I’d also be very interested to know more info about how the Canberra TV news ratings are currently fairing, particularly how the commercial bulletins are fairing against ABC News Canberra.
Although since there probably isn’t a modern day Mark Wallace commenting on Canberra’s broadcast media, I highly doubt we’ll get any decent reports (outside of network press releases, which often don’t tell the full story) anytime soon.
Anyway, onto historical matters…
I’ve seen that clip before and it’s a great report indeed.
From the info I can gather, Canberra’s “Prime 6 O’Clock News” in it’s original hour long composite format only lasted about eight months before the format changed to a 30 minute local bulletin and a delayed broadcast of Seven Nightly News from Sydney at 6.30pm. A shame really because it sounded like a fairly high quality news service for it’s time, but I guess Capital and (to a much lesser extent, but still) WIN being more established competition didn’t really help Prime’s relaunched bulletin back then.
ABC Canberra news generally has about double the viewers of the nearest commercial local news - partly as there are more viewers at 7pm and also due to the demographics of the Capital. My quick google hasn’t been able to locate recent numbers.
Indeed, you are right. The bulletin launched the career of Jessica Rowe (weather presenter) and Mel Doyle. It was an expensive bulletin and really had a good stab at WIN and CTC. They stole anchor Geoff HIscock from Capital Television and a clutch of other staff. Though it was second/third in the ratings most nights and was scaled back to 30 minute local in 1993 until its demise in 2001.
Ray Martin returns to PRIME7 to expose the truths behind one of Australia’s biggest killers.
Australia’s most acclaimed journalist and presenter RAY MARTIN will return to our screens in the third public affairs special produced exclusively for PRIME7.
The compelling PRIME7 LOCAL NEWS investigation, IT WON’T HAPPEN TO ME, will surprise and shock you. With chilling and emotionally charged first-hand accounts exposing the myths about one of the biggest killers in Australia, the one hour special will be a must watch television event for all audiences.
Martin’s two recent specials for Australia’s No.1 regional television network, ICE – THE SCOURGE OF REGIONAL AUSTRALIA and DARK SECRETS – AUSTRALIA’S HIDDEN SHAME were ratings successes that picked the scab off two of Australia’s ugliest crimes and were the catalyst for wide spread community debate.
IT WON’T HAPPEN TO ME presented by Ray Martin - coming soon to PRIME7
Judging by the YouTube upload of the most recent bulletin, GWN7 News is still being presented by Noel Brunning (News/Sport) and Shauna Willis (Weather).
On-Air Presentation wise, they are still using the graphics style and theme music that Prime7 News stopped using with their relaunch in February. No “overkill red” set either, the one GWN7 currently has (which if I’m not mistaken, was launched in Late 2013) isn’t the best although I suppose it would be considered “adequate” by the standards of a local news bulletin for regional/remote WA.
Interesting that there has been no graphics change. Does this make them and Southern Cross Tasmania the last bulletins to sill use the old version of the Seven News theme?
GWN News (as it was known at the time) started using the 2004 Seven News theme music with a set/graphics relaunch in 2005 while Southern Cross started using it with their Late 2009 relaunch…if I’m not mistaken.
With it looking highly likely that GWN7 being the very last to continue using the older theme version too, as I’ve heard SC will be adopting an updated theme to go with early next year’s relaunch.
I’m pretty sure that Prime7 have long produced Weather Updates for the regions without full bulletins which air during the final ad break of Seven News. From what I’ve seen in the past, Daniel Gibson usually presented these however it’s quite possible that Karl Lijnders has since replaced Dan on those updates.
As for why Prime7 airs so many updates with just the graphics and music in regions without full news bulletins…maybe because Karl Lijnders is busy presenting weather segments and updates for the regions that do have proper Prime7 News bulletins?
For regions that get updates in Victoria you only get 4 news updates and 3 weather updates per weekday all in the evening. All the weather updates on the multi channels to my knowledge never have a presenter, neither does the weather update during the 4pm news and after the last update around 11:40pm.
Daniel Gibson is the usually weather reader but last night he was reading news updates in the early evening, Liz Gwynn returned to read the remaining 2 updates after 10:30pm.
