t want to have anything heavy at that time.” What on earth? For starters 6.30 was not heavy. I have seen many similar comments. The fact is people don’t care about the news when it’s more than Shane and Liz.
Also it’s just not currant affair shows which is dying on commercial networks, normal news is. Tabloid celebrity news is always counted in the top couple of stories. This footballer did this, this one did that ect. It’s a disgrace. It’s not surprising when you look at the state of politics and public awareness and support.
If people can’t even deal with an attempt as slightly more indepth news, no wonder a chunk of the population think climate change isn’t real. No wonder no one cares about the innocent civilians are troops kill in pointless wars, or that our troops are being needlessly killed. No wonder no one cares our government and politicians directly support brutal illegal occupations and I could go on with many more examples of important issues that people don’t care about because they don’t care to be informed. It’s a sad indictment on this country. Ignorant uninformed masses… what could possibly go wrong!
So disappointed in Ten. Negus was my current affairs show of choice. They’ve made it doubly bad by starting the 7pm project at 6:30. This eats into ten’s neighbours audience, and those that switch over from aca/tt at 7.
Just another great decision by Ten…
Could George being axed have anything to do with that interview he had the other night with the author that wrote a tell all book about Tony Abbott. After all Tony and Gina are best friends.?
Should TEN have stuck with neighbours in this timeslot?
It all depends how it’s packaged. I learn more about US politics from five minutes of Jon Stewart than by watching a day’s worth of CNN. You’d hardly describe Stewart as “serious journalism”!
I will miss 6.30. It was a great show, brilliant stories and reporters. After watching it, I refuse to go back to the trash that is TT and ACA.
Time for The Drum?
As i have stated before on this site. THe australian public at large dont want substance, they want style and not a very good style at that. All the decent journos have been forced to dumb themselves and the stories which they report on down. Why? well because 80% of the australian public do not want reality or fair reporting now do they. They want sensationalism, supermarket stories, i guess because they cant relate to anything else. Current affairs as a serious peice of journalism is definelty dead in the water. Ten tried but the support wasnt there maybe because of their fiddling with the news format which may have angered the audience if that is the case then no commercial network will ever take a serious shot at Current affairs.