The countdown begins to the fourth edition of Content Survey Live: one that celebrates ten years of counting content. Welcome to Night Zero of Content Survey Live: The Call of The Tribe.
Content Survey Live: The Call of The Tribe, is brought to you by Veritas on KW: now on both Twitter and Mastodon and Kuttsywood's Couch One on Patreon, home to Veritas on KW: on Sunday.
We open up Night Zero, of 2023’s Content Survey Live with some words, from a Philadelphia broadcasting legend, Jim Gardner who on his final night with Philly’s Action News (that city’s television news leader, mind you) in late 2022 after a 46yr run, had this to say about the state of the US press: first harkening back to Thomas Jefferson and added his own twist at the end which is very apt to mention as we should: concerning 10’s news situation in Australia.
“Permit me a final word if you would. The American free press has been under attack not by forces from other countries, but from elements embedded in our own society and even our own government. It worries me deeply and it feeds into and exploits people’s lack of understanding of what the founders intended the kind of democracy that the US and only a handful of other nations aspire to.
Thomas Jefferson said to John Jay, in 1786: “Our liberty, cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it.” Jefferson would concur, “No we are not the enemy of the people, serving the people”, you the people of the Tri-State area (a reference to the Greater Philadelphia region, which spills over three (or four depending on who you hear from) US states), with responsible and unbiased journalism: this is our mission, now and in the future. And, if we falter: you damn well let us know.”
Jim Gardner, farewelling WPVI 6 Action News, Wednesday December 21, 2022, video is from WPVI's official YouTube channel.
That very same night on the opposite side of the International Date Line, a Thursday night, 15,397 km away: Paramount-owned Network 10, drew their lowest non-holiday news figures since the introduction of the peoplemeter in the Brisbane market: with just over 31,000 viewers between 5-6pm.
And the fact that 10’s news in Brisbane collapsed during the 2022-23 summer, reiterates the Gardner line: “If we falter: you damn well let us know.”
And this is why Content Survey Live is back again in 2023.
But not in the format as you have known it since 2020.
But not in the format as you have known it since 2020.
This year’s format is one based on competition: a harkening back to the Great Local News Study of 2019: where instead of 1 or 2 weeks of survey (where markets were surveyed once a week), we are going to run over a month format, of which you’ll see only two markets surveyed twice a week. This means, one city will ultimately face the greatest scrutiny in Content Survey Live’s history, just to make it to the final.
The reason this move is happening, is due to the unreliability of our original seeding model where historic ratings figures decided what order the surveys were run (first seen last year (four out of ten nights in our seeding period lacked results), but is significantly more pronounced so far this year, where 10’s news is cropping up in the national top 20 as little as two nights every week, as well as a VoZ-led future, likely wiping out public access to local overnight ratings entirely), along with another significant change: Adelaide and Melbourne reverting to standalone products earlier this year (instead of the hybrid format that was retained in Sydney/Brisbane, and is heading to ratings rock bottom in Brisbane.)
How a typical week this year for Content Survey Live will work, will be as follows:
-Monday: both markets are surveyed, one will be out on Monday night, one will be out on Tuesday Who will be given the “live” survey on Monday will be decided by a coin toss.
-Thursday: Whoever performed worse on Monday will get to have their second survey, will be “live”.
-Friday: Whoever performed best on Monday, will get to have their second survey, will be “live”.
When we mean “live”, we mean that it will be out over at Kuttsywood’s Couch the same night it was collated (a first for Content Survey Live): as we are dropping a key requirement: ratings data.
The Ground Rules and Rankings:
Our focus, in Content Survey Live will be monitoring Ten’s five capital city news services (a benefit of technological change, now allowing us to watch interstate bulletins on delay), 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.
Historically, we have decided seeding for Content Survey Live in order of each market's ratings position within the network. However, this year: we have made a significant shift, and can now unveil the schedule for this year's month long extravaganza.
(Chris Doheny's iconic More Than A Game (used to open the AFL Footy Show): from MartinL on Youtube)
The draw for the “Call of The Tribe” is as follows: basically, a simplified version of the historical "final five" systems used by both the AFL and NSWRL prior to expansion of their finals formats to final eight.
-Perth (winner of Content Survey Live three times straight, and undisputed Content Survey Live champion for over 1000 days) will get a express pass to the final week.
-The first week, will consist of comparisons of 2nd vs 5th in last year’s Content Survey Live: Brisbane, and newly de-hybrided Melbourne.
-The second week, will consist of 3rd vs 4th in last year’s Content Survey Live: Sydney and newly de-hybrided Adelaide.
-The third week, will consist of the winners of week one and week two facing off.
-And, finally: the fourth week will consist of the winners of week three, facing off against the undefeated title holder: Perth.
Even More Content Survey Live?
In addition, every week, there will be additional weekly wraps for Content Survey Live which will be available to our Kuttsywood’s Couch One Patreon subscribers exclusively, entitled “The Tribal Cry”. What is the story of the week, and why: that is what you get, when you look at “The Tribal Cry”.
A look back to Boxing Day.
“Will it be nine posts, or seventeen?”
Content Survey Live’s tribal battle, will consist of seventeen pieces here (The one you are reading now, plus four posts a week between July 31 and August 25) and four Patreon Tribal Cry exclusives.
That adds up to twenty one posts.
In comparison to last year: that is a increase of six posts on this site (2022’s Content Survey Live only ran 11 posts (ten days over two weeks and Night Zero), effectively spreading a three week event over four weeks, while also giving us a breather to sort out Patreon content (which is important, as I will be pushing out S2 ratings wraps for Newcastle and the Gold Coast for Patreon subscribers during Content Survey Live) with a more significant move happening: that I hope will bring new eyes to the product: the shift of Veritas on KW: on Sunday (launched in early April as a fortnightly publication) to weekly publication from August 27 (in time for the kickoff of Australian upfront season).
So, are you ready to survey some content?
Join us, on July 30, on social media, for the coin toss concerning the first battle of “The Call of The Tribes”, deciding who will be surveyed first in the first week of Content Survey Live.
Because, this year: Content Survey Live: is not just called “The Call of The Tribe” for marketing purposes: this year, Content Survey Live is more than a game: one where your fortunes for ultimate glory hinge on results at every turn. A market’s strong first week, could well turn into a body blow as time goes by.
After all: It's more than a game.
(Chris Doheny's iconic More Than A Game (used to open the AFL Footy Show): from MartinL on Youtube)
See you on July 30.
A reminder, if you want to support Kuttsywood's Couch: you can sign on with Kuttsywood's Couch One on Patreon. All we ask, is for $2.50AUD per month, and you'll get access to our Patreon exclusive radio ratings survey wraps and Veritas on KW: on Sunday TV/radio wraps (set to move to weekly on August 27). In addition: any new Patreon supporters signing up during the Content Survey Live period of July 31-August 25, will get namedropped onto the final Content Survey Live piece published each week (the Friday piece) as one of our co-contributors.
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