Does it? I can’t see how NOVA is any different to the AUSTERO ‘TODAY’ network. When NOVA started they were more provocative, smart asses but now they are just another station that is turning closer and closer to teen hits rather than the demographic of youth and ‘sounding different’.
I want to say, I am not a DMG basher. I may seem to have taken a stance against VEGA and now NOVA but in actual fact I am a big NOVA fan and thought their station was tops. Now, it lacks definition with a tired on-air line up and schedule.
Merrick and Rosso have been the brekkie duo since NOVA began and are just about on their last legs… Their jokes are repetitious and their content is obviously whaling. Dave Rabbett, I like. He has a different accent, yes he is a kiwi but he is a little bit brash.
The afternoons with Lizzie, again an underutilised talent at NOVA. She is wasted in the daytime arvo shift and Bianca Dye does nothing for the drive home.
Thank god Fridgy and Matty have finally been replaced by Jabba. He is a talent, he is a name and he was been underutilised in Brisbane. Jabba will increase NOVA NITES but their concept is non to dissimilar to the HOT 30 countdown with Lowie.
SO you have to ask, does NOVA want to sound different? The marketing strategies and the direction at the station has obviously been neglected to deal with the migrane that Vega is.
In doing so and looking out for Vega, NOVA has had a drop in ratings and comparatively now Kyle and Jackie O have raised Sydney ratings on 2DAYFM. Added, Triple M is now defining itself as ‘music and shows’ and brought back the hilarious Tony Martin with newcomer Ed Kavelee.
These guys are good, they are funny and something new. ARN has launched a new brekkie show with Sammy, Subby and Alan with Lars Peterson as anchor. This may also find some new listeners but they would more than likely be stolen from the ARN owned WSFM graphic or Vega.
Now what does NOVA do? Find a brash, funny, drive team. Try something new and different. Put someone provocative or controversial. A Tony Martin, a Chaser Team or Bessie Bardot. NOVA will continue to slide unless the station is better defined, its music content is re-formatted and even consider blooding a late night show showcasing, unsigned and indy talent.
Something like the ‘UMS’ my term for this sort of music (un-main stream) with a Robbie Buck or a Triple J sell-out or something. JUST try something different, who knows – it may work…
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Monday, August 21, 2006
Channel Nine – It’s Ratings and the Eddie McGuire factor
Controversy, controversy, controversy… Will Jessica Rowe be ‘boned’? Will Jana Wendt be ‘boned’. Eddie McGuire, his breakfast cereal and the colour of his socks makes the news as almost a daily occurrence in
I have spoken about McGuire and about television a bit recently but last night Channel Nine demolished and destroyed television ratings. With a ratings share of 38.5per cent, streaks ahead of Seven who failed with only 20.8 per cent, even being beaten by Ten and Australian Idol, finishing with 21.2%.
McGuire would be high-fiving his executives this morning as I can hear the chants from
Television viewers preferred the
Viewers were turned off with only 728, 862 viewers, commanding a measly 12.4 per cent in comparison to Nine’s ’60 Minutes’ with 1,613,020 which is 39.2 per cent.
New reporter Liam Bartlett was impressive. As a new addition to the Nine family he came across with command and looks to be a breath of fresh air to the flagship current affairs program.
On Seven, executives will today announce they are pulling the plug on ‘You May Be Right’ after two less than impressive shows.
A few big weeks are poised for Nine, with the relaunching of ‘Sunday’, with Ray Martin being understood to be working on stories for the programme. Will Jana Wendt still be the host in seven days?
The Eddie McGuire factor – any publicity is good publicity…
Friday, August 18, 2006
From Over Re-Action to NO Action
Andrew Johns and Gordon Tallis have proven the NRL handles incidents poorly this week which has consequently discredited CEO David Gallop and the administration.
Joey should not swear at a referee or a touch judge. Plain and simple it is not on. The events that followed and the way the incident was handle was very poor.
A refusal to apologise to the official by Joey is his first idiotic mistake. To then, however find him initially guilty and give him a four week suspension is ridiculous.
Joey is the NRL. He is the best player of this generation and the punishment was arrogant and exaggerated. The reduced two week sentence is still a very harsh penalty but this should have been simply resolved between player and the officials.
If Joey had formally said sorry to the officials then this should have been left at that. I am not encouraging players to swear at referees, far from it. Joey is a role model for the game and kids look to him.
He made a mistake, the referee should have simply ‘sin-binned’ him for 10 minutes, not force the bloke to miss two vital weeks of rugby league which will do considerable damage to the game.
In contrast former NRL hard man and Queensland State of Origin captain Gordon Tallis is allowed to throw a glass at a barman in a Brisbane pub and remain as an NRL director, facing no criminal prosecution.
Tallis should be marched out of the game now and do the honorable thing by the position he holds for News Limited and resign. Tallis does not and should not have to comply with the NRL Code of Conduct because he is a board member.
With the position come certain expectations. Is this man, someone we wish to have as a director of a national sporting competition?
Tallis is an idiot. With ‘under-the-table’ deals assuring he is not prosecuted and the charges dropped. Ridiculous!
The NRL wants to change it’s image and the negative publicity they have received over numerous incidents this century, well look at yourselves as administrators because you do nothing to improve the situation, only create an environment for controversy and drama.
Two extremes this week in the NRL, over re-action to the games greatest player and no action to a former player and now deadbeat director.
Joey should not swear at a referee or a touch judge. Plain and simple it is not on. The events that followed and the way the incident was handle was very poor.
A refusal to apologise to the official by Joey is his first idiotic mistake. To then, however find him initially guilty and give him a four week suspension is ridiculous.
Joey is the NRL. He is the best player of this generation and the punishment was arrogant and exaggerated. The reduced two week sentence is still a very harsh penalty but this should have been simply resolved between player and the officials.
If Joey had formally said sorry to the officials then this should have been left at that. I am not encouraging players to swear at referees, far from it. Joey is a role model for the game and kids look to him.
He made a mistake, the referee should have simply ‘sin-binned’ him for 10 minutes, not force the bloke to miss two vital weeks of rugby league which will do considerable damage to the game.
In contrast former NRL hard man and Queensland State of Origin captain Gordon Tallis is allowed to throw a glass at a barman in a Brisbane pub and remain as an NRL director, facing no criminal prosecution.
Tallis should be marched out of the game now and do the honorable thing by the position he holds for News Limited and resign. Tallis does not and should not have to comply with the NRL Code of Conduct because he is a board member.
With the position come certain expectations. Is this man, someone we wish to have as a director of a national sporting competition?
Tallis is an idiot. With ‘under-the-table’ deals assuring he is not prosecuted and the charges dropped. Ridiculous!
The NRL wants to change it’s image and the negative publicity they have received over numerous incidents this century, well look at yourselves as administrators because you do nothing to improve the situation, only create an environment for controversy and drama.
Two extremes this week in the NRL, over re-action to the games greatest player and no action to a former player and now deadbeat director.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Two Twisted
Bryan Brown’s much hyped ‘NEW’ Australian drama ‘Two Twisted’ didn’t really go off with a bang last night. With cream of the crop Aussie actors Melissa George, Steve Bisley and Gary McDonald, the estranged and spooky ‘Two Twisted’ had a rather more amateur feel.
The plot and story lines reminded me of watching a Tropfest entry or a drama student’s clever, twisted video. There didn’t appear to be much substance to the stories, which is the characteristic of this style.
Viewers were thrown into a scenario that they had to guess the context, not knowing much about the characters before them. The plot would unravel and keep viewers on the edge, guessing what would happen next.
With the audience not receiving many answers to the thousands of rhetorical questions, Brown has created a drama that leaves more unknown, undeveloped than the audience should, leaving gaps and creating dramatic irony.
Nevertheless the drama is at least a return of Australian drama, its something different and hopefully the ratings will come its way. Last night, nationally Two Twisted had an audience share 1.10 million and ranked as the 12th most popular show of Monday night.
Stay tuned and see the mysteries unravel…
The plot and story lines reminded me of watching a Tropfest entry or a drama student’s clever, twisted video. There didn’t appear to be much substance to the stories, which is the characteristic of this style.
Viewers were thrown into a scenario that they had to guess the context, not knowing much about the characters before them. The plot would unravel and keep viewers on the edge, guessing what would happen next.
With the audience not receiving many answers to the thousands of rhetorical questions, Brown has created a drama that leaves more unknown, undeveloped than the audience should, leaving gaps and creating dramatic irony.
Nevertheless the drama is at least a return of Australian drama, its something different and hopefully the ratings will come its way. Last night, nationally Two Twisted had an audience share 1.10 million and ranked as the 12th most popular show of Monday night.
Stay tuned and see the mysteries unravel…
Monday, August 14, 2006
Creators and Producers
What do television creators and executive producers do all day long? A look at some of the current crop of television being produced, will make you think… not much!
Last night Channel 7 launched a ‘Spicks and Specks’ type show ‘You May Right’ – this was atrocious. Spicks and Specks is an ABC formula show with a clever host in
Have Channel 7 not learnt their lesson? When they pulled Tony Squires and his successful sports show ‘The Fat’ from the ABC to 7 it failed as ‘110% Tony Squires’ and so has he now being referred to as ‘Tone’ on the lowly rating Vega 95.3 breakfast team with Ange and Bec.
It seems 7 cannot find anything to displace 60 Minutes which still features weekly in the Top 10 of Australia’s most watched television shows. This dispels the myth that infotainment is on the war path if we would prefer to be watching ‘You May Be Right’.
Infotainment does command a large section of the ratings and popular television shows such as ‘Border Security’
‘Yasmin’s Getting Married’ lasted a week, one of the most disastrous debuts in television history. Clever didn’t look like such a TV show being axed after a few weeks.
In these cases, the television programmes much like ‘You May Be Right’ will not work. They are over advertised and turn viewers off. 7 hope that Mastermind their new Wednesday night 8.30PM program will get success, but this looks as poor as the other shows currently being produced.
There is hope for one, Two Twisted. Tonight Channel 9 at 9.35PM, hopefully this can restore some credibility to our television executives producing shows that connect with the audience and redefine our ailing drama genre.
Bryan Brown’s ‘Two Twisted’ is the best of a bad bunch and looks like it will be a success. Channel 9 need this to work after the failures of the ‘The Footy Show: Live From Munich’, the exclusive ‘Kylie Interview’ and the terrible ‘Dancing on Ice’.
Just makes you wonder if our creative television directors, developers and producers really are that creative and know what the market want
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Vega...not on your wavelength!
Vega variety, on your wavelength – the slogan used by Radio DMG’s troubled new brand Vega. Where is the variety?
DMG entered the Australian radio market with the successful launch of Nova in most capital cities on the Australian mainland. Nova used the slogan, ‘sounds different’ with a brash comic duo in Sydney combining Merrick and Rosso with the outspoken ‘Ugly’ Phil O’Neil on drive.
Nova Melbourne, also launched with Dave Hughes, Kate Langenbrook and Dave O’Neill quickly building an audience through a clever DMG formula.
Vega has been a different kettle of fish. Struggling to initially define itself and mixing up their on air line-up has thus far had little success. Wendy Harmer and the Vega Café didn’t work.
Angela Catterns has struggled to emulate her success on ABC breakfast as widely hoped and has now been joined by Bec and Tone (Rebecca Wilson and Tony Squires).
What was Vega thinking? Sign Angela Catterns and the ABC listeners will follow? ABC listeners are loyal to their station and are not interested in commercials and 40 years of music.
The music formula has also changed. Vega started as a WSFM type station but now wants to combine this with MIX FM, ABC and Triple M. The demographic can only be so small and those Vega want have decided to get their talk from AM and their music from the all ready defined MIX or WSFM.
Vega is caught in to many demographics. The success of Nova will not be emulated by Vega and could prove to be a very expensive loss to DMG. DMG should cut their loss now and re-invent totally overhaul the station.
Define itself, its listeners and its music… which is? There is no direction at Vega which commands only 1.8% of the ratings in this latest result and sister station Nova is starting to feel the Vega curse, down to 6.4%.
Austereo must be licking their lips with 2MMM and 2DAYFM lifting their profiles and continue to hold the keys to the Sydney FM radio market. Strong marketing strategies involving their listeners and defined talk and music formula seem to be the key to the company.
Vega, hitting the wrong demographic… DMG have success with the young brash market, maybe they should stick to this and consider Vega as a Rap, RNB, Dance station, sure to lift ratings and attract a demographic not yet accounted for in the radio ratings.
DMG entered the Australian radio market with the successful launch of Nova in most capital cities on the Australian mainland. Nova used the slogan, ‘sounds different’ with a brash comic duo in Sydney combining Merrick and Rosso with the outspoken ‘Ugly’ Phil O’Neil on drive.
Nova Melbourne, also launched with Dave Hughes, Kate Langenbrook and Dave O’Neill quickly building an audience through a clever DMG formula.
Vega has been a different kettle of fish. Struggling to initially define itself and mixing up their on air line-up has thus far had little success. Wendy Harmer and the Vega Café didn’t work.
Angela Catterns has struggled to emulate her success on ABC breakfast as widely hoped and has now been joined by Bec and Tone (Rebecca Wilson and Tony Squires).
What was Vega thinking? Sign Angela Catterns and the ABC listeners will follow? ABC listeners are loyal to their station and are not interested in commercials and 40 years of music.
The music formula has also changed. Vega started as a WSFM type station but now wants to combine this with MIX FM, ABC and Triple M. The demographic can only be so small and those Vega want have decided to get their talk from AM and their music from the all ready defined MIX or WSFM.
Vega is caught in to many demographics. The success of Nova will not be emulated by Vega and could prove to be a very expensive loss to DMG. DMG should cut their loss now and re-invent totally overhaul the station.
Define itself, its listeners and its music… which is? There is no direction at Vega which commands only 1.8% of the ratings in this latest result and sister station Nova is starting to feel the Vega curse, down to 6.4%.
Austereo must be licking their lips with 2MMM and 2DAYFM lifting their profiles and continue to hold the keys to the Sydney FM radio market. Strong marketing strategies involving their listeners and defined talk and music formula seem to be the key to the company.
Vega, hitting the wrong demographic… DMG have success with the young brash market, maybe they should stick to this and consider Vega as a Rap, RNB, Dance station, sure to lift ratings and attract a demographic not yet accounted for in the radio ratings.
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