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Seven mulling return of Today Tonight on east coast

Speculation Seven may move Home and Away to make room for the return of Today Tonight.

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Seven is reportedly considering a return for Today Tonight on the east coast.

News Corp reports former TT executive producer Craig McPherson is thinking of resuming the show when he starts at Seven as Director of News and Public Affairs in October.

He is currently on ‘gardening leave’ from Nine after being coaxed back to Seven.

The resumption of TT against A Current Affair would also mean moving Home and Away after more than two decades in the 7pm slot.

The soap’s numbers have slipped of late and the report suggests it could move to 7TWO -but Seven stressed the show remained “important” and it appears no decisions have yet been firmed.

Today Tonight continues to air in Adelaide and Perth where it wins its local timeslot. It was most recently presented by Helen Kapalos in Melbourne and Sydney, prior to its conclusion.

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  3. Perhaps they could compromise and do 40 mins of actual serious news, then 20 mins of TT tabloid stories. My biggest problems with the 1 hr bulletins is there’s 20 mins of fluff pieces in the middle.

      1. Um, pretty sure that is exactly what they have done. All those fluff pieces by Helen Welling and Dr Andrew are just Today Tonight items wedged into the “news”, are they not?

  4. Well I’m going to swim against the tide on this one.

    This may well work for Seven, Today Tonight at 7pm on 7 would likely not take viewers away from Home And Away on 72 (as The Project does to Neighbours), they are two different demographic shows. Plus 72 is an SD channel just like 7 is, so as far as people being able to watch it’s not like it is unavailable because 72 is HD. Everyone who watches TV now has an SD equipped TV or STB, so it’s just a matter of pushing 7 then 2 on the remote, can’t see why the people who watch Home And Away on 7 now won’t move to 72 with it (given good publicity of the move). People will go to the secondary channels if something is on they want to watch (like the Cricket got and it was HD), yes Home and Away will be up against The Project who are trying for the same demographic, but it is now anyway (so numbers shouldn’t decline that much if at…

    1. I agree. It’s not hard to press a button. At least if it’s on 7Two it will not interfere with the footy so no double/triple eps, which many are saying is the reason for giving up on H&A.

  6. They can’t be serious, TT was the biggest load of old cobblers ever (apart from ACA). They would have to raise the quality considerably above the Woman’s Day/New Idea rubbish to even vaguely interest me.

  8. Stone the flamin’ crows! Should the proposed classification changes be passed by the ACMA, then Seven *could* air H&A with a PG classification at 5.30pm. Realistically, Seven wouldn’t drop H&A to four 30 min episodes per week as suggested in some comments because it would directly impact the overseas broadcasters, namely Ireland and the UK who are only weeks behind our broadcast. I’m for cutting the news back to 30mins, TT at 6.30pm, and keeping H&A at 7pm.

  9. This would seem like a bit of an overreaction to me. Surely almost 30 year old home and away deserves a revamp and relaunch before it gets turfed aside.

  10. This is how I would make my schedule for 2016:
    5PM – The Chase
    6pm – 7 News
    6:30pm – TT
    7pm – reality show
    HAA would have to be shifted to 72 at 7pm.

  11. Today Tonight was rating OK until Seven decided the combined East Coast version should be hosted by Helen Kapalos & be based in Melbourne. If they bring it back, each city should get its own version. Put it on at 6:30 & leave H&A at 7pm for four 30 minute episodes per week.

  12. Quite frankly I would have thought Home and Away to 5:30 would prop up their 6pm news, even if it means dropping the show back to a G classification. Let’s see what The Chase does for the final lap of the year first.

    1. They can’t make it G. No one would be able to go surfing on a ruff day, sleep with anyone, threaten anyone lest is scare young children. Anyone over the age of 8 would be bored stiff, and it would affect UK sales.

      Either they accept 700k for at 7pm, or move it to 72 where it will get less than 400k and they would be keeping it going solely for OS sales.

  13. Whaaaat? They can’t be serious. Moving haa?? No. Just no, they already don’t have it on Fridays, that’s bad enough. Moving it to 7.30 would be worse. Moving it to put if against neighbours would be the dumbest move ever made. Moving it to 7 two or mate, stupid. Leave it alone. It is fine where it is. We don’t need today tonight. Put that on 7 two or mate if they so want it.

  15. See this is a prime example of the copy-cats of tv, 9 always had ‘A Current Affair’ where then 7 did ‘Today Tonight’ should 9 be taking 7 to court?…. sounds to me 7 want to still get back at 9 due to the Hotplate incident and 9 beating 7 with the ratings of late…

    1. Nine started ACA on 22/11/71. Packer wanted his version of TDT (This Day Tonight) which the ABC had at 7:30 from 1967 with Bill Peach. TDT was renowned for its hard-hitting interviews. It broke new ground with its famous “empty chair” tactic, naming politicians who had declined to appear on the show and showing the empty chair where an absent invitee was supposed to be seated. Due to its popularity Packer wanted his own version on Nine, hence ACA with Mike Minehan. ACA was not an original concept. TEN introduced the format via Telescope with Bill Peach & Tony Ward in 1965. It was cloned by ABC and called This Day Tonight (with Bill Peach), which was then cloned in 1971 by Nine as ACA. Mike Willesee’s Transmedia produced it for Nine In 1977. Willesee later moved to Seven and started their clone, Willesee at Seven. So, TEN, ABC, Nine, Seven.

  16. I don’t know why Channel Seven would do such a thing when H&A consistently comes second in its time-slot. Furthermore, TT was cancelled for worsening ratings… bringing it back whilst ACA is achieving excellent results will not do any justice to the seven network. I do think that H&A needs new writers to write and create vivid storylines, not ones that have been done to death multiple times before!

    1. I gave up home and away about a month for 2 reasons. 1st was storylines/certain cast, 2nd extra unwanted eps. I probably would’ve stuck around if it was 30mins 5 nights a week. Its hard to keep watching when its not an enjoyable period and ur subjected to triple eps. If 7 moves h&a then at 7pm all the main channels including sbs and abc will have some kind of news/current affairs. So much for alternatives.

  18. Sadly does make sense – you only need to look at the very strong performance of A Current Affair in the time slot and 7’s weakening news and current affairs sector to see how this would work. Home and Away, and TV soaps in general, don’t rate as well as they once did.

  19. Interesting. If it were to occur then in regions where the Nine affiliate has a local news bulletin but the Seven affiliate doesn’t then it would mean that Seven would air Today Tonight half an hour earlier than ACA – with places such as the M.I.A. having ACA air on Gem at 7:30pm as at 7pm is the local news bulletin. But more importantly, a move of Home and Away from Seven’s primary channel to it’s secondary channel would be very interesting as it would allow for more of a comparison of its figures with Neighbours (despite still being in different timeslots).

  20. Are 7 for real? Its not like they haven’t ruined home and away with the extra unwanted episodes now they want to move it. That will be the end of home and away. At least at 7 it was an alternative to news. One of the reasons I gave it up is grew tired of watching 6 to 7 EPs a week and doubles and triples. Its a show that should be aired in 30min blocks. 7 & 9 are just trying to be clones and its a farken disgrace. Go back to 30 min news, stop your obsession with reality, put drama at a decent time and leave home and away alone.

  21. I really think Seven would be smarter to offer a point of difference to nine as opposed to just copying them. Why don’t they dump the 1 hr nightly news and revert back to a tight, concise 30 min news, Today Tonight at 6:30pm and keep Home and Away at 7. Home and Away, whilst I haven’t watched in years, I do believe is worth saving but it does need a big overall. It simply doesn’t reflect our modern society in any way shape or form. There are little to no characters of ethnicity or even a gay character. I remember 10 years ago living in the UK and seeing how diverse and progressive their soapies were in comparison.

    2. Totally agree! Not everyone wants to sit down for a full hour of news each night anyway, it’s too long for a lot of people. Go back to 30 mins news & 30 mins tt, you’ve got a point of difference & a winner I believe!

    3. I actually gave on 7 news when it went an hour long, after Sandy left and they dumped David.
      I watched it for the first time last night, the whole hour and it was way too long for news. I wont return until it goes back to 30mins. I feel sorry for Peter Mitchell that his numbers are floundering in Melbourne and it’s blamed on a lead in. If I want to watch a channel I simply use my remote.

  22. I cannot understand why current affairs on commercial networks attract big audiences?? Such rubbish television. It would be the demise of H&A I’m sure – just look at Neighbours. I watched H&A for years and stopped watching it at the end of last year. One reason – I was sick of trying to keep up with when it was on due to the AFL and similar. Perhaps audience numbers would pick up if they treated their audience with respect.

    1. They could’ve left home and away on Fridays as afl doesn’t start till 7.30 on 7 but they chose better homes which was the wrong call. Only gave up home and away about a month ago but almost gave it up last year when for about the last couple of months of ratings they were airing 6eps a week for no good reason and the AFL season was already over. 7 have lost viewers of h&a due to their poor treatment and unwanted extra EPs.

  24. As an aside, (sorry for double post), TT in Perth I think has gotten better in certain respects since the East Coast ones were cancelled. Not that I watch it religiously, but when I’ve tuned in I’ve not even seen a shonky builder story!

  25. I wouldnt have thought 7Two would be appropriate, I mean who knows, it could pay off, but it’s a hell of a gamble, and it’s not a show that’s easy to get back into after missing a few weeks worth of episodes if they decided to shift it back to 7.

      1. To the contrary I find it very hard, we went without TV for a few months last year and by the time it came back on half the old cast had been replaced by newbies!

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