Welcome, one and all to the third night of Lexicon News 2. Let's go over once again, the ground rules of our experiment.
The Ground Rules:
The ground rules, for the Lexicon News event, are taken from a promo, in 1987: that compared Seven's second attempt at 1hr news in Brisbane, with Nine's 1/2hr product that became dominant at the exact same time.
As it described:
"If you are watching a half-hour news, take out the weather, sport, opening music, hello's and goodbyes and the commercials, and you could only get about 12 minutes of real news each night."
Thus the ground rules for the Lexicon News challenge are for four nights:
-Time the length of the bulletin, from the moment the first story intro begins at 6, to the time the throw to sport begins, on both bulletins.
-Write down every story on the 1hr version, and compare with the half hour version to see how much content is removed.
-Subtract the BNE timing from the regional timing to get the amount of time lost to regional QLD viewers each night by simply trimming the BTQ news bulletin.
-Ultimately: add up all the figures, and come up with a final set of numbers at the end of the week.
In addition, we will be tracking how many coverups of live cross timings (usually seen as giant "LIVE" graphics superimposed) are made by Seven on the 10 minute edit during this period.
And, one more thing. Enjoying Lexicon News 2? Come on over and buy the merchandise for this event over at our Redbubble store.
Is this the wrong time of the year for a content survey?
Making it's way to the ring, A series whose first outing in 2021 recorded how much news you lose. It's sequel, stands alone today, unlike the first outing (tagged to a five day content survey.) And after a false start yesterday... Ladies and gentlemen, this is Lexicon News 2.
Welcome to what would have been, night one of Lexicon News 2.
Instead, we've been hit with a case of the gremlins in the process of recording the regional cut of Seven's Brisbane bulletin tonight!
The only thing we can say now: It's on with the show, night two tomorrow night: of a now 4 day event, which will retain all numbering for reasons that will be explained on Thursday.
And, a reminder, you can buy a Lexicon News 2 shirt, hat or even a facemask, over at Redbubble!
"We couldn't salvage much, but that's life for the first rain delay in 8 years of running content surveys. Please enjoy this highlight of 1990's vintage."
On the very first week of ratings in 2022, Content Survey Live’s big addition in 2021, stands alone.
“Sit Ubu, Sit Ubu, Sit Ubu, Sit Ubu, Sit.”
Veritas on KW, proudly presents on Kuttsywood’s Couch…
“About 12 minutes of real news each night”
This, is Lexicon News 2.
So, welcome to our new year ahead format: KW Network Select: where we give you a select look at what the year ahead has for this site, and the social media family that is the KWNetwork.
To understand how deeply the loss of Bert Newton will be felt by Australia, is to understand Australian television's heritage as a whole.
Bert was there when television pretty much began in Australia: and is the last of the three pillars in television variety forged in our industry's early years (the other two being the "King of Television" Graham Kennedy (who passed away in 2005) and American-born Morton Issacson: who performed under the stage name, Don Lane (who passed away in 2009) that shot to long-term popularity with Australian viewers to leave us.
It is fitting to look back at the Bert Newton life story as a tale of three mediums.
The(Legislative)Counciladjourned at 8.37 pm. The final words, of Queensland’s original upper house: as reported by Hansard on October 27, 1921, which is available for all to peruse, at QLD Parliament's website.
100 years on, on October 27, 2021 at 8.37 pm, we look to a future where a upper house can rightfully return.
The 2020’s are ours to savour. A decade of exciting change, and many things worth looking forward to. A bicentennial, and many centennials for a state, that has always looked to the sky. A capital reshaped by urban renewal, and welcoming the world back to our door. Seeing how sixteen days, eleven years away… counts down ever closer with every passing moment. A decade where television and the internet will blend ever closer. A decade where those who grew up watching Goss, Borbidge and Beattie, will start to make their mark on Queensland’s political landscape.
The 2020’s can be Queensland’s golden decade.
And, the “Team for the Twenties” will be able to bring it to you, when it happens.
Welcome, to the 14th annual Daylight Saving guide, here at Kuttsywood’s Couch.
Significant, as we launch this site’s newest incarnation (including a slight change to the right… text alignment-wise, with our titles and widgets now centre aligned for your convenience): but with some news on the side.
With the successful launch of our Twitterexpansion, over the first six months of 2021, we are making a major decision as of today. Our original brand extensions, on Tumblr: Kuttsywood’s Couchcushion and Knight Kleaner will be warehoused (a roundabout way to say, they will no longer be updated), and will no longer be accessible from this site directly.
This decision was made, at the early stages of planning for the Veritas on KW/One Queensland launch (done in late 2020), but we have waited until now (partially because this site has been undergoing tuning since the end of Content Survey Live in August), to put this into action.
Just when you thought it was safe to turn off the content survey for another year, here we are again together for a second week, albeit one with a difference.
This, is the fifth and final night of Lexicon News.
The Ground Rules:
The ground rules, for the Lexicon News event, are taken from a promo, in 1987: that compared Seven's second attempt at 1hr news in Brisbane, with Nine's 1/2hr product that became dominant at the exact same time.
As it described:
"If you are watching a half-hour news, take out the weather, sport, opening music, hello's and goodbyes and the commercials, and you could only get about 12 minutes of real news each night."
Thus the ground rules for the Lexicon News challenge are for five nights: -Time the length of the bulletin, from the moment the first story intro begins at 6, to the time the throw to sport begins, on both bulletins. -Write down every story on the 1hr version, and compare with the half hour version to see how much content is removed. -Subtract the BNE timing from the regional timing to get the amount of time lost to regional QLD viewers each night by simply trimming the BTQ news bulletin. -Ultimately: add up all the figures, and come up with a final set of numbers at the end of the week.
Now, lets get stepping towards tonight's look at news you can use... that won't ultimately make the final cut.
Just when you thought it was safe to turn off the content survey for another year, here we are again together for a second week, albeit one with a difference.
This, is the fourth night of Lexicon News.
The Ground Rules:
The ground rules, for the Lexicon News event, are taken from a promo, in 1987: that compared Seven's second attempt at 1hr news in Brisbane, with Nine's 1/2hr product that became dominant at the exact same time.
As it described:
"If you are watching a half-hour news, take out the weather, sport, opening music, hello's and goodbyes and the commercials, and you could only get about 12 minutes of real news each night."
Thus the ground rules for the Lexicon News challenge are for five nights: -Time the length of the bulletin, from the moment the first story intro begins at 6, to the time the throw to sport begins, on both bulletins. -Write down every story on the 1hr version, and compare with the half hour version to see how much content is removed. -Subtract the BNE timing from the regional timing to get the amount of time lost to regional QLD viewers each night by simply trimming the BTQ news bulletin. -Ultimately: add up all the figures, and come up with a final set of numbers at the end of the week.
Now, lets get stepping towards tonight's look at news you can use... that won't ultimately make the final cut.
Just when you thought it was safe to turn off the content survey for another year, here we are again together for a second week, albeit one with a difference.
This, is the third night of Lexicon News.
The Ground Rules:
The ground rules, for the Lexicon News event, are taken from a promo, in 1987: that compared Seven's second attempt at 1hr news in Brisbane, with Nine's 1/2hr product that became dominant at the exact same time. As it described: "If you are watching a half-hour news, take out the weather, sport, opening music, hello's and goodbyes and the commercials, and you could only get about 12 minutes of real news each night."
Thus the ground rules for the Lexicon News challenge are for five nights: -Time the length of the bulletin, from the moment the first story intro begins at 6, to the time the throw to sport begins, on both bulletins. -Write down every story on the 1hr version, and compare with the half hour version to see how much content is removed. -Subtract the BNE timing from the regional timing to get the amount of time lost to regional QLD viewers each night by simply trimming the BTQ news bulletin. -Ultimately: add up all the figures, and come up with a final set of numbers at the end of the week.
Now, lets get stepping towards tonight's look at news you can use... that won't ultimately make the final cut.
Just when you thought it was safe to turn off the content survey for another year, here we are again together for a second week, albeit one with a difference.
This, is the second night of Lexicon News.
The Ground Rules:
The ground rules, for the Lexicon News event, are taken from a promo, in 1987: that compared Seven's second attempt at 1hr news in Brisbane, with Nine's 1/2hr product that became dominant at the exact same time. As it described: "If you are watching a half-hour news, take out the weather, sport, opening music, hello's and goodbyes and the commercials, and you could only get about 12 minutes of real news each night."
Thus the ground rules for the Lexicon News challenge are for five nights: -Time the length of the bulletin, from the moment the first story intro begins at 6, to the time the throw to sport begins, on both bulletins. -Write down every story on the 1hr version, and compare with the half hour version to see how much content is removed. -Subtract the BNE timing from the regional timing to get the amount of time lost to regional QLD viewers each night by simply trimming the BTQ news bulletin. -Ultimately: add up all the figures, and come up with a final set of numbers at the end of the week.
Now, lets get stepping towards tonight's look at news you can use... that won't ultimately make the final cut.
Just when you thought it was safe to turn off the content survey for another year, here we are again together for a second week, albeit one with a difference.
This, is Lexicon News.
But you all are asking: "What the hell is Lexicon News?"
Lexicon News's genesis
Lexicon News, came about as a way to extend the format into a second week, but it's catalyst, was a move I made twelve months ago: from Brisbane to regional Queensland, where 7's news service is not only omnipotent, but probably has been the most successful local news product in aggregated Australia for the last decade, as bulletins were added in markets that were once heartlands for WIN Television (Rockhampton in 2010, and Toowoomba in 2015) while the regional television sector played two games of musical chairs with Southern Cross and Win concerning the Nine chair in Victoria, Southern NSW and Queensland in 2016 and 2021: consigning Nine to a very deep ratings hole in our part of the world.
But it hasn't been without some growing pains, especially when Seven News in Brisbane expanded to one hour in 2014, which eventually (once Toowoomba gained a local news service in December 2015) resulted in Seven's 6pm hour in Brisbane being heavily edited into a 1/2hr service to air at 6:30, with Brisbane's sport/weather airing live statewide.
From this position (and a little help from a PVR recording the directors cut and 7+'s full bulletin), we will find out how much Queensland regional viewers don't see in the (news) directors cut of BTQ's 6pm news.
"Why the name, Lexicon News?"
The inspiration for the name: came from the most unusual source: a Christmas tape, someone uploaded to Youtube. (There is nothing to be ashamed about people outside the industry watching TV Xmas tapes, broadcasters: especially, as even the BBC celebrated their own, back in 2018.) This particular Christmas tape, came from BTQ in Brisbane, in 1986: and probably lines up with some of the best ever done by the Beeb (less titilation, but more of a cohesive story) The story, is simply: parodying Bondy's Sky Channel, with their own idea... "The Lexicon Channel".
"The Lexicon 1200: unrivalled in it's performance, can time compress your favorite programs, so you the viewer can enjoy more programs in less time than any other network. Imagine Gone With The Wind being telecast in one hour, Imagine 26 minutes of commercials, and eight minutes of station promotion per hour, that's The Lexicon Channel's promise. A new generation of broadcasting has been born. The Lexicon Channel: Taking on the challenge, taking entertainment to new... lengths.
Quote from the afore mentioned Christmas tape's intro.
The whole idea was, simply a channel that actively edited programs so as much programming could be screened as possible in as little time as possible: as famously explained by the eccentric idea of condensing the four hour epic, "Gone With The Wind", into a one hour slot... only to stick 34 minutes of non program content in, leaving only 24mins of the film.
Hence why this week is called "Lexicon News": where a hour news bulletin is condensed into a small time frame: in a small timeframe, so it can be gotten out of the way, because 7 doesn't want to move Home and Away.
The Ground Rules:
The ground rules, for the Lexicon News event, are taken from a promo, in 1987: that compared Seven's second attempt at 1hr news in Brisbane, with Nine's 1/2hr product that became dominant at the exact same time. As it described: "If you are watching a half-hour news, take out the weather, sport, opening music, hello's and goodbyes and the commercials, and you could only get about 12 minutes of real news each night."
Thus the ground rules for the Lexicon News challenge are for five nights: -Time the length of the bulletin, from the moment the first story intro begins at 6, to the time the throw to sport begins, on both bulletins. -Write down every story on the 1hr version, and compare with the half hour version to see how much content is removed. -Subtract the BNE timing from the regional timing to get the amount of time lost to regional QLD viewers each night by simply trimming the BTQ news bulletin. -Ultimately: add up all the figures, and come up with a final set of numbers at the end of the week.
And, that's how a joke on a Christmas tape, married with a 1987 promo, to create a challenge that gives us clarity concerning how much news you actually miss on 7, just because you live outside of Brisbane.
Welcome, to the fifth spectacular day of Content Survey Live: Five days of looking at 10 News Last, First as it looks post-centralization (culminating today), and five days looking into the lexicon that is Seven's Brisbane news service... as it airs in regional Queensland (which begins on Monday). Tonight, we look at Adelaide: a market whose ratings for 10 have been completely smashed in twelve months. Let us begin again, by reminding you of the ground rules for the first week: The Ground Rules
Our focus, in Content Survey Live (particularly in it's first week), will be 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 night: especially important, as last year we literally got on the night TVQ's news was surveyed a bulletin where no GC content aired at all.
The fifth and final part of the 10 adventure is looking at the market where the effects of centralization have hit the hardest. Hello Adelaide.
But will a centralized Adelaide news service for 10 have a clearly defined character, or will it just be a news service presented in Melbourne to a market that is no longer interested in their product?
Welcome, to the fourth spectacular day of Content Survey Live: Five days of looking at 10 News Last, First as it looks post-centralization, and five days looking into the lexicon that is Seven's Brisbane news service... as it airs in regional Queensland. Tonight will be looking at Melbourne, after significant changes to their product from last year. But, first: The ground rules.
The Ground Rules
Our focus, in Content Survey Live (particularly in it's first week), will be 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 night: especially important, as last year we literally got on the night TVQ's news was surveyed a bulletin where no GC content aired at all.
The fourth part of our adventure comes to the shores of Port Phillip Bay, to a bulletin that defeated adversity to win a silver medal and take two categories out in 2020's Content Survey Live.
The big question: Will we lose ourselves in Melbourne: Victoria's capital?
Welcome, to the third spectacular day of Content Survey Live: Five days of looking at 10 News Last, First as it looks post-centralization, and five days looking into the lexicon that is Seven's Brisbane news service... as it airs in regional Queensland. Tonight will feel a hell of a lot different: especially as we are now watching Perth's 5pm bulletin: Will the 2hr delay actually help it out? Let us begin again, by reminding you of the ground rules for the first week: The Ground Rules
Our focus, in Content Survey Live (particularly in it's first week), will be 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 night: especially important, as last year we literally got on the night TVQ's news was surveyed a bulletin where no GC content aired at all.
The third part of this adventure, is looking at the bulletin that should have been left alone, let alone not shifted to Sydney during 10's cuts last year, purely because of it's timezone and it's sports focus (that is completely different than those who live in Sydney and Brisbane).
Well the sun's going down in ten seconds... 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1... in WA that is.
Welcome, to the second spectacular day of Content Survey Live: Five days of looking at 10 News Last, First as it looks post-centralization, and five days looking into the lexicon that is Seven's Brisbane news service... as it airs in regional Queensland. Tonight will feel like Groundhog Day... or was it last night? Let us begin again, by reminding you of the ground rules for the first week: The Ground Rules
Our focus, in Content Survey Live (particularly in it's first week), will be 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 night: especially important, as last year we literally got on the night TVQ's news was surveyed a bulletin where no GC content aired at all.
The second part of this adventure is a flipside: Monday's Brisbane bulletin made in Sydney had huge chunks of Sydney content dumped in. Tuesday's is a Sydney bulletin with chunks of Brisbane content dumped in.
Welcome, to the first part of ten spectacular days: Five days of looking at 10 News Last, First as it looks post-centralization, and five days looking into the lexicon that is Seven's Brisbane news service... as it airs in regional Queensland. Let us begin again, by reminding you of the ground rules for the first week: The Ground Rules
Our focus, in Content Survey Live (particularly in it's first week), will be 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 night: especially important, as last year we literally got on the night TVQ's news was surveyed a bulletin where no GC content aired at all.
It is fitting, that this adventure, kicks off with a look at the city and state that was worst affected by the combined effects of the cuts by 10 last year, and the shift back to Southern Cross for 10 in July.
"Have you seen Frank today?" That line, was used by Nine at one point during the two years Frank Warrick spent there in the 1980s, as both a weeknight co-anchor for Don Seccombe, and a solo act at 6pm, once Don moved to weekends in early 1985.
Yet, it is poignant to say it, in the wake of Frank Warrick's passing on May 11, because a big slice of our visual memories here in Queensland of the late 1970's and 1980's is wrapped up in live crosses, news bulletins, major events, that somehow develop into a visual patchwork quilt: that is also Frank's life in front of the camera.
Frank's media career began in radio in the 1960's, with a notable focus on his run in Toowoomba where he rose from young talent, to station management at 4GR (Queensland's oldest provincial station, today a SCA-owned station emulating Triple M: in the 60's, top 40 was 4GR's bread and butter), before coming to Brisbane, but one stunt that Frank did in his formative years at 4GR stands out as the greatest forerunner to his future. Frank did a impressive 4 days straight (nearly 100hrs consecutively) presenting radio in the mid 60's, setting a world record, long since broken.
Frank's Life in Television
The arrival of Frank Warrick to television news from radio, came just as simplified live crosses first came into vogue (thanks to the arrival of electronic news gathering) and what we watched as a news bulletin began to change (from newsreaders reading stories over film, to packaged reporting, while overseas and interstate stories were still being raced up Mt Coot-tha from the old Brisbane Airport), in 1976/77. Frank earned his reputation, in the late 70's as a live reporter: most significantly the Right to March demonstrations in Brisbane's heart in September 1977, before being given the anchors chair (with some reporting) alongside Mike Higgins as the eighties dawned.
(1980 promo for 7's 6-7:30 lineup, from SLQ microfiche)
Warrick and Higgins, the first time around, slowly built a following, as BTQ's news began it's ascent up the ratings ladder, after events such as the Moreton Bay rescue in May 1980 (that won national awards and overseas airing) and the arrival of Glenn Taylor from Nine's Today Tonight to start State Affair not long afterward, all culminating in a significant moment: where Seven's news overtook Nine's news (led by the late Don Seccombe) in Brisbane in 1982, which ultimately led to Queensland regional stations switching their national news relay to Seven from Nine, beginning with DDQ in Toowoomba (who had taken QTQ's news since it's establishment in 1962) in February 1983.
DDQ news switch promo, 1983 from SLQ microfiche.
However: in the gap between when Seven got DDQ and the rest of Queensland (which happened straight after the 1983 federal election in March), Frank Warrick was lured to Nine, and wouldn't debut with his new employer until May of that year.
The ad that signalled the start of the Warrick/Seccombe partnership at Nine in May 1983 from SLQ microfiche
The Warrick/Seccombe era of news at QTQ may not have been getting ratings diaries changing in Brisbane homes but one significant event would spark Frank's love of a good doco (something he'd really invest in, come the 1990's). The 1984 QTQ-produced documentary, "A Flood of Memories", a hourlong special concerning the flood of 1974, with both Don and Frank, is a great reminder of a event just 10yrs distant in peoples minds, which also set a very high bar, for people in the future to duplicate.
My favorite line in that doco is one we unknowingly ignored: with Frank, at Wivenhoe Dam's (then) construction site.
"This is the Wivenhoe Dam, as it is today. Still unfinished, and still claimed by politicians to be the answer to our flood problems. The experts don't agree, we haven't learned to stop a disastrous flood."
Excerpt from A Flood of Memories, January 1984.
A Flood of Memories, 1984: from jmoulis on Youtube.
A new owner, for QTQ in 1985, one Alan Bond, led to very significant changes for the news product QTQ was putting out: most notably, splitting the Seccombe-Warrick duo, in favour of a solo weeknight product with Frank, and a solo weekend product with Don. Soon after, Today Tonight was pushed to late nights, and QTQ's news lead-out changed rapidly: first, it was Sale (moving to 6:30 from 7pm) and Daryl Somers's Blankety Blanks reboot, before ultimately moving Willesee to 6:30 in May prior to seeing Today Tonight end it's run in late June.
QTQ's newly rejigged 5:30-7pm lineup from pugsley2005 on Youtube
Various QTQ print advertisements: "Face Value" early 1985, "I like Nine" news/current affairs promotion, June 1985 from SLQ microfiche
Within weeks of TT's end however, Frank would be making news of his own.
On July 5, 1985: Frank handed in his notice to QTQ, and re-signed with BTQ (within hours of departing Nine: no gardening leave for Frank): now a emphatic #1 in Brisbane and Queensland, with the big reveal happening at a function at Brisbane's Sheraton above Central Station (now the Sofitel).
"Frank Likes, Um, 7" article Brisbane Daily Sun 6/7/1985
Seven promotional ads, Courier-Mail, July-August 1985 from SLQ microfiche.
The return of Frank to the news desk at Seven, would eventually guide Seven into a era without Mike Higgins, not before the first big story on his return, that proved that he had not lost a step working live.
July 26, 1985: Brisbane Airport. Frank's calm attitude towards a siege involving a hijacked Seaworld helicopter (hijacked over the Gold Coast by a father enraged over divorce proceedings, and somehow had his two children onboard, taken hostage), and a fuel truck (which if it had exploded would have had dramatic impacts on the old Brisbane Airport), that was in turn relayed to the nation, was gripping viewing, in a age where live crosses out of programming for such stories, let alone in daytime viewing hours and taken nationally were rare events. Ultimately, the hijacker gave himself up, literally as the 6pm news went to air.
1986-87 print promos for BTQ's news from SLQ microfiche.
Ultimately in 1987, Frank became the lead newsreader for BTQ's news, after the departure of Mike Higgins for a sojourn at TVQ in January of that year.
The launch night for BTQ's 1hr news: (from Australian TV Fan on Youtube)
The 1987-88 period, was a literal experiment period for 7 and Frank: first being 1hr news, with three at the desk (Frank alongside Nev Roberts and Donna Mekelejohn from April 1987), then back to 1/2hr in 1988 at 6:30pm alongside Simone Semmens (in the same newsroom that also gave a start in the news business to another SS initial, Sandra Sully)...
"The Complete Alternative" print promo, 18/1/1988 from SLQ microfiche.
And, finally, back to 6pm before the end of Expo 88.
1988 Seven Nightly News, Brisbane commercial for 6pm change (from Vintage Ads and TV on Youtube)
However, none of these moves worked ratings wise, as Bruce Paige (brought to Nine when Frank left in 1985) finally led Nine back to the top in Brisbane television news, in 1987 and became a dominant #1 in 1988.
1989 however, dawned with a new hope. Kay McGrath, formerly of TVQ, had been at Seven for around twelve months: hosting a business news product alongside former QTQ TT host John Barton: TVAM, produced in Sydney. 1989 saw Kay come home, and sit in the weeknight chair alongside Frank Warrick.
That pairing, lasted throughout the 1990's, and into the 21st century, as innovations and milestones kept rolling on: beginning with Seven foregoing the weather presenter, and letting Frank present it himself (although some of the weather forecasts were written by some big names on their way up: Sarah Harris, Jillian Whiting just to name a few), the first live crosses out to Moreton Bay onboard new recruit Ken Brown's boat in 1989, Frank travelling overseas for major news (first occurring in 1986, with a trip to Lausanne, to cover Brisbane's 1992 Olympic bid decision), Kay McGrath's major milestone of 1992: returning after maternity leave.
While having a little fun at the same time:
(All three BTQ news promos 1992-96 from Dan Martin on Youtube)
Frank, in 1999 even got to ask some questions: as the host of the first season of 7's Million Dollar Chance of a Lifetime (in reality 7's response to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on Nine)
As the 20th century ended, Kay and Frank became the longest serving news presenting duo in Queensland: a beacon of stability in a decade where the competition changed presenters often, but all this was to come to a end, as the close of 2001 approached.
It all began with a piece in the Courier-Mail, in July 2001: which questioned Seven's news fortunes in SEQ, and posted a set of yearly news ratings percentages since 1996 (when Seven dropped Brisbane-produced Family Feud, and mucked around with Wheel of Fortune) which pointed to a major downward trend in weeknight news ratings for Frank and Kay: while local management made major attempts to correct it (the original BTQ Gold Coast news service, with Melissa Downes running from 1998-2000, a stripped out Great South East in summer 1999-2000, The "Follow The Flame" series, in June 2000 (which actually beat Extra for the two weeks it was on air) and ultimately, Local Edition: launched out of the Olympics but was gone by 2001's start): big news to common viewers in a era where widescale overnight ratings data wasn't made public as widely as today (e.g. no ratings data available for those outside the industry circle (i.e. television stations and television writers for publications like the Courier-Mail).
But before action happened, Frank and Kay, got to share one last big story together, in September 2001.
BTQ 9/11 coverage, 2001: from pugsley2005 on Youtube
Eventually, 7 acted on the Brisbane ratings issues: with Frank Warrick announcing his retirement at the very end of 2001 (amongst other wholesale changes to BTQ's news, inc. a new news director and Melissa Downes jumping ship to Nine, who is now (with Andrew Lofthouse) very close to eclipsing Frank and Kay's thirteen year weeknight partnership record.)
Just weeks before, his final bulletin, Frank hosted the Brisbane Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols at the River Stage. After a thank you, from then Lord Mayor, Jim Soorley, a unprecedented standing ovation followed suit from the 10,000 people in attendance that left many (including Warrick himself) speechless.
So, it was the 28th of December, 2001, Frank Warrick made the ultimate sendoff: off to retirement or so it seemed at the end.
(Frank Warrick BTQ farewell 28/12/2001 from Dan Martin on Youtube)
It took nearly a year, of travelling by Frank before we got a shock summer fill-in on Nine, which lasted a couple of years, but somehow left his number with the folks at QTQ.
(Frank's QTQ return, 21/12/2002 from Dan Martin on Youtube)
But, it was when QTQ's news was at it's lowest ratings ebb in 20 years (thanks to a now successful BTQ news with Kay McGrath and Rod Young, overtaking Nine for the first time since the eighties) in 2008, Nine thought it'd be novel to bring Frank Warrick back, albeit to do a weather presenting role, which sadly didn't even last twelve months: with the permanent replacement for Frank (after trials with Sami Lukis, even a summer Doug Murray comeback) Garry Youngberry still presenting the weather, until this day.
Frank then eased his way into retirement, before facing a five year dementia battle (a hard fight, for someone who had made his name as a communicator to the public: one he fought valiantly, privately until the very end) before passing away in the early hours of May 11, 2021.
For the love of a good doco.
Frank Warrick, in the 1990s took the Saturday night documentary series The World Around Us, (with a little help from BTQ's doco maestro, journalist Chris Adams) and turned it from a series that was just a wraparound for overseas documentary product, to one with several great local specials, every year. Seven hoped to keep this format going, once Frank left the newsdesk. It sadly, didn't happen.
Here's some of the best. This first one, is on the Gold Coast's history.
"Shadows on The Beach" 1992 (from ThingsNerdy on Youtube)
Brisbane: The Hidden City, was one of the rare specials that got rerun, due to it's popularity. Frank actually joked in the intro to this rerun, that letters often came in asking for reruns: the response was usually... "no chance in the short term".
"Brisbane: The Hidden City" 1992 (from TDXAV on Youtube)
Marking the 25th anniversary of the flood of 1974, Seven put together this great story, which culminated in the discovery of some 35mm colour film, thought lost, of Brisbane during the flood. The Gaehler films (shot by Eric Gaehler, who passed away in September 2015) are now important cultural properties of Queensland, and are stored at the Queensland State Library. The V/O for this, isn't Frank (his intro from Suncorp pre-redevelopment is still stirring, nearly a quarter of a century on): but a young Ross Dagan prior to his stints running 10's news in Brisbane, Seven's news in Brisbane and ultimately 10's news nationally.
The impact The River's Rage had to Seven in Brisbane, is so noteworthy, that the pace of the intro for the 1999 doco, was utilized in the intro for next big Brisbane River flood doco Seven aired... right after the flood of January 2011.
Frank's community impact You can't start talking about Frank Warrick's community impact without looking at Operation Eagle: a concept dreamed up, not by Frank: but by the late Gary Linaker, BTQ promo king of the 1980's. Quite simply, for over twenty years, Seven used their helicopter to deliver media education en-masse to thousands of Queensland students, through the idea that simply, "capture the minds of children, and you'll have the adults forever": that is, if the child recalled the news service who visited, the parent would in turn watch their news service.
The most famous example, was shown in Frank's farewell: where in 1999 (Operation Eagle's 20th birthday), Seven visited a Brisbane school that was visited in the early days of Operation Eagle. The school sprung a surprise: and brought together some former students who'd taken part when they were kids in 1979 with the class of 1999 and proceeded to cut a cake celebrating the milestone.
In addition, Frank was awarded a OAM in the 1994 Queens Birthday honours list, for service to the media, conservation and to the community, while post retirement for Seven, he became a spokesperson for Kratzmann Caravans at Burpengary, occasionally appearing in their commercials for half a decade.
A life, well lived, a career in both journalism and as a communicator that many could be proud of.
A career, where he gave back, to the next generation coming through in his later years, and watched them forge their own careers in retirement.
Francis "Frank" Michael Warrick, may your journey to the next life now be free of of pain, and suffering: the last five years may have been a struggle, but you are now in a better place.
Frank Warrick, may you rest in peace. 1944-2021.
Thanks to Peter Doherty at Seven for the following concerning the funeral plans for Frank Warrick: as he's been in contact with the Warrick family (through Frank's son, Scott) during this time.
"Frank’s desire was for a family only send off. His family will honour those wishes with a private ceremony."
