Welcome to the sixth edition, of a tradition. Five years ago this month, Seven last won a week at 5:30 at night in SEQ: (Kuttsy’s Pitch ignores any claim by Seven that this drought was broken in late May this year due to the poor ratings performance both before and after Million Dollar Minute had repeatedly tried to give away their top prize), and most critically, today being 5000 days since the end of Seven’s only major attempt to try and steal Extra’s audience with a original local product in late 2000: Local Edition. Accordingly, this post is published 5000 days to the minute the final episode of LE finished: not August 20, like in past years.
But with this, we are proud that the three biggest names from LE are doing well: Peter Ford narrowly missed out on Senior Australian of The Year earlier this year for his work on Neuroswitch (aiding paralysed people in using modern technology), Sarah Harris, after years of being in the background at Nine post LE, made the switch to Ten towards the end of 2013 to join EP Rob McKnight (responsible for Seven’s promos for the late Ian Ross coming to 6pm in Sydney, as well as Nine’s social media-led recovery in the early part of the decade) on Ten’s new morning program Studio 10 (something that Rob himself refers to as "the little show that could"), while Melissa Downes got the best gift of all: after 2013 coming down to the very last night of ratings, Nine won it’s first 6pm ratings year since 2006. That moment proved how far we have come in five years, and how far Seven has come in 5000 days: from rock bottom, to the top and now back to square one.
GENESIS:
"There are
ongoing talks with the network, and once armed with the right formula, they
will take another crack at Extra" David
Franken (then BTQ program director, referring to the post LE consensus, that
Seven would return to producing a local product at 5:30 Monday-Friday), "Battle
Stations" Courier Mail, July 5, 2001.
THE G:C.
This year is also five years since Seven relocated from
Ashmore to 50 Appel St Surfers Paradise. The promise made then (infront of
executives, then Brisbane news director Rob Raschke and then head of news for
7, Peter Meakin, at the “launch” in late 2009) was that Seven would set up a
news service for the GC specifically in the future. The future arrived, but the
news service (which would have likely been up against the existing service at
5:30 on Nine) never materialized… until one big signing gave people some hope.
Paul Burt jumping ship to 7 not long after Kuttsy's Pitch V last year, would have been seen by Nine as a major sign that Seven
were about to take the GC seriously, to the point Nine invested in a promo
series post Burt departure as well as bringing back Natalie Gruzlewski and hiring Luke Bradnam (brother of Nova Brisbane breakfast presenter Ash Bradnam) from Hot Tomato's drive program, to do coastal reports. Unfortunately, all Seven has done since acquiring
Burt is increasingly widen the gap and the cost to employer (especially when Burt started doing forecasts/surf/fishing reports outside the Gold Coast), to the point no-one wants to take Seven
seriously on the GC, especially if people were expecting a second, competing
news service within a short time of Paul Burt’s arrival. All this while Bradnam is dominating with Nine: while still doing his dominant locally produced drive program with Hot Tomato (outrating networked products from SCA-owned Gold FM and Sea FM in recent surveys). So, accordingly this year we
actually decided to crunch some numbers concerning how much GC news 50 Appel St produces in a week. I sat down for 7 days, between the 13th
and 19th of July, and kept a eye on how much “Gold Coast” news Seven
was producing, for their 6pm bulletins, on the basis of what ACMA defines as
local news: simply, “news directly relating to the local area”.
What came out of it astounded me, and will likely astound
anyone working at Nine, who consistently produce, 5 nights a week, a 24min Gold
Coast news service. Seven, during the week of 13-19 July (chosen, because of
the lead-up to the opening of the G:Link light rail project), only produced 12
minutes and 15 seconds of “local news”. In fact, we counted the five live
weather crosses from the Coast by Paul Burt (two from 50 Appel, and three from
various GC locations (Southport, Budds Beach and Main Beach): Thursday night’s
was in Brisbane) they added up to 15 minutes and 30 seconds: 3 minutes and 15 seconds more
than the actual Gold Coast news stories Seven presented for the entire week,
and not even getting close to Nine’s 120min of local news presented by them every
week. The actual figures are below, in a image that would send waves through 50
Appel, including a comparison if a local content quota was to be mandated
(putting them on a level playing field with regional networks serving the GC,
as part of the wider Richmond/Tweed area) for BNE stations serving the GC by
ACMA, as well with how it was delivered.
 |
| GC news timing for BTQ from 13/7/14-19/7/14 |
This is even more embarrassing, as two weeks ago
(19/8/14) a deal was stitched up for Seven to broadcast the 2018 Commonwealth
Games (devoting 2/10ths of a hour bulletin to plugging themselves), likely
without looking at the quality of news to the region Seven would deliver in
2018, compared to 2014. As I said around that time on social media: “World
class cities have more than one news service. Unless 7 launches GC news by
2018: tourists, athletes etc. will all be watching Nine.” Seven now has one
shot to try and establish itself on the Gold Coast, the greatest opportunity
given to a Brisbane station since TVQ-0 signed on to exhibit at World Expo 88,
just over 29 years ago. I have one piece of advice for Seven right now. Don’t
blow it, by not taking Nine head-on, especially in the long term.
HUBRIS
“Every challenge.
Every survivor. Every family. Every hero. Every change. Every city. Every
rescue. Every celebration. Every picture. Every reaction. Every extreme. Every
adventure. Every heart. Seven News, Everywhere.” Seven News promo, released in July 2014, including the line
“Queensland’s #1 news.”
The stated overconfidence of Seven (their hubris if you
will), is a throwback to the last night of ratings in 2013. The ratings year
last year was on such a knifeedge, that they thought of putting a major spanner
in the works, on Friday November 29, to try and force a 20 weeks-all tie.
Seven’s lead story in Brisbane that night, was a dredgeup about a Brisbane
level crossing accident in 2012: which incidentally ended up in their latest
promotion eight months later. Nine won that night, and the year simply based on
story selection from Seven themselves. As they entered 2014, and even after
Nine claimed the 2014 ratings year, they continually reminded viewers that they
were “QLD’s #1 news” despite the critical OzTam figures pointing to a narrow
Nine win in 2013, and a convincing Nine win in 2014. This situation is a direct
reminder of what happened in 1999 in Perth, where STW-9 and TVW-7 went to court
over one word: “leading”, and whether it misled viewers (which Seven lost): and
made a fairly interesting edition of Media Watch in July of that year. Now as we go forth towards a
shocking endgame for Seven in Queensland, they have to wonder (especially as Nine took out 2014 comfortably) whether it’s better to spend $4m (equivalent
to replacing MDM in SEQ with a GC news/BNE product combo) on promoting the
news, or spend it on the news itself, with some extra promotion on the side.
HOW TO PROMOTE THE NEWS: 1985 STYLE.
 |
| Promo for BTQ's news in 1985, in the wake of TVQ-0 moving to a hour, and Bruce Paige arriving at Nine. (From SLQ Courier-Mail microfiche). |
NEMESIS
As we hurtled towards the 5000th day since 7
had local product leading into 6pm Mon-Fri, 2014 as we’ve seen so far: turned
out to be mistake riddled. Take in point, the network signing up for the Ekka
earlier this year, and not only delivering a experience worse than what Nine
had presented since 2009 (Nine did 10 nights of 6pm news presented from the
Ekka site every year between 2009-2013 (the first year debuting a prototype
2-person desk for 6pm (which ended up on the Gold Coast when Brisbane adapted
the one-person desk from Sydney/Melbourne for use by two anchors), as well as
their giant plasma, months before a new set was revealed), while Seven copied
what they did in Sydney/Melbourne, a simple newsdesk simulation experience),
but not using it as a promotional opportunity the 6pm news sorely needed, with
preferential treatment going to other products such as the failing MDM, the X
Factor or the Amazing Race, even the weekend local products that consistently
outrate MDM and Hot Seat (and is more than enough proof that Seven needs to be
in the local programming business 7 days a week at 5:30) got the plum People’s
Day gig over Bill McDonald and Sharyn Ghidella, people who are the face of all
that Seven promotion, and the face of the suffering and hell that 2013’s fight
to the bitter end spawned, and 2014 turned into a disaster movie. It’s no
Sharknado, but Seven’s biggest nemesis to recovery is Seven themselves.
Another
case in point was the Encore Score by Mumbrella: who earlier this year judged
how recognisable certain TV personalities are in various Australian states, it
must have been a embarrassment to Seven, when Bill McDonald was found to be
less recognisable to Queenslanders, (despite 8 years anchoring Ten’s news prior
to returning to 7 in 2013), than Nine’s popular Melbourne newsreader, Texas,
QLD’s greatest export: Peter Hitchener in the Encore Score survey. That’s right:
a Melbourne newsreader was more recognisable in Queensland than a local
newsreader, in a national survey. As we exit nemesis, we are reminded of one thing that
Seven has got badly…
VICTORY DISEASE.
Ahh yes, “victory disease”. It happens to armies, navies,
air forces and other organisations. It happens to sporting teams, and it
happens to successful news bulletins. As
a source mentions: “Victory disease” is…
“Victory disease denotes when in military
history, due to complacency or arrogance brought on by a victory or series of
victories, an engagement ends disastrously for a commander and his forces.
A commander may disdain the enemy, and
believe his own invincibility, leading his troops to disaster. That commander
may employ strategies which, if effective in earlier combats or maneuvers,
prove catastrophic against a new or smarter enemy; the commander afflicted by
"victory disease" may also fail to anticipate a new enemy may use
tactics different from those of old enemies. An overconfident commander may disregard
military intelligence which would enable the commander to realize that new
tactics are needed” From “Victory disease” on Wikipedia.
Seven in Brisbane, and to a similar extent:
Sydney/Melbourne had become too accustomed to victory. We must remember the
following. Sydney fell slowly, after Ian Ross’s departure, then Melbourne fell
after some changes in content: and then Brisbane in November 2013 after
management both locally, and nationally underestimated the viewer loyalty to
Kay McGrath and Rod Young. Now has come the time to really look at coming up
with new strategies, including 5:30 at night. The lead-in Million Dollar
Minute, one year on from launch (and two hosts later) is not the hit Deal was
in 2004, when it was adapted into a 1/2hr format. The Family Feud revival on Ten,
leading out of their news (which often is competitive with MDM in SEQ) is a
hit, for a struggling network needing one, something Seven should have looked
at twelve months ago, instead of commissioning MDM internally, as after all:
some of the most successful game shows ever seen on Australian TV screens
(Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud, DoNd, The Price Is Right, etc.) are all based
on strong, licenced format-based products: and will explain why MDM, like it’s
father “Million Dollar Chance of a Lifetime” (originally hosted by Frank
Warrick) will fail to stand the test of time. And this is why, Kuttsy’s Pitch
this year has been promoted on one line for nearly twelve months, not just
concerning the time that has passed since LE ended: but Seven’s failings post
Extra: simply, “5000 Days, The Big Time.”
As we exit Kuttsy’s Pitch in 2014, we will remind you to
stay tuned next year for Kuttsy’s Pitch VII. Will it be in August (back on the
20th), or will it mark 20 years of Gold Coast news on Nine? Will it
mark the third consecutive year of Nine dominance, or will it mark 15 years
since LE’s end? Will it be here as usual, or will it not appear due to Seven’s
response to a horror streak this year. Only time will tell, as it always does,
whether it be 5000 seconds, or 5000 days. But I leave you with one more number.
359: In 6 days time (September 5 2014), Nine’s Gold Coast
news service will have been on air 12 months longer than Brisbane Extra had
been. If that doesn’t put shivers down Seven’s spine about taking it on head to
head, or Nine’s for that matter if they tried to do a Extra-style axing
(knowing how hard it was to get QTQ’s news back rating well, from the
post-Extra blues): I really don’t know what will.
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