The Who We Are update: Week 15

Wednesday May 9, 2007 04:08 PM

Who We Are

This week of the blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but no longer current. To join the latest discussion, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.
To learn how Australians spend their spare time, go to The Tribal Mind

The ratings race, updated 10am Sunday
At this point in the week, the prime time audience shares are ABC 17.2% Seven 28.2% Nine 26.6% Ten 22.2% SBS 5.7%.

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,279,000 365,000 358,000 257,000 139,000 159,000
2 DOC MARTIN ABC 1,256,000 393,000 310,000 269,000 131,000 152,000
3 HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS -RPT Nine 1,083,000 338,000 285,000 192,000 128,000 140,000
4 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 1,055,000 292,000 255,000 229,000 132,000 147,000
5 ABC NEWS-SAT ABC 991,000 290,000 290,000 211,000 98,000 101,000
6 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 912,000 280,000 261,000 161,000 138,000 71,000
7 THE GREAT OUTDOORS Seven 869,000 257,000 269,000 168,000 95,000 81,000
8 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Ten 842,000 118,000 333,000 85,000 126,000 179,000
10 TEN NEWS AT FIVE SAT Ten 751,000 197,000 313,000 132,000 109,000
11 THE BILL ABC 739,000 218,000 180,000 147,000 71,000 123,000
12 MICHAEL PALIN'S NEW EUROPE Seven 738,000 216,000 226,000 125,000 60,000 111,000
14 LEWIS Seven 718,000 196,000 212,000 127,000 86,000 96,000
15 GARDENING AUSTRALIA ABC 678,000 181,000 204,000 140,000 91,000 64,000
16 SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFL Ten 608,000 68,000 306,000 40,000 100,000 95,000
19 TOP GEAR (SERIES 1) SBS 468,000 168,000 126,000 103,000 41,000 29,000
Continued here

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,443,000 440,000 429,000 241,000 145,000 188,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,368,000 412,000 336,000 264,000 146,000 210,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,283,000 353,000 346,000 235,000 141,000 208,000
4 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,149,000 321,000 304,000 245,000 118,000 162,000
5 NINE NEWS Nine 1,142,000 267,000 406,000 228,000 135,000 107,000
6 MIDSOMER MURDERS RPT ABC 1,137,000 338,000 340,000 193,000 125,000 141,000
7 ABC NEWS ABC 1,089,000 325,000 333,000 176,000 127,000 129,000
8 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,067,000 307,000 328,000 218,000 123,000 91,000
13 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 4: ESSENDON VS WESTERN BULLDOGS Seven 788,000 13,000 472,000 20,000 143,000 141,000
16 NEIGHBOURS Ten 732,000 198,000 200,000 137,000 106,000 91,000
22 NINE'S LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 602,000 345,000 257,000
23 GRUMPY OLD WOMEN RPT ABC 557,000 153,000 167,000 102,000 67,000 67,000
31 NINE'S (NOT LIVE) FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 391,000 245,000 145,000

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES Nine 1,542,000 429,000 525,000 221,000 176,000 190,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,402,000 354,000 366,000 328,000 142,000 212,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,369,000 374,000 364,000 278,000 139,000 214,000
4 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,220,000 378,000 274,000 269,000 116,000 183,000
5 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 1,146,000 295,000 405,000 171,000 133,000 143,000
6 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Seven 1,144,000 343,000 294,000 243,000 115,000 149,000
7 ABC NEWS ABC 1,091,000 310,000 326,000 202,000 122,000 129,000
8 GETAWAY Nine 1,088,000 313,000 294,000 237,000 109,000 133,000
9 NINE NEWS Nine 1,081,000 291,000 332,000 254,000 108,000 97,000
10 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 1,081,000 265,000 453,000 109,000 124,000 130,000
11 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,021,000 277,000 300,000 239,000 110,000 96,000
12 LAW AND ORDER: SVU Ten 959,000 276,000 287,000 175,000 93,000 128,000
15 SAMANTHA WHO? Seven 907,000 281,000 192,000 222,000 88,000 125,000
17 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 854,000 261,000 210,000 155,000 99,000 129,000
19 THE OASIS: AUSTRALIA'S HOMELESS YOUTH ABC 788,000 261,000 275,000 122,000 63,000 67,000
23 MEDIUM Ten 651,000 172,000 193,000 136,000 80,000 70,000
24 THE OASIS: AUSTRALIA'S HOMELESS YOUTH: DISCUSSION ABC 650,000 241,000 203,000 96,000 54,000 57,000
30 FAMILY GUY Seven 440,000 118,000 125,000 94,000 56,000 46,000
33 AMERICAN DAD Seven 406,000 117,000 124,000 76,000 44,000 44,000
What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,561,000 413,000 445,000 304,000 170,000 229,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,480,000 378,000 406,000 300,000 148,000 249,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,397,000 389,000 416,000 247,000 127,000 217,000
4 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,346,000 391,000 393,000 265,000 122,000 175,000
5 NINE NEWS Nine 1,238,000 330,000 412,000 276,000 125,000 94,000
6 UNDERBELLY Nine 1,219,000 571,000 Not shown 276,000 162,000 210,000
7 THE REAL SEACHANGE Seven 1,190,000 325,000 343,000 228,000 127,000 168,000
8 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,183,000 310,000 381,000 279,000 121,000 91,000
9 HOUSE RPT Ten 1,155,000 281,000 377,000 201,000 142,000 153,000
10 ABC NEWS ABC 1,115,000 335,000 350,000 188,000 93,000 149,000
11 BACK TO YOU Ten 1,058,000 248,000 316,000 230,000 130,000 134,000
12 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,052,000 277,000 348,000 194,000 112,000 120,000
18 MY KID'S A STAR Nine 878,000 299,000 269,000 131,000 77,000 101,000
51 CSI: MIAMI Nine 278,000 Not shown 278,000 Not shown Not shown Not shown
70 BANANAS IN PYJAMAS-AM ABC 196,000 49,000 58,000 58,000 14,000 16,000
72 BINDI: THE JUNGLE GIRL-AM ABC 191,000 43,000 45,000 32,000 25,000 46,000
75 NEWSTOPIA SBS 185,000 74,000 57,000 28,000 14,000 13,000

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BONDI RESCUE Ten 1,603,000 483,000 486,000 268,000 182,000 183,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,498,000 421,000 376,000 302,000 170,000 230,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,419,000 403,000 360,000 255,000 163,000 238,000
4 NCIS Ten 1,385,000 368,000 351,000 306,000 171,000 190,000
5 KITCHEN NIGHTMARES U.S.A. Nine 1,380,000 391,000 485,000 184,000 146,000 174,000
6 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 1,329,000 381,000 418,000 209,000 158,000 164,000
7 IT TAKES TWO Seven 1,265,000 363,000 384,000 248,000 115,000 155,000
8 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,224,000 324,000 327,000 251,000 140,000 182,000
9 ABC NEWS ABC 1,176,000 332,000 342,000 248,000 104,000 150,000
10 NINE NEWS Nine 1,093,000 270,000 331,000 249,000 132,000 111,000
11 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,078,000 286,000 344,000 174,000 132,000 142,000
12 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,055,000 267,000 316,000 245,000 128,000 98,000
15 LADETTE TO LADY Nine 894,000 252,000 315,000 128,000 102,000 96,000
16 WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB Ten 873,000 226,000 231,000 178,000 130,000 108,000
21 THE MOMENT OF TRUTH Nine 702,000 210,000 219,000 112,000 79,000 83,000
27 FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT ABC 493,000 159,000 164,000 75,000 49,000 46,000
32 SUNRISE Seven 411,000 137,000 99,000 83,000 38,000 54,000
36 TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES Nine 380,000 114,000 132,000 47,000 50,000 37,000
53 TODAY Nine 272,000 74,000 90,000 47,000 20,000 41,000

The ratings race, updated 11am Tuesday
With Channel Nine so depressed from last night that it took an axe to its new game show The Power of Ten, Channel Seven is well ahead for the week and the ABC is soaring on the strength of an Australian Story about Steve Irwin's father.

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BORDER SECURITY (R) Seven 1,799,000 538,000 473,000 347,000 209,000 232,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,572,000 396,000 415,000 317,000 178,000 267,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,425,000 348,000 387,000 274,000 171,000 245,000
4 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,396,000 372,000 356,000 293,000 163,000 212,000
5 SCU: SERIOUS CRASH UNIT Seven 1,392,000 372,000 376,000 278,000 173,000 193,000
6 AUSTRALIAN STORY ABC 1,321,000 413,000 356,000 306,000 97,000 149,000
7 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA - RESULTS Ten 1,249,000 351,000 411,000 233,000 122,000 132,000
8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,234,000 330,000 417,000 274,000 132,000 82,000
9 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,232,000 350,000 372,000 236,000 116,000 160,000
10 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - ELIMINATION Ten 1,222,000 354,000 386,000 197,000 139,000 146,000
11 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,218,000 335,000 377,000 282,000 136,000 89,000
12 SEA PATROL II - THE COUP Nine 1,215,000 319,000 376,000 217,000 155,000 147,000
14 ENOUGH ROPE WITH ANDREW DENTON: ANGELS AND DEMONS ABC 982,000 288,000 367,000 139,000 80,000 107,000
16 FOUR CORNERS ABC 955,000 282,000 289,000 171,000 87,000 125,000
17 GOOD NEWS WEEK Ten 954,000 324,000 262,000 178,000 92,000 99,000
24 DIRTY SEXY MONEY Seven 679,000 193,000 233,000 101,000 71,000 81,000
28 POWER OF 10 Nine 521,000 156,000 188,000 67,000 57,000 53,000
29 MYTHBUSTERS RPT SBS 520,000 132,000 154,000 116,000 68,000 50,000
37 BOSTON LEGAL (R) Seven 408,000 97,000 157,000 60,000 50,000 44,000
43 FOOTY CLASSIFIED Nine 323,000 195,000 73,000 54,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

It was a week of historic moments in Australian television. On Thursday, Kate Ritchie's character Sally Fletcher left Home and Away after growing up in public for 20 years, and 1.5 million people in the mainland capitals tuned in to say goodbye.

Also on Thursday, the central character in Life On Mars, Detective Inspector Sam Tyler, gave himself a happy ending by committing suicide, which must be a first for a TV series (and which suggests that the program's writers think Heaven is Manchester in the 1970s). Only 757,000 people saw him jump.

On Monday Enough Rope with Andrew Denton pulled the second biggest audience in its history -- 1.5 million to see footballer Wayne Carey hang himself. On Sunday Channel Seven's Gladiators scored the highest audience for any series debut this year -- 1.9 million. But Channel Nine was delighted with its 1.6 m for Without A Trace and 1.5 m for CSI and the ABC was pleased with 1 million for its new coastal dramedy East of Everything, which doesn't beat the SeaChange record but is a strong start.

Those were the highs of the week. The lows went to Nine: only 1.2 million for the return of Sea Patrol and 704,000 for the new game show The Power of Ten. In spite of this, Nine ended the week in a dead heat with Seven -- both averaged 27.7 per cent of the prime time audience, while Ten got 21.9, ABC got a healthy 17.5 (thanks to Wayne Carey and Doc Martin) and SBS got 5.1 (including 241,000 for the year's most underrated show, Newstopia).

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 GLADIATORS Seven 1,571,000 376,000 488,000 322,000 209,000 176,000
2 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,540,000 407,000 497,000 407,000 Not shown 228,000
3 60 MINUTES Nine 1,509,000 442,000 419,000 319,000 126,000 204,000
4 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA Ten 1,361,000 385,000 456,000 266,000 126,000 129,000
5 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,317,000 412,000 422,000 253,000 136,000 94,000
6 CSI Nine 1,313,000 362,000 339,000 265,000 173,000 174,000
7 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - THE WEIGH-IN Ten 1,244,000 357,000 423,000 225,000 113,000 126,000
8 POLICE FILES - UNLOCKED Seven 1,096,000 314,000 406,000 208,000 167,000
9 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,075,000 309,000 345,000 185,000 125,000 111,000
10 MY NAME IS EARL Seven 1,071,000 284,000 318,000 181,000 156,000 132,000
11 RFDS: ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR SERVICE Nine 1,029,000 290,000 257,000 243,000 78,000 162,000
12 ANIMAL EMERGENCY Nine 1,018,000 275,000 260,000 233,000 85,000 163,000
13 WITHOUT A TRACE Nine 1,002,000 238,000 258,000 213,000 147,000 146,000
14 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC 989,000 295,000 293,000 206,000 77,000 118,000
15 BROTHERS & SISTERS Seven 892,000 243,000 317,000 145,000 93,000 94,000
16 ROVE Ten 834,000 243,000 277,000 144,000 85,000 84,000
17 EAST OF EVERYTHING ABC 819,000 284,000 246,000 116,000 63,000 110,000
18 ROBIN HOOD ABC 781,000 232,000 218,000 159,000 81,000 91,000
22 AFL: RND 3: RICHMOND VS COLLINGWOOD Seven 672,000 83,000 309,000 76,000 103,000 101,000
26 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 525,000 320,000 Not shown 186,000 Not shown 19,000
36 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2008 Ten 301,000 77,000 104,000 45,000 40,000 34,000
48 AFL: RND 3: ADELAIDE VS PORT ADELAIDE Seven 232,000 Not shown Not shown Not shown 232,000 Not shown
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, week ending April 5
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 GLADIATORS Seven 1,868,000 452,000 602,000 392,000 219,000 202,000
2 BORDER SECURITY (R) Seven 1,767,000 481,000 471,000 360,000 206,000 249,000
3 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,613,000 372,000 493,000 399,000 152,000 197,000
4 WITHOUT A TRACE Nine 1,583,000 387,000 480,000 302,000 223,000 190,000
5 CSI Nine 1,516,000 383,000 459,000 294,000 192,000 189,000
6 ENOUGH ROPE WITH ANDREW DENTON ABC 1,498,000 325,000 623,000 191,000 172,000 187,000
7 RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES Nine 1,489,000 397,000 488,000 218,000 178,000 207,000
8 NCIS Ten 1,476,000 377,000 426,000 318,000 164,000 190,000
9 SCU: SERIOUS CRASH UNIT Seven 1,466,000 367,000 419,000 308,000 179,000 194,000
10 BONDI RESCUE Ten 1,464,000 409,000 417,000 306,000 136,000 197,000
11 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,459,000 376,000 418,000 269,000 164,000 232,000
12 60 MINUTES Nine 1,419,000 404,000 424,000 282,000 125,000 184,000
13 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,385,000 350,000 368,000 296,000 153,000 218,000
14 POLICE FILES - UNLOCKED Seven 1,369,000 350,000 446,000 244,000 174,000 154,000
15 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,349,000 401,000 318,000 284,000 147,000 199,000
16 DOC MARTIN ABC 1,331,000 355,000 363,000 263,000 177,000 173,000
17 KITCHEN NIGHTMARES U.S.A. Nine 1,330,000 337,000 454,000 215,000 159,000 165,000
18 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,324,000 382,000 368,000 267,000 174,000 133,000
19 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,305,000 350,000 428,000 228,000 136,000 163,000
20 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,296,000 344,000 335,000 261,000 140,000 216,000
21 SEA PATROL II - THE COUP Nine 1,247,000 407,000 327,000 227,000 144,000 142,000
22 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA Ten 1,233,000 353,000 353,000 267,000 140,000 120,000
23 MY NAME IS EARL Seven 1,228,000 310,000 391,000 220,000 163,000 144,000
24 IT TAKES TWO Seven 1,204,000 366,000 348,000 215,000 125,000 150,000
25 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA - RESULTS Ten 1,200,000 320,000 426,000 210,000 111,000 133,000
26 UNDERBELLY Nine 1,197,000 530,000 Not shown 305,000 171,000 191,000
27 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,155,000 293,000 295,000 270,000 102,000 196,000
28 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,148,000 346,000 324,000 221,000 133,000 125,000
29 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,134,000 298,000 383,000 244,000 117,000 93,000
30 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,132,000 306,000 374,000 182,000 120,000 149,000
31 NINE NEWS Nine 1,129,000 275,000 375,000 253,000 130,000 95,000
32 ABC NEWS-SU ABC 1,125,000 300,000 333,000 239,000 113,000 140,000
33 THE CHOPPING BLOCK Nine 1,117,000 333,000 360,000 193,000 117,000 114,000
34 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 1,117,000 286,000 444,000 142,000 130,000 115,000
35 MIDSOMER MURDERS RPT ABC 1,110,000 323,000 324,000 191,000 128,000 144,000
36 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Seven 1,106,000 263,000 314,000 248,000 123,000 158,000
37 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC 1,097,000 279,000 374,000 187,000 125,000 132,000
38 ABC NEWS-EV ABC 1,090,000 279,000 350,000 211,000 110,000 140,000
39 THE REAL SEACHANGE Seven 1,090,000 290,000 288,000 207,000 121,000 184,000
40 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 1,090,000 301,000 330,000 206,000 113,000 140,000
41 GETAWAY Nine 1,081,000 321,000 310,000 210,000 100,000 141,000
42 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,073,000 297,000 343,000 170,000 126,000 137,000
43 WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB Ten 1,060,000 273,000 333,000 182,000 136,000 136,000
44 MEDIA WATCH ABC 1,024,000 284,000 326,000 167,000 112,000 134,000
45 EAST OF EVERYTHING ABC 1,014,000 366,000 299,000 146,000 87,000 117,000
46 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL GALA 2008 Ten 1,014,000 265,000 388,000 147,000 109,000 106,000
47 FOUR CORNERS ABC 1,009,000 299,000 280,000 179,000 114,000 136,000
48 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - ELIMINATION Ten 1,007,000 243,000 348,000 188,000 108,000 120,000
49 HOUSE RPT Ten 992,000 270,000 301,000 152,000 115,000 154,000
50 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 989,000 204,000 263,000 219,000 128,000 174,000
51 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - THE WEIGH-IN Ten 980,000 261,000 293,000 191,000 105,000 130,000
52 ABC NEWS-SA ABC 978,000 298,000 268,000 194,000 92,000 126,000
53 BACK TO YOU Ten 973,000 266,000 290,000 183,000 109,000 124,000
54 HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE -RPT Nine 967,000 279,000 240,000 185,000 115,000 148,000
55 LADETTE TO LADY Nine 955,000 263,000 325,000 127,000 122,000 118,000
56 ANIMAL EMERGENCY Nine 948,000 266,000 234,000 214,000 97,000 137,000
57 LAW AND ORDER: SVU Ten 946,000 271,000 248,000 196,000 95,000 137,000
58 AUSTRALIAN STORY ABC 943,000 276,000 302,000 177,000 82,000 107,000
59 CSI: NY Nine 926,000 276,000 208,000 186,000 127,000 130,000
60 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 923,000 300,000 247,000 168,000 99,000 109,000
(OzTAM mainland capitals)

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). To discuss Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

COMMENTS

Hi
Just wondering is the earlier start for Today (5:30am) - helping their ratings?

Tribal Mind replies: A tiny bit, but I'll review it over this week.

by James on April 07, 2008 at 09:36 AM

Is the ABC trying to hide the fact that it is broadcasting "Swan Lake" live from the Opera House on Wednesday night on ABC2? I have seen no publicity and only a brief note in the Herald's arts page last week.

by Gary on April 07, 2008 at 10:34 AM

Gladiators dropping 300k in a week....Interesting to see how long seven will stick with it. My prediction is gladiators and Loser will battle it out around the 1.2 mil mark.

4 out of the top ten made overseas
5/20 made overseas and 8/30.

Interesting with the writers strike, no new episodes for the mega shows like lost/CSI/etc. Is australia starting to watch more australian shows? Or just more trash that is home grown?

by WD on April 07, 2008 at 01:16 PM

The Life on Mars finale last week was brilliant. Trust ABC to broadcast such a fantastic show. I have thoroughly enjoyed every ep of this show. Who could have thought that a show where the hero dies at the end can bring a smile to your face!

Bring on more great drama, ABC! I love it!

by em on April 07, 2008 at 01:29 PM

I too loved the ending to Life of Mars, although having not watched it on Thursday night Cat's cryptic comment on last week's blog actually sort of gave it to me.. still did not stop me enjoying the episode.
Looking forward to and here's hoping ABC gets and shows Ashes to Ashes.
By the way loved in last week's Robin Hood the "stop that pigeon" line - brought back wacky races and penelope pitstop memories....
Sad this week as it is the last Veronica Mars on Shirl HD.
Now I want new eps of Boston Legal - anyone know when they may arrive?

by Cathy on April 07, 2008 at 03:54 PM

Watched 3 eps of Torchwood and also Season 4 Ep 1 of Doctor Who last night, and as predicted Master almost 7 thought it was fantastic.
Master almost 4 did as well, but was more impressed when he watched a Tom Baker vintage Doctor Who DVD over the weekend and I related the story that Pappy Skerrick once drank beer with Doctor Who.

Tribal Mind asks: Can you give us a brief, non-technical summary of how you obtained these episodes? Once you've downloaded them, does your family watch them on the computer screen or on a TV set, and if the latter, how?

by Bereft Skerrick on April 07, 2008 at 04:47 PM

As requested TM: Usually from Mininova using uTorrent, use VLC media player and played on my computer monitor.
Have been known to burn shows to DVD - was using DVD Santa but don't have the time of the CPU to do this efficiently at present. Found when I trying to burn multiple eps of The Sarah Jane Adventures it was mixing up my episode order.

Tribal Mind asks: That's a non-technical explanation, is it? Can you give us a step by step, including website addresses?

by Bereft Skerrick on April 07, 2008 at 07:52 PM

TM,
Any figures for Suburban Secrets last night? Top quality trash.

Tribal Mind replies: 416,000

by Samuel on April 07, 2008 at 09:39 PM

First Cathy many apologies for spoiling LOM for you. I, like Sam, got a rush of blood to the head.
Bereft I thought the little ones might enjoy the adipose. And the little surprise at the end!
Em the finale of Dr Who this year will have Donna, Martha, Capt Jack, Rose and her family incl Mickey AND Sarah Jane. Sounds fabulous. Oh and there is an episode called the Doctor's Daughter in which the guest actor is Peter Davison's daughter. All that and Sontarans too.
TM here is a link to an explanation of bittorents. Skip the first bit and scroll to the download part.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitTorrent_(protocol)
I used that quite successfully until my ISP started choking torrents (that is explained there as well) and I switched to Usenet which I have found more convenient because it does not depend on other peers. But you do have to pay for a newsgroup service. Mine costs $12 a months for about 10 Gb which is way more than I need for Torchwood, Dr Who, Lost and occassional extras. You use a free newsgroup reader (outlook express can be used if you want), choose a service e.g. Giganews, subscribe to the newsgroups you want (that just means clicking on them in the reader) and start downloading.
All of these things can be as simple (me) or as difficult (techheads) as you choose to make them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet

by Cat on April 08, 2008 at 08:43 AM

"Tribal Mind asks: That's a non-technical explanation, is it? Can you give us a step by step, including website addresses?"
Can I ask why the technical fascination? Is this thing that we all do not kosher? And so should not be discussed on a site which might get "lawyered".

Tribal Mind replies: I'm hoping viewers who are not currently downloading will be enabled to download, and thus share the observations of the minority on this blog who watch programs months in advance.

by WD on April 08, 2008 at 09:09 AM

Awww cmon TM please don't be mean to me :( Let's try again. I don't work for any of the website etc - this isn't "downloads for comment". It's just what I use. This is just a gloss over, there can be more technical stuff and I'm no tech head.
First you need software to download to files, many use uTorrent, there may be better. Found at http://www.utorrent.com/download.php. Once that is installed, you're ready to go.
http://www.mininova.org/ is the search engine I use, you can search for Books, Anime, Games, Movies, Music, Picture, Software, TV Shows and "Other"
When you've searched for and selected something you want, you can Download this torrent! You have an option to open what I call the torrent driver software (starts it up in uTorrent straight away) or save the torrent driver for opening yourself later in uTorrent. uTorrent will give you an ongoing status of what % you're d/l'ed.
Once the file is downloaded you can use something like VLC media player, found at http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ to play. Windows Media Player and Quicktime don't always play all formats, VLC will play a lot.
Make sure that you check that whatever you d/l is actually in the right language. For example, I did a search on Veronica Mars and found a lot of German versions!
Can I go now?

by Bereft Skerrick on April 08, 2008 at 10:36 AM

I see the Power of 10 has sunk without a trace. Hardy surprising. I wonder if all of the pre-recorded contestants will receive their prizes or will ACA need to do a doorstep beat-up on this one too?? You really have to wonder who decides what we will be subjected to on the box, cos they really need to get out more and understand what does and doesnt (wont) succeed...

by ozinoz on April 08, 2008 at 11:43 AM

The POWER OF TEN has just been axed which really makes you wonder about the power of the once almighty nein network.
Good grief - how many shows has nine screened this year and how many have failed miserably.
And to our BOGIE nominations - Kyle Sandilands has just attacked Rove McManus presumebly because Rove is up for a GOLD LOGIE again - seems KYLE is jealour and therefore as a consolation should be a shoe in for this years BLACK BOGIE award - nasty little man that he is -can we please boycott every show he appears in this year ala BIG BROTHER and IDOL - send a clear message - no more KYLE and JACKIE O!

by GJ on April 08, 2008 at 01:10 PM

DCI Tyler's "suicidal leap into the past" is all that I caught after being distracted by Stockinger and forgetting to start the VCR. I had expected the 70's Sam Tyler to look into the bathroom mirror to see his face and body morph into another person. He'd remember a fragment from the future and solve a 70's case. Meanwhile, the present day's Sam would wake from his coma, remember a fragment from the 70's and solve a present day case. The "what am I doing here" theme is satisfied and the viewers have been carefully led up the garden path. The 70's Sam receives a call from a friend at Hyde reminding him that he was "drunk as a skunk" at the party to commiserate his demotion and transfer to Manchester and that his ears should still be ringing with the words "don't come back". A temporal mind swap instead of bodily time-travel. The two Sam's can then continue their lives without creating too many time paradoxes.
Les.

by Les on April 08, 2008 at 01:22 PM

The writers of the Inspector Rex spin-off 'Stockinger' are fleshing out their lead character and discarding the initial "Inspector Clouseau" traits. Stocki still retains his dog-phobia but his crime solving is more psychological than the "fortuitous fragment of blonde hair under the victims finger nails" style. As in 'Unit One' we get to see plenty of scenery in and around the crime scene. 'Right place, right time' play a part, as does his attractive teeth pulling wife, the resentful assistant and the slightly bonkers boss. Definitely a cult show. SBS 7:30 Thurs.
Les.

by Les on April 08, 2008 at 01:32 PM

Tribal Mind replies: I'm hoping viewers who are not currently downloading will be enabled to download, and thus share the observations of the minority on this blog who watch programs months in advance.

Or you could ask us not to comment on shows not yet aired here. (Not hard for me as there are only 3 I download).

by Cat on April 08, 2008 at 01:39 PM

Dr WHO-aholics can listen to David Tennant and Catherine Tate discussing Partners in Crime here :-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/sunday/
Scroll to 18:30 - 1900. You can listen at any time in the next 5 days, then it's gone. .If you only have a dial-up connection you may like to use a streaming media downloader such as StreamDown.

by Les on April 08, 2008 at 01:42 PM

Gee, P10 gonski a little faster than I anticipated!
Hoping that my post on "how to" didn't disappear into the ether.
Vyle must be delusional, apparently he drinks a ridiculous amount of coffee/cola every day, Rove may not be funny, but he's got more talent in one little finger.

by Bereft Skerrick on April 08, 2008 at 01:43 PM

Tribal Mind asks: That's a non-technical explanation, is it? Can you give us a step by step, including website addresses?
I download the same way as Brereft Skerrick. Just search for uTorrent and VLC player in google. They are free downloads. Go to Mininova.org and then search for the torrents you want to download.
To watch them on tv instead of the computer monitor, you will need two cables to connect your computer to the tv (one for video, the other for audio). You can get them from any electrical store. Then you change your display settings to extend your desktop onto another screen. Play the program in VLC and drag it onto the TV screen and click full screen.

by Matty on April 08, 2008 at 01:47 PM

GJ, where did you hear this? I'm just fascinated, have had a passionate hatred for the man for a long time. Mr B. hates him even more, to the point where upon seeing him at the cinema one night, called him a w*%&ker, while the great man pretended he was talking on his mobile phone to Britney (i'm not joking.). Highly entertaining.
Cathy, Boston Legal started back last night, not being a regular viewer am unsure if it is the latest eps, had Freddie Prinze Jr and the fabulous Parker Posey (she as a new lawyer). Recorded it just to see Ms Posey in action. Love her! Can be dumped to disc if you ask our mutual friend (if this is the Cathy i'm thinking of!)

by Beckala on April 08, 2008 at 02:01 PM

There are two ways in watching tv shows from the web.
One you can watch streaming low-medium quality shows on the web on sites such as surfthechannel.com. This site hosts 1000's of episodes of shows from 90's to current. New episodes for new shows are added withing 2 days of broadcasting. This is most leagal way to watch the shows. As nothing is stored on your computer, you are downloading something and so not "sharing" and so on and so fourth. The down side is the quality is lower, you have to be connected to the web to view it and so can only do it on a pc. If you can hook up your pc to your tv so be it. Also if you want to watch the episode a second time you will need to download it again.
The other way to view tv shows is to download them. The methods are many and vary in technicality aswell. If you feel safe enough and confident enough use bit torrent. It is the fastest now and can get a variety of shows. This has been explained above already. One thing that was left out was that after you get the program you need to find a site like mininova.org or thepiratebay.com to find the torrents so you can actually download the shows. Another method is using IRC- Internet Relay Chat. For this you need to be in the know and find the right channels and allowed to be able to download off irc-bots. Its the most difficult to get into but once you are in, you can be assured everyone else is just like you and will be safe.
Lastly, the method I don't recommend but the simplest if you want to download a tv show in good quality then watch it on your tv through burning in onto a dvd or other means is Limewire. Limewire is full of viruses so becareful when you download. You download the limewire program, make sure you get the correct one and not a virus :P. After that you just search for the show you want etc and you can download.
VLC- Video Lan Client a low memory better replacement for windows media player. It players more files etc than media player

by WD on April 08, 2008 at 02:12 PM

Twas quite surprised about the SYTYCD results with Vanessa staying in, despite being slammed by the judges compared to Rhiannon.
Never watched the power of 10. Now I know why. I'm sure Sea Patrol will increase by a lot in the ratings next week with a better lead-in (whatever the replacement program is).
Looking forward to the ABC2 special Swan Lake, on wednesday night from 8pm.

by arthur on April 08, 2008 at 02:34 PM

Despeart Housewives beat Sea Patrol. Ch 9 should move it back to Thursday night and stop calling it Sea Patrol II. Not many people are impressed with sequels and it prevents some new viewers from watching because they think they won't be able to follow the story if they haven't seen the first one.

by J Bar on April 08, 2008 at 02:37 PM

Thanks Cat, for the heads up on Dr Who. Can't wait.
I have been after my son to download new eps for me for ages and so far only got the Kylie Christmas special out of him. He is too busy downloading stuff he likes. I shall have to learn to do it myself.
Anyway, us Virgos are patient and I dont mind waiting for the good Dr to be on ABC. Can't be too far away I should think.
Heard about Vyle's rant about Rove. I'm not a Rove fan particuarly but really, Rove has talent and seems like a nice guy whereas Vyle is just a total nasty,
disgusting creep.
I, for one, will never watch another program that has him on it again. Ever. I absolutely loath him. Talk about the most unecessary personality on TV! A shoe in for Black Bogie.

by em on April 08, 2008 at 02:41 PM

GJ Posted: Kyle Sandilands has just attacked Rove McManus presumebly because Rove is up for a GOLD LOGIE again - seems KYLE is jealour and therefore as a consolation should be a shoe in for this years BLACK BOGIE award
GJ, where did you hear this?
Hi Beckala - at the heraldsun.com.au site - there is a headline report in the entertainment section SANDILANDS TURNS ON ROVE - very interesting reading!

by GJ on April 08, 2008 at 03:14 PM

Bereft aka techie - re d/loading - I am just wondering how long d/loading a show takes with broadband etc, etc. Is this the right forum for a discussion on internet providers and plans?
Has anybody seen Scrapheap Challenge on ABC2 - it's great.
Desperately trying to vote Jason off SYTYCD to no avail..... I think Jack should win.

by Shoopie on April 08, 2008 at 03:22 PM

Beckala - it was the right Cathy you were thinking of - the Boston Legal you saw last night is a repeat - from season 3 - I had to look up IMDB to confirm.... not the latest season - for a moment you had me worried that I had missed the new season
New season has John Larroquette as another partner joining the firm.
Mrs Skerrick I too read the article about Vyle and coffee/ cola and chocolate and then he expresses surprise that he suffers migraines - quel surprise I say!!! He is certainly not the poster boy for a good and healthy diet, but then again what on earth would he be the poster boy for - the article was on workaholics - I can think of another word starting with w to describe Vyle - just as Mr Beckala did.
Cat you did not limit my enjoyment of LOM just gave me a clue to the conclusion apology accepted - still thought it was a good way to end up. My random thoughts on it though was there were a couple of threads not really finished - Maya had originally been kidnapped by a serial killer and although she tells Sam to let her go in the second series there is not a resolution on whether she was found. Also Sam with all his technology - why did he not try and look up Gene etc to see if they were real - it is my logical mind starting to ask them practical questions...

by Cathy on April 08, 2008 at 03:36 PM

I'm with the rest when it comes to Vyle Ants-in-his-pants. It beggars belief that someone with as little talent as he, but an ego that suffices for the rest in the Australian entertainment industry, gets the exposure that he does.
I have not watched Idol since Vyle started with the show, and will not watch Big Brother.
Perhaps the exposure of such talentless hacks is symptomatic of TV in Australia, and goes somewhat to explain the reduction in viewers?

by Rob on April 08, 2008 at 03:52 PM

I d/l from eztv.it, as the hosting site. I like this site as they update pretty quickly as program airs and their menu is usually very user friendly... They also link to Mininova.
Once program downloaded, either watch on computer (nice big screen) or on TV... if it is something like Dr Who or Spooks, burn to disc for TV only viewing.. looks better on even bigger screen... something like Pushing Daisies, mostly on computer, nice to watch but not worth burning to disc.
Shoopie - my broadband takes average of 2 hours to d/l but as well as ISP speed, it can also depend on seeds to leechers ratio... if leechers outnumber the seeds, it can slow the process... If more people requesting downloads than people uploading. That is demand greatly outstripping supply. On the more popular shows, this will not happen but try to download Dr Who Confidental and it takes way too long to d/l. This number seeds vs leechers changes all the time as the hosting site continually co-ordinates them.
For novices: seeds are the people upload the program on the hosting site making it available for people to download... leechers are the opposite, downloaders of the program from the hosting site... Not 100% accurate because of your ISP speed etc but generally the higher the seeds ratio to leechers, you will get a faster download (in my experience) it also depends on the actual file size... The higher the resolution, the bigger the file and the longer it takes... E.g. I d/l spooks which is the same length as Dr Who but due to the resolution is twice the size.... it can only be compressed down so much I guess....
TM - clear as mud?

by kate on April 08, 2008 at 04:01 PM

D/l speed will also depend on your CPU etc. I have a 6 year old machine at home which can take years to download simple stuff. However, as mentioned above by kate, high seed numbers mean you can d/l faster, TW and DW on the weekend d/l'ed very quickly. They are current and popular. However try and d/l something like P10 (unpopular), Season 1 of Veronica (old) or 10 Reasons to Like Vyle (non existent) it'd be dreadfully slow, let alone there'd be few seeds.

by Bereft Skerrick on April 08, 2008 at 04:41 PM

My viewing of shows is not through download - never learnt how to do it, and that technical side of it is a bit much for me (I can use a computer just fine, it's all the programming etc that I just don't get). I use the fanpop website (www.fanpop.com) to view Scrubs, Lost and Greys. It's pretty reliable - doesn't take too long - for example, Scrubs is shown on Thursday night US time, by 10pm Friday night it'll be on there. SO that keeps me pretty happy.

As for Kyle - my god, what a tool. Jealous of a person who has talent, perhaps? He is just a waste of space - definitely not going to view any programs he or his dumber companion Jackie O are in this year. Morons, the both, can't believe that channel teen would give her more air time after failing in so many formats. Let alone King Tool Kyle.

by Beckala on April 08, 2008 at 04:54 PM

Kate wrote: For novices: seeds are the people upload the program on the hosting site making it available for people to download... leechers are the opposite, downloaders of the program from the hosting site... Not 100% accurate because of your ISP speed etc but generally the higher the seeds ratio to leechers, you will get a faster download (in my experience) it also depends on the actual file size...

It also depends on how popular the show is you are trying to download as that will increase the seeders. I gave up on torrents involuntarily because my ISP choked them but in the end even though I have to pay a small amount for the newsgroup service I am happy. I can go directly to the specific newsgroup for Dr Who and get it in 40-50 minutes and am able to get the Confidentials Kate talks about because it does not matter how many others are involved (i.e. seeders and leechers) it is always available and as quickly as anything else on the newsgroup. But then again I stress torrents are no longer an option for me.

So to make my point if you are really thinking about downloading and you try either torrents or usenet (newsgroups) your experience may be determined not by your software but your isp's attitude - i.e. do they choke either. If you look at the Whirlpool (broadband choice) site and find your isp in the list it will not take long to work out if your isp chokes either method.

by Cat on April 08, 2008 at 05:04 PM

Thanks Tribal Mind, i really appreciate you adding Boston Legal and Footy Classified to the Monday Chart. Its not an epic battle in prime time but i like to keep track. Interesting that FC fell 25% from last week in Melbourne which is odd. Will be interested to see next whether this was a one off slump.

Glad to see Denton remaining around the one million mark following on from the publicity surrounding his interview with Wayne Carey. His one off specials regularly cover topics that require greater community awareness. He has benn responsible for some fantastic interviews over the years. His interviews with Renee Rivkin prior to and following his sentencing remain some of the most gripping and insightful television i've been lucky enough to see.

by F.S on April 08, 2008 at 09:17 PM

Thanks for sharing Cat, as I find downloading torrents unbelievably slow (mostly because I have a taste for obscure and very bad sci-fi). I have time, not download, limits on my internet plan and so I can only download shows for a limited period of time each month. Been downloading Season 4 of Sliders for about three months now and still only halfway through (told you my taste was bad).

How do I sign up for Usenet?

by genfie on April 09, 2008 at 08:29 AM

Turkey no 2 for channel 9: Power of 10 - what will be next ? ....

by Randwick Geoff on April 09, 2008 at 10:35 AM

Last night was barren of anything worth watching . At least tonight there is Spicks & Specks. But I think Nein is in for a big letdown if they think anyone is going to watch "My Kid's a Star". Just from the previews it looks like total train wreck TV.
Then again some people like that sort of stuff, though I have absolutely no idea why. I hate "reality" TV!
Be interesting to see how it rates. Nein is really scraping the bottom of the barrel now. It must be desperate for a hit.

by em on April 09, 2008 at 11:17 AM

Like Kate I'm also a fan of EZTV. However I can highly recommend private trackers such as "Funfile" or "Torrents For All".
Using Funfile I downloaded Doctor Who on Sunday morning in just over 7 minutes at a speed that peaked at over 1 mb per second.
You won't get that from EZTV.
I also recommend getting a mediaplayer to connect to your TV rather than spending time converting file formats and burning to disc. I'm using the Mediagate MG-350HD and I'm happy to recommend it to anyone.
7 minutes to d/l Doctor Who and 3 more minutes more to transfer it across my wireless network to the mediaplayer.
That's just enough time to make the breakfast to eat while watching it

by Sahara on April 09, 2008 at 12:12 PM

Thanks ladies re d/loading - I'm off to do some research!!

by Shoopie on April 09, 2008 at 01:17 PM

Ch7 should start showing new season of BL, it is fabulous! Was worried about all the cast changes from last season, but it still works! Hard to say much more without spoilers but when in one ep, it is absolutely hilarious when John Laroquette's character recaps what has happened during his time at Crane, Poole & Schmidt... Bring it on 7.. your loyal BL fans deserve new eps! Me, I am undeserving as I have already d/l'd ... :o)

by kate on April 09, 2008 at 03:13 PM

'The Moment of Truth' is one of my guilty pleasures. I know it's trashy but I find it very entertaining. Whoever has seen the episode last week (1st April) would know what I mean. It's like watching a train wreck!
David, which demographic is lapping up TMOT?

by Edu on April 09, 2008 at 06:56 PM

For downloaders, tvtorrents.com isn't too bad either but might be a bit much for people that dont understand upload/download ratios.

I use Azureus to download because it has excellent encryption that I believe largely defeats the shaping my ISP likes to perform on p2p. VLC to watch on PC or I stream to my tv using my PS3.

by AJ on April 09, 2008 at 10:15 PM

"Been downloading Season 4 of Sliders for about three months now and still only halfway through"

Posted by genfie on April 09, 2008 at 08:29 AM.

Shouldn't take that long even on a slower broadband connection. However, you state that you have no download limits but time limits instead? Surely you're not trying to download on a dial-up connection? If you are then you win the "Most Patient Person of the Week" award.

If you're using broadband then the reason you're downloads are so slow is that you need to bypass the firewall and forward the ports on your router/modem. Go to http://portforward.com/ for some help.

There are a number of experienced downloaders here. For those of you who want to learn but think it's too hard then perhaps you should ask some questions. I'm sure your fellow posters will only be too happy to help

by Sahara on April 09, 2008 at 10:20 PM

genfie it sounds like your ISP might be choking as well. To download via usenet you will need 1. a newsreader program. 2. a usenet provider and 3. a decoder that basically unzips the files you download and turn them into the avi (takes 60-90 secs).

I also have a par file unzipper that fixes corrupt files but thankfully I rarely need that. All but the provider can be downloaded for free. I personally use Grabit, Giganews, WinRAR and QuickPar and they all work well for me but I am sure the alternatives are just as good.

To make the basics clearer than I can here this is a link to the tutorials my provider offers. Read them rather than watch the videos - much faster.
http://www.giganews.com/usenet-university/

My only other advice would be to subscribe to specific groups if the show has them (Dr Who group is excellent) but otherwise use the search facility and just select the files from there rather than refreshing the entire group. I do this with Lost which is usually on a group called Multimedia that has a massive range of stuff and so can be really cumbersome and waste bandwidth. Oh and newsgroups cover a lot more than tv so look for groups that begin with alt.binaries, for e.g. alt.binaries.drwho, if you are looking for TV shows.

by Cat on April 10, 2008 at 08:35 AM

Just wanted to say that I am loving UNderbellY! It is awesome. Glad I don't live in Melbourne as I would be missing out!

Tribal Mind adds: And you might get in the way of the bullets.

by Shell on April 10, 2008 at 09:53 AM

Using Funfile I downloaded Doctor Who on Sunday morning in just over 7 minutes at a speed that peaked at over 1 mb per second.
by Sahara
Sorry to say sahara but you are quite wrong. If you set up the RSS feed on EZTV, (another level up on simple torrents:P) you can get the episodes you want as soon as they come availble on EZTV. This means you leave you comp on during the day etc or nite but im using ADSL2+ and I regularly only have to wait 15-25 mins for LOST, and max 20 mins for Samantha Who, How I met you mother, Scrubs. The way I am getting these file so quickly is im uploading at 50kb/sec which means people want to give me files. Any torrent on EZTV I start, within five minutes im dling at 200kb/sec. Yes it doesnt compare to your 1megbit but I dont really mind the difference and EZTV has everything that I need and one of the fastest to release.

by WD on April 10, 2008 at 09:53 AM

Turkey no 3 for channel 9 - My kids a star ....

by Randwick Geoff on April 10, 2008 at 10:15 AM

I only saw the end of My Kid's A Star, as I was waiting for Underbelly. Just as terrible as I expected. So cruel to put those young kids through that. I expect a drop off next week too.
Come back McLeod's Daughters. All is forgiven.
I think Underbelly has improved heaps. It was good at the start but in the last three weeks it has been brilliant. Still some gratuitous sex and nudity but at least they're starting to show a bit more of the criminal activity that made them so notorious.
I like Rules of Engagement. It's starting to hit it's stride now and much improved since the first episode. Back To You gives me a few chuckles but it's not as funny. The Armstrong and Miller Show on the ABC is also very good comedy at 9.30pm.

by J Bar on April 10, 2008 at 10:30 AM

878,000 people watched My kids a Star , heh! Not good figures for a new show. Nein picked another loser.
You'd think they'd learn.

by em on April 10, 2008 at 10:39 AM

Finally found a way back in to WWA. Liking but not loving 'Underbelly' - I did not support it based on violence, and have only watched a few eps, but Jason's assassination ep was very good even if sad and violent. P of 10 came and went while I was still watching Steve and Karl beat it up on Today! It does beg a question about the competence of Ch 9 programmers - guys get out more, maybe spend a bit of time in suburban homes. People have no 'attention span' if their 'attention' is not won early and then held (eg UB). The human brain is changing due to the comm's revolution. Try having a conversation with a young person. If you don't make a point in first ten seconds they walk away.
TM, My young adult kids want to know what's happening with 'Supernatural'. I told them it was probably affected by writers strike. Any news?

Tribal Mind relies: It was affected by writers' strike, but unlike Cashmere Mafia, it is coming back -- though not necessarily this year.

by Rexx on April 10, 2008 at 11:01 AM

Flipped over to "my kid's a star" a few times last night, while watching "Back To You" (which I'm thinking is starting to grow on me), but after a few punishing glances decided to stay with Ten through the ad breaks & stick sharp things in my eyes instead. Less painful. Couldn't help noticing though that "My Kid's a Star" seems to be set in the Big Ugly White Mansion that Biggest Loser rejected. It looked like it was filmed in someone's uncle's loungeroom. Not to mention the actual subjects of the whole enterprise. Horrible children, frightening parents, scary judges. And none of so bad that it's rivetting. Just plain bad. Not sure if Nine deserves (more) derision or if I'm starting to feel sorry for them.

by darren on April 10, 2008 at 11:19 AM

Almost didn't watch My Kind's a Star because the ads were a turn-off but my 12 yo insisted on watching - good thing too - it was hysterically funny! We were still laughing about it this morning. So, it's lame, but funny, not that it is meant to be. I hope more people tune in and it survives, if just to provide me with some comic relief.

by LAH on April 10, 2008 at 01:10 PM

Channel NEIN's programming department must look like a war zone - programmes dumped, rescheduled, reformatted and still they don't rate - think MONSTER HOUSE, POWER OF TEN and now MY KID'S A STAR.
What a shocker of a program - 10 narcsisstic mother/daughter, mother/son combinations vying for 50,000 and a chance at stardom - at the other end three equally unattractive judges and cameron daddo as the host - all in all a recipe for a ratings disaster - for a start the parents are slightly more entertaning but far less attractive than the kids - so its their show but its just not appealing to the viewer - who wants to see a group of brats including one who looks like a drag queen and towers even over the host daddo trying their hearts out to look stupid on television - the parents are a disgrace for even subjecting their kids to this sort of rubbish and they seemed to cry more than their kids last night - one questions who really wants to be the star in this load of crap - it was woeful not only for the subject matter but moreso for cameron daddo's dreadful attempts to try and keep the suspense going in what could only be described as one of the worst reality shows in living memory!

by GJ on April 10, 2008 at 01:25 PM

Turkey no 2 for channel 9: Power of 10 - what will be next ? ....
Ah, My Kid's A Star, perhaps. I actually meant to watch this but totally forgot. Seems like the rest of Australia did as well.

by Mr Brady on April 10, 2008 at 02:04 PM

Hey TM - Grant James here - have been meaning to thankyou for resurrecting the BOGIES AWARDS this year - what began as a bit of fun last year has certainly become a platform for a lot of people out their in BLOGLAND to say what they really think about Australian TV - congrats to you for making this what I hope will now be an annual event - while I'm sure we all love a lot of what we see on the box (as flat these days as it now is) - we as viewers also need some space to vent our spleens - and by what I've seen we 'need to vent' - we as viewers are continually treated with a great deal of contempt - it's never about what the viewer wants - it seems its always about what the 'sponsors', 'advertisors' or the network executives want - the last year has seen a range of dud shows, even more dud presenters - the elevation of nobodies like VILE AND JACKIE 0 - the rescheduling of programmes, and the abandoning of others - the litany of unscheduled repeats that seem to creep in when we least expect it and the overall drop in the standard in formats like news and current affairs. Think TODAY TONIGHT and A
CURRENT AFFAIR - how many times have they chased each other this year because they've run out of real stories to chase!
The BOGIES are our salvation and I was wondering if this year whether we could create a mock statuette for the eventual BLACK BOGIE winner - was just wondering if anyone out there in the BLOG CYPERSPACE had the talent to create a statuette we could send to the eventual winner with maybe a photo pic to appear when all the BOGIE winners are announced - it seems only fair that the winner get the notoriety that they surely deserve!

by GJ on April 10, 2008 at 02:13 PM

"Sorry to say sahara but you are quite wrong"
Posted by WD on April 10, 2008 at 09:53 AM

Hmmm. I'm a touch puzzled by your posting.
1. I already said I'm a fan of EZTV.
2. I also use the RSS feed
3. I can upload a lot quicker than 50kbs
4. I can also download at 200kbs+ via EZTV but not on all torrents
5. Using private trackers I usually get 500kbs+ and often exceed 1mbs+
6. Seven mins is a shorter time than 20 mins
So you will have to forgive me if I suggest that I'm having a little difficulty in discovering what part of my post was "quite wrong".

by Sahara on April 10, 2008 at 03:07 PM

Ah, GJ, thanks again for the Bogies. My only problem with your idea to create a Black Bogie statuette is that it is looking likely that the prize will go to Vile Sandypants. He certainly doesn't need any punishment, and would spend a week of his radio show talking about how much he hates bloggers and that we're all idiots who don't understand how cool and awesomely talented he is. Not sure what his talent is, exactly, but he is confidently sure he is full of it.

by Beckala on April 10, 2008 at 06:54 PM

My kids a star is brilliantly trashy. I spent the majority of the time on the floor LMAO. Everyone is so absolutely TALENTLESS. It's fantastic. Girls who can't sing, girls and boys who can't dance to save themselves but whose parents think they actually have potential...i mean...COME ON.
And really what are they vying for? Advertising opportunities?...i'm sorry but you'd prolly have more luck trying to get yourself an actual agent then letting ch9 do the work. In fact ch9 nine will probably sabotage your career before it starts...and oh cameron daddo...how I laughed.
And the 1st girl who got kicked out? "please remember this face because one day i will be famous"...no offense hun but if you're going to be famous it'll probably include the word...scandal...somewhere.
It's almost as good as ladette to lady, which i think is so brilliantly placed after kitchen nightmares.

by LJ on April 10, 2008 at 11:08 PM

When is channel 7 planning to show Private Practice, Lipstick jungle and the second season of Ugly Betty? It would fix alot of empty slots right now.. especially its Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 slot. It would dramatically improve its weekly lineup. As far as im concerned, there are about 8 -9 episode of betty and practice =)

by Joseph on April 10, 2008 at 11:46 PM

RE:Sahara "Quite Wrong"
Maybe not quite wrong lol, I just think that private trackers are not worth the time and supporting EZTV or mininova or other free for all trackers is better for the whole (also better legally).
The point of private trackers is that your have to upload as much as you download or you have to pay for it. With TV shows this can be quite difficult as if you are not one of the first to download then your ratio goes down and you have to start paying for it. My ratio for most torrents is around 0.8-1.0 on EZTV. I get that naturally due to the upload I set and the time required for download plus watching etc. I would have to leave my computer on and leave the torrents open for much longer. This may be fine if you are dling one or two shows a week but for me this is unacceptable. I have access to some private trackers and yes the speeds I get from them is amazing but for me it makes no difference whether I watch a show friday late arvo or saturday morning.
How long do you have to leave the torrents open to keep your ratio up?
RE: Joseph
I think the reason Seven isnt going to screen any of those shows until it can basically run them continously from the end of the current episodes to the point when new episodes come out in september.

by WD on April 11, 2008 at 10:12 AM

Joseph posted: "When is channel 7 planning to show Private Practice, Lipstick jungle and the second season of Ugly Betty? It would fix alot of empty slots right now.. especially its Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 slot. It would dramatically improve its weekly lineup."

My guess is 7 is waiting until the Underbelly jugernaut is over. Then bring out the big guns so they get them over the second half of the year, with Olympics, plus all of these new episodes and shows people have been waiting for. I don't think they want to try to fight Underbelly, because they know they'll lose, so they're just putting on movies that will hopefully appeal to older viewers who may be less likely to watch the bogans on Underbelly.

by Beckala on April 11, 2008 at 11:13 AM

Hey TM, how is Neighbours rating now that the young guy from Idol, Dean Geyer is on. I thought all the little teeens that voted for him in Idol would flock to see him in Neighbours but havent seen Neighbours in the figures. Just curious.
Noticed too that Medium is slowly slipping away. It has got a little boring lately.

Tribal Mind replies: They look unchanged, but I'll include Neighbours in the chart next week.

by em on April 11, 2008 at 11:22 AM

Thanks channel 9 for taking off Gilmore Girls on sunday for an encore of Power of 10 yeah that worked didn't it , at least Everwood was still shown. Stop mucking around with Gilmore Girls and Everwood and let us watch it in peace.

by Shelly on April 11, 2008 at 12:20 PM

Channel 9 has to be the most sorry acuse for a network i've seen. I mean who the hell would commission a show such as my kid's a star. It's was a disaster in the making With all the flops this year so far you'd swear they had a team of wrinkly old farts running the show. But what still amazes me is how close the ratings are. Just proves that people will watch any trash.

by Mckellan on April 11, 2008 at 01:21 PM

On Thursdays evenings when the Y front has shuffled off to bed and I have the remote, I surf between Medium and Ghost Whisperer ... not out of interest - just in the name of research.
Firstly, Medium - some synonyms of medium are: average, common, middling, ordinary. How true! If I were Joe I would have smothered Patricia/Alison with a pillow long ago just for her whiny voice. And why is he still sleeping in the same bed as a woman who spends half the night waking up in fright. I would have moved to another, quieter room to get some sleep after employing the pillow again.
As for Ghost Whisperer ...just an excuse for JLH to run around wearing the most inappropriate clothing for the weather - does she ever wear a sleeve? - pouting prettily and squinting through a forest of fake eyelashes. I think I know where Channel Teen's wardrobe department sources her ideas.
Someone earlier mentioned Channel Nein's programming department - I think it's a couple of monkeys with typewriters - the old fashioned ones with ribbons. Obviously they haven't spent long enough locked in the room if the best they can come up with is PoT and My Kids a Flop or whatever it's called.

by Shoopie on April 11, 2008 at 03:43 PM

I couldn't resist sharing some thoughts on my latest downloading discovery... Gladiators! Obviously it's not on tv over here, so torrentz.com helps me out there... SO cheesy, but SO funny! I actually think they have a hit a home run as far as family entertainment goes. Good choice of hosts (were they deliberately going for clones of Mike Hammond and Kimberly Joseph?) and easy on the eye Gladiators..... the games are pretty good (2nd episode better than the first) and overall production values were high standard.... Even the fake acting with the red card was hilarious!
I just feel sorry for 'John' why does he always get the second whistle?! WHY?!

by Daniel in Dubai on April 11, 2008 at 06:10 PM

Bugger! Life in Cold Blood is on Nein. Just what an Attenborough doco needs - lots of ad interruptions.

by Cat on April 11, 2008 at 06:21 PM

Shoopie posted: As for Ghost Whisperer ...just an excuse for JLH to run around wearing the most inappropriate clothing for the weather - does she ever wear a sleeve? - pouting prettily and squinting through a forest of fake eyelashes. I think I know where Channel Teen's wardrobe department sources her ideas.
Shoopie, Channel teen can't lay claim for that one, Ghost Whisperer is actually on 7 (but it does seem more like a ten show, so I understand the confusion!)
I actually missed My Kids a Star - having worked in the theatre and dance world as a child, i've witnessed too many stage parents to last me a lifetime! I just don't know how people can find that entertaining - don't Britney and Lindsay show that stage parenting can lead children down a very bad road?

by Beckala on April 12, 2008 at 08:01 AM

by Beckala on April 12, 2008 at 08:01 AM
Well, dang me, Beckala, I was trying to draw everyone's attention to JLH's wardrobe and our favourite newsreader's. Oh, well, I will fall back on TT and ACA tactics and never let the facts get in the way of a good story...
PS For a good laugh, check out said newsreader's profile on Wikipedia.

Tribal Mind wonders: Far be it from me to enter a private conversation, but which newsreader? I've lost the thread here.

by Shoopie on April 12, 2008 at 04:47 PM

Could you let me know how did cheaper by the Dozen went last night, as it seems it would of done pretty for ch7.

Tribal Mind replies: Certainly, but what do you mean by "how did cheaper by the Dozen went" and "seems it would of done pretty for ..."? it's just as well this column doesn't impose a communications test.
CBTH was only shown in Sydney (where it got 238,000 viewers) and Brisbane (where it got 136,000). The rest of the country had some sort of boring football.

by mandy on April 13, 2008 at 06:15 AM

Tribal Mind wonders: Far be it from me to enter a private conversation, but which newsreader? I've lost the thread here.
TM, thread started so long ago that it has started to unravel, however, the newsreader in question is Sandra Sully.

by Shoopie on April 13, 2008 at 09:17 AM

TM,
Is there any way you could please add Before The Game and The Fifth Quarter (if it's logged separately to Saturday Night AFL) to the Saturday chart for yesterday and in the future? It would give a fuller picture of AFL viewership on Saturday nights.
I ask because I spent the weekend in Melbourne, where I ended up spending most of the night on Ten's stellar AFL coverage and stumbled upon Before The Game, a luxury we are not privy to in Sydney. Thanks in advance.

Tribal Mind replies: I will, but why does it matter? How will knowing how many people watch discussions about football in another city help you enjoy the game?

by Samuel on April 13, 2008 at 04:24 PM

RE: Before the Game numbers
It won't help me enjoy the game, but if Ten bothered to show it in Syd+Bris, I would certainly enjoy that.
I know that being NRL states, we are assumed to have little to no interest in AFL, but could Ten really do much worse than what they show already before the AFL?? I can't Simpsons repeats and "It's Me or the Fat Dog" set the ratings world on fire. I figure Ten should just bite the bullet and show it nationally. Who knows, maybe a non-AFL fan might watch for the comedy and not just for the football.

by Samuel on April 13, 2008 at 10:04 PM

Ah, but Samuel, 'It's Me or the Fat Dog' was great viewing! Gotta love seeing a pudgy chihuahua on a treadmill!

by Beckala on April 14, 2008 at 08:05 AM

Ah, but Samuel, 'It's Me or the Fat Dog' was great viewing! Gotta love seeing a pudgy chihuahua on a treadmill!

by Beckala on April 14, 2008 at 08:05 AM

Isn't that The Footy Show?

by Shoopie on April 14, 2008 at 10:00 AM

Before The Game is shown in Sydney and Brisbane. It was on last Saturday night on Ten at 2.10am Sunday morning, but was on at 6pm Saturday on TEN HD.

Tribal Mind replies: Thanks, we'll all be setting our recording devices.

by cpandilo on April 14, 2008 at 11:39 AM

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