Who We Are

Wednesday May 9, 2007 04:08 PM

Sunday, September 30, 2007

WHO WE ARE: The Government's idea of foreplay

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 30/9/2007
Tomorrow, by order of parliament, the Australian Values Test comes into force. Any of us can be stopped in the street by federal security officers and asked questions about what this nation stands for.

Get two wrong in a row and you'll be issued with an Australian Values Order, which requires you to turn up at your local citizenship office within seven days for a re-education course. Anyone who breaches an AVO faces deportation to New Zealand (which is happy to take recalcitrant Australians to make up for all the people it has lost to our side of the Tasman).

Well no, it hasn't quite come to that yet. The test that starts tomorrow applies only to foreigners who are seeking citizenship. If someone stops you in the street and asks "In what year did federation take place" or "Who was the first prime minister of Australia?" they are probably a member of The Chaser team.

But just in case, it wouldn't hurt to look at the booklet called Becoming An Australian Citizen which the government will hand out to people seeking to become permanent residents, and that's what this column intends to do over the next two weeks. It would be pretty embarrassing if upwardly mobile foreigners ended up knowing more about this land than those who were born here.

Before I begin this process, I need to confess a bias. Early this year I published a small book called Who we are - A snapshot of Australia today. My dream was that the government would buy thousands of copies from me (at a patriotic discount, of course) and hand them to desperate immigrants, and I'd retire on the profits.

Instead, the government decided to write its own little book. Perhaps my book should not have included a section on the Australian sense of humour (What's an Australian man's idea of foreplay? "Are you awake, love?"). The Government's book is nothing if not serious.

So as you read my analysis of the government's book over the next two columns, allow for the possibility that I will be hyper-critical. But I could hardly be as critical as the Australian Democrats leader Lyn Allison, who last week described the sample citizenship test as "stupid". She said it was "ludicrous" to deny someone citizenship just because they did not know that the golden wattle was the nation's floral emblem, or that Sir Donald Bradman was a great cricketer. "This is a test designed to exclude people on the basis that they can't memorise answers to some pretty obscure questions," she said.

She particularly objected to this question: "Which one of these is a responsibility of every Australian citizen? (1) Renounce their citizenship of any other country; (2) Serve in Australian diplomatic missions overseas; or (3) Join with Australians to defend Australia and its way of life, should the need arise." The correct answer is (3).

"It sounds to me as if the Government wants to reintroduce compulsory military conscription," Senator Allison said. "Or perhaps it's just designed to make us feel as though we're under attack, because we all know that when we're afraid, the Government can get away with just about anything."

Next week: what the government says are "Australian values".

For more detail on national tastes, go to:
The TV shows Australia loved
The music Australia loved
The DVDs Australia loved
The films Australia loved

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). His latest book is Soffritto -- A delicious Ligurian memoir. For further observations of Australian attitudes and behaviour, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

by David Dale in Who We Are at 01:14 PM
Comments (45)

The ratings race: Even a big Sydney audience

This blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but not the latest word on the subject. For this week's discussion, go to who we are.

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 AFL GRAND FINAL GEELONG V PORT ADELAIDE Ten 2,572,000 321,000 1,214,000 272,000 378,000 386,000
(To see how the grand final result compares with the all time record breakers, go to The TV shows Australia loved)
2 GRAND FINAL WRAP UP Ten 2,387,000 300,000 1,224,000 223,000 329,000 311,000
3 GRAND FINAL PRE MATCH Ten 1,944,000 210,000 957,000 188,000 299,000 289,000
4 NEW TRICKS ABC 1,360,000 303,000 469,000 238,000 163,000 186,000
9 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 1,021,000 262,000 314,000 179,000 140,000 126,000
11 M-ROBOTS Seven 882,000 209,000 249,000 182,000 125,000 117,000
12 M- RACING STRIPES Nine 828,000 222,000 356,000 126,000 125,000
14 M- RUSH HOUR 2 -RPT Nine 796,000 234,000 282,000 112,000 101,000 67,000
15 THE BILL ABC 754,000 196,000 261,000 123,000 70,000 105,000
19 SMALLVILLE SAT Ten 635,000 144,000 267,000 92,000 55,000 78,000
21 2007 RUGBY WORLD CUP - AUSTRALIA V CANADA Ten 445,000 113,000 117,000 64,000 68,000 83,000
35 ROCKWIZ SBS 253,000 70,000 96,000 35,000 23,000 29,000
43 NOW, VOYAGER Nine 186,000 57,000 56,000 42,000 15,000 17,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)
Channel Seven comfortably won the week with 30.0 per cent of the prime time audience, while Nine got 26.8, Ten got 21.7, ABC got 16.2 and SBS got 5.3.

Editor's note: For the next three weeks The Ratings Race will come to you in downsized form. David Dale, who normally edits this blog, is working overseas. Kerry Coleman, his replacement, will publish daily ratings figures and approve comments, but won't be able to research extra questions. We hope readers talk amongst themselves on this blog until David's return on October 18, when you'll see "Tribal Mind replies" start to appear again at the end of comments.

Updated 10 am Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,319,000 423,000 373,000 215,000 146,000 162,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,305,000 356,000 339,000 264,000 165,000 181,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,229,000 332,000 335,000 231,000 162,000 169,000
4 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,184,000 382,000 275,000 223,000 155,000 149,000
5 NINE NEWS Nine 1,162,000 335,000 384,000 205,000 141,000 98,000
6 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,053,000 249,000 399,000 194,000 113,000 98,000
7 AIRLINE Nine 1,039,000 213,000 405,000 173,000 109,000 139,000
8 TEMPTATION Nine 1,030,000 224,000 416,000 181,000 102,000 106,000
9 ABC NEWS ABC 966,000 266,000 316,000 157,000 116,000 111,000
10 AIRPORT Rpt Nine 958,000 203,000 337,000 180,000 96,000 143,000
11 BEWITCHED Nine 940,000 264,000 301,000 161,000 95,000 120,000
12 WIRE IN THE BLOOD ABC 937,000 233,000 304,000 155,000 110,000 136,000
21 IT'S ME OR THE DOG FRI Ten 615,000 136,000 205,000 112,000 82,000 81,000
23 NEIGHBOURS Ten 598,000 130,000 207,000 118,000 72,000 72,000
24 BEFORE THE GAME FRI Ten 571,000 20,000 325,000 19,000 114,000 93,000

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,408,000 326,000 387,000 302,000 175,000 218,000
2 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 1,383,000 235,000 669,000 122,000 193,000 164,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,343,000 317,000 408,000 261,000 159,000 197,000
4 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,312,000 365,000 345,000 277,000 134,000 191,000
5 GETAWAY Nine 1,218,000 313,000 413,000 242,000 119,000 131,000
6 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,125,000 277,000 403,000 221,000 110,000 114,000
7 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,118,000 294,000 321,000 219,000 137,000 147,000
8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,076,000 284,000 373,000 218,000 118,000 82,000
9 ABC NEWS ABC 1,047,000 263,000 354,000 167,000 110,000 153,000
10 TEMPTATION Nine 1,041,000 240,000 400,000 185,000 113,000 104,000
11 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE 3 Ten 1,006,000 261,000 336,000 184,000 120,000 105,000
18 NEIGHBOURS Ten 654,000 150,000 211,000 131,000 85,000 76,000
19 LAW & ORDER THURS Ten 648,000 180,000 209,000 129,000 61,000 69,000
20 FIGHT FOR LIFE Seven 611,000 150,000 182,000 130,000 77,000 72,000
23 SEA PATROL Nine 549,000 S 324,000 B 224,000
28 SUNRISE Seven 437,000 144,000 85,000 99,000 54,000 55,000
61 TODAY Nine 233,000 63,000 74,000 51,000 14,000 32,000

To learn how TV tastes predict voting patterns, go to The Tribal Mind.
What Australia watched, Wednesday
1. Thank God You're Here Ten 1.951m
2. The Chaser's War on Everything ABC 1.594
3. Seven News Seven 1.506
4. Home and Away Seven 1.447
5. Today Tonight Seven 1.447
6. RSPCA Animal Rescue Seven 1.276
7. Summer Heights High ABC 1.235
8. Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? Ten 1.217
9. Spicks and Specks ABC 1.208
10. Nine News Nine 1.200
11. Medical Emergency Seven 1.157
12. A Current Affair Nine 1.141
13. RPA Nine 1.140
14. Temptation Nine 1.077
15. ABC News ABC 1.031

What Australia watched, Tuesday
1. Dancing with the Stars Seven 1.810m
2. Home and Away Seven 1.457
3. Seven News Seven 1.454
4. Today Tonight Seven 1.420
5. Nine News Nine 1.211
6. A Current Affair Nine 1.200
7. The Simpsons - 7:30pm Ten 1.123
8. The Simpsons - 8:00pm Ten 1.122
9. ABC News ABC 1.081
10. Temptation Nine 1.054
11. NCIS Ten 1.011
12. All Saints Seven 0.962*
13. Crime Investigation Australia Nine 0.953
14. Surprise Surprise Gotcha Nine 0.916
15. CSI: Miami Nine 0.873

The daily media report by David Dale, updated 10am Tuesday
It would seem 200,000 men in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth who would normally watch Californication on a Monday had something even more macho to distract them last night (unless they are turning off now the show has instituted a covered-breasts policy).

Seven attracted 40 per cent of the prime time audience, and at this point in the week the averages are: Seven 33.7 per cent, Nine 25.1 per cent, Ten 20.6, ABC 14.0, SBS 6.6 (thanks to Mythbusters with 723,000).

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,549,000 562,000 643,000 345,000
2 SEVEN NEWSSeven 1,544,000 413,000 393,000 289,000 164,000 285,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,544,000 399,000 420,000 263,000 170,000 291,000
4 2007 BROWNLOW MEDAL Seven 1,396,000 57,000 829,000 35,000 233,000 242,000
5 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,307,000 315,000 481,000 272,000 126,000 112,000
7 2007 BROWNLOW RED CARPET SPECIAL Seven 1,245,000 not shown in sydney 776,000
Not Brisbane 207,000 263,000
8 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,243,000 424,000 384,000 290,000 144,000 Not shown in Perth
12 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - THE LIVE VERDICT Ten 1,065,000 340,000 289,000 170,000 131,000 135,000
17 CALIFORNICATION Ten 806,000 251,000 236,000 123,000 102,000 93,000
28 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 681,000 S 460,000 Not shown in Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth
B 222,000
35 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 457,000 S 260,000 B 197,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

Updated Monday
Oh the irony. Four years ago Channel Nine dumped garden guru Don Burke because he was "old-fashioned", and placed its faith in hot young Jamie Durie. Then last year it dumped Durie, who duly moved to Channel Seven.

Nine proceeded to sink into the mud. The indefatigable Don Burke said "no hard feelings" and reoffered his services to his desperate former employers, who showed the first of his specials last night. And just at a time when Australia is supposed to be over its obsession with domestic makeovers, mentor Don pulled half a million more viewers in the mainland capitals than his former pupil.

Thanks largely to the old dirtmeister, Nine won the night, with 31.1 per cent of the prime time audience, while Seven got 26.6 per cent, Ten got 22.9, ABC got a pathetic 13.2 and SBS got 6.2.

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 KATH & KIM Seven 2,050,000 540,000 672,000 373,000 192,000 274,000
2 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,687,000 636,000 446,000 315,000 167,000 123,000
3 BURKE'S BACKYARD SPRING SPECIAL Nine 1,510,000 435,000 497,000 252,000 181,000 144,000
4 CSI Nine 1,495,000 388,000 490,000 256,000 172,000 189,000
5 60 MINUTES Nine 1,480,000 412,000 441,000 274,000 170,000 183,000
6 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,399,000 315,000 365,000 315,000 194,000 210,000
7 AUSTRALIAN IDOL Ten 1,347,000 456,000 382,000 207,000 140,000 163,000
8 MY NAME IS EARL Seven 1,312,000 337,000 398,000 238,000 156,000 183,000
9 RUGBY LEAGUE FINAL SERIES PF 2 Nine 1,265,000 685,000 242,000 304,000 17,000 17,000
12 AUSTRALIA'S BEST BACKYARDS Seven 1,047,000 257,000 272,000 237,000 115,000 166,000
14 DAMAGES Nine 970,000 232,000 373,000 152,000 87,000 126,000
27 2007 RUGBY WORLD CUP - AUSTRALIA V FIJI Ten 434,000 169,000 98,000 64,000 48,000 55,000
30 THE SUNDAY FOOTY SHOW Nine 392,000 134,000 122,000 61,000 53,000 22,000
44 FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP 2007: QTR FINAL: BRAZIL V AUS SBS 221,000 111,000 53,000 22,000 13,000 21,000
50 2007 MOTOGP - RACE Ten 192,000 50,000 57,000 34,000 25,000 27,000
73 2007 RUGBY WORLD CUP - SCOTLAND V NEW ZEALAND Ten 124,000 54,000 21,000 23,000 18,000 8,000
74 SEVEN'S TENNIS: 2007 DAVIS CUP SERBIA V AUS D3 Seven 122,000 32,000 38,000 15,000 22,000 16,000
86 TWENTY20 CRICKET WORLD CUP SEMI FINAL - AUS V INDIA Nine 88,000 29,000 11,000 20,000 17,000 12,000

Updated Sunday 6pm
It was a glorious week of television for the nationalists, as Australians replaced their usual cultural cringe with a cultural strut. Among the 25 most watched shows, only two were not made here. The local dramas City Homicide and All Saints bettered the 1.4 million attracted by our perennial favourite CSI. And four Australian comedies -- Kath and Kim, Thank God You're Here, The Chaser's War on Everything and Summer Heights High -- bettered or equalled the 1.3 million pulled by My Name Is Earl (which is so bogan we can call it an honorary Aussie).

Thanks partly to AFL, Channel Seven averaged 30.5 per cent of the prime time audience. Thanks largely to NRL, Channel Nine averaged 26.0, while Ten got 22.0, ABC got 16.4 and SBS got 5.2.

What Australia watched, week ending September 22
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 KATH & KIM Seven 2,157,000 613,000 707,000 376,000 206,000 255,000
2 THE FORCE Seven 1,956,000 508,000 604,000 375,000 213,000 256,000
3 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,897,000 512,000 543,000 369,000 204,000 268,000
4 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,820,000 506,000 531,000 402,000 171,000 209,000
5 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,795,000 553,000 561,000 337,000 217,000 126,000
6 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Seven 1,771,000 473,000 538,000 390,000 164,000 206,000
7 THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE Ten 1,770,000 436,000 594,000 309,000 212,000 219,000
8 SEVEN'S AFL: PRELIMINARY FINAL 1: GEELONG V COLLINGWOOD Seven 1,743,000 209,000 885,000 119,000 244,000 286,000
9 THE CHASER'S WAR ON EVERYTHING ABC 1,681,000 533,000 476,000 244,000 205,000 223,000
10 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,562,000 448,000 514,000 248,000 180,000 171,000
11 AUSTRALIAN IDOL Ten 1,536,000 445,000 474,000 228,000 185,000 204,000
12 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,516,000 441,000 460,000 243,000 192,000 180,000
13 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,443,000 390,000 355,000 292,000 174,000 231,000
14 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,429,000 385,000 370,000 280,000 177,000 217,000
15 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,412,000 451,000 413,000 255,000 145,000 148,000
16 HOT PROPERTY Seven 1,390,000 394,000 399,000 282,000 129,000 186,000
17 CSI Nine 1,383,000 394,000 517,000 293,000 178,000
18 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,377,000 417,000 359,000 275,000 139,000 187,000
19 MY NAME IS EARL Seven 1,362,000 354,000 456,000 222,000 171,000 160,000
20 60 MINUTES Nine 1,347,000 390,000 393,000 253,000 153,000 158,000
21 BACKYARD BLITZ Nine 1,345,000 381,000 433,000 231,000 176,000 124,000
22 SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH ABC 1,323,000 420,000 402,000 186,000 140,000 174,000
23 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,323,000 300,000 310,000 297,000 170,000 245,000
24 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,282,000 445,000 337,000 225,000 125,000 151,000
25 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - THE LIVE VERDICT Ten 1,216,000 356,000 356,000 217,000 154,000 133,000
26 NINE NEWS Nine 1,195,000 329,000 392,000 245,000 141,000 89,000
27 TEN'S AFL FINALS 2007: 2ND PRELIM. FINAL PORT ADEL V KANGAROOS Ten 1,180,000 126,000 526,000 109,000 261,000 159,000
28 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,173,000 307,000 389,000 240,000 124,000 113,000
29 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,146,000 326,000 355,000 194,000 157,000 113,000
30 RPA Nine 1,144,000 341,000 403,000 253,000 147,000
31 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,140,000 308,000 264,000 282,000 93,000 194,000
32 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,139,000 295,000 324,000 261,000 130,000 129,000
33 KENNY Ten 1,136,000 272,000 438,000 172,000 119,000 134,000
34 AUSTRALIA'S BEST BACKYARDS Seven 1,135,000 243,000 310,000 265,000 119,000 197,000
35 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC 1,109,000 279,000 331,000 196,000 134,000 168,000
36 MCLEOD'S DAUGHTERS Nine 1,093,000 280,000 353,000 207,000 132,000 122,000
37 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 1,088,000 292,000 299,000 266,000 97,000 134,000
38 TEMPTATION Nine 1,086,000 267,000 393,000 196,000 116,000 113,000
39 ABC NEWS ABC 1,070,000 289,000 337,000 197,000 112,000 135,000
40 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,055,000 365,000 285,000 220,000 74,000 111,000
(OzTAM)

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). His latest book is Soffritto -- A delicious Ligurian memoir. To join a daily discussion of Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 11:42 AM
Comments (119)

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Achievements: Could be poetic justice

Last month we asked you to write a poem explaining how John Howard could win the election. These were the winners:

He could take it on the chin/ or learn to speak Mandarin/ Howard's popularity would be a ripper/ if he hung out with a stripper. (The Bard?)

You'll win with your last roll of the dice/ If you follow these words of advice/ First, call the election late in the year/ When we all feel that ol' yuletide cheer/ (Menzies did and it worked quite a treat/ A way to avoid a nasty defeat)/ Ask for help from Bishop and Brough/ And tell Downer he's talked quite enough./ Spend more in every single marginal electorate/ And thank God there's no fair spending inspectorate/ Remind the voters of Rudd's inexperience/ And of the union bosses' interference./ Lastly pray for a terror alert/ To a threat only you can avert. (Rob Ashton)

As his polls drop from dreadful to dire/ Little John needs a plan to inspire/ Watch him stun his demoters/ And tempt back some voters/ By claiming, once back, he'll retire. (Amanda Lavis)

To avoid a cringeworthy defeat/ John Howard must hold his own seat/ But Maxine McKew/ Is set for a coup/ His only hope now is to cheat. (George Harrison, who stunned the judges with both quality and quantity)

We're comfortable with what we've got; who could ask for more?/ We'll stay the course and back the horse we've backed four times before/ Not trust in inexperience, the unknown and the new,/ But cling to nurse for fear of worse, and stay just as we are, thank you. (M. O'Leary)

John Howard could still win the race,/ And see Kevin Rudd sink without trace/ By appealing to all/ That is petty, dumb, small/ Racist, crass, greedy and base. (Mark Demetrius)

These geniuses will need to wait a little for their red-jacketed prizes, because Stay in Touch's Poetry Editor is going away for three weeks.

Here are some runners-up:

For John Howard, it's Kirribilli or bust,/ So he'll run this campaign based on trust./ Surely the voters can see,/ Howard knew nothing about AWB/ And the PM didn't have the faintest notion,/ About some kids being thrown into the ocean./ Now the world is much safer, I guess,/ Since invading Iraq with the US/ As for interest rates that continually rise,/ Well that caught him completely by surprise./ We'll see how better off we now are,/ Since the overhaul of the nation's IR/ Now if his ratings continue to decline,/ His last resort will be to resign./ So then he could say, on reflection;/ "I was never beaten in an election". (Peter O'Donnell)

He'd have to dismantle Work Choices,/ And stop Turnbull driving Rolls-Royces,/ Restore by epistle, unfair dismissal,/ To silence the blue collar voices. (George Harrison)

It seems, to this old out-of-towner/ His chances slip from slim to zero/ If ministers like Brough and Downer/ Renege and shun their erstwhile hero./ And e'en if jolly Hockey sticks/ And Bishops and an Abbott pray/ Unless Costello's in the mix/ It's curtains on election day". (Jim Dewar)

In order to win the election/ Howard must change his direction./ To fund public schools/ Would break Tory rules,/ But appeal to a broader cross-section. (George Harrison)

As his polls drop from dreadful to dire,/ Little John needs a plan to inspire./ Watch him stun his demoters,/ And tempt back some voters/ By claiming, once back, he'll retire. (Amanda Lavis)

"For Howard to win an election/Would require mass public affection/He would need to stand firm/Not wiggle and squirm/When asked about climate direction. (Bet you though I would slip in erection).
Hospitals are another dilemma/Just ask Premier Iemma/Our health system sucks/Please spend some big bucks/And plough through like a jackhammer.
What we need is more kids in boats/Or another war to quote/The people will see/There can only be me/Who can run this country, and vote!" (Missfreelove69)

And Margaret Thomason submitted an epic titled The Rime of the Ancient, from which we can fit only an excerpt: It is a Politician, and/ He stoppeth one of three./ "By thy sleight of hand and shifty eye, Now wherefore stoppest thou me?" ... "And so I run, I have no choice. I do the daily grind. And as I jog, relentlessly, The Chasers run behind. And now alone, all, all alone,/ No voter loveth me./ Too many leaks, too many tweaks,/ And downright bastardry." The Politician silent stands,/ He sees his race is run./ "Unfair dismissal/ - could that work?"/ But answer comes there none.

in The Tribal Mind at 02:03 AM
Comments (64)

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

The tribal mind: Australofornication

By David Dale
This is what seems to happen in many Australian households on Monday nights: Mum goes to bed at 9.30, while Dad stays up to watch Californication. He gets this bit of alone time because he promised to stack the dishwasher on Tuesday night while Mum, the kids and the grandparents watch RSPCA Animal Rescue.

Another household split seems to happen on Sundays. The family watch Kath and Kim together, but at 8.10pm Mum goes off to make the lunches for school and leaves Dad to watch My Name is Earl.

The kids go to their room to watch the end of Australian Idol (being typically Australian, this family has three TV sets). The grandparents get ready for bed. They used to stay up on Sundays to watch Midsomer Murders, but now they store their energy for watching The Force and Border Security on Monday.

Join the game of creating scenarios to explain the way this nation's viewing habits diverge by age, gender and income. Some are easy: Californication is an obvious hit with males in the age group of its (anti) hero played by David Duchovny. It was the number 10 most watched show with males 18 to 49 last week, while it was No 23 with women aged 18 to 49. The guys stuck with last week's 40 minute episode even though the breast count was well down on the previous two episodes. Meanwhile RSPCA Animal Rescue was No 6 with women 18-49 and 24 with men 18-49 -- hence this column's theory about a marital trade-off.

And it's not hard to explain why Summer Heights High is the number four most watched show with people aged 16-39 (after The Chaser, Thank God You're Here and Australian Idol) while it's at No 97 with people over 55 (whose favourite show is The Force, about how the police protect the community).

Where it gets mysterious is with the market segments that OzTAM, the ratings agency, labels "Grocery buyers" and "Occupational Groups 1 and 2" . Why is Summer Heights High the number seven most watched show with OG1-2s (the rich) and only No 33 with Grocery Buyers? You'd imagine the family shopper would have kids at high school and be curious about life there.

Could it be that GBs are anti-ABC? Being the person in the household who goes to the supermarket, perhaps the GB obsessively peruses the commercial stations in search of bargains. Or perhaps all that time the GBs have to spend in checkout lines has destroyed their sense of humour.

No, that theory doesn't work -- their no 12 show is Spicks and Specks and their No. 14 is The Chaser's War on Everything, so they are not altogether humourless anti-ABC consumerist lackeys.

Maybe the answer is simply that they have to go to bed early on Wednesday nights to prepare themselves for Thursday, which is, after all, late shopping night.

Give us your theories here ...

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 10:06 AM
Comments (38)

The box office: Australia humbles Harry

This blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but not the latest word on the subject. For this week's discussion, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

Updated Friday 28/9/2007
The days are long gone when the weekly chart of top-selling DVDs was simply an echo of the cinema box office chart from six months earlier. Now that 75 per cent of Australian homes have DVD players, we use the silver disc as a babysitter and as a companion on journeys into nostalgia.

Look at last week's bestsellers, revealed yesterday by GfK Marketing: 1 Pop Go the Wiggles; 2 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace; 3 Star Wars III - Revenge of the Sith; 4 Star Wars II - Attack of the Clones; 5 Star Wars VI - Return of the Jedi (two-disc set, with Carrie Fisher in the gold bikini); 6 Star Wars IV - A New Hope (two-disc set); 7 Star Wars V - The Empire Strikes Back (two-disc set); 8 Real American Hero; 9 Wild Hogs; 10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie; 11 Grease - Rockin' Edition; 12 Music and Lyrics.

As you may gather, Fox recently issued a budget edition of the complete Star Wars series, opening it up to a new generation.

When they weren't indoors watching their disc collection last week, Australians were embracing the ample figure of John Travolta in Hairspray, which made $3.2m (three week total $7.8m). That was followed by the teen nerd adventure Superbad, which made $3.9 million in its first week, and Evan Almighty, with $2.2m, proving that Steve Carrell does not have the godly powers of Jim Carrey.

Potter magic could not defeat The Curse of the Cultural Cringe. Daniel Radcliffe's first attempt at a "real" role, December Boys, made a mere $271,000 -- even less than Bratz The Movie ($406,000) and Underdog $455,000. He should have made his first non-blockbuster in America, where they appreciate theiir own film-makers.

No doubt the last three movies will do better when the school holidays start.

This blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but not the latest word on the subject. For this week's discussion, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

in The Tribal Mind at 01:07 AM
Comments (2)

Monday, September 24, 2007

WHO WE ARE: These are a few of our favourite things

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 23/9/2007
An organisation called the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), has compiled what purports to be a listing of the works of art that most stimulated people in Britain in the first half of this year, and this column has been inspired to attempt a comparative insight into Australian tastes.

ERA brought together sales figures for DVDs, books, CDs and computer games, and came up with what it called The Culture Chart 2007: 1. Casino Royale (which sold 2.3 million copies on DVD in Britain); 2 The Queen (DVD); 3 Happy Feet (DVD); 4 Hot Fuzz (DVD); 5 Night at the Museum (DVD); 6 Borat (DVD); 7 Back to Black by Amy Winehouse (CD); 8 The Devil Wears Prada (DVD); 9 Now That's What I Call Music 66 (CD); 10 The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld (book).

With help from GfK Marketing, the Australian Record Industry Association and Nielsen BookScan, I formed an impression of what entertained the largest numbers of Australians between January 1 and June 30. Here is Australia's Culture Chart 2007: 1 Happy Feet (DVD); 2 Casino Royale (DVD); 3 I'm Not Dead by Pink (CD); 4 Borat (DVD); 5 The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (book); 6 The Devil Wears Prada (DVD) 7 Rearview Mirror by Pearl Jam (CD) 8 Silvia by Bryce Courtenay (book); 9 Dirty Dancing 15th anniversary edition (DVD) 10 Eyes Open by Snow Patrol (CD).

Apart from displaying how similar in tastes we are to our former colonial masters, this list is close to useless. It leaves out two huge ingredients in the Australian cultural diet: television and cinema. And it covers a ridiculously narrow time span.

We need to be more ambitious if we are to investigate the shared audiovisual experiences of the people currently inhabiting this continent. Lets go the whole hog ...

The Complete Culture Chart (20 things likely to have been seen or heard by the majority of modern Australians):
1 The 1997 funeral of Diana Spencer (TV);
2 The opening ceremony of the 2000 Olympics (TV);
3 Crocodile Dundee (cinema, video, DVD, TV);
4 The Sound of Music (cinema, TV, video, DVD);
5 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (book, cinema, TV, DVD);
6 Abba's Greatest Hits (radio, vinyl and CDs under various titles);
7 The Star Wars trilogy (cinema, TV, video, DVD);
8 Grease (cinema, TV, CD, DVD);
9 Ian Thorpe swimming (TV);
10 The Lord of the Rings trllogy (cinema, DVD);
11 Cathy Freeman running (TV);
12 Titanic (cinema, video, DVD);
13 Whispering Jack by John Farnham (CD);
14 Shrek 2 (cinema, DVD, TV);
15 Raiders of the Lost Ark (cinema, TV, video, DVD);
16 Bat Out Of Hell by Meatloaf (vinyl and CD);
17 Finding Nemo (cinema, DVD);
18 The Australian Open Tennis Final 2005 (TV);
19 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (book, film);
20 E.T. (cinema, video, DVD).

After much pondering, I decided to leave the 1969 moon landing off the list, because 52 per cent of the people now living on this continent were not born when it happened (and many of those who did see it have since died). I'd be happy to discuss that and any other glaring omissions here.

For more detail on Australia's favourite movies, TV shows, music and DVDs, go to The culture.

by David Dale in Who We Are at 05:01 PM
Comments (25)

Sunday, September 23, 2007

The Ratings Race: Week 38

This blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but not the latest word on the subject. For this week's discussion, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

To learn how TV tastes predict voting patterns, go to The Tribal Mind. To discuss whether Australians speak differently in different capital cities, go to Rhetoric.

The daily media report by David Dale, updated 10 am Saturday
Unchallenged by rugby league on Friday, the AFL pulled in 42 per cent of the prime time audience for Seven, and even atracted 209,000 viewers in Sydney. When the rugby league finally appeared on Saturday, Melbourne did not return the favour, much preferring its traditional pursuit.

Although Nine won Saturday, thanks to Sydney and Brisbane, the week ended with these average prime time shares across the mainland capitals: Seven 30.5 per cent, Nine 26.0, Ten 22.0, ABC 16.4 and SBS 5.2.
What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 TEN'S AFL FINALS 2007: 2ND PRELIM. FINAL PORT ADEL V KANGAROOS Ten 1,180,000 126,000 526,000 109,000 261,000 159,000
2 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,140,000 308,000 264,000 282,000 93,000 194,000
3 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 1,088,000 292,000 299,000 266,000 97,000 134,000
4 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,055,000 365,000 285,000 220,000 74,000 111,000
5 ABC NEWS-SAT ABC 986,000 264,000 338,000 152,000 102,000 131,000
6 THE GREAT OUTDOORS Seven 943,000 273,000 241,000 220,000 79,000 131,000
7 RUGBY LEAGUE FINAL SERIES PF 1 Nine 900,000 514,000 19,000 350,000 16,000
8 DOCTOR WHO ABC 889,000 205,000 291,000 151,000 116,000 127,000
9 JUDGE JOHN DEED Seven 698,000 143,000 245,000 98,000 96,000 116,000
10 THE BILL ABC 651,000 171,000 206,000 128,000 67,000 80,000

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN'S AFL: PRELIMINARY FINAL 1: GEELONG V COLLINGWOOD Seven 1,743,000 209,000 885,000 119,000 244,000 286,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,338,000 341,000 335,000 281,000 152,000 229,000
3 NINE NEWS Nine 1,104,000 308,000 348,000 220,000 118,000 110,000
4 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,080,000 272,000 362,000 207,000 107,000 133,000
5 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,035,000 310,000 317,000 240,000 168,000
6 TEMPTATION Nine 982,000 257,000 365,000 173,000 83,000 103,000
7 HOME AND AWAY Seven 934,000 349,000 352,000 234,000
8 ABC NEWS ABC 908,000 261,000 298,000 164,000 91,000 95,000
9 WIRE IN THE BLOOD ABC 903,000 255,000 227,000 197,000 103,000 122,000
10 DEAL OR NO DEAL Seven 837,000 266,000 215,000 136,000 103,000 118,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

The daily media report by David Dale, updated 10 am Friday
What is the most boring night of the television week? We'd love your nominations, and your suggestions on how to fix the problem.

Meanwhile, this column would nominate Thursday. Any day when the most watched show pulls only 1.5 million viewers in the mainland capitals, and that show is Today Tonight, must be a day when the networks are not even trying to stimulate their audience or serve their advertisers.

And it's not as if we're close to the silly season. There's still eleven more weeks before we officially cease to care what's on the box.

At this stage in the week, Seven is averaging 29.3 per cent of the prime time audience, with Nine on 25.6, Ten on 23.6, ABC on 16.4 and SBS on 5.1. That's unlikely to change much over the next two nights of biffo-saturation, which some viewers obviously find interesting.

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,530,000 420,000 402,000 320,000 183,000 205,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,368,000 362,000 331,000 286,000 172,000 218,000
3 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,323,000 392,000 347,000 281,000 135,000 167,000
4 NINE NEWS Nine 1,156,000 327,000 394,000 232,000 129,000 74,000
5 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,139,000 295,000 324,000 261,000 130,000 129,000
6 ABC NEWS ABC 1,126,000 310,000 334,000 223,000 99,000 160,000
7 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 1,035,000 226,000 446,000 119,000 123,000 121,000
8 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Ten 1,001,000 262,000 346,000 166,000 110,000 117,000
9 TWENTY20 CRICKET WORLD CUP SUPER 8 - AUS V SRI LANKA Nine 920,000 203,000 332,000 182,000 100,000 103,000
10 7.30 REPORT ABC 898,000 242,000 273,000 182,000 75,000 125,000
11 THE ICEBERG THAT SANK THE TITANIC ABC 880,000 233,000 275,000 162,000 88,000 122,000
12 DEAL OR NO DEAL Seven 862,000 276,000 191,000 170,000 109,000 115,000
13 CATALYST ABC 784,000 198,000 206,000 156,000 96,000 127,000
14 TEN NEWS AT FIVE Ten 778,000 225,000 205,000 134,000 80,000 133,000
15 LAW & ORDER THURS Ten 701,000 187,000 216,000 137,000 88,000 74,000

What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE Ten 1,769,000 436,000 594,000 308,000 212,000 219,000
2 THE CHASER'S WAR ON EVERYTHING ABC 1,693,000 538,000 480,000 245,000 207,000 224,000
3 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,494,000 435,000 453,000 240,000 189,000 177,000
4 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,481,000 411,000 375,000 303,000 171,000 221,000
5 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,384,000 424,000 329,000 298,000 137,000 196,000
6 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,372,000 370,000 357,000 281,000 155,000 208,000
7 SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH ABC 1,275,000 406,000 389,000 178,000 134,000 167,000
8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,175,000 351,000 379,000 213,000 144,000 89,000
9 KENNY Ten 1,145,000 275,000 441,000 174,000 120,000 135,000
10 RPA Nine 1,129,000 337,000 399,000 249,000 144,000
11 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,120,000 302,000 382,000 206,000 134,000 96,000
12 ABC NEWS ABC 1,096,000 269,000 364,000 195,000 126,000 140,000
13 MCLEOD'S DAUGHTERS Nine 1,094,000 278,000 356,000 205,000 134,000 122,000
14 TEMPTATION Nine 1,078,000 260,000 413,000 182,000 125,000 98,000
15 MOST SHOCKING Seven 1,023,000 267,000 277,000 215,000 112,000 153,000
The daily media report by David Dale, updated 11 am Wednesday
At this point in the week Channel Seven is averaging 31.2 per cent of the prime time audience, while Nine has 25.6 per cent, Ten has 22.5, ABC has 15.1 and SBS has 5.5.

What Australia watched, Tuesday
1. RSPCA Animal Rescue Seven 1.820
2. Medical Emergency Seven 1.771
3. All Saints Seven 1.412
4. Home and Away Seven 1.402
5. Seven News Seven 1.399
6. Today Tonight Seven 1.358
7. Nine News Nine 1.241
8. A Current Affair Nine 1.230
9. ABC News ABC 1.133
10. Temptation Nine 1.090
11. NCIS Ten 1.045
12. The Simpsons - 7:30pm Ten 0.982
13. The Simpsons - 8:00pm Ten 0.954
14. Surprise Surprise Gotcha Nine 0.933
15. Life Begins Seven 0.858
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, Monday
1. The Force Seven 1.956m
2. Border Security Seven 1.897
3. Seven News Seven 1.630
4. Today Tonight Seven 1.618
5. City Homicide Seven 1.562
6. Home and Away Seven 1.541
7. Nine News Nine 1.292
8. A Current Affair Nine 1.273
9. Australian Idol Ten 1.211
10. Temptation Nine 1.183
11. Criminal Minds Seven 1.146
12. ABC News ABC 1.088
13. Law and Order: SVU Ten 0.985
14. Californication Ten 0.952
15. Four Corners ABC 0.945

The daily media report by David Dale, updated 10am Monday
Readers of this blog suggested two weeks ago that Kath and Kim had jumped the shark this year, by selling out to commercialism and indulging in a more obvious kind of humour. When the audience dropped drastically in the second week, it looked as if a million Australians agreed with this analysis.

But now the mainland capital audience is back above 2 million -- without doing much damage to the numbers for 60 Minutes or Australian Idol. There's something about these girls that reaches deep into the Australian psyche and plucks at our heartstrings, even tempting people who normally watch only the ABC on Sunday nights. We'd like to hear your suggestions, below, on what that something might be.

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 KATH & KIM Seven 2,144,000 607,000 698,000 381,000 203,000 255,000
2 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,792,000 554,000 561,000 338,000 214,000 126,000
3 MY NAME IS EARL Seven 1,546,000 417,000 513,000 263,000 176,000 178,000
4 AUSTRALIAN IDOL Ten 1,537,000 446,000 474,000 228,000 185,000 204,000
5 CSI Nine 1,383,000 397,000 516,000 291,000 178,000
6 60 MINUTES Nine 1,351,000 389,000 396,000 254,000 154,000 158,000
7 BACKYARD BLITZ Nine 1,350,000 383,000 434,000 231,000 178,000 123,000
8 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,315,000 299,000 303,000 297,000 170,000 246,000
9 HOT PROPERTY Seven 1,254,000 347,000 346,000 261,000 126,000 174,000
10 AUSTRALIA'S BEST BACKYARDS Seven 1,136,000 237,000 312,000 268,000 118,000 202,000
12 ROVE Ten 1,022,000 257,000 370,000 124,000 135,000 135,000
13 DAMAGES Nine 999,000 308,000 372,000 183,000 136,000
16 RUGBY LEAGUE FINAL SERIES SF 2 Nine 819,000 431,000 11,000 352,000 7,000 17,000
18 INCREDIBLE JOURNEYS WITH STEVE LEONARD ABC 747,000 162,000 223,000 148,000 105,000 110,000
19 M-KINGDOM OF HEAVEN Seven 741,000 200,000 247,000 89,000 99,000 106,000
20 FALLEN ANGEL ABC 677,000 162,000 200,000 95,000 89,000 131,000
25 THE WEDGE Ten 477,000 132,000 142,000 62,000 80,000 61,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

Last week
For a while there it looked as if the only purpose of APEC was to give Kevin Rudd an opportunity to practise his Mandarin. Now we know better: the purpose of APEC was to promote the ABC.

And it worked. Not only did The Chaser's War on Security get the highest audience ever for a comedy, but it dragged up the figures for the show that preceded it -- Specks and Specks -- and the show that followed it -- Summer Heights High -- and compensated for the absence of Midsomer Murders in the ABC's schedule.

This news rather overshadowed Channel Seven's revelation during the week that it is now unbeatable for the year. It had won 26 of the 28 official weeks so far, which enabled it to announce: "Seven now cannot be led in weekly wins in total viewers, and is number 1 in 2007 in weekly wins in total viewers and 25-54s - with only 12 weeks remaining in the current television year ... This is Seven's strongest audience delivery since the introduction of the Oztam peoplemeter ratings system in 2001.''

Seven also won last week, averaging 29.9 per cent of the prime time audience, while Nine got 25.5 per cent, Ten got 23.3, ABC got 16.2, and SBS 5.0. Nine, whose top drama Sea Patrol is sinking fast, will win the week of the rugby league grand final, but that may not save its reputation with advertisers.

What Australia watched, week ending September 15
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 THE CHASER'S WAR ON EVERYTHING ABC 2,285,000 739,000 710,000 347,000 255,000 233,000
2 KATH & KIM Seven 2,047,000 497,000 739,000 362,000 205,000 245,000
3 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,892,000 472,000 581,000 377,000 197,000 265,000
4 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Seven 1,882,000 498,000 559,000 347,000 220,000 258,000
5 THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE 3 Ten 1,782,000 483,000 617,000 290,000 175,000 217,000
6 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,782,000 483,000 528,000 338,000 183,000 250,000
7 THE FORCE - BEHIND THE LINE-MON Seven 1,776,000 402,000 576,000 340,000 191,000 267,000
8 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,699,000 372,000 593,000 337,000 179,000 218,000
9 SEVEN'S AFL: SEMI-FINAL 2: WEST COAST V COLLINGWOOD Seven 1,636,000 156,000 762,000 115,000 223,000 380,000
10 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,622,000 459,000 555,000 253,000 189,000 166,000
11 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,601,000 584,000 382,000 334,000 173,000 128,000
12 AUSTRALIAN IDOL Ten 1,544,000 473,000 492,000 235,000 182,000 163,000
13 RPA Nine 1,467,000 395,000 433,000 277,000 185,000 177,000
14 HOT PROPERTY Seven 1,464,000 343,000 500,000 287,000 142,000 192,000
15 SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH ABC 1,459,000 456,000 531,000 206,000 128,000 139,000
16 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,457,000 382,000 374,000 278,000 182,000 242,000
17 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,425,000 444,000 512,000 205,000 121,000 143,000
18 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,416,000 384,000 378,000 266,000 173,000 214,000
19 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,408,000 413,000 372,000 272,000 145,000 206,000
20 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,401,000 366,000 464,000 247,000 147,000 177,000
21 60 MINUTES Nine 1,392,000 409,000 401,000 285,000 136,000 161,000
22 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,390,000 416,000 422,000 223,000 160,000 169,000
23 AUSTRALIA'S BEST BACKYARDS Seven 1,333,000 296,000 473,000 265,000 142,000 156,000
24 BACKYARD BLITZ Nine 1,326,000 391,000 392,000 279,000 154,000 111,000
25 MY NAME IS EARL Seven 1,288,000 308,000 445,000 230,000 154,000 151,000
26 TEN'S AFL FINALS 2007: 1ST SEMI FINAL KANGAROOS V HAWTHORN Ten 1,283,000 92,000 690,000 107,000 198,000 196,000
27 SEA PATROL Nine 1,265,000 341,000 413,000 244,000 138,000 129,000
28 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - THE LIVE VERDICT Ten 1,237,000 379,000 337,000 241,000 143,000 137,000
29 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,215,000 308,000 356,000 243,000 142,000 167,000
30 MCLEOD'S DAUGHTERS Nine 1,190,000 296,000 371,000 222,000 159,000 141,000
31 NINE NEWS Nine 1,182,000 331,000 383,000 240,000 140,000 87,000
32 GETAWAY Nine 1,178,000 322,000 363,000 227,000 123,000 144,000
33 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,148,000 315,000 390,000 238,000 134,000 71,000
34 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC 1,141,000 291,000 355,000 197,000 121,000 177,000
35 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,131,000 355,000 323,000 201,000 116,000 137,000
36 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,127,000 319,000 375,000 219,000 113,000 100,000
37 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Ten 1,111,000 320,000 356,000 175,000 137,000 124,000
38 MOST SHOCKING Seven 1,106,000 272,000 298,000 235,000 124,000 177,000
39 THE SIMPSONS TUES EP 1 Ten 1,091,000 244,000 349,000 213,000 143,000 143,000
40 ABC NEWS ABC 1,089,000 302,000 347,000 190,000 117,000 133,000
41 NCIS RPT Ten 1,088,000 289,000 329,000 204,000 145,000 121,000
42 TEMPTATION Nine 1,055,000 279,000 364,000 191,000 116,000 105,000
43 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 1,048,000 272,000 314,000 262,000 94,000 105,000
44 LAW AND ORDER: SVU MON RPT Ten 1,044,000 287,000 266,000 209,000 138,000 144,000
45 ROVE Ten 1,044,000 308,000 378,000 122,000 130,000 105,000
46 CALIFORNICATION Ten 1,036,000 280,000 342,000 158,000 125,000 133,000
47 CRIME INVESTIGATION AUSTRALIA Nine 1,035,000 295,000 318,000 160,000 131,000 132,000
48 20 TO 1 Nine 1,026,000 266,000 339,000 190,000 106,000 124,000
49 WITHOUT A TRACE Nine 1,014,000 289,000 296,000 168,000 148,000 113,000
50 THE SIMPSONS TUES EP 2 Ten 991,000 250,000 301,000 187,000 145,000 108,000
(OzTAM)
David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For further observations of Australian attitudes and behaviour, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 09:24 AM
Comments (144)

Friday, September 21, 2007

The box office: Steamy stuff

When was the last time a man in a dress captured the imagination of Australian moviegoers? Would it have been Hugo Weaving in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994, or perhaps Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor in 1996?

The national propensity for transvesto-voyeurism emerged again last week when Hairspray sold $4.6 million worth of tickets. Mama-Travolta beat Macho-Damon, whose The Bourne Ultimatum earned $2.9 million (for a three-week total of $16.3 million). Do we love Big John because he's brave enough to take these career risks or because he loved Our Livy in Grease (Australia's 10th favourite movie of all time)?

Other moviegoers pursued their interest in fine dining. Foodie flick No. 1, Ratatouille, now stands at $6.6 million and foodie flick No. 2, No Reservations, stands at $5.1 million.

Forbidden Lie$, the pseudo-doco about the pseudo-factualist Norma Khouri, has so far earned only $112,000. This should improve as soon as the word spreads about how clever it is.

We welcome your comments

in The Tribal Mind at 12:01 AM
Comments (1)

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

The Tribal Mind: A national mood swing?

by David Dale
To tell the future of Australia, you could read tea leaves or you could read TV shows. This column prefers the latter method.

Early this year, we infuriated some readers by noting a shift in the nation's viewing pattern, and drawing a political conclusion. This is what the column said on March 27: "The favourites of the early Noughties were all about lifestyle -- home renovations, gardening, domestic bliss. The dramas were about crimes solved in a single episode ... Viewers avoided programs that required them to come back next week, because life was too crazy to allow such a commitment.

"But since 2005, our favourite shows have been serials, keeping us in constant suspense about who will be voted off the dance floor, who will be murdered on Wisteria Lane, what will the island do to the survivors, how will Dr House outsmart the cop who wants to jail him, etc. Instead of being reassured by our mass entertainment, we demand to be surprised.

"What follows from this transformation in public mood? That Australians will be inclined to vote for Kevin Rudd at the federal election. Where once they craved security, now they relish change." (To read that whole column, go here. And to read why Channel Nine is Howard and Channel Seven is Rudd, go here)

A reader who wished to be known as "Fleeced" responded: "David, you gotta be kidding. Rudd will win because people are watching DWTS and Desperate Housewives? This is quite possibly the stupidest assertion you've ever made. In fact, in the past, you've declared that people watched Border Security because we were worried about national security (I didn't buy that conclusion either).

"I guess to a man whose only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. You've been spending too much time looking at tv ratings mate, and you're starting to apply it to anything and everything. Rudd's star may be rising (or maybe it isn't), but TV viewing habits reflect nothing about this."

Now we've been reassured to find our theory of national mood swing has been echoed by the social researcher Hugh Mackay. In his new book, Advance Australia ... Where?, Mackay says Australians retreated from reality in the late 1990s, entering what he labels The Dreamy Period. He writes: "If you're looking for more evidence of the Dreamy Period, look no further than the TV viewing habits of Australians over the past seven or eight years. This was the era when lifestyle programs came from nowhere to rate their socks off.

"Around the turn of the century, TV programs like Burke's Backyard, Backyard Blitz, Better Homes and Gardens, Room for Improvement and Renovation Rescue showed just how astute TV executives really are: such programs were a projection of what was going on inside our heads ... Think small was the aim.

"As the journalist David Dale has pointed out, this was also the period when we wanted our TV drama to come to us in small digestible portions. The serial, with its more demanding ambiguities and prolonged tensions, went out of favour and series that consisted of self contained episodes were preferred."

Mackay says that if Australians are in the process of emerging from dreamland, "no incumbent government will feel as secure as it did during those past several years". This column would add: Nor will any incumbent television network.

Do you agree?

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 10:50 AM
Comments (18)

Reassessments: Illogical approach expected

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to science fiction, they're making a new Star Trek movie, due for release in December 2008 (around the time John Howard is hoping to hold the election). The writer-director is J.J. Abrams, the creator of Lost, so it will be a little different from what baby boomers remember.

It's a story about Mr Spock as a young man. And who, we hear you cry, is playing the pointy-eared one? Only Zachary Quinto, best known as Sylar, the brain-eating villain in Heroes. As you can see, he looks the part.

Rumour has it that Russell Crowe will play the villain. Leonard Nimoy, the original Spock, will have a bit-part. Will there be a part for the original Captain Kirk, William Shatner, who has returned to icon status through his role as Boston Legal's Denny Crane?

"They haven't invited me to do it," Shatner told The National Ledger. To play the young Kirk, he said, "It seems they're looking for an unknown, so I have no idea. I don't have a finger on that pulse. I've barely got a finger on my own pulse."

By coincidence, Shatner will release a novel next month called The Academy, which is a story of young Kirk and Spock. "I used the Darfur situation for what generates the excitement. A conflict in which there are child soldiers - and Kirk and Spock are not much older than those child soldiers."

Over to you. Tell us which actor, preferably Australian, should play young Kirk. Matthew Newton comes to this column's mind, but you can do better.

in The Tribal Mind at 12:08 AM
Comments (10)

Monday, September 17, 2007

Rhetoric: Harry Potter and the Unspeakable Croweaters

Australians like to think they all talk pretty much the same, with little regional variation of the kind noticeable across Britain and the US.

We might acknowledge a slight difference based on class, of the kind parodied by Jane Turner and Gina Riley when they contrast their Kath and Kim characters with their Pru and Trude characters. We could call this Rudd-posh versus Gillard-broad. But linguistic variance between capital cities seems an unlikely proposition.

Daniel Radcliffe, best known as cinema's Harry Potter, begs to differ. In 2005, he spent six months in this country learning how to speak like a South Australian. Interviewed for the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, he was asked whether his character in the film The December Boys is English or Australian. He replied:

"Australian. I had accent lessons with a woman called Kate Godfrey, who's fantastic. It's a very easy accent to caricature, but not to do accurately. We filmed in Adelaide, Australia, and a lot of people have said to me, 'Oh, it's a very Adelaide accent'. Personally, I can't tell the difference between an accent from Adelaide and an accent from Sydney or Melbourne or Brisbane. But in Australia they can. So, hopefully it'll go down fairly well."

Can you? Tell us the difference. Do Alexander Downer, Peter Costello, and Malcolm Turnbull have Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney accents, or do they all speak a common dialect?

To discuss why Australians love their own comedy and their own music, but not their own movies, go to Who We Are.

We welcome your comments.

in The Tribal Mind at 12:38 AM
Comments (39)

Sunday, September 16, 2007

WHO WE ARE: Love the discs, pity about the flicks

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 16/9/2007
A dignified outburst of patriotic fervour was the appropriate response last week to two revelations which suggest Australians are going through a phase of liking themselves again.

First, the Australian Record Industry Association issued its report on CD sales for the first six months of the year, and noted that locally made albums represented 34.8 per cent of the Top 100 sellers, up from 31.8 per cent last year. Australia's representation in the top ten included 3 Missy Higgins On A Clear Night; 4 Silverchair Young Modern; 6 Damien Leith The Winner's Journey; 9 Powderfinger Dream Days At The Hotel Existence; and 10 John Butler Grand National.

Second, we discovered that every program in the top 20 television ratings chart at the moment is Australian-made. After decades of preferring American material to our own, we now embrace Kath and Kim, Thank God You're Here and The Chaser as our favourite comedies and City Homicide, Sea Patrol and All Saints as our favourite dramas.

We're reliving the famous moment in 1966 when the TV analyst Harry Robinson noted a seismic shift in the nation's viewing habits. Under the headline "Let All Loyal Australians Rejoice", he reported that the local cop show Homicide was out-rating the US hit The Fugitive. He wrote:

"The importance, of course, is not that Homicide is doing well, but rather that Australians may at last be willing to consider their own people with their own ways worth watching. Till now, as any showman will tell you, Australians have preferred to watch anybody but their own kind, no matter what the quality. Perhaps we have grown up enough to give ourselves a fair go."

And this month it's happening again - at least in television. That's not to say that we have made a wholesale transfer from the cultural cringe to the cultural strut. There is still the problem of Australia's attitude to Australian movies.

These were the figures for the most successful local films at the box office this year: 1 Romulus My Father $2.5m; 2 Bra Boys $1.6m; 3 Clubland $1.4 m; 4 Noise 743,000 5 Lucky Miles $545,000. A brilliant little thriller called The Jammed, which stars Saskia Burmeister (of Sea Patrol, but hotter here) and which got rave reviews, has just dropped out of the box office chart after earning just $237,000 in four weeks. Its writers would have done better to sell it as a script for City Homicide, where their work would have been seen by 1.4 million more people than saw it in cinemas.

While no Australian film has made more than $2.5 million this year, a film in Swedish called As It Is In Heaven has made $2.6 million, a film in German called The Lives of Others has made $2.6 million, and a film in American called The Simpsons Movie has made $31 million.

We do go through phases of liking our own flicks. In the mid 90s we spent more than $16m on tickets for Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and for Muriel's Wedding. In the early noughties we spent more than $12m on tickets for The Dish, Lantana and The Wog Boy.

Apparently our movie cycle is out of synch with our TV cycle and our music-liking cycle. There's only so much national pride we can stand in any one year.

To see how these compare with the most seen movies of all time, go to The films Australia loved. If you have suggestions on what might cause us to start liking our own movies again, this is the place to enter the discussion ...

by David Dale in Who We Are at 11:47 AM
Comments (6)

The ratings race: Week 37

This blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but not the latest word on the subject. For this week's discussion, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

To discuss why Australians love their own comedy and their own music, but not their own movies, go to Who We Are.
David Dale's daily media report, updated 10 am Sunday
What we watched on Saturday ...
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 AFL 1ST SEMI FINAL KANGAROOS V HAWTHORN Ten 1,283,000 92,000 690,000 107,000 198,000 196,000
2 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,215,000 308,000 356,000 243,000 142,000 167,000
3 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,148,000 315,000 390,000 238,000 134,000 71,000
4 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 1,048,000 272,000 314,000 262,000 94,000 105,000
5 THE GREAT OUTDOORS Seven 933,000 286,000 245,000 189,000 101,000 112,000
6 ABC NEWS-SAT ABC 913,000 258,000 326,000 155,000 71,000 103,000
7 DOCTOR WHO ABC 878,000 242,000 273,000 165,000 103,000 94,000
8 RUGBY LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL 1 Nine 754,000 468,000 24,000 240,000 11,000 10,000
9 THE BILL ABC 743,000 193,000 227,000 146,000 60,000 118,000
10 2007 RUGBY WORLD CUP - AUSTRALIA V WALES Ten 711,000 212,000 184,000 79,000 85,000 151,000
38 2007 RUGBY WORLD CUP - NEW ZEALAND V PORTUGAL Ten 212,000 77,000 42,000 18,000 19,000 57,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

To learn how to write a bestselling book in Australia, go to The Tribal Mind.
To see how the Chaser's performance this week fits with the most watched programs of all time, go to The TV shows we loved
David Dale's daily media report, updated 10 am Saturday
Channel Seven has some consolation as it prepares to pay News Limited $23.5 million for legal costs incurred in the case Seven lost about football rights. At least the footy that Seven does have is doing brilliantly, even in Sydney. Look at the numbers for last night -- and it's only the beginning of finals season.

Seven is currently averaging 31.2 per cent of the week's prime time audience, with Nine on 25.4 per cent, Ten on 22.2, ABC on 16.2, and SBS on 5.0. Not even the first biffo semi-final tonight will help Nine nationally, though it could make Nine a winner in Sydney. For the rest of us, there's the semi final of Doctor Who.

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN'S AFL: SEMI-FINAL 2: WEST COAST V COLLINGWOOD Seven 1,636,000 156,000 762,000 115,000 223,000 380,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,396,000 367,000 363,000 263,000 147,000 256,000
3 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,281,000 444,000 512,000 205,000 121,000
4 NINE NEWS Nine 1,180,000 320,000 390,000 242,000 139,000 89,000
5 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,097,000 296,000 406,000 202,000 108,000 84,000
6 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,040,000 327,000 356,000 223,000 134,000
7 HOME AND AWAY Seven 996,000 418,000 335,000 243,000
8 TEMPTATION Nine 995,000 247,000 394,000 185,000 103,000 67,000
9 ABC NEWS ABC 942,000 254,000 328,000 192,000 101,000 66,000
10 MOTORWAY PATROL Nine 898,000 242,000 314,000 191,000 67,000 83,000
16 NEIGHBOURS Ten 686,000 178,000 222,000 128,000 92,000 66,000
20 ALFIE Ten 637,000 192,000 184,000 110,000 78,000 73,000
21 IT'S ME OR THE DOG FRI Ten 627,000 179,000 199,000 102,000 69,000 79,000
22 STONE COLD Nine 621,000 S230,000 M185,000 B205,000
26 2007 TWENTY20 CRICKET WORLD CUP - AUSTRALIA V ENGLAND Nine 440,000 127,000 125,000 51,000 67,000 70,000

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,449,000 412,000 373,000 271,000 194,000 199,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,426,000 393,000 333,000 281,000 191,000 227,000
3 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,423,000 454,000 354,000 271,000 142,000 201,000
4 SEA PATROL Nine 1,265,000 341,000 412,000 245,000 139,000 128,000
5 GETAWAY Nine 1,181,000 324,000 364,000 227,000 121,000 145,000
6 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,131,000 355,000 323,000 201,000 116,000 137,000
7 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Ten 1,111,000 320,000 356,000 175,000 137,000 124,000
8 ABC NEWS ABC 1,080,000 309,000 319,000 176,000 119,000 158,000
9 NINE NEWS Nine 1,069,000 295,000 356,000 218,000 126,000 73,000
10 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,026,000 280,000 365,000 192,000 99,000 90,000
11 TEMPTATION Nine 1,012,000 263,000 346,000 177,000 121,000 106,000
12 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 997,000 214,000 430,000 118,000 117,000 118,000
13 7.30 REPORT ABC 914,000 280,000 240,000 137,000 103,000 155,000
14 DEAL OR NO DEAL Seven 851,000 251,000 182,000 167,000 125,000 125,000
15 THE HUMAN MIND AND HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT ABC 842,000 237,000 275,000 119,000 88,000 122,000

What Australia watched, Wednesday
1. The Chaser's War on Everything ABC 2.245 million
2. Thank God You're Here Ten 1.785
3. Spicks and Specks ABC 1.653
4. RPA Nine 1.448
5. Seven News Seven 1.442
6. Today Tonight Seven 1.396
7. Home and Away Seven 1.394
8. Summer Heights High ABC 1.375
9. McLeod's Daughters Nine 1.181
10. ABC News ABC 1.175
11. Nine News Nine 1.172
12. A Current Affair Nine 1.170
13. Temptation Nine 1.107
14. Most Shocking Seven 1.106
15. Without A Trace Nine 1.056
This was the ABC statement on the subject:
Last Night The Chaser's War on Everything achieved a five city audience of 2.3 million with a Total People share of 42.5%. Its audience peaked at 21:06 with 2.4 million.
The Chaser's War on Everything was the most watched comedy ever screened on ABC TV.
This is the highest audience achieved by a comedy on ABC TV since 1991 (since intro of people-meter data). (Kath & Kim Series 2's peak audience was 2.15 million in 2003).
It won its timeslot last night in all cities.
52% of The Chaser's audience last night were people 0-39.
The program achieved a share of 49.4% among people 0-39 (one in two young people watching TV were tuned to The Chaser).
The Chaser's War on Everything was the highest rating program last night for the 5 cities combined and in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.
This is the highest rating program on ABC TV so far this year for the 5 cities combined and in each city.
This is the third highest rating program on ABC TV since 1991 (behind Seachange Series 3 (2.4million on 10th Dec 2000); Paralympics Opening Ceremony (2.29 million on 18th October in 2000).
Courtney Gibson, Head of ABC TV Arts, Entertainment and Comedy said "This is Australians voting with their eyeballs - for homegrown, hardcore comedy and entertainment. And if you managed to miss out, fear not: Chaser and Summer Heights High are available on-demand at abc.net.au and we've reinforced the server to cope with the mega traffic."
The Chaser's War on Everything, Spicks and Specks and Summer Heights High all won their time slots last night.
Spicks and Specks
Had its highest rating figure (5 capital cites average audience) with 1.6m (previous highest was 1.5m).
The program captured 32.3% of viewers aged 0-39 years.
Summer Heights High
With last night's audience of 1.5 million viewers, it increased its audience by 230,000 on its premiere episode last week.

The daily media report by David Dale, updated 10 am Wednesday
Channel Seven looks unbeatable for the week (and for the year, come to think of it) except in Sydney, where the biffo could give Nine a temporary win. At this point in the week, Seven is averaging 31.0 per cent of the prime time audience, while Nine is on 24.9 per cent, Ten is on 23.1, ABC is on 15.6 (but bound to soar with Chaser tonight) and SBS is on 5.4.

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Seven 1,882,000 498,000 559,000 347,000 220,000 258,000
2 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,782,000 483,000 528,000 338,000 183,000 250,000
3 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,477,000 432,000 413,000 282,000 144,000 206,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,462,000 396,000 399,000 303,000 162,000 203,000
5 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,449,000 378,000 393,000 280,000 179,000 219,000
6 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,390,000 416,000 422,000 223,000 160,000 169,000
7 NINE NEWS Nine 1,170,000 329,000 384,000 218,000 145,000 93,000
8 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,148,000 316,000 385,000 195,000 130,000 122,000
9 ABC NEWS ABC 1,132,000 301,000 360,000 193,000 126,000 151,000
10 THE SIMPSONS TUES EP 1 Ten 1,091,000 244,000 349,000 213,000 143,000 143,000
11 NCIS RPT Ten 1,088,000 289,000 329,000 204,000 145,000 121,000
12 TEMPTATION Nine 1,087,000 312,000 342,000 184,000 117,000 131,000
13 CRIME INVESTIGATION AUSTRALIA Nine 1,036,000 294,000 317,000 162,000 132,000 131,000
14 20 TO 1 Nine 1,010,000 262,000 336,000 186,000 105,000 121,000
15 THE SIMPSONS TUES EP 2 Ten 991,000 250,000 301,000 187,000 145,000 108,000
28 SOUTH SIDE STORY ABC 589,000 266,000 103,000 93,000 57,000 70,000
31 THE SOPRANOS Nine 461,000 144,000 124,000 66,000 75,000 53,000
87 TORCHWOOD TUES Ten 160,000 65,000 44,000 14,000 27,000 10,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)
What Australia watched, Monday
1. Border Security Seven 1.892
2. The Force Seven 1.776
3. Seven News Seven 1.575
4. Today Tonight Seven 1.503
5. Home and Away Seven 1.408
6. City Homicide Seven 1.401
7. Nine News Nine 1.308
8. Australian Idol Ten 1.235
9. A Current Affair Nine 1.175
10. ABC News ABC 1.118
11. Temptation Nine 1.091
12. Law and Order: SVU Ten 1.048
13. Californication Ten 1.040
14. Futurama Ten 0.983
15. Australian Story ABC 0.965

The daily media report by David Dale, updated 10am Monday
A sudden jump in Melbourne viewing put Kath & Kim back on top last night, after two weeks of sliding down the greasy ratings pole. Can anyone explain this resurgence? Was it an audience hangover from the AFL?

Passing on solid numbers to Earl and Arthur, K&K set Seven up nicely for the week, with 28.3 per cent of the prime time audience (that was across the mainland capitals -- Nine won in Sydney). Nine got 27.3, Ten 24.4, ABC 15.6 and SBS 4.4. It was the ABC's worst performance in many a Sunday, proving that viewers prefer 20th century crime solving in a quaint village atmosphere to 19th century romanticising in a quaint village atmosphere.

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 KATH & KIM Seven 2,045,000 493,000 726,000 362,000 210,000 254,000
2 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,694,000 370,000 588,000 338,000 179,000 219,000
3 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,601,000 584,000 384,000 334,000 172,000 127,000
4 AUSTRALIAN IDOL Ten 1,544,000 473,000 492,000 234,000 182,000 162,000
5 MY NAME IS EARL Seven 1,421,000 342,000 503,000 253,000 158,000 165,000
6 60 MINUTES Nine 1,389,000 408,000 399,000 285,000 136,000 161,000
7 AUSTRALIA'S BEST BACKYARDS Seven 1,361,000 307,000 482,000 269,000 144,000 159,000
8 HOT PROPERTY Seven 1,338,000 302,000 469,000 267,000 129,000 171,000
9 BACKYARD BLITZ Nine 1,324,000 391,000 390,000 278,000 154,000 111,000
10 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC 1,141,000 291,000 355,000 197,000 121,000 177,000
11 ROVE Ten 1,042,000 308,000 377,000 122,000 130,000 105,000
12 M-KING ARTHUR Seven 987,000 271,000 293,000 159,000 135,000 130,000
13 THE EINSTEIN FACTOR ABC 923,000 232,000 260,000 175,000 132,000 124,000
14 SEVEN'S AFL: QUALIFYING FINAL 1: GEELONG V KANGAROOS Seven 906,000 74,000 452,000 71,000 160,000 149,000
15 UNDER THE GREENWOOD TREE ABC 844,000 244,000 274,000 94,000 95,000 138,000
16 NRL FINAL SERIES QF 4 Nine 815,000 367,000 150,000 269,000 8,000 20,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals) Sunday update
It's not a unique occurrence in the history of Australian television, but it's rare: all but one of the programs in the top 20 last week were Australian. Equally rare is that the only non-Australian program is British, not American, and that the ABC has more shows in the top 20 than Channel Ten (Seven has 11 shows, Nine four, ABC three and Ten two).

The explanation must be that this is an all round peculiar time of year, as the nation splits geographically along faultlines of footy. Channel Nine, with the help of rugby league, easily won the week in Sydney, while Channel Seven, with the help of AFL (which it shares with Ten), narrowly won the week across the nation.

In Sydney, Nine averaged 30.4 per cent of the prime time audience, while Seven averaged 27.5. The audience shares over the mainland capitals were Seven 28.9 per cent, Nine 27.2, Ten 22.1, ABC 16.7, and SBS 5.1.

And if you thought the nation had set aside usual sporting allegiances to unite around our rugby boys, think again: the Australia vs Japan match on Saturday drew 119,000 in Sydney (compared with 502,000 for the rugby league quarter final) and 138,000 in Melbourne (compared with 521,000 for the AFL elimination final). Union is not the word.

What Australia watched, week ending September 8
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,904,000 551,000 540,000 323,000 201,000 289,000
2 THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE Ten 1,848,000 476,000 675,000 307,000 175,000 214,000
3 KATH & KIM Seven 1,817,000 501,000 586,000 305,000 193,000 232,000
4 THE FORCE - MON Seven 1,815,000 513,000 522,000 317,000 188,000 274,000
5 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,764,000 474,000 509,000 344,000 159,000 278,000
6 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,717,000 492,000 549,000 296,000 186,000 195,000
7 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Seven 1,707,000 455,000 514,000 320,000 165,000 254,000
8 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,506,000 458,000 475,000 281,000 188,000 106,000
9 THE CHASER'S WAR ON EVERYTHING ABC 1,495,000 480,000 438,000 251,000 135,000 191,000
10 MIDSOMER MURDERS ABC 1,468,000 387,000 459,000 245,000 161,000 216,000
11 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,432,000 414,000 348,000 278,000 172,000 221,000
12 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,417,000 401,000 452,000 257,000 143,000 164,000
13 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,410,000 398,000 379,000 275,000 147,000 212,000
14 RPA Nine 1,395,000 371,000 477,000 242,000 159,000 145,000
15 60 MINUTES Nine 1,394,000 401,000 414,000 281,000 128,000 171,000
16 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,388,000 430,000 427,000 223,000 131,000 177,000
17 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,358,000 395,000 349,000 254,000 152,000 207,000
18 SEA PATROL Nine 1,341,000 369,000 447,000 237,000 144,000 143,000
19 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,335,000 368,000 312,000 315,000 137,000 204,000
20 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - WILDCARD Ten 1,326,000 430,000 366,000 215,000 160,000 155,000
21 HOT PROPERTY Seven 1,320,000 387,000 380,000 236,000 149,000 169,000
22 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,302,000 377,000 426,000 266,000 118,000 115,000
23 NINE NEWS Nine 1,296,000 380,000 407,000 266,000 134,000 110,000
24 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - LIVE VERDICT Ten 1,279,000 397,000 368,000 227,000 136,000 150,000
25 SEVEN'S AFL: QUALIFYING FINAL 2: PORT ADELAIDE V WEST COAST Seven 1,271,000 76,000 536,000 37,000 265,000 356,000
26 AUSTRALIA'S BEST BACKYARDS Seven 1,226,000 353,000 324,000 263,000 123,000 163,000
27 SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH ABC 1,226,000 413,000 422,000 149,000 99,000 141,000
28 MY NAME IS EARL Seven 1,222,000 335,000 403,000 203,000 128,000 152,000
29 THINGS TO TRY BEFORE YOU DIE Nine 1,215,000 339,000 424,000 198,000 119,000 135,000
30 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,201,000 384,000 317,000 251,000 149,000 101,000
31 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,193,000 349,000 374,000 230,000 142,000 98,000
32 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,187,000 382,000 259,000 243,000 125,000 179,000
33 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE - AUDITION 2 Ten 1,153,000 286,000 388,000 208,000 137,000 133,000
34 WITHOUT A TRACE Nine 1,144,000 345,000 335,000 193,000 148,000 123,000
35 GETAWAY Nine 1,142,000 340,000 349,000 216,000 107,000 129,000
36 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,115,000 335,000 304,000 214,000 117,000 145,000
37 ABC NEWS ABC 1,114,000 339,000 335,000 198,000 110,000 132,000
38 BACKYARD BLITZ Nine 1,097,000 295,000 333,000 212,000 137,000 120,000
39 NCIS RPT Ten 1,095,000 254,000 372,000 189,000 147,000 133,000
40 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,086,000 303,000 325,000 191,000 138,000 129,000
41 MCLEOD'S DAUGHTERS Nine 1,081,000 306,000 319,000 185,000 155,000 117,000
42 TEMPTATION Nine 1,079,000 283,000 386,000 186,000 109,000 115,000
43 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 1,039,000 242,000 435,000 120,000 118,000 124,000
44 THE SIMPSONS TUES EP 2 Ten 1,038,000 231,000 379,000 159,000 158,000 110,000
45 TEN'S AFL FINALS 2007: 1ST ELIM. FINAL COLLINGWOOD V SYDNEY Ten 1,036,000 146,000 521,000 60,000 146,000 163,000
46 MOST SHOCKING Seven 1,034,000 232,000 286,000 232,000 119,000 165,000
47 ENOUGH ROPE WITH ANDREW DENTON ABC 1,022,000 317,000 341,000 138,000 99,000 126,000
48 THE SIMPSONS TUES EP 1 Ten 1,013,000 224,000 359,000 161,000 144,000 124,000
49 CSI: MIAMI -RPT Nine 1,009,000 312,000 307,000 164,000 106,000 120,000
50 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC 994,000 239,000 280,000 214,000 114,000 147,000
(OzTAM)
David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). His latest book is Soffritto -- A delicious Ligurian memoir. For further observations of Australian attitudes and behaviour, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 09:07 AM
Comments (142)

Friday, September 14, 2007

The box office: Half a million kids eat their greens

This blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but not the latest word on the subject. For this week's discussion, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

To learn the limits of patriotism, go to Who We Are.
To find out how to write a bestseller, go to The Tribal Mind.
Updated 8am Friday
Kids hate vegetables, adults think rats carry disease, and everybody is annoyed by French snobbery. So you'd have to doubt the marketing potential of an animated film about a rat who creates a new vegetable dish (pictured) in a pretentious Parisian restaurant. Especially when pronouncing its title is likely to cause embarrassment at the ticket counter.

But in the week to Wednesday, Ratatouille sold $4.2 million worth of tickets to Australian kids and their parents. Suddenly we seem to have turned into a nation of foodies, vegetarians, Francophones and rodentophiles.

Perhaps that initial success was on the strength of the reputation of Pixar, which made Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo. Ratatouile may not hold up next weekend, against the debut of Hair Spray. But there's other evidence for the foodie transformation theory. The ticket sales of No Reservations, in which Catherine Zeta Jones plays a chef in a posh restaurant, dropped only 9 per cent between its second week and its third. It has made $4.6 million so far and wins our "best word of mouth" award this week.

Reality check: Ratatouille was not No. 1 at the box office. That honour went to The Bourne Ultimatum, which made $5.0 million in its second week and now totals $13.3 million. Australians may be changing but they still prefer suspense to sustenance.

To check how these compare with the all time favourites, go to The films Australia loved. To discuss if Bourne makes everybody paranoid -- or should -- go to High security

We welcome your comments.

in The Tribal Mind at 12:09 AM
Comments (1)

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

The Tribal Mind: A fortune at your fingertips

By David Dale
So you want to write a best seller. There's nothing in particular you want to say -- no deep message, no searing insight into the human condition. Your motives are entirely commercial. You were impressed by a recent Morgan survey which suggested that in the past three months, 70 per cent of women and 53 per cent of men had read a book.

You are undeterred by the detail that only 18 per cent of Australians have actually bought a book in the past four weeks (the rest were reading borrowed copies) and you are undeterred by this column's report last month that apart from Harry Potter, the literary works that sell the most in this country are magazines like Women's Weekly and Woman's Day and newspapers like the Herald Sun of Melbourne and The Sunday Telegraph of Sydney (go here to read about that). You still reckon you can knock out a hit, and you assume if you ask nicely this ever-helpful column will tell you the formula.

As it happens, we've just purchased from Nielsen BookScan a list of the 50 top selling books of the last financial year -- a period just before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hit the stores and changed everything. It seems the top seller in the 12 months to June 30 sold 201,325 copies at a recommended retail price of $34.95 each. Assuming the usual royalty arrangement of ten per cent, the author would have earned around $700,000. Call it $400,000 after tax -- not bad, but hardly enough to retire on.

And that book's sales were exceptional -- 42 of the books in the top 50 sold less than 100,000 copies, and would have made for their authors less than $200,000 after tax. Still want to proceed?

The No. 1 was Rhonda Byrne's The Secret, classified by Nielsen as "mind body and spirit". There's only one other book like it in the top 50 -- We Are Their Heaven, by Allison Dubois, which sold 41,000 copies at $24.95 each. Bit of a risk, this category.

The genre that appears most often in the list is "Crime and thriller" -- nine of them, topped by James Patterson's Cross, which sold 98,000 copies at $32.95 each and Wilbur Smith's The Quest (80,000 at $49.95). So just think of a suspenseful plot and start typing.

If that sounds too hard, you might prefer children's and young adult fiction. There are seven examples, topped by Christopher Paolini's Eragon, which sold 68,000 at $19.95. Nah, skip that -- you can't charge enough for kids' books.

Still plotless? Persuade someone else to let you write their life. The top 50 contains five biographies or ghosted autobiographies, topped by Schapelle Corby's My Story, which sold 97,000 at $35.00, and Chris Masters's Jonestown, which sold 55,000 at $49.95.

You have trouble dealing with people? Clearly, your category is "Food and drink", with four entries topped by Jamie Oliver's Cook with Jamie, which sold 96,000 copies at $69.95 (you can charge more for a cookbook with colour pictures). Just throw together a bunch of recipes, find a personality to front the project, and you're in the money.

So now you know. Get to it. And don't forget to send this column 50 per cent of your earnings when you're in the top 50 this time next year.

Here's the list you're aiming for:

Australia's top selling books between June 25, 2006 and June 30, 2007
1 The Secret. Rhonda Byrne.
2 Sylvia. Bryce Courtenay.
3 Guinness World Records:2007.
4 CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet Book 2. Dr Manny Noakes & Peter Clifton.
5 Spotless. Shannon Lush & Jennifer Fleming.
6 The Memory Keeper's Daughter. Kim Edwards.
7 Speedcleaning. Shannon Lush & Jen Fleming.
8 The Valley. Di Morrissey.
9 Cross. James Patterson.
10 My Story. Schappelle Corby & Kathryn Bonella.
11 Cook with Jamie. Oliver, Jamie
12 The God Delusion. Dawkins, Richard
13 The Great War. Carlyon, Les
14 The Devil Wears Prada. Weisberger, Lauren
15 The Secret River. Grenville, Kate
16 Tobruk. FitzSimons, Peter
17 The Quest. Smith, Wilbur
18 CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet. Noakes, Dr Manny & Clifton, Peter
19 Nineteen Minutes. Picoult, Jodi
20 Eragon. Paolini, Christopher
21 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Rowling, J.K.
22 Echo Park. Connelly, Michael
23 My Story. Cosgrove, Peter
24 Eldest. Paolini, Christopher
25 A Series of Unfortunate Event:The End. Snicket, Lemony & Helquist, Brett
26 My Sister's Keeper. Picoult, Jodi
27 The Inheritance of Loss. Desai, Kiran
28 Jonestown. Masters, Chris
29 Instant Entertaining. Hay, Donna
30 Cook: Australian Women's Weekly. Clark, Pamela
31 The Kite Runner. Hosseini, Khaled
32 The Dangerous Book for Boys. Iggulden, Conn & Iggulden, Hal
33 Pirateology. Steer, Dugald
34 6th Target,The. Patterson, James
35 The Innocent Man. Grisham, John
36 Break No Bones. Reichs, Kathy
37 Hannibal Rising. Harris, Thomas
38 Marley and Me. Grogan, John
39 Every Day. Granger, Bill
40 It Ain't Necessarily So... Bro. Kruszelnicki, Karl
41 Whitethorn Woods. Binchy, Maeve
42 Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Bryson, Bill
43 Aussie Night Before Christmas. Morrison, Yvonne
44 Lisey's Story. King, Stephen
45 Judge and Jury. Patterson, James & Gross, Andrew
46 The Cat on the Mat is Flat. Griffiths, Andy
47 Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People. Pilkey, Dav
48 Step on a Crack. Patterson, James & Ledwidge, Michael
49 Circle of Flight:Ellie Chronicles. Marsden, John
50 We are Their Heaven. Dubois, Allison

What patterns do you discern in this list? What's your formula?

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 12:06 PM
Comments (13)

Monday, September 10, 2007

The box office: Something to Crowe about

To find out how to write a bestseller, go to The Tribal Mind.
Russell Crowe may be on the comeback trail, after being damned by Forbes magazine last month as the star least likely to give a profitable return on a Hollywood investment. Tom Charity, of Entertainment Weekly, had this to say about his performance in a new western, 3.10 to Yuma: "Crowe plays Wade very gently. He's a man utterly at ease with himself, commanding and confident no matter that he spends much of the picture in chains. Crowe's performance makes him all the more attractive. It's also clear that he's utterly ruthless."

The American autumn is traditionally the time when the studios start churning out their Oscar contenders, and 3.10 to Yuma is being positioned as an arthouse Western, with echoes of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. "We wanted to be the first Western into the marketplace this fall, we wanted to be the first prestige film this fall and we wanted to set ourselves up as the first award-caliber picture of the fall and I think we accomplished all of those goals," said Tom Ortenberg, president of Lionsgate theatrical films.

3.10 to Yuma topped the box office at the weekend, earning $US14.1 million, which suggests it could be that rare treat for Crowe: both a moneymaker and an Oscar winner.

But as Crowe's star rises, Scarlett Johansen's seems poised to fall. Stephen Holden, of The New York Times described Johansson at the weekend as "a leaden screen presence, devoid of charm and humour. With her heavy-lidded eyes and plump lips, Ms Johansson may smoulder invitingly in certain roles, but The Nanny Diaries is the latest in a string of films that suggest that this somnolent actress confuses sullen attitudinising with acting."

Go to The box office, updated every Monday night and Thursday night, for the latest on the movies that Australians are seeing at the cinema and buying on DVD.

We welcome your comments.

in The Tribal Mind at 12:05 AM
Comments (3)

Sunday, September 9, 2007

WHO WE ARE: The delights of de facto

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 9/9/2007
It's a scary thought that two out of three marriages end in death. It's almost enough to make you apply for a divorce, so you can be in the remaining third. But lets start from the assumption that being in a long term relationship with another person is A Good Thing. It's probably good for the happiness of the individual, and it's certainly good for the continuation of society. So most of what you're about to read will be comforting news.

Australians are divorcing less than they were six years ago (rate down from 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2001 to 2.5 per 1,000 people last year), according to a report released last week by the Bureau of Statistics. When divorces do occur, the marriage has usually lasted longer than it did two decades ago (median duration of marriage up from 10.1 years in 1988 to 12.5 years in 2006). And the proportion of divorces where children under 18 are involved has dropped from 59.7 per cent in 1986 to 50.1 per cent in 2006.

It seems that women are more likely to be unhappy in marriage than men -- 40 per cent of divorces are sought by the wife, while 29.5 per cent are sought by the husband. But the proportion of divorces sought jointly by both parties has risen from 7.4 per cent in 1986 to 30.3 per cent in 2006. So it's increasingly the case that couples can agree on one thing, at least.

Now we enter the danger zone. One in three marriages still end in divorce and you'll want to know your personal odds. The couple most likely to get divorced this year has been married just over 12 years. The man is aged between 40 and 44, the woman between 35 and 39. Both were born in Australia. They live in Queensland.

Don't breathe a sigh of relief yet. A third of all divorces involve separation in the first five years of marriage, and 16 per cent of couples who divorce have been married 25 years or more. And although NSW has the lowest divorce rate of all the states (2.1 per 1,000 to Queensland's 3.0), this is the State with the shortest emotional attention span - median duration of marriage here is 11.2 years, while in South Australia, marriages last 13.8 years.

And when you consider the reason for the falling divorce rate, you can't necessarily conclude that Australian men and women are getting on better. It may simply be because the marriage rate has been falling over the past three decades, and if there are fewer marriages, there must, after a few years, be fewer divorces.

In 1970, there were 9 marriages per 1,000 population. Last year there were 5 marriages per 1,000 population. But Australians are still getting together. As the marriage rate has been dropping, the de facto rate has been rising. In the latest census 15 per cent of all couples who described themselves as permanently involved were in de facto relationships. That's up from 12 per cent in 2001 and 8 per cent in 1991. (Incidentally, four per cent of the couples who described themselves as "de facto" in the 2006 census were same sex).

They may be living in sin, but at least they're not living alone. Society has a future.

What do you think? Is marriage better than living together? And is a high divorce rate the sign of a more honest society?

by David Dale in Who We Are at 08:49 AM
Comments (22)

The ratings race: Week 36

This blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but not the latest word on the subject. For this week's discussion, go to www.smh.com.au/tribalmind.

David Dale's media report, updated 10 am Sunday
Weekend readers of this column seem always to want to know footy figures. Here they are, in as much detail as we can find:

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,201,000 384,000 317,000 251,000 149,000 101,000
2 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,187,000 382,000 259,000 243,000 125,000 179,000
3 TEN'S AFL FINALS 2007: 1ST ELIM. FINAL COLLINGWOOD V SYDNEY Ten 1,036,000 146,000 521,000 60,000 146,000 163,000
4 TEN'S AFL FINALS 2007: 1ST ELIM. FINAL HAWTHORN V ADELAIDE Ten 943,000 121,000 326,000 85,000 259,000 153,000
5 M-GREASE Seven 931,000 291,000 244,000 199,000 93,000 104,000
6 THE GREAT OUTDOORS Seven 904,000 303,000 213,000 231,000 71,000 87,000
7 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 881,000 210,000 291,000 114,000 119,000 148,000
8 RUGBY LEAGUE FINAL SERIES QF 2 Nine 826,000 474,000 10,000 306,000 10,000 26,000
9 ABC NEWS-SA ABC 826,000 208,000 272,000 143,000 95,000 107,000
10 TEN NEWS AT FIVE SAT Ten 766,000 175,000 294,000 152,000 145,000
11 DOCTOR WHO ABC 740,000 197,000 193,000 144,000 113,000 93,000
12 RUGBY LEAGUE FINAL SERIES QF 3 Nine 708,000 502,000 206,000
13 THE BILL-EV ABC 661,000 184,000 167,000 118,000 82,000 110,000
17 2007 RUGBY WORLD CUP - AUSTRALIA V JAPAN Ten 483,000 119,000 138,000 58,000 58,000 110,000
34 2007 RUGBY WORLD CUP - FRANCE V ARGENTINA (REPLAY) Ten 207,000 76,000 64,000 27,000 15,000 25,000
51 2007 RUGBY WORLD CUP - NEW ZEALAND V ITALY Ten 146,000 69,000 41,000 20,000 16,000
69 RUGBY UNION: AUSTRALIAN RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2007-PM ABC 104,000 65,000 21,000 18,000
88 2007 RUGBY WORLD CUP - FRANCE V ARGENTINA Ten 77,000 35,000 5,000 26,000 4,000 7,000
92 RUGBY LEAGUE (QLD) 2007-PM ABC 70,000 70,000
98 US OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2007 Nine 66,000 11,000 21,000 22,000 7,000 4,000
105 VFL FOOTBALL 2007-PM ABC 51,000 51,000
110 2007 RUGBY WORLD CUP - OPENING CEREMONY Ten 39,000 18,000 6,000 7,000 5,000 2,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

Saturday update
There may have been traffic jams on the roads out of Sydney, but most citizens seem to have stayed home and watched TV during APEC -- in particular the first quarter final of the rugby league season. Melbourne people preferred the second qualifying final of the AFL season.

travolta%20copy.jpg At this point in the week, Seven is averaging 29.7 per cent of the prime time audience, with Nine on 26.8, Ten on 21.4, Chaser-boosted ABC on 17.0 and SBS on 5.2. But in Sydney, Nine is winning -- a situation that will doubtless continue tonight, with Melbourne devoted to more AFL on Ten and Sydney devoted to more NRL on Nine.

The big question is: will enough non-footy fans be tempted by Seven's John Travolta festival to keep Seven on top for the week? Or will all the Travolta fans be out seeing Hairspray at the movies?

Under these circumstances, tonight's Doctor Who is looking very tempting, even if it does include a reappearance by the annoying Captain Jack. What will you choose?

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,375,000 428,000 327,000 252,000 163,000 206,000
2 SEVEN'S AFL: QUALIFYING FINAL 2: PORT ADELAIDE V WEST COAST Seven 1,271,000 76,000 536,000 37,000 265,000 356,000
3 NINE NEWS Nine 1,171,000 349,000 360,000 226,000 97,000 139,000
4 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,159,000 355,000 372,000 230,000 100,000 102,000
5 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,095,000 349,000 374,000 230,000 142,000
6 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,076,000 380,000 328,000 216,000 152,000
7 ABC NEWS ABC 1,010,000 333,000 334,000 174,000 95,000 73,000
8 DEAL OR NO DEAL Seven 917,000 325,000 178,000 153,000 103,000 158,000
9 TEN NEWS AT FIVE Ten 892,000 274,000 217,000 142,000 110,000 149,000
10 ALONG CAME POLLY RPT Ten 855,000 247,000 265,000 184,000 57,000 103,000
11 RUGBY LEAGUE FINAL SERIES QF 1 Nine 790,000 486,000 31,000 246,000 10,000 18,000

Friday update
Channel Nine won Thursday night, thanks to the slowly sinking Sea Patrol, and at this point in the week, the average prime time audience shares stand at: Seven 28.3 per cent, Nine 26.6, Ten 22.2, ABC 17.6 and SBS 5.2.
What Australia watched, Thursday
1 Seven news (7) 1.42m
2 Home and Away (7) 1.38
3 Sea Patrol (9) 1.34
4 A Current Affair (9) 1.33
5 Today Tonight (7) 1.30
6 Nine news (9) 1.27
7 Temptation (9) 1.21
8 So You Can Think You Can Dance (10) 1.15
9 Getaway (9) 1.14
10 ABC news (ABC) 1.14
11 Ghost Whisperer (7) 1.11
Thursday update
All those covers on the program guides worked -- Chris Lilley's new mockumentary, Summer Heights High, held onto 1.2 million viewers last night, a rare feat for the ABC. Of course it had The Chaser as a lead-in, but ABC viewers are usually turning on the electric blanket by 9.25pm. Lilley may be attracting an audience who normally would not be seen dead watching a network without commercials. (See below for how the ABC announced last nigh