An answer to Nine's News question

There's been way too much wild speculation this last week about Nine considering moving its news to 5pm, and Eddie stepping in to host some sort of chat show from 6pm.

Don't believe a word if it.

It's true that this year National Nine News has been under attack from Seven News, but so has the network as a whole. Seven's national wins in news are, in part, bolstered by Nine's poor performance in Perth. The PBL East Coast figures remain competitive.

In Melbourne, the audience is divided and an analysis of nightly news figures shows them flipping over who they watch on any given night. Seven News Melb has had a big boost in the last eighteen months, but Nine is easily in the fighting ring, including consistent wins on nights when big news breaks.

No, the problem is not so much the presentation or editorial. The problem for Nine is the lead-in.

While Seven has boomed with the lead-in from Deal or No Deal, Nine has chopped and changed from 5:30 shows including Bert's Family Feud, Antiques Roadshow and Bargain Hunt. There has been talk that Temptation might even move to 5:30pm, but that all depends on what the Network would have for 7pm. Inconsistency is the worst message. If the network can't decide what's best for the timeslot, why should the audience?

Pushing Nine's News to 5pm would be the equivalent of giving up the fight, and for a network that prides itself on News as fundamental to its brand such a move would be fatal.

Perhaps the answer lays in Brisbane's Extra which screens at 5:30pm? It's a locally made magazine format that used to screen nationally, and it helps give Nine good figures for News in Brissy.

Meanwhile A Current Affair needs to stop getting into the tabloid stories that thrive on Today Tonight. Where is the point of difference? Tracey Grimshaw is a good journo and interviewer. As an election is looming some meaty stories (y'know, the ones they used to do on Sunday?) wouldn't go astray. I'm tired of comparing margarines. And is it just me or does Anna Coren give every story the same degree of editorial weight in her introductions?

While we're on the subject, Seven could join the 21st century by moving tired old MASH from 5pm too. Now there's a timeslot Nine could target....
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'New' French and Saunders series

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders will celebrate 20 years as a comedy team with a new sketch series, A Bucket o French and Saunders.

It will comprise previously-screened classic sketches alongside some new material.

Debuting in early September on the BBC, the series will be introduced by Joanna Lumley who tells viewers they can watch the girls, "getting fatter and older in front of your very eyes."

New sketches will target Britney Spears, Simon Cowell and more.

Saunders has said, “Now you have Little Britain and Catherine Tate. The best stuff we did had huge budgets and you don’t get those any more."

Source: Digital Spy
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