Dear James, seriously….
Dear James Warburton, welcome to your new job running my network....
- Published by David Knox
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Dear James Warburton,
Welcome to your new job running my network.
My network I hear you say? Yes.
As a viewer, that’s the way I feel about my Television. It’s the way I feel about all of the channels I have watched for decades. TEN and I have been through a lot together (ask some long-standing employees about ‘pink custard’ and they’ll tell you what I mean). Execs are custodians. They come and go, but the viewer and the brand are a constant.
Last year I felt like TEN forgot about me as a viewer. It was a year of money over our relationship. TEN’s quest to shift from being a youthful network to a family network was confused by also wanting to be a news network. Goodbye Video Hits, AFL, so long Sandra Sully, The Simpsons and Neighbours got moved down the road. They destroyed Good News Week too, James. In came two and a half hours of News and Current Affairs, George Negus, Andrew Bolt. It was like they wanted me to be somebody else.
I was as sorry as everybody that Negus didn’t fire, but after 20 years of Neighbours and The Simpsons this was cultural shock. Square peg. Round hole.
They lost Hamish and Andy and then Big Brother. Rove is now on Foxtel. Shaun Micallef is doing a news comedy show for the ABC. Who was minding the shop?
Then they cloned MasterChef, a show we all cherished, into a copycat format and bugger me they went and insulted me on their biggest night of viewing by forcing me to watch The Renovators. After that genius move I really didn’t feel like watching Renovators again. And I may have taken out a little more angst by snubbing Junior MasterChef, which is a shame because the kids looked pretty talented. I just wasn’t in the mood.
They’ve replayed Modern Family so many times it’s hard to know what night has first-run episodes. Viewing should not be such hard work. Glee‘s been through the machine so many times its lost its ‘cool.’ Not sure how you can get it back.
Chrissie Swan and Ding Dong have left The Circle, dammit. What I hear of New Zealand’s Paul Henry does not encourage me (why must every breakfast show have a loose-cannon?) when you’ve got Hamish Macdonald sitting right under your nose. Hello?
Good luck with Ready Steady Cook if you decide to bring that back. Colin Lane is a nice bloke but I’ve never seen such a groundswell of disdain from readers against a host replacement (now 1270 comments and still climbing, a site record). Graham Norton was too, too fab on ABC. I don’t think he is the answer for Saturday nights, but then chopping and changing Fridays and Saturdays would be worse.
But let me be more positive.
I do like the sound of Brothers in Arms. I think I like Underground:Â The Julian Assange Story even more. All the signs for Young Talent Time look encouraging. Offspring has blossomed into a terrific vehicle. I’m sorry to see Rush go, but glad Your Gen is back. Puberty Blues has me intrigued, but I’ll reserve judgement on Reef Doctors. When Can of Worms comes back without Dicko, please ask Gretel if she is busy? Funny, smart, female -does commercial TV have any room for these?
I’ll be back for MasterChef, reservedly. Your launch will be crucial. I hope it has more Mystery Boxes and less Dalai Lamas. And can we please have some fair Immunity challenges? Sorry, The Biggest Loser doesn’t attract me. Never really has.
I’m looking forward to Homeland, I’ve heard great things. The Good Wife remains underrated. Hawaii Five-0 is overrated.
So what do I want to see on my Channel TEN under our reign?
A return to irreverent telly and bold ideas. Remember ‘Tuesday Night’s a Bitch?’ Remember that Celebrity Support Group promo with Shaun Micallef and Matt Preston? Remember when Sunday nights were about event viewing? And they used to be L-i-v-e. The Project must be one of the few Live shows you have now? There’s just not that much sense of danger. Did we all grow up and lose our edge?
Please return your 5pm news to one hour and offer me something at 6pm. You could do a lot worse than returning Neighbours from ELEVEN -it would get you Drama points, no? If it means ‘What plays on ELEVEN, stays on ELEVEN’ is broken, so be it. And must new Simpsons play against new Glee? I like both, James.
ONE sends out confused signals. Is it a sports channel? A bloke’s channel? It barely even registers with me as a viewing option. At least I understood what it was when it was 24/7 sports. I quite like the way ELEVEN has shaped up (American Horror Story could have become your new Supernatural had it been on TEN), but beware: viewers are grumbling about sitcoms reverting back to episodes they have already seen umpteen times. Have you seen what they did to GO!?
For all these ideas and notions (and you can take ’em or leave ’em, I am only one opinion), at the core of restoring your brand after Lachlan’s year of playing ‘bad cop’ is this: Local Drama.
We afford prestige to networks based on their success in on-going local Drama series. You can play all the watercooler Reality and US imports you like, but local drama gets you respect.
Finally, please limit timeslot changes, start shows on time with an accurate EPG, don’t oversell your shows in promos, stop recycling Back to the Future and show me a network that has a sense of fun again.
You’re looking after my network now, James.
I’m counting on you.
Cheers, David.
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- Tagged with AFL, American Horror Story, Big Brother, Brothers in Arms, Can Of Worms, Glee, Good News Week, Hamish and Andy, Hawaii Five-0, Homeland, Junior Masterchef, MasterChef Australia, Modern Family, Neighbours, Offspring, Puberty Blues, Ready Steady Cook, Reef Doctors, Rove, Rush, Supernatural, Talkin 'Bout Your Generation, TEN News, The Biggest Loser, The Circle, The Good Wife, The Graham Norton Show, The Project, The Renovators, The Simpsons, Underground: The Julian Assange Story, Video Hits, Young Talent Time
101 Responses
As someone who loved Prisoner, Inside Out was one of the few Australian drama concepts that had me excited. Then Ten canned it. I hope they revisit it under new management.
I would also like to see Gretel return to our screens (in any capacity).
Lets go back to where you came from TEN, with a few changes for good measure.
Use McDonald instead of Henry. McDonald has talent, Henry has s#x o’ clock!
The Circle is to be no more, without our beloved Ding Dong and Swan!
Peter was Ready, he was Steady, he was Cooked! Unlike boring old Lane!
Use kids programming between 3:30-4:30. You will need to cover the AM losses.
Put food stuff on at 4:30. Move B&B to 9:00, so you don’t have to edit the $%# out!
News should be 1 hour weekday and 30 minutes weekend. That’s the news.
The Simpsons was a staple at 6pm and should remain that way.
The Project is a 30 minute show. Keep it 6:30 to run TT and ACA off their feet.
Try the reality at 7pm again. It works for Nine. And worked for TBL and MC!
Forget repeating good stuff like Modern Family and Glee. It kills the love.
Forget changing timeslots. You lose the plot and the viewer!
Where’s “Late News with Sandra Sully”. And Bradley for Laughs.
You said goodbye to so much, yet said hello 11!
You should Bolt on Bolt! He has taste that’s sour grapes.
Those Junior MasterChefs had talent acting it out, not cooking it out!
The renovators, renovated your figures. From good looking, to barely there.
Nailed in one Knox! Just hope what you wrote, TEN Listens to it!
@ steve look at the pay tv ratings for the past few months, Prisoner has been in the top 20 shows night after night out of a total of over 1000+ shows they show.
Of course it’s a hit, anyone who has seen the show would know that and would outrate any of Channel 10’s current offerings including the abysmal ‘Offspring’ that due to such low ratings couldn’t even finish its repeat run, first getting moved from 9.30 then to 11.30 then off air altogether, not to mention not even being able to get a measly million viewers in primetime in its initial airing and that is ‘supposedly’ their best drama.
Come and show something that people actually want to watch rather than airing rubbish that can’t even get a decent amount of viewers.
David- What numbers is Prisoner doing each night?? Is it considered a hit? I watch every night….
Well said David, as usual. You’ve spoken for most all of us!
Judging by the Pay TV ratings, just bring back Prisoner!
When I moved to Australia in 2007, the one thing I couldn’t believe about free to air TV was the networks’ inability to start programmes on time – and the EPG (or lack of it at that time), so I especially agree with your last comment 🙂
ONE was changed from a 24/7 sports channel because it only rated 0.9% figures. Now with a mix of sports & entertainment will rates around 2.2% much better for advertisers wanting to pay money.
You make a lot of great points. Ten has made consistantly poor programming choices the last couple years and lost direction.
Baby steps, ditch Paul Henry for Breakfast and provide a likeable alternative. I can’t watch any breakfast TV right now apart from the circle because the personalities and chemistry is so disingenuous and the poor woman who gets paired with Henry is going to have a horrible job.
They really have the reverse midas touch at present, modern family is having it’s been season yet in the US and should be here to. I can’t help think the masterchef issues in 2011 may have been a lil bit of sabotage by Fremantle, I mean they have to give it back to Shine, but not necessarily in great shape. James has his work cut out, hopefully he can rise to the challenge!
Revive ONE as a 24-hour sports channel after your predecessor ruined it.
Sandra Sully For All Australians to see!
omg Gretel for anything on ten and i would watch it! that being said i would also love to see kim watkins back on ten!!
What we’re really talking about here is the Ten Networks failure to define their multi-channel demograhpics!!!! Pure and Simple.
Eleven skews young (duh) cannibalising their own viewers from Ten and even ONE now!!
Ten needs to skew older female (grocery buyers in particular)
Eleven stays young 16+
ONE skews male 25-54
I think TEN should axe all news. Just go back to the fun network it was.
This article is spot on. Imagine Hamish McDonald and Gretel fror Breakfast. A real alternative with intelligent conversation mixed with humour. It looks like with that Henry fellow they are going for shock jock on tv. It may take hold in Sydney but ignored elswhere. Ten should give Hamish McDonald a proper job. I am sure he hasn’t gone unnoticed at 60 Minutes or Sunday Night. Ten should bring back Neighbours and the simpsons at 6 pm, be bold and do news at 7pm and The Project at 7.30 pm. Keep the 5 pm news hour. They should get creative and find an Aussie Norton, maybe Chas from the Chaser?
As the premise isn’t compelling enough for me and I found the show was a mess, after checking out the first 4 eps, I’m not a fan of American Horror Story, but I’d say Eleven is the right place for it. Even though it’s good they’re going for a new cast, new city and new house every season, it’d struggle find much of an audience on Ten. I’m not sure if ratings wise, Homeland will do much for Ten either, as it may be too dark for most of their viewers.
Please do a similar write up for the programmers of Seven, 7TWO and 7Mate and those from Nine, GO and GEM, about numerous shows they’ve screwed over and/or stupidly onsold to Foxtel (Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Enlightened, Shameless the US remake, Vampire Diaries, Justified, Hart of Dixie, Pretty Little Liars, etc).
An extremely well written piece that has voiced just what we are all feeling. To be honest, I am so fed up with the way the viewing public is treated, not just by Ten but all of the commercial stations, that we don’t watch anything that has a story line greater than a single episode, because chances are you wont get to see the end of a 12-13 episode series; there are always alternatives. Also agree with the flogging of dead horses – love Modern Family, but 4 nights a week and repeats of repeats means that the entertainment pool is well and truly polluted by the time any fresh episodes come along. Just my 2c
I agree with network tv.
ONE should have only been compared to FOX Sports. If TEN had been smart and pulled some big sports matches (Big Bash anyone?) they could have made FOX Sport’s slogan “Australia’s Sports Leader” completely redundant.
And David, you have summed up everything that went and still is going wrong with TEN. They played it too safe. Just because they had a hit with MC doesn’t mean everything else they show has to be a carbon-copy or appeal to the same demo.
Warburton, if you are reading this, here’s an idea. Commission the next great Australian drama on par with Water Rats, Stingers, Prisoner and Blue Heelers. Drop ‘seriously’ and rebrand Ten, drop the 6pm bulletin. Leave Neighbours on 11. Leave The Project at 6:30. Find something great and unique to go against Nine and Seven at 6PM, then promote the arse off of it. Reinstate the Late News. Make ONE 100% sport again, and try some viral social media campaigns or competitions to draw viewers back.
Hope you read this Warburton. You need all the advice you can get. And thank David tons.
I’d happily undersign that. Pretty much sums up my feelings.
bring back 24 7 sport or its goodbye from me
@Fochs
Totally agree, News needs to be the lead in to The Project, just as it is now; but it must be a normal 30 min bulletin, and break-free from the news hour before it. They really need to find something for the 5:30 slot; perhaps a Travel / Entertainment / Lifestyle show or, at the very least, a game show.
Neighbours needs to be returned to TEN, but in the 7:00pm timeslot; hey, they’re going all 80s in 2012, so why not; that is where the show was at its greatest and this is the only slot where it will have a chance to build an audience again. There is absolutely no point in remaining where it is, where it will simply wallow.
I’d have to say I agree with everyone that has said the network needs a whole new rebranding which includes a different logo, different slogan which are all past their use by date. I mean how long have they been using ‘seriously’ now with all the button pushing, it’s high time that was ditched for something fresh and innovative.
Their 3 channels also need more of a focus with their own distinct brands with each of the 3 channels focussing on a particular target age group; one old, one young and one in between much like Channels Nine and Seven have done with theirs. At the moment it just seems they are all targetting the same demographic and the same type of person.
It’s most certainly a hard task ahead but I wish Mr Warburton all the best in rejuvinating this tired and stale network.
all basketball fans in Australia want the nbl live on one and we want the nba back on one. everyone likes to watch sports live. if the nbl is given the chance like f1 it will grow in ratings like how f1 has.
one good job you are doing with f1 and moto gp but bad job you are doing with the nbl.
bring back one hd as a 24 hour sports channel. the channel was going good against the other sports channels like fox sports and espn but when you start compering a sport channel against the other free to air channels it just does not work. sports channels should only be compared against other sports channels. when one hd had live sports on it was going alright.
just look at f1 when one hd started it was only rating around 80 thousands people a race now 3 years later it rating around 350 thousands people a race and some races get over 400 thousands people watching it. sports need to be given the time to grow.