News Archive:
Seven offers Heroes online
Channel Seven will try to lure viewers back to Heroes by offering an online episode of its season return before it screens on television.
“A Clear And Present Danger,” which begins the “Fugitives” compendium of Season Three, will stream from Thursday April 16th at 4pm (AEST). It won’t air on Seven until Thursday April 23rd at 10:30pm.
It will remain live for 10 days after broadcast while episodes for the rest of the season will become available online each week after they air.
It isn’t the first time a network has launched seasons on …
ABC correspondent faces deportation from Fiji
An ABC Pacific correspondent is expected to be deported from Fiji following a crack down on the media and critics of the regime.
Sean Dorney spent the night in Nadi, supervised by immigration officials. This morning, he could not be reached on his mobile.
Security officials also detained New Zealand reporter Sia Aston and cameraman Matt Smith.
Police have been watching over what is being written and broadcast. A Fijian journalist who interviewed Dorney has also been arrested under Commodore Bainimarama’s new censorship laws.
“A Fiji One reporter was imprisoned overnight for giving us footage, …
New 13 part SBS drama for Tony Ayres
Filmmaker Tony Ayres is certainly a busy man.
His telemovie Saved went to air on Sunday night on SBS with positive reviews all round. He has also co-produced the three documentaries, Anatomy, starting tonight on the ABC, with his co-producer Michael McMahon.
Next up he is co-producing a feature film Lou, directed by Saved’s writer Belinda Chayko staring John Hurt and Emily Barclay (Prime Move, Suburban Mayhem, In My Father’s Den). And for SBS he has a new drama series in development.
“We’re in development with SBS on a 13 part drama series, written …
A Current host
If Nine is wondering why viewers think its news brand has changed so much lately, it need look no further than A Current Affair over the Easter weekend, which had sports presenter Cameron Williams sitting in the host chair.
Normally Leila McKinnon is ACA’s deputy but it was the Today show’s sports-man who was leading the bulletin over Easter. Williams also co-hosts the Sunday morning edition of Today alongside McKinnon, but this weekend she was replaced by Shelley Craft.
Last year ACA even had a week front by Eddie McGuire. Karl Stefanovic has …
Artscape: Anatomy
Most representations of gays and lesbians on TV lean to what is supposedly aesthetic: those who are younger, prettier, white, middle-class, successful, vibrant individuals. Whether as reality judges, flamboyant contestants, same-sex kissers on soap, celebrity gossipers or sitcom comic foils, most are easy on the eye. So many others in the rainbow remain invisible.
Anatomy, an anthology produced by Michael McMahon and Tony Ayres, comprises documentaries that shift the balance. We meet 3 subjects remarkable for their body, talent and spirit. This anthology also challenges conventions of gay lifestyles.
The first, and …
NSW state government channel flops
Channel NSW, the Rees Government’s digital-TV experiment on Channel 45 has cost NSW taxpayers $485,737 in the past 18 months. And it has cost $1 million since it started in 2004.
The service is part of a three-year datacasting pilot in the Sydney metropolitan area in collaboration with Broadcast Australia. But it has flopped so badly that the department running it does not even bother to record viewing numbers.
Its content comes from a number of NSW Government Agencies. But The Daily Telegraph reports that the programming on the Channel screens …
Vale: John Sorell
Former Director of News at Channel Nine Melbourne, John Sorell, has died, following a heart attack, aged 71.
Sorell was GTV9’s news director for 28 years, notably during the era of newsreaders Brian Naylor and Sir Eric Pearce.
Sorell was instrumental in wooing Naylor from Seven to Nine in 1978. “If you cant beat them, poach them,” he was reported as saying.
Following the recent death of Brian Naylor, Sorell wrote an obituary for the Herald Sun: But we had our moments. Once he said publicly that news reading was a “pretty …
Just the facts, ma’am
A producer on Seven shows including Border Security and The Force addresses a question many of us have long wondered.
Why on earth would you agree to be filmed for these things?
Speaking about Border Security, producer Lyndall Marks told The Australian, “If the person is guilty, I think they’re more concerned about what they’re saying to police than about the camera.
“On The Force if they’re genuinely guilty, they don’t care about the camera. They only care about escaping. We know before we go (out with police) if they’re guilty. They’re not going …
Glimpse at ONE ratings
Today we get our first glimpse of audiences on ONE, after OzTAM began tracking its figures yesterday.
Results are tallied for ‘unique programming’ -that is, shows that only air on ONE. Yesterday there was 18.5 hrs of unique programming on ONE in Sydney.
For dual programming (ie. AFL on both ONE and TEN), figures are combined as TEN results.
Yesterday the top unique show on ONE was Tread BMX at 7pm with 53,000 viewers. There were 16,000 each in Sydney and Brisbane, 11,000 in Perth, 7,000 in Melbourne and 3,000 in Adelaide.
On a low-rating …
Gallery: Rove
Rove McManus was as relaxed as can be before, during and after his show when TV Tonight swung by for a visit last night. After all he’s close to racking up ten years of hosting commercial television.
In fact, the Rove team and crew ran a very smooth ship, knocking off the show from beginning to end without a hitch.
Now filming at the ABC’s Ripponlea studios after Global Studios became unavailable, the show featured Adam Hills, comedian Russell Kane, Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 and a pre-record interview with Hugh Jackman …
Safran threatened with deportation
More reports are emanating from The Philippines following John Safran’s crucifixion re-enactment.
According to local newspaper The Star he identified himself as John Michael, 36, a part-time student in a university in Melbourne who is working as an accountant.
Safran was nailed to the cross erected in front of a concrete stage in a basketball court beside a chapel. His ordeal took less than 30 seconds. As the re-enactment unfolded, he closed his eyes and opened his mouth wide as if shouting in pain, but no sound came out.
“I felt a little sting …
Thumbs up for Community TV
At last some good news for the Community Television sector, and it comes from Freeview no less.
Freeview has indicated it will add community television to its electronic program guide when it launches before the end of the year.
With plans for a universal grid, the EPG will put the sector on an equal footing with the other free-to-air networks.
It follows news that Foxtel had ignored a request from the Australian Community Television Alliance to be included on its EPG grid.
“ACTA received a letter from Freeview saying the directors voted unanimously to …