While not setting ratings records, The Drum seems to be doing OK as it’s been in the timeslot for some time now?
But yeah, the 6pm hour has long been a particularly awkward timeslot for ABC-TV…probably moreso years ago when it was the gap between afternoon kids shows and the 7pm news!
The Drum is a waste given they already have Q&A. But yes, at least it’s across two channels so it’s cost effective. Also it’s bloody boring.
That dreadful quiz show with Paul McDermott.
Those awful shows I referred to above.
Really they should never have axed Something in the Air back in 2001. Rated well, looked like they cared about regional on TV and was a good option for overseas sales.
Yeah, I don’t really care for The Drum either.
Q&A probably more likely to be axed first though, what with the poor ratings (especially since moving to Thursdays for this year) and likely higher production costs compared to those for The Drum.
Think Tank? As far as I can tell, that only lasted one season from February to May 2018.
And has been played again and again ever since.
That didn’t end well.
Major disruption to ABC services. Has knocked the ABC Classic and Triple J websites offline and is also affecting rage.
I liked this one. Not as glamorous as Australian Story but had a lot of good guests on.
SBS Food would be lost without it!
I liked Countdown Revolution back in the day but it rated terribly.
Bring back TVTV, although it wasn’t quite the same when they revamped it and moved it to Melbourne with Mark Mitchell and Tiffany Lamb hosting.
The serious legal troubles of a former host were probably the beginning of the end for Collectors?
But aside from that, it’s almost been a decade (Airdate: 23/9/2011) since the final episode went to air.
Yeah, they went on for another year without him but it wasn’t sustainable. Plus ABC was keen to end production outside Melbourne and Sydney.
Definitely was the beginning of the end, there were the moves to move production so it fitted in well with that but the legal charges and the nature and seriousness of the charges were certainly a big catalyst in support dropping for the show and also why the ABC took immediate action with his position as ABC Radio Hobart breakfast host gone straight away too.
With thanks to @BJT2 for going to the hard work of compiling this list, the ABC currently (or has recently) produces at least 14 regular, nationally screened programs produced in Melbourne compared to 19 in Sydney.
Not including local news, state based travel shows such as Sydney Weekender/Postcards and shorter form programming (telemovies, mini-series, documentaries, etc.), the scorecard for our other networks…
Seven: 6 productions in Melbourne, compared to 19 in Sydney.
Nine: 7 productions in Melbourne, compared to 20 in Sydney.
Ten: 8 productions in Melbourne, compared to 17 in Sydney.
SBS: 0 productions in Melbourne, compared to 10 in Sydney…although probably more once NITV programming is taken into consideration.
So while all TV networks have Sydney as their main production centre (especially in the area of News & Current Affairs - but no credible Australian broadcaster can’t have a decent N&CA base in Sydney), the ABC has more Melbourne-based productions than the others. One would imagine that it’s a similar story with radio.
Don’t know about the other states, but I’d imagine that the ABC has at least one or two nationally broadcast programs produced in at least the BAPH states, while the commercials & SBS have pretty much nothing apart from news stories which sometimes make it onto the national or Sydney/Melbourne-based bulletins. Even then, “Sydney-fication” of interstate news (Sydney-based reporters repackaging interstate stories for us) is a relatively common practice particularly on Seven & Nine.
Either way, I’d personally prefer to have decent quality programs that are worth watching, no matter where they’re produced. The fact Married At First Sight and The Bachelor/ette are made in Sydney won’t stop me from thinking they’re some of the most toxic programs on Australian television.
I keep updating the list. There is almost 100 products now based in Sydney.
…and I’ll keep updating the scorecard! 
Just thought it’d be interesting to bring the discussion in here to see how Sydney-centric the ABC really is compared to other broadcasters, especially in light of recent posts. So far my verdict is that while yes, the ABC has more programs based in Sydney than the other cities, it also has more nationally screened programs in Melbourne and other capitals than any other broadcaster.
Would it be good if more of the ABC’s programs were based in other cities, particularly in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, etc which typically get to see less nationally screened programming from their cities? Of course.
But those same questions should also be directed at the other networks, Seven & Nine in particular who I don’t think produce ANY notable programs from Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth that are screened nationally (as opposed to local news, travel shows, annual telethons, etc. which don’t really transcend state borders)! I think Ten might still has their head of children’s TV based in Brisbane, but of course they wouldn’t be overseeing much since the axings of Toasted TV, Totally Wild and Scope.
And I’m not even sure how much SBS production is based outside their Artarmon bunker…think they have (or had in the past) something at Federation Square in Melbourne but no idea whether any programs are produced there, let alone if they’ve got much in other cities except for news bureaus.
And it’s evident that the commercial networks are now opting to move away from Melbourne, a historical location for Australian television.
Pretty sad when you consider that Melbourne is likely to overtake Sydney as Australia’s most populous metropolis in the coming years.
Even as a Sydneysider, I personally think the networks should be moving productions (and possibly within time, network HQs) from Sydney to Melbourne - not the other way round.
Unfortunately, It won’t work.
Commercially, Melbourne will be the largest in both population and add revenue soon. But free to air television is dying anyways.
Yeah, that’s true. There’s probably only another decade or so (maybe it’ll still be around for the next time Australia hosts the Olympics, but not much longer after) of traditional FTA television being a viable industry in this country.
They’ve got office’s and radio studios at Fed Square, usually use ABC facilities if required for TV production. The original Letters and Numbers was filmed at Riponlea.
I fully agree the ABC does a better job of diversifying production locations compared to the commercial broadcasters (although that should be expected of it as a publicly funded national broadcaster).
My point is more a criticism of the decision to decentralise by moving staff to Western Sydney, rather that addressing the other disparities outlined above. Wouldn’t it have been a better outcome to move 300 staff to Brisbane or Perth, rather than another part of Sydney?
Probably. But I think the main reason (aside from obvious political factors) a move to Western Sydney has been mooted is because there’s a perception* that many people out that way don’t see ABC Television or Radio as being “for them”.
*Which may or may not be correct. But I personally wouldn’t be surprised if the broader consensus about the ABC of those who reside in places like Parramatta and Liverpool is that while their News & Current Affairs + children’s programming is very good, much of the rest leaves a bit to be desired.