Welcome to the tenth and final night, of the ten best nights of 2022 in our books: the third edition of Content Survey Live. This year's changes are significant, but the ground rules always stay the same here.
The Ground Rules:
Our focus, in Content Survey Live traditionally has been monitoring Ten’s five capital city news services (a benefit of technological change, now allowing us to watch interstate bulletins on delay), in order of their ratings position within the network (with each market covered once) over a week, using the same criteria we used in the “Great Local News Study” from Kuttsy's Pitch XI in August, 2019.
-Locally sourced stories: that is stories reported by local journos. Really big local market stories with national impacts, also fit here. Voiced over local stories are counted separately.
-Live crosses: stuff that is used to embellish a story.
-Weather is not counted.
-Sport is not counted if it’s done by obviously freelance journos, or voiced over pieces: you gotta have dedicated reporters there, with their mug on air reporting a sports story for it to count.
-And finally: Ten Brisbane will have it’s Gold Coast content tracked again during it’s nights: something that has become a tradition in itself.
However in 2022, we have expanded to a two week format, with a entirely new way to rank bulletins
The first week, will seed bulletins based on comparisons with 2021 figures.
The second week, will seed bulletins based on comparisons with pre-pandemic and pre-centralization figures sourced from 2019.
A reminder now of this week's seedings:
Monday (29/8) Sydney.
Tuesday (30/8) Perth.
Wednesday (31/8) Melbourne.
Thursday (1/9) Brisbane.
Friday (2/9) Adelaide.
Now, let's begin today's final heaping bowl of broadcast news mediocrity.
And, a reminder: to purchase merchandise related to Content Survey Live 2022, head on over to our shop over at Redbubble.
Last week, we were faced with a Adelaide bulletin that looked like it hung around the courthouse all day like a lingering smell, although it did try to reinstate some immediacy into it's product that it lacked last year. Tonight, is however going into a AFL finals series without the Power or Crows, and after last night's nailbiter at the Gabba (where the Brisbane Lions grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat) the hybrid segment at 5:45 is one to watch.
For the final time this year: let's look at what made up 10 News in Adelaide, on the 2nd of September, 2022.
We open tonight's bulletin in a familiar location from last week: a courthouse, where a accused car stealer was looking to retract his plea (replayed at 6pm), a piece on the Royal Adelaide Show (closing with heavy emphasis on tickets being also being available at the gate: take note Brisbane EKKA officials), a arson attack at Andrews Farm (not far from MacDonald Park in Adelaide's northern suburbs) (replayed at 6pm) a Seaford electric skateboard accident (replayed at 6pm), promo piece for Sam's Popcorn, a enterprise by a Autistic teenager (deserves all the support in the world, I reckon)
We also had four voiced over pieces: the renaming of the Adelaide Oval media centre after Ken Cunningham (replayed at 6pm), the Adelaide 36'ers move to be the first SA team to introduce a sensory room at their venue (a piece airing post 6pm, mind you), a UK/Australia trade talk in Adelaide's CBD (post 6pm) and a few tubby tabbys as part of a RSPCA Fathers Day adoption drive.
In addition, we had a live cross to Wayville Showgrounds promoting the Royal Adelaide Show (that was duplicated at 6pm with elements of the 5pm package)
But, we all know what we came here to see: Quarters trying to make light of last night's game at the Gabba (because Stephen Quartermain is more fun with this stuff than Matt Burke over on the Sydney/Brisbane hybrid). The sports segment was pretty much full-on, with a cross to the MCG at the MCC entrance (which saw a game preceded by the Swans bus being stopped short of the MCG, with the team walking the rest of the way there before leaving the 2021 premiers (the Demons at home, none the less) walked all over for a win and a home preliminary final in Sydney), a fairly prolific review of last night's final at the Gabba, a preview for Saturday's finals in Melbourne and Perth, a piece on the departure of the North Melbourne CEO with no less than two roo puns in the graphics: "Roo Cull", and of course, "Hoo Roo".
Post 6pm segment adds more to the situation (informing of the Swans transport issues), along with a story on the AFLW home debut for Port Adelaide (against the Western Bulldogs), at the traditional home of Port Adelaide in the SANFL, Alberton Oval.
The scores:
Five local stories, three replayed in full at 6pm.
Four voiced over pieces, with two new after 6pm, and one 5pm piece replayed after 6pm.
Two live crosses at the Royal Adelaide Show... sponsored by the competition.
A sports presentation that would make anything exciting.
Last Monday night, 10 News Adelaide scored a 2.75/10.
Tonight, 10 News Adelaide scored a 3.25/10.
Adelaide actually outscored Sydney on Monday night.
Overall, during the entire two weeks of survey: 10 News Adelaide scored: 6/20.
For the final time this year: let's look at what made up 10 News in Adelaide, on the 2nd of September, 2022.
We open tonight's bulletin in a familiar location from last week: a courthouse, where a accused car stealer was looking to retract his plea (replayed at 6pm), a piece on the Royal Adelaide Show (closing with heavy emphasis on tickets being also being available at the gate: take note Brisbane EKKA officials), a arson attack at Andrews Farm (not far from MacDonald Park in Adelaide's northern suburbs) (replayed at 6pm) a Seaford electric skateboard accident (replayed at 6pm), promo piece for Sam's Popcorn, a enterprise by a Autistic teenager (deserves all the support in the world, I reckon)
We also had four voiced over pieces: the renaming of the Adelaide Oval media centre after Ken Cunningham (replayed at 6pm), the Adelaide 36'ers move to be the first SA team to introduce a sensory room at their venue (a piece airing post 6pm, mind you), a UK/Australia trade talk in Adelaide's CBD (post 6pm) and a few tubby tabbys as part of a RSPCA Fathers Day adoption drive.
In addition, we had a live cross to Wayville Showgrounds promoting the Royal Adelaide Show (that was duplicated at 6pm with elements of the 5pm package)
But, we all know what we came here to see: Quarters trying to make light of last night's game at the Gabba (because Stephen Quartermain is more fun with this stuff than Matt Burke over on the Sydney/Brisbane hybrid). The sports segment was pretty much full-on, with a cross to the MCG at the MCC entrance (which saw a game preceded by the Swans bus being stopped short of the MCG, with the team walking the rest of the way there before leaving the 2021 premiers (the Demons at home, none the less) walked all over for a win and a home preliminary final in Sydney), a fairly prolific review of last night's final at the Gabba, a preview for Saturday's finals in Melbourne and Perth, a piece on the departure of the North Melbourne CEO with no less than two roo puns in the graphics: "Roo Cull", and of course, "Hoo Roo".
Post 6pm segment adds more to the situation (informing of the Swans transport issues), along with a story on the AFLW home debut for Port Adelaide (against the Western Bulldogs), at the traditional home of Port Adelaide in the SANFL, Alberton Oval.
The scores:
Five local stories, three replayed in full at 6pm.
Four voiced over pieces, with two new after 6pm, and one 5pm piece replayed after 6pm.
Two live crosses at the Royal Adelaide Show... sponsored by the competition.
A sports presentation that would make anything exciting.
Last Monday night, 10 News Adelaide scored a 2.75/10.
Tonight, 10 News Adelaide scored a 3.25/10.
Adelaide actually outscored Sydney on Monday night.
Overall, during the entire two weeks of survey: 10 News Adelaide scored: 6/20.
We finally get a return to the OzTam top 20 for 10's news on Friday: with two significant figures: a thrashing in Adelaide (Nine's locally produced 5pm news doubling 10's), and a dead heat in Perth between 10's Sydney produced news and Nine's retooled locally presented 5pm product.
Adelaide's news tonight showed a similar upswing to Melbourne's on Wednesday night. However some flaws are still there. The immediacy is far better than last year, but the relevancy to it's market is still stuck in a rut. I somehow think, the first step towards avoiding 10's Adelaide 5pm news potentially rating below 10k viewers in the near term, is to do what Perth did: return a weather presenter to the market, instead of showing weather photos every night. The idea of viewer weather photos works for Seven in regional Queensland, because Livio and others pump out seven different forecasts a night for a regional market of similar population to Adelaide, and is a easy way to hide the fact that weather presentation for 7's Queensland regional stations is done from Maroochydore most of the time. Ten aren't even currently hiding the fact that weather for Adelaide is done in Melbourne.
The final scores for Content Survey Live, 2022.
1st, and a gold medal: 10 News Perth, 18/20, inc. a record survey score: 9.25/10 on August 30.
2nd, and a silver medal: 10 News Melbourne, 13/20.
The final scores for Content Survey Live, 2022.
1st, and a gold medal: 10 News Perth, 18/20, inc. a record survey score: 9.25/10 on August 30.
2nd, and a silver medal: 10 News Melbourne, 13/20.
3rd and a bronze medal: 10 News Sydney, 7/20.
A very close fourth, 10 News Adelaide, 6/20.
And, now: the wooden spoon: 10 News Brisbane, 1.75/20, after Monday night's breaking news failure (as pointed out in the night six post), cost them two points on Thursday night.
A very close fourth, 10 News Adelaide, 6/20.
And, now: the wooden spoon: 10 News Brisbane, 1.75/20, after Monday night's breaking news failure (as pointed out in the night six post), cost them two points on Thursday night.
Well, this is it. After fourteen days of survey, Content Survey Live is over for 2022. Who knows what next year will bring. However, we will leave you with some closing remarks.
1. Sydney and Brisbane need to be separate bulletins once again, and not just because of daylight saving beginning next month. Brisbane deserves a news bulletin on 10 that isn't flatlining with breaking local news, and Sydney deserves a news bulletin on 10 that doesn't have to include token Brisbane stories, just because two thirds of the bulletin is airing in both markets.
2. Get the Melbourne weather presenter a bigger screen, and use this as a excuse to return weather presentation on the Adelaide bulletin back to Adelaide.
3. 10 needs to copy what Perth looks and feels like, and roll it out across the network: beginning with the markets where 10 is unopposed at 5: i.e. Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
4. 10's sport presentation in AFL states is miles ahead of the sports presentation on the Sydney/Brisbane hybrid: it's a known fact, and hopefully is rewarded one day sooner or later.
And, finally: 5. reinvest in journalism and the bulletin itself: because it is needed to fight a major problem 10 has created themselves. 10's news these days has the unfortunate honour of being the only major Australian television news service that has had metro overnight ratings slide severely since the start of the pandemic.
During this event, we have observed multiple nights where 10's news has not even made the overnight top 20 supplied to OzTam.
Paramount, we know your upfronts are coming on October 6. You need to make a commitment that night, to reverse the slide into the abyss that 10's news is slowly sinking into. The only way out from a future where weeknight 5pm bulletins are rating too low to even keep some local content onboard (after all, Adelaide could well be first), is to invest your way out, and make 10's news appealing to people once more. It is not a case of 10's news being woke and going broke... it is simply going broke, when it can well be a viable lead-in to a primetime schedule once more... because, as we always reiterate, this Glenn Taylor quote from 1995...
1. Sydney and Brisbane need to be separate bulletins once again, and not just because of daylight saving beginning next month. Brisbane deserves a news bulletin on 10 that isn't flatlining with breaking local news, and Sydney deserves a news bulletin on 10 that doesn't have to include token Brisbane stories, just because two thirds of the bulletin is airing in both markets.
2. Get the Melbourne weather presenter a bigger screen, and use this as a excuse to return weather presentation on the Adelaide bulletin back to Adelaide.
3. 10 needs to copy what Perth looks and feels like, and roll it out across the network: beginning with the markets where 10 is unopposed at 5: i.e. Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
4. 10's sport presentation in AFL states is miles ahead of the sports presentation on the Sydney/Brisbane hybrid: it's a known fact, and hopefully is rewarded one day sooner or later.
And, finally: 5. reinvest in journalism and the bulletin itself: because it is needed to fight a major problem 10 has created themselves. 10's news these days has the unfortunate honour of being the only major Australian television news service that has had metro overnight ratings slide severely since the start of the pandemic.
During this event, we have observed multiple nights where 10's news has not even made the overnight top 20 supplied to OzTam.
Paramount, we know your upfronts are coming on October 6. You need to make a commitment that night, to reverse the slide into the abyss that 10's news is slowly sinking into. The only way out from a future where weeknight 5pm bulletins are rating too low to even keep some local content onboard (after all, Adelaide could well be first), is to invest your way out, and make 10's news appealing to people once more. It is not a case of 10's news being woke and going broke... it is simply going broke, when it can well be a viable lead-in to a primetime schedule once more... because, as we always reiterate, this Glenn Taylor quote from 1995...
“They call it the flagship of television stations. Many programmers believe, if you get people to watch the news, then they’ll stay with you throughout the night.”
If you aren't getting people to watch the news or are just doing the bare minimum to get people to watch: you quite simply aren't getting them to change habits they've established for decades just so they can get a taste of 10's primetime output. They'll stay arcwelded to the competition and watch the competition, plain and simple.
Now, that is over and done with for 2022, let's look at our final commercial that is too extravagant for it's own good. We again return to Adelaide, to a public service announcement of some kind during the late 1970s-early 1980's, that should be a wakeup call to 10 today.
From PepperStudiosTV on Youtube.
If you aren't getting people to watch the news or are just doing the bare minimum to get people to watch: you quite simply aren't getting them to change habits they've established for decades just so they can get a taste of 10's primetime output. They'll stay arcwelded to the competition and watch the competition, plain and simple.
Now, that is over and done with for 2022, let's look at our final commercial that is too extravagant for it's own good. We again return to Adelaide, to a public service announcement of some kind during the late 1970s-early 1980's, that should be a wakeup call to 10 today.
From PepperStudiosTV on Youtube.
No comments:
Post a Comment