Nine! Stop the programming rot!
It has to be said.
Channel Nine programmers need a wake up call.
Michael Healy in Sydney, and Len Downs in Melbourne this one is for you.
Viewers are fatigued by the speed with which shows are appearing then disappearing from your schedule. There really isn't much point in the old TV analogy of committing to a new programme only to see it whipped off air quicker than we can say "lock it in, Eddie."
Where do we start with drawing attention to these problems, they are so numerous?
Mondays are clearly a problem. Last night Nine had its worst Monday all year, landing a flat 21.9% share, and third behind TEN. I-Caught was a dumb idea from the outset, but it follows a lazy susan of short-lived shows in the 7:30pm Monday slot. Queen's Castle, Secrets of the Crocodile special, What a Year, The Code* (a production that actually had some legs) - probably What's Good For You was the only show this year that was screened with any reasonable consistency (and some of those were repeats). I-Caught will be replaced by another idea that didn't work last time: Two and a Half Men. Charlie Sheen hasn't been funny since Hot Shots.
Yet this is a timeslot that Nine has gloriously won. Even when Friends ended its long reign, Nine still found fortune with the slot with runaway successes like SuperNanny. Now they are challenged by Top Gear on SBS. The problem here is partly inspiration, and definitely commitment. If Nine can't decide what to air in the timeslot, why should viewers? And if a viewer can't tell you what's in the timeslot off the top of their head, we clearly have a familiarity problem.
But that's just for starters.
A string of other shows have come and gone. ER, gone without notice. Cold Case, Hell's Kitchen, The Nation, The Catch-Up, Crime and Justice*, I Shouldn't Be Alive, What A Year, CSI: NY, Nip / Tuck, Adventures of New Christine, Men in Trees, Justice, The Closer .....and on it goes.
Ok we know some of them were crap. We know some were summer filler. But shows with loyal audiences (Survivor, The Sopranos, Weeds) are treated contemptuously over cheap plastic surgery makeovers, clip shows and more CSI repeats. Half the press Nine gets for shows is negative for cheap ideas like Ralph TV and The Mint.
Most of the time, ER being a case in point, shows are pulled without any advance notice the week before. Pity those viewers who have taken the time to purchase TV Week, whose printing machines have rolled long before another Nine amendment.
And what's going on with Temptation? A show that is rating with some due success is to be replaced with five nights of Eddie McGuire? Does Nine have the insight to realise that McGuire is still considered too arrogant for viewing five nights a week? 1 vs 100 has now slipped under the 1m mark. McGuire is very good at what he does yes -but five nights? The problem here isn't the 7pm timeslot. It's the 5-6pm lead-in. While Nine continues to expect antiques television to beat the might of Deal or No Deal it will always have problems at 7pm. So poor Ed and Livinia are rumoured to be shuffled to the 5:30pm timeslot to fix it. We'll wait and see if that comes to fruition.
In fairness Nine is doing well enough with RPA, Sea Patrol, 60 Minutes. As for McLeod's well it's probably getting time to hang up those hats, right? At least Nine has ramped up its drama production in readiness.Canal Road and Underbelly sound fab for 2008.
And yes we are all excited at the new things coming. Damages look a ripper. But where's some of the other stuff you promised: Jetstar for example? And while you keep reminding us about new game shows like Singing Bee and Power of Ten should we still look forward to that other game show you promised, Show Me the Money?
Nine are not the only network pulling shows at short notice. Torchwood is a case in point, TEN. But Nine should know better, and so should the people calling the shots.
In the old days before we had OzTam data, networks would have to wait 6 weeks for ratings books to filter back before they had a true picture of how new shows were faring. It was enough time for nervous executives to allow shows to settle somewhat and build a groundswell of support before pulling out the axe. Not anymore.
While Nine's publicised management and media ownership issues continue to indicate it is still rebuilding from the Packer era, flippant scheduling changes only alienate the audience and send out the message: "will try anything once."
UPDATE: Another day, another 9 backflip
* same show, different title.
Read more...