Who We Are

Wednesday May 9, 2007 04:08 PM

Monday, March 30, 2009

The Tribal Mind: Capturing the zeitgeist on film

To nominate Australia's most thought-provoking places, go to Who We Are

by David Dale
Some films sell a lot of tickets and are forgotten ten minutes after you leave the multiplex. Other films make less money but are recognized years later as having captured the spirit of their times. Lets call them the zeitgeist flicks.

The perfect example is Wall Street, which gave a name to the 80s: "The greed is good decade" (although you could also make a case for the 80s zeitflick being Fatal Attraction, Working Girl or Trading Places).

The zeitflick of the 50s was Rebel Without A Cause. The 60s ended with Easy Rider. Shampoo or Saturday Night Fever symbolised the 70s. I'd say the 90s zeitflick was American Beauty, but if you were under 30, it was Reality Bites and if you were under 20, it was Clueless.

Last weekend I saw the zeitflick of the Noughties. I rest my entire case on this quote: "I had this guy leave me a voicemail at work, so I called him at home, and then he emailed me to my BlackBerry, and so I texted to his cell, and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It's exhausting." Can you identify which of the following movies that came from?

The highest grossing films so far in 2009: Gran Torino $14.9 million; He's Just Not That Into You $14.2m; Yes Man $13.5m; Bride Wars $11.5 m; Bolt $11.3m; Marley and Me $9.8m. (This doesn't include Twilight at $21.6m or Slumdog Millionaire at $18.6m, because they started their runs last year).

Clue: One is a drama about social stereotypes, one is a slapstick farce, two are about heroic dogs, and two are comedies about female friendship.

That probably didn't help you narrow the answer down to He's Just Not That Into You. Its main message seems to be that most men are bastards and most women are idiots, but that's been said in several previous decades. What's particular about the Noughties, and about this film, is that our means of communication have multiplied a hundredfold, and yet we still don't understand each other.

The observation I quoted above is made by a character called Mary, played by Drew Barrymore, whose production company bought the rights to turn HJNTIY from a book into a film. Barrymore gave herself the role of Mary because she shared her view on communication: "I would call the writers all the time and say 'I really want to talk about how confused I am with technology'. This is a new era, a new generation. What does this text message mean? A hundred years ago we waited months at a time for just a letter. We're living in a day and age where everything is instant gratification in the pocket of your jeans."

Before I saw HJNTIY, I was tossing up among several other candidates for the zeitflick of this decade. Syriana gives a pretty good explanation of why people become terrorists. Little Fish says something about multicultural suburbia. Michael Clayton portrays the ruthlessness of big business. Babel shows the interconnectedness of nations. The Dark Knight appears to be about urban alienation and individual responsibility, but might only be deep on the surface. Just about anything Meryl Streep has done in the past nine years made some point about modern life.

But sitting in the cinema for HJNTIY, I noticed several young women had their phones in their hands and were sending text messages as they watched the film. Presumably they were telling their friends about its best lines. Perhaps they were texting Drew Barrymore's remark about being rejected on seven different technologies. And that's what the iDecade is all about.

To nominate other zeitflicks for the Noughties, go to Comments

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 10:55 AM
Comments (4)

The Who We Are update: Week 14

This week of the blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but no longer current. For the latest discussion of popular culture in Australia, bookmark blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.
To vote for TV's most embarrassing, annoying and underrated, go to The Bogie Awards.
To name Australia's most thought-provoking places, go to Who We Are.

The ratings race, updated 10 am Monday
What metaphor should we use for Channel Seven's previously successful programming schedule: a line of dominoes or a house of cards? Either way, the removal of one show almost brought the structure down. Without Packed to the Rafters, Seven was on the brink of turning into number two. It was only the prayers of The Vicar of Dibley that saved Seven on Saturday night.

Seven won the week with 27.7 per cent of the prime time audience. Nine was winning until Saturday, but ended up with 27.4 per cent (and the highest share of viewers aged 18-49). That's because its programming structure is just as fragile, built almost entirely upon Underbelly 2.

Only Ten had any reason to be cracking the champagne this week. Thanks to NCIS, Bondi Rescue, The Biggest Loser and SYTYCDA, it won with viewers aged 16-39 and managed 23.3 per cent of the total audience (with the ABC on a healthy 16.9 and SBS on a sickly 4.7).

Here's Pay TV's account of itself for the week: "The Socceroos set a new audience record for subscription TV when 431,000 viewers watched Live: Football: World Cup Qualifier Aust. v Uzbekistan on FOX Sports, the biggest audience ever to a program on STV. In other sport this week, Live: NRL Storm v Titans was watched by 275,000 people, 223,000 viewers watched Live: AFL Geelong v Richmond, 95,000 watched Live: Rugby Union: S14 Waratahs v Storm and Live: Football: EPL Blackburn v Tott was seen by 82,000 viewers (all on FOX Sports).

"In entertainment programming, Family Guy on FOX8 was seen by 150,000 people, NCIS on TV1 was seen by 131,000 viewers and Grand Designs on Lifestyle had its biggest audience of the year with 88,000 people. 86,000 people watched As the Bell Rings on Disney Channel, Friends on 111 Hits had its best audience of the year-to-date with 81,000 people as did Handy Manny on Playhouse Disney with 74,000 people."

This week we enter the black hole that is the Easter "non-ratings period". This column will continue to update you on how many are watching the parade of repeats and second-raters the networks have planned for us.

What Australia watched, week ending April 4, 2009
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 UNDERBELLY: A TALE OF TWO CITIES Nine 2,128,000 689,000 655,000 322,000 214,000 247,000
2 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,599,000 426,000 513,000 331,000 124,000 204,000
3 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,559,000 414,000 409,000 341,000 177,000 218,000
4 NCIS Ten 1,552,000 465,000 375,000 344,000 174,000 195,000
5 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,537,000 452,000 409,000 301,000 160,000 215,000
6 CUSTOMS Nine 1,506,000 414,000 477,000 300,000 155,000 161,000
7 BONDI RESCUE Ten 1,504,000 514,000 363,000 309,000 139,000 179,000
8 FIND MY FAMILY Seven 1,489,000 439,000 437,000 256,000 150,000 208,000
9 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,438,000 427,000 435,000 240,000 146,000 191,000
10 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - THE WEIGH-IN Ten 1,420,000 419,000 380,000 322,000 118,000 181,000
11 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,404,000 406,000 383,000 278,000 132,000 205,000
12 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,398,000 375,000 382,000 308,000 126,000 206,000
13 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,395,000 401,000 473,000 187,000 165,000 168,000
14 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,383,000 342,000 328,000 358,000 158,000 197,000
15 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE -REUNION Nine 1,382,000 367,000 431,000 292,000 116,000 175,000
16 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,376,000 425,000 428,000 265,000 148,000 110,000
17 NCIS RPT Ten 1,338,000 395,000 381,000 261,000 148,000 151,000
18 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,313,000 446,000 372,000 200,000 137,000 158,000
19 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA Ten 1,305,000 391,000 404,000 254,000 107,000 149,000
20 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,296,000 331,000 417,000 252,000 140,000 156,000

21 60 MINUTES Nine 1,227,000 363,000 359,000 230,000 114,000 161,000
22 TWO AND A HALF MEN -MON Nine 1,212,000 296,000 453,000 221,000 112,000 129,000
23 TRIPLE ZERO HEROES Seven 1,207,000 363,000 384,000 286,000 173,000
24 LAW AND ORDER: SVU Ten 1,206,000 338,000 363,000 258,000 121,000 125,000
25 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Seven 1,178,000 330,000 361,000 218,000 127,000 142,000
26 CRIME INVESTIGATION AUSTRALIA Nine 1,171,000 365,000 383,000 199,000 120,000 105,000
27 TWO AND A HALF MEN -EP1 Nine 1,167,000 308,000 390,000 241,000 98,000 131,000
28 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,162,000 319,000 342,000 226,000 144,000 130,000
29 GETAWAY Nine 1,161,000 294,000 423,000 231,000 100,000 113,000
30 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 1,157,000 369,000 273,000 243,000 110,000 163,000
31 ADULTS ONLY 20 TO 1 Nine 1,136,000 265,000 396,000 200,000 128,000 147,000
32 NINE NEWS Nine 1,136,000 311,000 360,000 249,000 123,000 93,000
33 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,130,000 342,000 331,000 218,000 123,000 116,000
34 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,128,000 380,000 354,000 180,000 124,000 89,000
35 CSI Nine 1,126,000 326,000 338,000 218,000 138,000 107,000
36 THE MENTALIST Nine 1,122,000 301,000 376,000 210,000 124,000 111,000
37 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - ELIMINATION Ten 1,109,000 328,000 303,000 239,000 94,000 145,000
38 TWO AND A HALF MEN -EP2 Nine 1,109,000 282,000 380,000 216,000 105,000 124,000
39 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS Nine 1,106,000 355,000 275,000 216,000 130,000 129,000
40 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL GALA 2009 Ten 1,102,000 283,000 389,000 165,000 130,000 134,000
41 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,098,000 333,000 318,000 207,000 107,000 132,000
42 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,095,000 325,000 296,000 218,000 114,000 141,000
43 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,093,000 291,000 366,000 230,000 116,000 90,000
44 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,060,000 388,000 263,000 187,000 104,000 118,000
45 SUNDAY NIGHT Seven 1,051,000 263,000 275,000 278,000 118,000 116,000
46 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,047,000 279,000 350,000 214,000 97,000 106,000
47 AUSTRALIAN FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - RACE Ten 1,034,000 226,000 477,000 147,000 103,000 81,000
48 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA - RESULTS Ten 1,029,000 287,000 328,000 197,000 94,000 123,000
49 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,023,000 334,000 284,000 194,000 98,000 114,000
50 NEW TRICKS RPT ABC1 1,014,000 309,000 250,000 186,000 125,000 144,000
51 BONDI VET Ten 1,010,000 280,000 274,000 243,000 86,000 127,000
52 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC1 1,005,000 310,000 325,000 169,000 94,000 106,000
53 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,003,000 287,000 329,000 172,000 106,000 109,000
(OzTAM mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,398,000 375,000 382,000 308,000 126,000 206,000
2 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,130,000 342,000 331,000 218,000 123,000 116,000
3 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS Nine 1,106,000 355,000 275,000 216,000 130,000 129,000
4 NEW TRICKS RPT ABC1 1,014,000 309,000 250,000 186,000 125,000 144,000
5 THE VICAR OF DIBLEY Seven 933,000 258,000 308,000 176,000 72,000 119,000
6 INSIDE SUPER CARRIER Seven 897,000 202,000 240,000 226,000 78,000 150,000
7 ABC NEWS-SA ABC1 878,000 249,000 272,000 155,000 95,000 106,000
8 KATH & KIM (R) Seven 862,000 243,000 242,000 177,000 63,000 137,000
9 THE BILL ABC1 820,000 242,000 210,000 149,000 93,000 126,000
12 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Ten 754,000 97,000 351,000 121,000 100,000 85,000
18 SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFL Ten 473,000 48,000 251,000 42,000 55,000 77,000
27 ROCKWIZ RPT SBS 305,000 75,000 91,000 55,000 42,000 41,000
28 MYTHBUSTERS SBS 284,000 102,000 54,000 71,000 36,000 22,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Saturday
With only one day to go in the final week before the Easter non-ratings period, Channels Seven and Nine are neck and neck: each is averaging 27.8 per cent of the prime time audience (with Ten on a healthy 23.7, ABC on 16.2, and SBS on a miserable 4.5). Care to predict what part of tonight's entertainment will bring the week home for either Nine (with Australia's Funniest Home Videos) or Seven (with The Vicar of Dibley)?

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,400,000 395,000 403,000 280,000 126,000 196,000
2 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,395,000 401,000 473,000 187,000 165,000 168,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,220,000 343,000 381,000 212,000 112,000 174,000
4 NINE NEWS Nine 1,081,000 282,000 361,000 245,000 111,000 82,000
5 ABC NEWS ABC1 979,000 286,000 321,000 157,000 99,000 115,000
6 HOME AND AWAY Seven 948,000 303,000 242,000 164,000 109,000 129,000
7 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 906,000 281,000 223,000 168,000 91,000 143,000
8 THE ALL NEW SIMPSONS Ten 849,000 252,000 231,000 125,000 98,000 143,000
9 TEN NEWS AT FIVE Ten 845,000 199,000 270,000 155,000 104,000 116,000
10 REBUS ABC1 836,000 279,000 237,000 109,000 84,000 127,000
11 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 818,000 225,000 339,000 72,000 103,000 78,000
15 NINE'S LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 758,000 389,000 Not shown 370,000 Not shown Not shown
16 SAFL: RND 2: ADELAIDE VS ST KILDA Seven 756,000 17,000 451,000 17,000 164,000 106,000
21 MEDIUM Ten 642,000 186,000 202,000 111,000 58,000 86,000
22 MEDIUM EP 2 Ten 555,000 149,000 181,000 102,000 59,000 64,000
27 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 469,000 278,000 Not shown 191,000 Not shown Not shown
119 GOOD GAME ABC1 71,000 20,000 17,000 5,000 10,000 19,000
125 BUFFY: THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Ten 55,000 15,000 17,000 4,000 10,000 8,000
137 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LATE Nine 42,000 Not shown 27,000 Not shown 4,000 12,000

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,526,000 430,000 410,000 321,000 150,000 215,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,376,000 402,000 394,000 267,000 127,000 185,000
3 LAW AND ORDER: SVU Ten 1,205,000 338,000 362,000 258,000 121,000 125,000
4 GETAWAY Nine 1,160,000 292,000 422,000 233,000 100,000 114,000
5 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,154,000 317,000 363,000 284,000 96,000 95,000
6 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 1,145,000 353,000 255,000 263,000 120,000 154,000
7 ADULTS ONLY 20 TO 1 Nine 1,127,000 266,000 391,000 199,000 127,000 143,000
8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,124,000 329,000 328,000 261,000 110,000 96,000
9 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,111,000 327,000 323,000 218,000 110,000 133,000
10 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,066,000 299,000 369,000 209,000 81,000 108,000
11 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,057,000 349,000 270,000 209,000 110,000 119,000
12 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,023,000 334,000 284,000 194,000 98,000 114,000
13 BONDI VET Ten 1,010,000 281,000 275,000 243,000 86,000 126,000
14 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,003,000 287,000 329,000 172,000 106,000 108,000
16 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 934,000 194,000 391,000 142,000 101,000 105,000
19 PRIVATE PRACTICE Seven 786,000 253,000 214,000 157,000 88,000 73,000
23 LIFE ON MARS Ten 691,000 191,000 215,000 125,000 62,000 99,000
25 Q & A ABC1 549,000 196,000 161,000 107,000 42,000 43,000
36 INSPECTOR REX RPT SBS 329,000 102,000 84,000 54,000 36,000 53,000
42 LIFE ON MARS EP 2 Ten 286,000 Not shown 174,000 Not shown 47,000 65,000

What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,577,000 462,000 415,000 304,000 187,000 209,000
2 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,494,000 399,000 473,000 312,000 120,000 190,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,417,000 397,000 385,000 302,000 133,000 200,000
4 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 1,214,000 373,000 285,000 262,000 116,000 179,000
5 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Seven 1,176,000 330,000 361,000 218,000 125,000 142,000
6 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,162,000 319,000 342,000 226,000 143,000 130,000
7 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,146,000 314,000 360,000 250,000 137,000 86,000
8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,145,000 331,000 337,000 261,000 119,000 97,000
9 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,127,000 335,000 301,000 231,000 110,000 150,000
10 THE MENTALIST Nine 1,090,000 291,000 366,000 202,000 123,000 107,000
12 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,060,000 388,000 263,000 187,000 104,000 118,000
14 THE GRUEN TRANSFER ABC1 976,000 352,000 238,000 184,000 96,000 106,000
27 LAWRENCE LEUNG'S CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE ABC1 490,000 186,000 148,000 74,000 40,000 43,000
39 LOST Seven 339,000 114,000 99,000 64,000 34,000 28,000
57 PLAY SCHOOL-AM ABC1 220,000 77,000 81,000 17,000 22,000 23,000
73 LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN Ten 173,000 46,000 61,000 30,000 20,000 16,000
98 MORNINGS WITH KERRI-ANNE Nine 97,000 34,000 28,000 24,000 3,000 8,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Wednesday
Channel Ten is going gangbusters at the moment. It had the biggest audience share on Sunday (thanks to The Biggest Loser and SYTYCDA), and the second biggest share last night (as the usual Rafters audience wandered over to Bondi Rescue and NCIS instead of sticking with All Saints), with the result that the prime time scores at this point in the week are unusually close: Nine 27.2, Seven 26.7 and Ten 26.4. If the AFL pulls as many viewers in Melbourne this week as last week, Ten could end in second place.

The Logie nominations have been announced, which reminds us to remind you that you have only one more day to register your nominations for The Bogies, in which we celebrate the most annoying, embarrassing and underrated people and programs on Australian television. We'll collate the nominations and publish the final ballot paper in Saturday's Tribal Mind.

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,556,000 511,000 397,000 279,000 155,000 215,000
2 NCIS Ten 1,553,000 465,000 376,000 344,000 174,000 195,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,548,000 487,000 397,000 300,000 144,000 220,000
4 BONDI RESCUE Ten 1,505,000 514,000 363,000 309,000 140,000 179,000
5 FIND MY FAMILY Seven 1,488,000 438,000 437,000 256,000 149,000 208,000
6 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,438,000 427,000 435,000 240,000 146,000 191,000
7 NCIS RPT Ten 1,334,000 394,000 381,000 260,000 148,000 151,000
8 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,314,000 446,000 372,000 201,000 137,000 158,000
9 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 1,249,000 428,000 306,000 243,000 104,000 167,000
10 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,200,000 369,000 348,000 229,000 111,000 143,000
11 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,180,000 355,000 331,000 228,000 121,000 144,000
12 TWO AND A HALF MEN -EP1 Nine 1,170,000 308,000 392,000 240,000 98,000 131,000
13 TWO AND A HALF MEN -EP2 Nine 1,102,000 282,000 377,000 214,000 104,000 124,000
14 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,092,000 277,000 355,000 245,000 112,000 103,000
15 NINE NEWS Nine 1,090,000 304,000 357,000 210,000 127,000 91,000
19 WIPEOUT AUSTRALIA Nine 914,000 256,000 280,000 185,000 101,000 93,000
21 THE CASTLE -RPT Nine 856,000 245,000 313,000 118,000 81,000 99,000

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 UNDERBELLY: A TALE OF TWO CITIES Nine 2,126,000 685,000 653,000 325,000 215,000 248,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,626,000 461,000 419,000 324,000 180,000 242,000
3 CUSTOMS Nine 1,460,000 400,000 463,000 289,000 154,000 154,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,447,000 396,000 359,000 302,000 146,000 245,000
5 CRIME INVESTIGATION AUSTRALIA Nine 1,252,000 403,000 402,000 204,000 121,000 122,000
6 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,233,000 321,000 409,000 282,000 135,000 85,000
7 NINE NEWS Nine 1,230,000 310,000 416,000 263,000 143,000 98,000
8 TWO AND A HALF MEN -MON Nine 1,184,000 289,000 442,000 214,000 112,000 128,000
9 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,181,000 349,000 330,000 243,000 121,000 139,000
10 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL GALA 2009 Ten 1,147,000 295,000 400,000 176,000 136,000 141,000
11 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,118,000 308,000 287,000 252,000 120,000 150,000
12 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - ELIMINATION Ten 1,101,000 326,000 300,000 238,000 93,000 144,000
14 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA - RESULTS Ten 1,024,000 287,000 325,000 199,000 91,000 123,000
16 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 979,000 276,000 312,000 182,000 87,000 121,000
17 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Seven 949,000 252,000 257,000 217,000 77,000 147,000
19 TOP GEAR SBS 897,000 233,000 271,000 170,000 115,000 107,000
20 SCRUBS - MON Seven 877,000 242,000 256,000 183,000 71,000 125,000
21 BROTHERS & SISTERS Seven 874,000 233,000 335,000 135,000 81,000 89,000
22 AUSTRALIAN STORY ABC1 859,000 254,000 188,000 223,000 87,000 107,000
27 FOUR CORNERS ABC1 632,000 182,000 127,000 169,000 75,000 79,000
33 MEDIA WATCH ABC1 480,000 150,000 96,000 124,000 56,000 54,000
49 30 ROCK Seven 245,000 76,000 84,000 40,000 20,000 25,000

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,528,000 406,000 401,000 336,000 176,000 209,000
2 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - THE WEIGH-IN Ten 1,408,000 419,000 380,000 310,000 118,000 181,000
3 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,378,000 425,000 430,000 265,000 148,000 111,000
4 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,358,000 342,000 328,000 358,000 158,000 172,000
5 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA Ten 1,310,000 390,000 403,000 260,000 107,000 150,000
6 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,307,000 332,000 418,000 253,000 140,000 164,000
7 TRIPLE ZERO HEROES Seven 1,228,000 371,000 388,000 294,000 175,000
8 60 MINUTES Nine 1,224,000 361,000 359,000 229,000 114,000 161,000
9 CSI Nine 1,131,000 327,000 341,000 219,000 137,000 107,000
10 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,126,000 380,000 352,000 180,000 125,000 89,000
11 SUNDAY NIGHT Seven 1,048,000 263,000 275,000 278,000 118,000 114,000
12 AUST FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 - RACE Ten 1,036,000 226,000 477,000 148,000 103,000 81,000
13 ABC NEWS-SU ABC1 1,005,000 310,000 325,000 169,000 94,000 106,000
14 AGATHA CHRISTIE: POIROT ABC1 973,000 324,000 283,000 120,000 109,000 138,000
19 ROVE Ten 779,000 194,000 243,000 148,000 92,000 103,000
24 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 431,000 271,000 Not shown 160,000 Not shown Not shown
29 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 1: PORT ADELAIDE VS ESSENDON Seven 351,000 13,000 222,000 14,000 102,000 Not shown
33 THE SUNDAY FOOTY SHOW Nine 262,000 68,000 88,000 44,000 30,000 32,000
50 WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS Nine 174,000 61,000 31,000 51,000 13,000 19,000
59 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 1: FREMANTLE VS WESTERN BULLDOGS Seven 153,000 Not shown Not shown Not shown Not shown 153,000
67 AFL GAME DAY Seven 126,000 Not shown 69,000 Not shown 30,000 27,000
81 SUPER LEAGUE Nine 85,000 52,000 Not shown 33,000 Not shown Not shown
84 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 1: MELBOURNE VS NORTH MELBOURNE Seven 77,000 39,000 39,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind, in whoweare-index at 09:16 AM
Comments (49)

WHO WE ARE: Stuck here, might as well make the most of it

To discuss the zeitgeist flick of the Noughties, go to The Tribal Mind.
Go to Your Bogie votes to vent your rage on television.

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 29/3/2009
Most Australians, when asked where they'd like to spend their annual holidays, are inclined to say ABBA, which stands for "Anywhere But Bloody Australia". A survey done two years ago for the Department of Tourism concluded: "Travel within Australia does not currently offer the experiences and gratifications sought from a holiday ... Not only is Australia not different, but it has a high degree of perceived homogeneity." In other words, it's the same all over.

The researchers recommended an image-boosting campaign to convince Australians to stay and embrace the boredom. Now that won't be necessary. The global financial crisis is doing the Tourism Department's job for it.

The Tourism Minister, Martin Ferguson, recently found "good news" in Bureau of Statistics figures that suggest "fewer Australians are presently travelling internationally ... Today's statistics are consistent with the anecdotal evidence of recent months suggesting Australians have chosen to holiday at home this summer."

Grudgingly and grumpily we're seeing Australia first. But it doesn't have to be a chore. The tourism research found Australians go overseas because "it is the prospect of a temporary 'new life' that motivates them -- not just in terms of places to see and things to do but also in terms of learning, personal development and gaining genuine social and cultural insights."

Alright, how do we gain the same kind of inspirational and transformational experience within Australia? By going to places that matter - sites that offer an emotional, historical or anthropological point of difference.

And that's where I need your help. I want to construct a list of The 20 Places every Australian Needs To Experience, not for their scenery, but for their significance.

If you were in London, you'd go to Down House and walk in the garden where Charles Darwin thought up the most powerful idea of the 19th century -- the theory of evolution. If you were in Vienna, you'd go to the apartment where Sigmund Freud thought up the most powerful idea of the 20th century - psychoanalysis. In Jerusalem you'd go to the Temple Mount, where Muslims believe the prophet Mohammed was taken to heaven by the angel Gabriel. In New York, you'd go to the hole where the World Trade Centre used to be. In Los Angeles, you'd climb to the Hollywood sign and reflect on how movies changed the world. In Paris you'd sit in the lobby of the Ritz Hotel, where the modern notion of hospitality was perfected.

Here's my first attempt at defining the iconic places of Australia ...

The campsite at Uluru where a dingo took Azaria Chamberlain in 1981 and began one of our greatest mysteries.
The steps of old Parliament House, Canberra, where Gough Whitlam gave his "nothing will save the Governor-General" speech in 1975.
Magill Estate, Adelaide, where Max Schubert first built Grange Hermitage in 1951.
The spot on the Parramatta River, Sydney, where the Aboriginal leader Pemulwuy led his guerilla fighters in a battle against invading British forces in 1797.
Pin Oak Court in the Melbourne suburb of Vermont South, which is the real identity of Ramsay Street, Erinsborough, from which Neighbours displays Australia to the world.
The apartment block in Moncur Street, Woollahra, Sydney, which pretended to be Number 96 in our pioneering TV soap of the 1970s (first bare breasts, first gay kiss, first use of a terrorist bomb to boost ratings).
The shed in Glenunga, Adelaide, where Lance Hill built his rotary clothes hoist in 1945.
The University Cafe in Lygon Street, Melbourne, from where the espresso machine began its conquest of Australia's suburbs in 1952.
Freshwater Beach, Harbord, Sydney, where Duke Kahanamoku, from Hawaii, introduced Australians to surfboard riding in 1915.
Gunlom Falls, in Kakadu National Park, where Crocodile Dundee was filmed in 1985.
The Eureka Stockade near Ballarat, Victoria, where gold miners fought for a republic in 1854.

I know you can think of many more opportunities for "genuine social and cultural insights". Tell us about them at Comments

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in whoweare-index at 01:01 AM
Comments (7)

Monday, March 23, 2009

The Tribal Mind: A nice slice of niche, just for you

To nominate Australia's most thought-provoking places, go to Who We Are.
To find out who Australians like the best, go to Who We Are.

by David Dale
The lesbian sub-plot in Grey's Anatomy has clearly not turned off the women of Australia - it's the number six most watched show of the week with female viewers aged 25-54. But it's driving the men away in their thousands - with male viewers, Grey's Anatomy is number 68.

Bert Newton's unfortunate resemblance to a melting wax dummy has not discouraged cool young adults from watching the latest incarnation of his nostalgia series 20 to 1. It's the number 10 most watched of the week with viewers aged 16-39. The explanation may lie in Channel Nine's ploy of putting the words "Adults Only" in front of the title, thereby suggesting that 20 to 1 has suddenly developed some of the attractions of Underbelly, which is number one with younger viewers.

The violence and nudity of Underbelly has not turned off the senior citizens of Australia - it's the number four most watched show with viewers aged over 55, although their number one is the sedate and sentimental Find My Family.

The Gruen Transfer stabs at the very heart of the capitalist system - the right of big business to con poor people out of their money - and yet it is the second most watched show of Wednesday (after Spicks and Specks) with the richest viewers in the land - the category known as OG1/2 (the highest and second highest earning occupation groups).

Sadly, it is only the ninth most watched show of Wednesday with the group known as Grocery Buyers, who might benefit from Gruen's advice. On Wednesdays, the GBs prefer Criminal Minds and Australia's Got Talent, where advertisers can reach them unfiltered.

Welcome to the new demographics of television, aka the niching of Australia, where programmers no longer ask "How many people watch that show?" but instead ask "What kind of people watch that show".

Each morning the ratings measurement agency OzTAM delivers to its subscribers a dissection of the previous night's audience by age, by gender, by geography and by wealth. Then the advertisers know where to get the biggest bang for their buck.

It's possible now to answer the two questions all viewers shout at the screen sooner or later: "Why did they take off that terrific program, when it has plenty of viewers?" and "Why do they keep showing that ridiculous program, which only an idiot would watch?" The answers will be "Because it doesn't attract the particular niche the advertisers want" and "There's always something you can sell to an idiot" (or, if it's the ABC, "even idiots are entitled to have programming specially for them".)

Lets do the demo division dance, based on OzTAM rating dissections over the past two weeks ...

The under 40s prefer So You Think You Can Dance Australia, Rove, Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, Aussie Ladette to Lady;
and avoid 60 Minutes, City Homicide, Today Tonight, A Current Affair, and Better Homes and Gardens.

The over 55s prefer Find My Family, Seven news, New Tricks, Border Security, and RSPCA Animal Rescue;
and avoid Adults Only 20 to 1, Desperate Housewives, Two and a Half Men, Domestic Blitz, and Wipeout Australia.

Men 25-54 prefer Adults Only 20-1, Crime Investigation Australia, Top Gear, The Footy Show and Two and a Half Men;
and avoid Animal Rescue, Grey's Anatomy, Bondi Vet, Desperate Housewives, and Medium.

Women 25-54 prefer Brothers and Sisters, Grey's Anatomy; Desperate Housewives, The Biggest Loser, and The Farmer Wants A Wife;
and avoid Getaway, The Simpsons, The Footy Show, Top Gear, and Law and Order.

The highest earners prefer: NCIS, Spicks and Specks, The Gruen Transfer, Adults Only 20 to 1, and Lie To Me;
and avoid Bondi Vet, Medium, Home and Away, Domestic Blitz, and A Current Affair.

The Grocery Buyers prefer Find My Family, RSPCA Animal Rescue, Better Homes and Gardens, Today Tonight All Saints;
and avoid Wipeout Australia, Rove, How I Met Your Mother, House, and Aussie Ladette To Lady.

And of course, everybody loves Underbelly and Packed To The Rafters. They are all that's left of mass market television.

Tell us how you fit with your supposed niche at Comments

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 08:24 PM
Comments (13)

Sunday, March 22, 2009

WHO WE ARE: Going forward, lets iterate our nuances

To find out which niche the advertisers put you in, go to The Tribal Mind.

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 22/3/2009
A perfect storm, or, more precisely, a perfect shitstorm, of protest greeted this column's assertion last week that the Buzz Word Of The Year is nuance (see below). Readers accused me of premature expostulation, urging consideration of other fashionable jargon from politics, business, education and sociology before we settle on a winner.

I'd thought I was in the clear when I discovered a reference to my chosen BWOTY in the newsletter Crikey, where Canberra correspondent Bernard Keane described Malcolm Turnbull thus: "His economic message on the stimulus packages -- support for the first package then criticising its impact, opposition to the second package but support for a smaller package of tax cuts and infrastructure investment in the event the Senate blocked it -- has more nuance than, well, Nuanced Jack McNuance, winner of this year's Mr Nuance competition."

But Jim Irvine found inspiration in another politician: "Sorry, you are all wrong. Toxic is gathering a lot of support, thanks to Tony Abbott." And Arthur McKenzie asked: "What about working families, year on year, conduit, securitisation and going forward?" To which Andrew added: "I work in the finance/accounting industry ... the phrases 'Going forward', 'Moving forward' and 'Incentivise' are dropped on the floor like peanut shells."

Stephen Loomes reckoned that "moving forward" had "its bastard birth in the US with Condaleeza Rice, but it has so replaced words such as advanced, progressed or other simpler expressions that it has become a veritable stampede."

Maozze revealed that "in our office, we've developed a measure called the milli-Rudd (mR), that provides a score of buzzwords multiplied by turgidity multiplied by dullness multiplied by blandness. We reckon that to get any document approved by the Boss, you need to score at least 945 mR."

A reader who wished to be called Roger That nominated "iteration" and "iterative': "Whenever someone is trying to make their project sound important, they say 'it's an iterative process'. As far as I can tell, this means they are taking it one step at a time."

But Tassie leapt to the defence of this concept: "Iterative is not the same as repetitive. An iterative process is one in which an action is repeated, with a result which is closer to the desired one on each occasion. For example, creating a form to be filled out is an iterative process; I design the form, people fill it out incorrectly, I alter the form, they make new mistakes, I alter it again to discourage those mistakes, a new requirement comes along ... it will probably never be 'finished' but it is getting better each time." So by this definition, each new iteration is a nuance of the last one?

A little research reveals that "iterative" and "iteration" come from the Latin word "iter", meaning "a journey", which reminds us of the BWOTY for 2008, when every speechmaker at the Oscars, Logies, Grammys, Emmys and AFIs told us they'd been on one.

Dermot Duncan previewed next year's BWOTY: "I recently returned from living in the UK after 7 years: the word I heard the most was 'segue' [pronounced segway]. It supposedly means to 'move seamlessly from one theme/idea to another'. So, it is a 'link'." And if you're segueing, you have to be moving forward.

You can nuance this journey at the online iteration of this column by going forward to Comments.

WHO WE ARE, 15/3/2009
This column has identified The Buzz Word Of The Year. Normally it takes until December to figure out the BWOTY, by which time everyone is sick of it. That's what happened with such past favourites as synergy (usually accompanied by a gesture in which the fingers of both hands are linked together); metrosexual; transparency; sustainable; maverick; mother-of-all ...; me-tooism; and footprint.

You've got a nine month start to throw this year's BWOTY into conversations and impress your listeners. But I must issue a warning: to demonstrate the word's sudden pervasiveness I am going to have to repeat it so many times that you're likely to lose all grip on its meaning, which is elusive in any case. So read slowly and look away often from the page.

I first spotted the new usage in an interview with Joel Fitzgibbon, Australia's Defence Minister, who is currently at war with the nation's military leaders. He said: "Have I seen attempts to nuance information to cover for mistakes? Yes. Have I seen nuanced information in an attempt to produce outcomes that are more favourable to those who are responsible for the issue? Yes."

Clearly he's accusing the generals and admirals of naughty behaviour. For him, a verb derived from the French noun for a shade of colour (which was, in turn, derived from the Latin word for cloud) has come to mean twist, distort or obfuscate.

But you can do it to people as well as to things. Recently Greg Sheridan, in The Australian, described Indonesia's Foreign Minister thus: "He is nuanced but quietly declarative about the new level of intimacy Indonesia is seeking with the US." Then Australia's former foreign minister Gareth Evans proposes an alternative to military force to stop human rights abuses in other countries: "This is a much more complex and nuanced approach."

The West Australian newspaper reviews the first concert by the British band Coldplay thus: "It's hard to be loud and soft at the same time, but Coldplay have mastered the nuance." A wine connoisseurs' website review of Hunter's Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand, describes it as "juicy and bracing, with refreshing flavors of grapefruit, key lime and gooseberry lifted by a subtle peppery nuance."

The Gold Coast Bulletin reports that the new coach of the local soccer team "refuses to recoil from the burden placed upon him -- even though it will give every team selection, every gesture and nuance added piquancy in 2009-2010". The website Qjump, reviewing Justin Bond's performance at the Sydney Mardi Gras festival, remarks on his " husky voice, somewhere in the gin-soaked, world-weary Marianne Faithful family, adding an unheard of nuance to The Carpenters' songs."

So a word once restricted to the art world now works for politics, music, sport, and alcohol. Clearly, it has many shades. Tell us your sightings, and offer your alternative BWOTYs, at Comments.

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in whoweare-index at 11:17 AM
Comments (44)

Saturday, March 14, 2009

The Tribal Mind: Safe inside, not even looking out

To nuance the Buzz Word of the Year, go to Who We Are.

by David Dale
The pundits are propounding a theory that Australians have started cocooning again -- retreating into their castles and pulling up the drawbridge.

The last time we went into cocoon mode was between 2002 and 2004, in reaction to the terrorist attacks in New York and Bali. The key signs were a rise in cinema attendance (as we escaped into fantasies), a rise in DVD sales (ditto), and a preference for TV shows that were safe, cheerful and reassuring - such as Backyard Blitz, Better Homes and Gardens, Our House, and CSI (which demonstrated that all crimes could be neatly resolved in an hour).

That kind of retreat is supposed to be happening this year, in response to the Global Financial Crisis, but I'm not convinced. For a brief moment, most Australians are actually better off now than they were a year ago, thanks to handouts from the federal government and lower mortgage repayments. Why would we retreat yet? Lets examine the evidence.

If we were escaping into fantasy, cinema takings would be up. In America, birthplace of the GFC, total box office for the first 10 weeks of the year was 16 percent higher than for the same period last year. But here, the box office seems to be plummeting. Ticket sales have been down, on average, 10 per cent every week since the beginning of February, with brief upturns when He's Just Not That Into You opened and when Watchmen opened.

But of course, the cinematic slump could fit with the cocooning theory. Perhaps we've decided do all our escapism within the fortress.

If we were cocooning, we'd be buying DVDs. The research organisation GfK Australia tells me DVD sales during February were down 4 per cent on the previous February. But there may be significance in the kind of entertainment Australians are choosing. These were the top sellers last month: How I Met Your Mother series 3; Wall-E; The Dark Knight; The Hills season 3; Underbelly series 1; Two and a Half Men season 4; Burn After Reading; Mamma Mia!; Veronica Mars season 3; House Bunny. Half of the top sellers are boxed sets containing many hours of programming already shown on television. It certainly looks as if Australia is stocking up for a long night in.

If we were cocooning, we'd be watching more television. A dissection of OzTAM ratings shows that the average number of people in the mainland capitals watching TV in prime time this February was down 3 per cent on February last year for the free networks and up 7 per cent for Pay TV, which adds up to no extra viewers overall. But those who do watch seem to be doing it more. The average time urban Australians spend watching TV between 6am and midnight is 28 hours a week, which is up 2 per cent on last year. A small trend, if not exactly staggering.

Perhaps there's more to learn from the kind of TV we're consuming. Two of the favourites of our last cocooning period -- Better Homes and Gardens and CSI are still on the air, but are both down in audience. The most "lifestylist" of the current crop, Domestic Blitz, has 400,000 fewer fans than last year.

The most watched show of the moment is Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities, which is far from a warm bath. Next come Packed to the Rafters and Find My Family, which emphasise traditional values and the power of love. But they were also our favourites last year, when we needed no reassurance.

Conclusion: There is no clear evidence that Australia has started panicking yet. This column will run the same tests every three months until the GFC is over, and get back to you. In the meantime, give us your theories at Comments

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 12:31 PM
Comments (5)

Monday, March 9, 2009

The Who We Are Update: Week 13

This week of the blog is now a heritage item -- worth studying but no longer current. For the latest discussion of popular culture in Australia, bookmark blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.
To nominate Australia's most thought-provoking places, go to Who We Are
To discuss the zeitgeist flick of the Noughties, go to The Tribal Mind.

The ratings race, updated 10 am Sunday
It was a truly polymorphous push for the hearts and minds of Australia last week, instead of the usual bilateral battle in which Nine starts strongly then gets swamped by Seven. Channel Ten got a boost from the start of the aerial pingpong season in Melbourne, and the ABC revelled in Specks, Gruen and its evening news, which is now regularly ahead of Nine's. The ABC's share of the prime time audience -- 17 per cent -- was its highest for the year, as was Ten's 23.1 per cent. Seven got 28.6, Nine got 26.1 and SBS got its usual 5.1.

From this week, the game is about to change, as Seven loses Rafters and City Homicide. But Nine can't have too many more episodes of Underbelly to prop up its Mondays.

And this was Pay TV's account of itself for the week: "With the start of the Australian Rules football season, Live: AFL Collingwood v Adelaide on FOX Sports was watched by 260,000 people. The Saturday early evening Rugby League game, Live: NRL Warriors v Broncos, was watched by 279,000 people and the Super 14 clash between the NSW and Auckland Rugby teams on Friday night, Live: Rugby Union: S14 Blues v Waratahs, was seen by 92,000 people. In entertainment programming, Sunday night's NCIS on TV1 drew 128,000 people and Friday's broadcast of Family Guy on FOX8 was watched by 125,000 people."

What Australia watched, week ending March 28
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 UNDERBELLY: A TALE OF TWO CITIES Nine 2,069,000 616,000 627,000 359,000 213,000 253,000
2 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 2,033,000 576,000 688,000 344,000 188,000 236,000
3 FIND MY FAMILY Seven 1,692,000 427,000 554,000 292,000 179,000 240,000
4 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,573,000 417,000 497,000 310,000 147,000 203,000
5 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,559,000 412,000 382,000 364,000 173,000 229,000
6 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,455,000 390,000 412,000 286,000 163,000 204,000
7 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,433,000 344,000 467,000 257,000 168,000 198,000
8 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,417,000 406,000 435,000 283,000 166,000 129,000
9 NCIS Ten 1,394,000 347,000 368,000 298,000 164,000 217,000
10 TRIPLE ZERO HEROES Seven 1,378,000 362,000 399,000 267,000 139,000 211,000
11 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,348,000 354,000 437,000 226,000 171,000 160,000
12 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,344,000 347,000 382,000 283,000 140,000 191,000
13 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Seven 1,322,000 372,000 404,000 224,000 150,000 171,000
14 CUSTOMS Nine 1,321,000 366,000 422,000 242,000 138,000 152,000
15 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA Ten 1,301,000 379,000 402,000 241,000 140,000 139,000
16 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,287,000 350,000 363,000 242,000 155,000 176,000
17 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - THE WEIGH-IN Ten 1,282,000 385,000 311,000 284,000 146,000 156,000

18 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,265,000 353,000 357,000 291,000 127,000 137,000
19 60 MINUTES Nine 1,243,000 355,000 320,000 299,000 128,000 140,000
20 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,236,000 326,000 396,000 278,000 92,000 145,000
21 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,235,000 408,000 336,000 248,000 130,000 113,000
22 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,203,000 292,000 376,000 229,000 125,000 181,000
23 CSI Nine 1,202,000 352,000 291,000 264,000 155,000 141,000
24 SUNDAY NIGHT Seven 1,200,000 317,000 338,000 266,000 128,000 151,000
25 TWO AND A HALF MEN -MON Nine 1,166,000 309,000 394,000 228,000 114,000 120,000
26 BONDI RESCUE Ten 1,159,000 415,000 240,000 254,000 96,000 155,000
27 CRIME INVESTIGATION AUSTRALIA Nine 1,155,000 353,000 334,000 200,000 126,000 143,000
28 THE GRUEN TRANSFER ABC1 1,151,000 392,000 333,000 197,000 107,000 122,000
29 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,129,000 332,000 367,000 160,000 137,000 134,000
30 LIE TO ME Ten 1,119,000 273,000 318,000 244,000 116,000 168,000
31 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,094,000 318,000 315,000 225,000 129,000 108,000
32 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,085,000 287,000 309,000 255,000 115,000 119,000
33 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,079,000 301,000 295,000 222,000 130,000 132,000
34 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,078,000 309,000 319,000 210,000 105,000 136,000
35 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,069,000 272,000 366,000 225,000 101,000 105,000
36 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,061,000 320,000 319,000 198,000 96,000 128,000
37 NINE NEWS Nine 1,057,000 279,000 337,000 237,000 110,000 94,000
38 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - ELIMINATION Ten 1,053,000 294,000 288,000 235,000 99,000 137,000
39 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 1,051,000 324,000 264,000 227,000 101,000 135,000
40 WIPEOUT AUSTRALIA Nine 1,050,000 261,000 362,000 201,000 143,000 83,000
41 ADULTS ONLY 20 TO 1 Nine 1,044,000 295,000 309,000 206,000 118,000 116,000
42 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,043,000 259,000 344,000 240,000 106,000 92,000
43 CSI: MIAMI Nine 1,036,000 331,000 275,000 181,000 126,000 123,000
44 THURSDAY NIGHT AFL Ten 1,034,000 708,000 144,000 182,000
45 BEYOND THE DARKLANDS Seven 1,010,000 285,000 305,000 182,000 108,000 130,000

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,265,000 353,000 357,000 291,000 127,000 137,000
2 NEW TRICKS RPT ABC1 1,000,000 335,000 245,000 185,000 137,000 98,000
3 THE BILL ABC1 878,000 267,000 246,000 147,000 101,000 117,000
4 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 871,000 228,000 302,000 155,000 116,000 70,000
5 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS Nine 846,000 244,000 250,000 176,000 98,000 78,000
6 ABC NEWS-SAT ABC1 826,000 256,000 248,000 163,000 85,000 74,000
7 MIGHTY MOVERS: C-5 GALAXY Seven 779,000 202,000 219,000 203,000 67,000 89,000
8 THE VICAR OF DIBLEY Seven 776,000 210,000 220,000 162,000 82,000 101,000
10 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Ten 744,000 117,000 275,000 95,000 75,000 182,000
12 M-PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST Seven 713,000 210,000 224,000 124,000 73,000 83,000
14 WHAT WOMEN WANT -RPT Nine 502,000 157,000 150,000 93,000 48,000 53,000
15 HAPPY FEET Nine 489,000 282,000 Not shown 207,000 Not shown Not shown
21 HOODWINKED! Nine 371,000 Not shown 170,000 Not shown 93,000 108,000
22 M-COCOON Seven 317,000 119,000 75,000 69,000 26,000 29,000
25 THE IRON CHEF SBS 272,000 91,000 87,000 38,000 30,000 26,000
28 RIPPING YARNS Seven 252,000 57,000 95,000 51,000 25,000 23,000
51 SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFL Ten 136,000 Not shown Not shown Not shown 136,000 Not shown

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,348,000 354,000 437,000 226,000 171,000 160,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,281,000 375,000 331,000 229,000 150,000 197,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,237,000 317,000 345,000 262,000 137,000 176,000
4 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,056,000 286,000 300,000 214,000 136,000 120,000
5 NINE NEWS Nine 980,000 303,000 280,000 225,000 100,000 72,000
6 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 978,000 268,000 291,000 222,000 94,000 102,000
7 TEN NEWS AT FIVE Ten 923,000 233,000 256,000 180,000 122,000 133,000
8 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 900,000 270,000 244,000 176,000 84,000 126,000
9 ABC NEWS ABC1 891,000 265,000 249,000 167,000 96,000 114,000
10 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 888,000 255,000 263,000 206,000 96,000 69,000
11 THE ALL NEW SIMPSONS Ten 818,000 214,000 252,000 156,000 68,000 128,000
12 THE SIMPSONS FRI Ten 814,000 203,000 234,000 168,000 85,000 123,000
13 REBUS ABC1 779,000 257,000 196,000 121,000 90,000 116,000
14 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 1: HAWTHORN VS GEELONG Seven 779,000 17,000 473,000 23,000 140,000 126,000
16 LAW & ORDER FRI EP 2 Ten 733,000 173,000 226,000 186,000 67,000 81,000
17 LAW & ORDER FRI Ten 708,000 150,000 242,000 170,000 67,000 79,000
18 NINE'S LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 698,000 427,000 Not shown 271,000 Not shown Not shown
31 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 418,000 290,000 Not shown 128,000 Not shown Not shown
152 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LATE Nine 33,000 Not shown 21,000 Not shown 8,000 5,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Friday
The footy fragmentation has begun. By showing aerial ping pong in the southern and western states (while keeping Life On Mars in the civilised cities), Channel Ten attracted 30.6 per cent of the prime time audience across the land last night. Nine attracted 23.6 per cent by concentrating on north eastern biffo in The Footy Show.

Seven drew 25 per cent by sticking with normal programing, and is ahead for the week, despite the continuing decline of Grey's Anatomy. Dare I suggest that the arrival of Melissa George might be evidence that it has jumped the shark? If she can't save it, nobody can.

What Australia watched, Thursday
grey%27s.jpg Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,413,000 380,000 392,000 326,000 134,000 181,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,268,000 348,000 335,000 302,000 122,000 161,000
3 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,094,000 317,000 315,000 225,000 129,000 108,000
4 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 1,090,000 320,000 262,000 257,000 116,000 135,000
5 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,063,000 289,000 330,000 220,000 102,000 122,000
6 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,053,000 279,000 373,000 201,000 99,000 101,000
7 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,040,000 276,000 274,000 237,000 123,000 130,000
8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,038,000 260,000 375,000 203,000 114,000 86,000
9 THURSDAY NIGHT AFL Ten 1,036,000 Not shown 709,000 Not shown 144,000 183,000
10 ADULTS ONLY 20 TO 1 Nine 1,036,000 292,000 305,000 204,000 119,000 116,000
11 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 997,000 224,000 355,000 211,000 105,000 102,000
12 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 978,000 287,000 291,000 209,000 88,000 104,000
13 GETAWAY Nine 857,000 258,000 231,000 192,000 69,000 107,000
19 BOMBORA: THE STORY OF AUSTRALIAN SURFING ABC1 648,000 254,000 151,000 122,000 45,000 76,000
34 LIFE ON MARS Ten 338,000 211,000 Not shown 127,000 Not shown Not shown
35 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 321,000 200,000 Not shown 121,000 Not shown Not shown
36 INSPECTOR REX RPT SBS 316,000 92,000 97,000 49,000 32,000 46,000
37 SUNRISE Seven 316,000 94,000 67,000 80,000 32,000 43,000
41 TODAY Nine 265,000 89,000 87,000 49,000 19,000 21,000

What Australia watched, Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
Seven 1,441,000 349,000 416,000 288,000 163,000 226,000
Seven 1,324,000 332,000 365,000 267,000 134,000 227,000
Seven 1,322,000 372,000 404,000 224,000 150,000 171,000
Seven 1,287,000 350,000 363,000 242,000 155,000 176,000
ABC1 1,235,000 408,000 336,000 248,000 130,000 113,000
Nine 1,224,000 321,000 396,000 273,000 92,000 142,000
Nine 1,201,000 292,000 419,000 251,000 107,000 131,000
ABC1 1,151,000 392,000 333,000 197,000 107,000 122,000
Nine 1,111,000 262,000 390,000 247,000 105,000 107,000
ABC1 1,095,000 338,000 328,000 201,000 108,000 121,000
Nine 1,072,000 276,000 345,000 235,000 112,000 104,000
Seven 1,053,000 330,000 266,000 200,000 115,000 140,000
Ten 1,033,000 320,000 263,000 212,000 100,000 139,000
Seven 1,010,000 285,000 305,000 181,000 108,000 130,000
937,000 270,000 248,000 155,000 107,000 157,000
803,000 174,000 266,000 126,000 107,000 130,000
Ten 750,000 254,000 239,000 104,000 72,000 80,000
LEUNG'S CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE ABC1 674,000 250,000 206,000 84,000 63,000 70,000
ABC1 460,000 175,000 157,000 40,000 50,000 39,000
359,000 113,000 111,000 76,000 29,000 30,000

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 2,033,000 576,000 688,000 344,000 188,000 237,000
2 FIND MY FAMILY Seven 1,692,000 427,000 554,000 292,000 179,000 240,000
3 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,501,000 387,000 465,000 281,000 175,000 194,000
4 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,432,000 344,000 467,000 257,000 168,000 196,000
5 NCIS Ten 1,395,000 347,000 368,000 298,000 165,000 217,000
6 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,373,000 343,000 438,000 266,000 139,000 187,000
7 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,211,000 331,000 355,000 235,000 114,000 176,000
8 BONDI RESCUE Ten 1,160,000 415,000 240,000 254,000 96,000 155,000
9 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,130,000 332,000 367,000 160,000 137,000 134,000
10 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,115,000 270,000 337,000 230,000 135,000 144,000
11 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 1,108,000 361,000 276,000 240,000 96,000 134,000
12 LIE TO ME Ten 1,097,000 268,000 311,000 238,000 114,000 165,000
13 WIPEOUT AUSTRALIA Nine 1,048,000 259,000 363,000 201,000 142,000 82,000
14 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,046,000 246,000 390,000 207,000 116,000 86,000
15 NINE NEWS Nine 1,040,000 255,000 326,000 250,000 124,000 85,000
16 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,040,000 241,000 322,000 268,000 127,000 82,000
19 AUSSIE LADETTE TO LADY Nine 955,000 250,000 339,000 165,000 100,000 102,000
62 LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN Ten 188,000 54,000 44,000 34,000 36,000 19,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Tuesday
Channel Seven won Sunday narrowly and Nine won Monday handsomely, with the result that Nine now holds 28.9 per cent of the prime time audience for the week, with Seven on 26.8, Ten on 22.6, ABC on 16.2 and SBS on 5.5. As the week proceeds, Seven will rise (thanks mainly to the Rafter family), ABC will rise (thanks mainly to the Gruen and Speck families) while everyone else will sink.

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 UNDERBELLY: A TALE OF TWO CITIES Nine 2,073,000 615,000 627,000 364,000 214,000 254,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,640,000 459,000 458,000 306,000 194,000 224,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,510,000 396,000 424,000 318,000 168,000 205,000
4 CUSTOMS Nine 1,353,000 378,000 426,000 256,000 138,000 154,000
5 TWO AND A HALF MEN -MON Nine 1,169,000 312,000 394,000 228,000 114,000 120,000
6 CRIME INVESTIGATION AUSTRALIA Nine 1,152,000 355,000 336,000 190,000 128,000 144,000
7 NINE NEWS Nine 1,148,000 303,000 360,000 267,000 99,000 120,000
8 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,136,000 345,000 295,000 229,000 141,000 125,000
9 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,132,000 320,000 335,000 227,000 104,000 146,000
10 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,117,000 308,000 342,000 271,000 99,000 98,000
11 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,064,000 320,000 319,000 198,000 98,000 128,000
12 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,060,000 262,000 366,000 240,000 89,000 102,000
13 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - ELIMINATION Ten 1,047,000 293,000 287,000 233,000 98,000 135,000
14 7.30 REPORT ABC1 1,037,000 337,000 278,000 201,000 102,000 120,000
15 AUSTRALIAN STORY ABC1 969,000 312,000 253,000 185,000 104,000 116,000
16 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA - RESULTS Ten 960,000 290,000 251,000 189,000 114,000 118,000
17 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Seven 940,000 259,000 254,000 205,000 91,000 131,000
19 SCRUBS - MON Seven 903,000 226,000 269,000 185,000 88,000 135,000
21 TOP GEAR SBS 899,000 240,000 269,000 177,000 113,000 100,000
22 BROTHERS & SISTERS Seven 878,000 251,000 315,000 134,000 88,000 89,000
25 FOUR CORNERS ABC1 800,000 285,000 204,000 139,000 91,000 81,000
26 NEIGHBOURS Ten 726,000 211,000 201,000 129,000 98,000 88,000
27 MEDIA WATCH ABC1 698,000 242,000 163,000 141,000 79,000 74,000
41 30 ROCK Seven 296,000 (plus uncounted thousands who recorded to watched at a civilised hour) 97,000 103,000 37,000 39,000 20,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,573,000 417,000 497,000 310,000 147,000 203,000
2 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,559,000 412,000 382,000 364,000 173,000 229,000
3 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,419,000 406,000 436,000 283,000 165,000 129,000
4 TRIPLE ZERO HEROES Seven 1,378,000 362,000 399,000 267,000 139,000 211,000
5 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA Ten 1,299,000 378,000 402,000 240,000 140,000 139,000
6 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - THE WEIGH-IN Ten 1,277,000 383,000 310,000 283,000 146,000 155,000
7 60 MINUTES Nine 1,241,000 355,000 319,000 299,000 128,000 140,000
8 CSI Nine 1,205,000 352,000 293,000 265,000 155,000 141,000
9 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,203,000 292,000 376,000 229,000 125,000 181,000
10 SUNDAY NIGHT Seven 1,200,000 317,000 338,000 266,000 128,000 151,000
11 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,084,000 287,000 309,000 254,000 115,000 119,000
12 CSI: MIAMI Nine 1,048,000 331,000 284,000 182,000 128,000 123,000
13 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC1 960,000 266,000 283,000 185,000 91,000 135,000
14 AGATHA CHRISTIE: POIROT ABC1 931,000 316,000 264,000 112,000 102,000 137,000
15 BONES (R) Seven 864,000 251,000 247,000 133,000 129,000 105,000
16 ROVE Ten 853,000 213,000 318,000 140,000 94,000 88,000
17 ABC NEWS UP-DATE ABC1 807,000 284,000 211,000 122,000 69,000 122,000
18 ROGUE NATION ABC1 736,000 289,000 185,000 124,000 53,000 85,000
25 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 440,000 263,000 Not shown 177,000 Not shown Not shown
34 24 Seven 264,000 62,000 69,000 63,000 31,000 39,000
35 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS Ten 260,000 79,000 75,000 53,000 30,000 23,000

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in whoweare-index at 08:10 AM

Comments (44)

Sunday, March 8, 2009
WHO WE ARE: The mysterious conundrum of the puzzle enigma

To report your sightings of 70s symptoms, go to The Tribal Mind.

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald 8/3/2009
Australia, a nation founded by criminals, can't get enough of crime thrillers, as in Underbelly, CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, Border Security and City Homicide. The ever helpful Bureau of Statistics has just provided us with an excellent new mystery thriller in its report entitled Criminal Courts, Australia 2007-2008.

Buried in it are these puzzles, upon which you may care to apply your detective skills:

1) Why are people in Canberra more likely to be found not guilty than people in Western Australia (in WA, 91 per cent of defendants are proven guilty, while in the ACT, it's 70 per cent). And why are 22 per cent of cases withdawn by the prosecution in Canberra, while only 1 per cent are withdrawn in Tasmania? Are the police in Canberra less competent than the police in WA and Tasmania, or are the criminals more persuasive? Either way, it's clearly the politicians' fault.

2) You won't be surprised to learn that 86 per cent of defendants in serious cases are male (men are violent creatures, after all), but why did the number of women on trial increase by 9 per cent in 12 months while the number of men increased by only 5 per cent? Are women suffering a surge of testosterone? (The most frequent charges against women are for "acts intended to cause injury", illicit drug offences, and "deception", while for men the top two are the same and the third is sexual assault).

3) How did we suddenly become a nation of bad drivers? The number facing magistrate's court for traffic offences went up by 13 per cent between 2007 and 2008, with speeding charges up 16 per cent. Don't try to blame it on young people, and all that binge drinking. The bureau says "people over 45 were more likely to be charged with speeding than those under 25 ... Around the same proportion of defendants in each age group were charged with exceeding the prescribed content of alcohol limit."

4) Where did all the burglars go? Between 2002 and 2008, the number of defendants charged with "unlawful entry with intent" decreased by 44 per cent (while sexual assault charges rose by 32 per cent and drug charges rose 30 per cent). You can grudgingly admire the skill of a cat burglar, while it takes no talent to deal drugs.

5) Since 61 per cent of defendants in serious cases are under 34, do we conclude that older people are more honest than younger people or that they are simply cleverer at getting away with it?

6) Why do the wheels of justice grind ever more slowly? In 2002, one third of cases in the higher courts were finalised in less than 13 weeks, and only 14 per cent took more than 52 weeks. In 2008, only 17 per cent took less than 13 weeks, while a quarter of cases took longer than 52 weeks.

If you think you understand this nation of convicts, and can answer any or all of these questions, offer your solutions at Comments.

To read the full report, go here.

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in whoweare-index at 03:58 AM

Comments (2)

Saturday, March 7, 2009
The Tribal Mind: What 70s symptoms are you seeing?

To solve the mysteries of Australia's justice system, like why you're more likely to be found innocent in Canberra, go to Who We Are.

by David Dale
This column's job is to spot trends early enough for you to take advantage of them, but sometimes I need help. Here's the dilemma I want you to solve: Is The New Big Thing in television bare breasts or is it a fully-fledged return to the 1970s, of which the current breast explosion is only one symptom?

A week ago, when it became apparent that the audience for Underbelly 2 drops by 200,000 whenever the show reduces its mammary display, I was going for the breasts-only option. But then I saw Juanita Phillips on the ABC news. As everyone knows, hairdressers are always the first to sense a shift in the zeitgeist, and the people who do Phillips's hair are clearly convinced the 70s are back. Every night she grows more like Farrah Fawcett Majors.

If we take this as support for the nostalgia scenario, Underbelly 2 becomes the Number 96 of our decade. When that saucy soap was launched in 1972, one daily paper used this headline: "Tonight Australian television loses its virginity". So now we're losing it again, touched for the very second time.

The nudity in Number 96 did not cause the promiscuity of the 70s -- it reflected the relaxed values of the day. The breast fetish of Underbelly 2 (which, as it happens, is set in the 70s) could be the first sign of a relaxation in the puritanism that has inhibited TV programming in the uptight Noughties.

If we are returning to the Decade That Style Forgot, Channel Ten's new series Life on Mars puts a precise date on it. That program's premise is that a 21st century cop is mysteriously transported to 1973, a fate he rapidly comes to embrace, visiting record shops to pick up "old vinyl LPs", and shouting at the TV screen when he sees President Nixon: "Oh, go on and resign already - we know you will."

When you think about it, we could do a lot worse than 1973 as a target for nostalgia. That was the year when Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon. The Vietnam War ended. Australia had an energetic new government making reforms in health, education, the environment, the arts and Aboriginal affairs. The Opera House opened. The Sting and Alvin Purple were our favourite movies. And Abba hadn't started yet. Bring it on, I say.

Then again, the return of the breast to prime time television could just be a result of Channel Nine's desperation to beat Channel Seven, and those other 70s symptoms could be mere coincidence.

That seems to be the view of this column's readers. Two weeks ago The Tribal Mind sought nominations for the 2009 Bogie Awards, which honour the most embarrassing, annoying and underrated programs and people on Australian television. I suggested that Underbelly 2, Satisfaction and True Blood might be candidates in a category called "Best Use of Breasts To Exploit Viewers' Base Instincts". (I forgot to acknowledge the pioneering work of Ghost Whisperer in making this category necessary, even if Jennifer Love Hewitt dresses more modestly when meeting the departed these days).

Alert reader Darren added two more candidates to the list: Nigella Express and The Biggest Loser, but asked "Are man-boobs breasts?"

Another reader, Neil, suggested a game for viewers: "We should all partake in the mood that the producers intended and skull a drink for each [breast] we see. There wouldn't be a sober house in the country ... Still, it is nice to see Aussie drama. Just don't treat us all like mindless sex fiends!"

Other new categories this year include Most Tragic Victim of Hairdressing (see above for the prime candidate, pictured in happier hair days); Saddest Comedy; Least Credible Newsreader; Furthest Fallen From Former Finery; and Worst Attempt at an Accent Not From Your Own Homeland.

But of course, the "Best Use of Breasts" category may be cruel and unnecessary, if we decide that the producers who specialize in chest exposure are simply paying homage to a precious period in 20th century history. That's for you to judge. Go to Comments to give us your theory. And to nominate candidates for TV's hall of shame, go to The Bogies.

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 08:56 PM

Comments (10)

Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Who We Are update: Week 12

To find out which niche the advertisers put you in, go to The Tribal Mind.

To nuance the Buzz Word of the Year, go to Who We Are.

The ratings race, updated 10 am Sunday
Channel Seven won the week, averaging 28.5 per cent of the prime time audience, while Nine got 26.7 per cent (thanks to U2 and Customs), Ten 22.7 (thanks to dancers and NCIS), ABC 16.8 (Thanks to Specks and Gruen) and SBS 5.3 (thanks to Top Gear). With Packed To The Rafters taking a break for a few months, Seven may have trouble holding its lead next week.

This was Pay TV's account of itself for the week: "Rugby League, Rugby Union and cricket drew great audiences on FOX Sports viewers. Live: NRL Dragons v Titans was watched by 282,000 viewers; the first day's play in the final test in South Africa, Live: Cricket: Test RSA v Aus Day 1 S1, was viewed by 277,000 people and 88,000 people watched the NSW Waratahs play the Canterbury Crusaders in Live: Rugby Union: S14 Waratahs v Crus. On Sky Racing, Sky Raceday also proved popular, being seen by 69,000 people.

"In entertainment programming, numerous programs achieved record audiences. TV1's NCIS was watched by 147,000 people, the program's biggest audience ever. On Sunday morning, The Simpsons on FOX8 drew 110,000 people and Disney Channel's Hannah Montana was watched by 93,000. This week, Bargain Hunt on Lifestyle was seen by 80,000, Waking the Dead on UKTV had its largest audience since 2007 with 79,000 viewers and Motorway Cops on Crime and Investigation also had an all-time record audience with 77,000 people. That '70s Show on 111 Hits was watched by 71,000 people (a record for the program on the channel) and Handy Manny was seen by 66,000 people, a record for the program too. "

What Australia watched, week ending March 21
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 UNDERBELLY: A TALE OF TWO CITIES Nine 2,174,000 632,000 728,000 374,000 205,000 236,000
2 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 1,887,000 536,000 618,000 332,000 182,000 219,000
3 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,583,000 388,000 442,000 348,000 175,000 231,000
4 FIND MY FAMILY Seven 1,558,000 427,000 469,000 282,000 164,000 217,000
5 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,523,000 424,000 480,000 296,000 141,000 182,000
6 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,502,000 421,000 435,000 277,000 157,000 213,000
7 CUSTOMS Nine 1,469,000 360,000 508,000 307,000 147,000 147,000
8 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,459,000 370,000 394,000 313,000 163,000 219,000
9 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,450,000 350,000 476,000 321,000 173,000 130,000
10 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,365,000 342,000 372,000 302,000 149,000 200,000
11 NCIS Ten 1,359,000 412,000 323,000 259,000 170,000 196,000
12 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,333,000 340,000 413,000 253,000 135,000 192,000
13 BONDI RESCUE Ten 1,330,000 433,000 297,000 288,000 129,000 184,000
14 60 MINUTES Nine 1,327,000 367,000 398,000 273,000 139,000 149,000
15 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Seven 1,325,000 365,000 402,000 266,000 138,000 155,000
16 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA Ten 1,292,000 351,000 395,000 270,000 123,000 154,000

17 TRIPLE ZERO HEROES Seven 1,283,000 328,000 402,000 278,000 111,000 164,000
18 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,274,000 383,000 361,000 214,000 142,000 175,000
19 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,244,000 336,000 370,000 240,000 128,000 170,000
20 CSI Nine 1,214,000 311,000 358,000 244,000 165,000 137,000
21 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,212,000 345,000 369,000 257,000 104,000 136,000
22 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,205,000 416,000 316,000 215,000 123,000 136,000
23 TWO AND A HALF MEN -MON Nine 1,188,000 265,000 428,000 261,000 122,000 112,000
24 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - THE WEIGH-IN Ten 1,181,000 354,000 279,000 274,000 114,000 160,000
25 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,170,000 314,000 294,000 280,000 151,000 130,000
26 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,165,000 302,000 371,000 231,000 115,000 146,000
27 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,165,000 359,000 357,000 167,000 149,000 133,000
28 ADULTS ONLY 20 TO 1 Nine 1,129,000 305,000 322,000 244,000 95,000 164,000
29 LAW AND ORDER: SVU Ten 1,129,000 307,000 318,000 214,000 150,000 140,000
30 LIE TO ME Ten 1,123,000 305,000 293,000 231,000 139,000 155,000
31 CRIME INVESTIGATION AUSTRALIA Nine 1,120,000 337,000 331,000 169,000 131,000 153,000
32 THE GRUEN TRANSFER ABC1 1,110,000 394,000 290,000 193,000 108,000 123,000
33 NINE NEWS Nine 1,092,000 278,000 357,000 243,000 117,000 97,000
34 ROVE Ten 1,090,000 291,000 391,000 182,000 99,000 126,000
35 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,090,000 292,000 294,000 234,000 127,000 142,000
36 GETAWAY Nine 1,085,000 320,000 312,000 244,000 88,000 120,000
37 SUNDAY NIGHT Seven 1,071,000 246,000 350,000 239,000 103,000 133,000
38 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,054,000 270,000 344,000 233,000 115,000 92,000
39 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,054,000 296,000 306,000 217,000 118,000 117,000
40 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,040,000 320,000 321,000 198,000 95,000 106,000
41 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,038,000 321,000 316,000 173,000 115,000 112,000
42 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - ELIMINATION Ten 1,033,000 298,000 276,000 220,000 109,000 129,000
43 THE MENTALIST Nine 1,033,000 313,000 322,000 187,000 109,000 102,000

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,333,000 340,000 413,000 253,000 135,000 192,000
2 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 984,000 261,000 297,000 209,000 119,000 97,000
3 IN SEARCH OF THE BIG BARRA WITH MALCOLM DOUGLAS Seven 913,000 202,000 268,000 210,000 95,000 138,000
4 THE VICAR OF DIBLEY Seven 864,000 190,000 294,000 153,000 80,000 147,000
5 HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK Ten 858,000 287,000 243,000 169,000 80,000 79,000
6 NEW TRICKS RPT ABC1 851,000 280,000 236,000 93,000 118,000 123,000
7 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS Nine 839,000 237,000 283,000 100,000 117,000 103,000
8 KATH & KIM (R) Seven 832,000 204,000 254,000 166,000 76,000 132,000
9 TEN NEWS AT FIVE SAT Ten 746,000 208,000 183,000 156,000 82,000 117,000
10 M-PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL Seven 724,000 241,000 181,000 114,000 86,000 101,000
11 THE BILL ABC1 698,000 246,000 239,000 96,000 117,000
14 LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE RPT Ten 617,000 186,000 182,000 97,000 66,000 85,000
26 IRON CHEF SBS 292,000 82,000 90,000 44,000 26,000 50,000
28 ROCKWIZ RPT SBS 270,000 73,000 82,000 45,000 24,000 46,000
29 RIPPING YARNS Seven 246,000 66,000 77,000 42,000 36,000 25,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,298,000 331,000 326,000 274,000 144,000 223,000
2 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,274,000 383,000 361,000 214,000 142,000 175,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,220,000 331,000 319,000 259,000 122,000 188,000
4 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,022,000 294,000 273,000 210,000 110,000 135,000
5 NINE NEWS Nine 1,014,000 256,000 346,000 219,000 104,000 89,000
6 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 980,000 240,000 372,000 202,000 82,000 84,000
7 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 947,000 320,000 223,000 213,000 80,000 111,000
8 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 941,000 207,000 350,000 198,000 77,000 108,000
9 THE ALL NEW SIMPSONS Ten 911,000 211,000 316,000 155,000 95,000 133,000
10 THE SIMPSONS FRI Ten 880,000 203,000 342,000 121,000 90,000 124,000
11 ABC NEWS ABC1 850,000 242,000 234,000 175,000 92,000 108,000
12 REBUS ABC1 828,000 272,000 250,000 101,000 84,000 121,000
14 LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 821,000 445,000 Not shown 376,000 Not shown Not shown
15 TEN NEWS AT FIVE Ten 768,000 231,000 193,000 137,000 88,000 120,000
16 LAW & ORDER FRI Ten 707,000 161,000 273,000 95,000 81,000 97,000
20 FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 670,000 280,000 203,000 186,000
34 SUNRISE Seven 346,000 106,000 87,000 82,000 24,000 47,000
38 TODAY Nine 279,000 85,000 93,000 57,000 17,000 27,000
56 2009 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS Ten 209,000 75,000 62,000 28,000 23,000 20,000

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,361,000 358,000 342,000 297,000 145,000 219,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,345,000 366,000 348,000 288,000 137,000 207,000
3 NINE NEWS Nine 1,130,000 336,000 354,000 240,000 111,000 90,000
4 LAW AND ORDER: SVU Ten 1,129,000 307,000 318,000 214,000 150,000 140,000
5 ADULTS ONLY 20 TO 1 Nine 1,128,000 306,000 320,000 244,000 95,000 163,000
6 GETAWAY Nine 1,084,000 319,000 313,000 244,000 88,000 120,000
7 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,054,000 296,000 306,000 217,000 118,000 117,000
8 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,042,000 269,000 347,000 207,000 105,000 113,000
9 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,040,000 320,000 321,000 198,000 95,000 106,000
10 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,020,000 293,000 250,000 226,000 117,000 133,000
11 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 998,000 294,000 267,000 232,000 92,000 113,000
12 ABC NEWS ABC1 958,000 252,000 268,000 213,000 95,000 130,000
13 BONDI VET Ten 952,000 268,000 233,000 223,000 90,000 138,000
14 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 949,000 256,000 300,000 210,000 106,000 77,000
15 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 883,000 201,000 334,000 155,000 93,000 100,000
19 PRIVATE PRACTICE Seven 818,000 262,000 237,000 150,000 88,000 79,000
21 LIFE ON MARS Ten 709,000 190,000 205,000 126,000 87,000 102,000
23 OPERATION VALKYRIE: THE STAUFFENBERG PLOT TO KILL ABC1 674,000 227,000 157,000 128,000 61,000 100,000
25 Q & A ABC1 598,000 233,000 146,000 120,000 49,000 49,000
28 SCRUBS-THU (R) Seven 464,000 148,000 157,000 76,000 44,000 39,000
64 2009 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS Ten 181,000 53,000 45,000 31,000 25,000 26,000

What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,451,000 371,000 385,000 305,000 177,000 214,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,343,000 323,000 361,000 316,000 154,000 188,000
3 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Seven 1,325,000 365,000 402,000 266,000 138,000 155,000
4 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,244,000 336,000 370,000 240,000 128,000 170,000
5 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,198,000 340,000 366,000 255,000 104,000 134,000
6 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,198,000 412,000 316,000 211,000 123,000 136,000
7 THE GRUEN TRANSFER ABC1 1,120,000 397,000 292,000 197,000 109,000 125,000
8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,114,000 255,000 394,000 243,000 106,000 116,000
9 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,086,000 310,000 345,000 223,000 116,000 91,000
10 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,085,000 295,000 283,000 240,000 121,000 145,000
11 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 1,048,000 321,000 272,000 219,000 101,000 136,000
12 THE MENTALIST Nine 1,046,000 318,000 326,000 188,000 109,000 104,000
13 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,043,000 285,000 317,000 209,000 112,000 121,000
14 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,011,000 291,000 319,000 178,000 104,000 119,000
15 HOUSE Ten 982,000 235,000 288,000 210,000 105,000 142,000
16 BEYOND THE DARKLANDS Seven 976,000 253,000 278,000 130,000 101,000 215,000
17 COLD CASE Nine 906,000 239,000 289,000 165,000 129,000 84,000
20 LIFE Ten 813,000 195,000 258,000 142,000 89,000 128,000
22 GUERRILLA GARDENERS Ten 766,000 266,000 196,000 148,000 68,000 88,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Wednesday
Typical Tuesday, in which Seven regained command of the week, and now holds 28.8 per cent of the prime time audience, to NIne's 27.5, Ten's 24.2, ABC's 14.5 and SBS's 5.3. ABC's share will rise considerably tonight, with the new series of The Gruen Transfer.

Below, right, you see Michelle Ryan, formerly The Bionic Woman, who plays David Tennant's new colleague in the first of this year's Dr Who specials. More determined than Donna? More robust than Rose? More mateworthy than Martha?

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 1,887,000 536,000 618,000 332,000 182,000 218,000
2 FIND MY FAMILY Seven 1,559,000 427,000 469,000 282,000 164,000 218,000
3 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,520,000 398,000 430,000 302,000 179,000 212,000
4 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,501,000 421,000 435,000 277,000 157,000 212,000
5 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,478,000 363,000 421,000 308,000 170,000 216,000
6 NCIS Ten 1,357,000 411,000 323,000 258,000 170,000 195,000
7 BONDI RESCUE Ten 1,337,000 434,000 298,000 289,000 130,000 185,000
8 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,202,000 312,000 348,000 259,000 134,000 149,000
9 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,165,000 359,000 357,000 167,000 149,000 134,000
10 LIE TO ME Ten 1,102,000 299,000 289,000 226,000 137,000 151,000
11 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,094,000 296,000 308,000 232,000 111,000 146,000
12 NINE NEWS Nine 1,055,000 247,000 335,000 249,000 115,000 109,000
13 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,053,000 236,000 346,000 241,000 132,000 98,000
18 WIPEOUT AUSTRALIA Nine 948,000 230,000 318,000 190,000 111,000 100,000
19 AUSSIE LADETTE TO LADY Nine 891,000 230,000 299,000 158,000 89,000 114,000
30 LEAD BALLOON ABC1 439,000 104,000 106,000 94,000 53,000 82,000
31 DOCTOR WHO RPT ABC1 434,000 124,000 100,000 95,000 31,000 84,000

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 UNDERBELLY: A TALE OF TWO CITIES Nine 2,174,000 630,000 729,000 375,000 204,000 236,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,667,000 392,000 487,000 389,000 170,000 230,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,445,000 330,000 409,000 341,000 161,000 205,000
4 CUSTOMS Nine 1,436,000 353,000 494,000 302,000 144,000 143,000
5 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,200,000 301,000 367,000 286,000 140,000 106,000
6 TWO AND A HALF MEN -MON Nine 1,186,000 266,000 426,000 262,000 119,000 112,000
7 CRIME INVESTIGATION AUSTRALIA Nine 1,147,000 343,000 341,000 172,000 135,000 155,000
8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,139,000 295,000 356,000 262,000 147,000 80,000
9 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,128,000 265,000 321,000 240,000 155,000 147,000
10 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,079,000 277,000 339,000 255,000 99,000 108,000
11 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,038,000 322,000 316,000 173,000 115,000 112,000
12 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - ELIMINATION Ten 1,033,000 298,000 276,000 220,000 109,000 129,000
13 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,016,000 300,000 306,000 196,000 103,000 111,000
14 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Seven 998,000 274,000 255,000 248,000 94,000 127,000
15 BROTHERS & SISTERS Seven 970,000 284,000 344,000 138,000 108,000 96,000
18 TOP GEAR SBS 921,000 251,000 288,000 163,000 115,000 104,000
19 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA - RESULTS Ten 905,000 249,000 253,000 184,000 94,000 125,000
23 SCRUBS - MON Seven 868,000 282,000 218,000 177,000 74,000 116,000
27 FOUR CORNERS ABC1 591,000 181,000 153,000 121,000 63,000 72,000
28 MEDIA WATCH ABC1 534,000 169,000 137,000 98,000 49,000 81,000
31 BOSTON LEGAL Seven 501,000 148,000 178,000 68,000 67,000 40,000
52 30 ROCK Seven 230,000 80,000 61,000 36,000 25,000 27,000

The ratings race, updated 11 am Monday
If you'd like to see the scene which the ABC had to cut out of Lost in Austen, because it had not purchased copyright for Australia, go here. You may care to compare this performance of a woman not-quite-remembering all the words with Nicole Kidman's attempt to do the same acting job with Somewhere Over The Rainbow in Australia.

To discuss whether alarmed Australians have started cocooning again, go to The Tribal Mind. To get an early clue on what will be the Buzz Word of the Year, go to Who We Are.

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,583,000 388,000 442,000 348,000 175,000 231,000
2 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,517,000 425,000 475,000 296,000 140,000 182,000
3 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,456,000 350,000 481,000 321,000 174,000 131,000
4 60 MINUTES Nine 1,322,000 366,000 397,000 272,000 139,000 149,000
5 TRIPLE ZERO HEROES Seven 1,295,000 327,000 412,000 277,000 115,000 164,000
6 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA Ten 1,292,000 351,000 395,000 269,000 123,000 154,000
7 CSI Nine 1,220,000 312,000 360,000 246,000 165,000 137,000
8 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - THE WEIGH-IN Ten 1,184,000 354,000 280,000 275,000 114,000 160,000
9 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,172,000 315,000 296,000 280,000 151,000 130,000
10 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,162,000 302,000 369,000 230,000 115,000 146,000
11 ROVE Ten 1,130,000 305,000 404,000 190,000 101,000 131,000
12 SUNDAY NIGHT Seven 1,071,000 246,000 350,000 239,000 103,000 133,000
15 ROGUE NATION ABC1 853,000 341,000 184,000 141,000 79,000 108,000
17 LOST IN AUSTEN ABC1 794,000 299,000 184,000 122,000 75,000 115,000
20 FAWLTY TOWERS Seven 625,000 186,000 174,000 96,000 51,000 119,000
23 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 513,000 312,000 201,000
24 DEXTER Ten 483,000 114,000 166,000 84,000 53,000 66,000
31 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES MARATHON Seven 293,000 100,000 73,000 56,000 21,000 42,000
33 COMPASS ABC1 274,000 94,000 78,000 47,000 28,000 26,000
38 THE REAL NEANDERTHAL MAN SBS 251,000 51,000 69,000 57,000 37,000 38,000
40 DEXTER EP 2 Ten 241,000 58,000 67,000 46,000 26,000 44,000
48 24 Seven 208,000 85,000 50,000 26,000 29,000 18,000
David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind, in whoweare-index at 05:20 AM

Comments (64)

Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The Who We Are update: Week 11

To discuss whether alarmed Australians have started cocooning again, go to The Tribal Mind.

To get an early clue on what will be the Buzz Word of the Year, go to Who We Are.

The ratings race, updated 10 am Sunday
Having two hit shows is not enough. Underbelly wins Monday night for Nine, and Two and a Half Men performs well every night, but Seven has fallen into the comfortable pattern of averaging 29.4 per cent of the prime time audience, while Nine manages 27.8, Ten 21.5, ABC 16.0 and SBS 5.3. The only difference this week will be a rise for the ABC, thanks to the arrival of The Gruen Transfer. Lets call it now: Nine is stuffed for the year.

Here's Pay TV's account of itself for the week: "On Saturday evening, Live: Sound Relief Melbourne was watched by an average 220,000 viewers, while Live: Sound Relief Sydney was watched by 121,000 people. Across the day, 1.2m viewers turned into the concerts, which were broadcast live in their entirety by Channel [V] from the MCG in Melbourne and by Max from the SCG in Sydney. In other entertainment programming this week, Twister on TV1 was watched by 122,000 people.

"In sport, Live: Cricket: Test RSA v AUS Day 4 S1 was watched by 353,000 people, the first week of the NRL saw 296,000 viewers watch Live: NRL Bulldogs v Sea Eagles and 241 watch Warrior v Eels. Live: Rugby Union: S14 Brum v Waratahs was seen by 120,000 subscribers. STV channels accounted for 24.5% of all metropolitan viewing between 6am and midnight, was 22.5% of all regional viewing and 61.8% of all viewing in subscription TV homes."

What Australia watched, week ending March 14
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 UNDERBELLY: A TALE OF TWO CITIES Nine 2,269,000 731,000 690,000 358,000 214,000 275,000
2 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 1,817,000 524,000 574,000 306,000 199,000 214,000
3 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,602,000 436,000 393,000 416,000 140,000 217,000
4 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,548,000 512,000 389,000 346,000 122,000 179,000
5 FIND MY FAMILY Seven 1,545,000 383,000 498,000 299,000 178,000 187,000
6 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,468,000 390,000 401,000 306,000 165,000 207,000
7 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,416,000 355,000 412,000 312,000 160,000 176,000
8 NCIS Ten 1,412,000 391,000 392,000 287,000 165,000 176,000
9 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,345,000 344,000 397,000 290,000 133,000 181,000
10 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Seven 1,344,000 351,000 407,000 274,000 151,000 161,000
11 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,337,000 345,000 413,000 277,000 137,000 166,000
12 CUSTOMS Nine 1,334,000 369,000 403,000 274,000 136,000 152,000
13 TRIPLE ZERO HEROES Seven 1,334,000 395,000 327,000 308,000 119,000 185,000
14 ADULTS ONLY 20 TO 1 Nine 1,317,000 398,000 406,000 238,000 131,000 144,000
15 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,316,000 367,000 433,000 200,000 166,000 149,000
16 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,301,000 334,000 350,000 290,000 141,000 186,000
17 CRIME INVESTIGATION AUSTRALIA Nine 1,238,000 426,000 344,000 182,000 112,000 174,000
18 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,220,000 379,000 388,000 167,000 142,000 144,000
19 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,214,000 378,000 373,000 259,000 122,000 81,000
20 TWO AND A HALF MEN -MON Nine 1,196,000 325,000 376,000 253,000 111,000 131,000

21 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,189,000 375,000 320,000 208,000 118,000 168,000
22 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,183,000 321,000 397,000 243,000 93,000 129,000
23 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA Ten 1,150,000 386,000 277,000 236,000 100,000 151,000
24 SUNDAY NIGHT Seven 1,146,000 301,000 304,000 313,000 100,000 127,000
25 NINE NEWS Nine 1,139,000 278,000 365,000 272,000 133,000 91,000
26 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,136,000 386,000 309,000 211,000 101,000 128,000
27 LIE TO ME Ten 1,129,000 282,000 357,000 223,000 126,000 140,000
28 TWO AND A HALF MEN -EP1 Nine 1,121,000 336,000 326,000 232,000 123,000 104,000
29 THE MENTALIST Nine 1,121,000 339,000 392,000 184,000 109,000 96,000
30 60 MINUTES Nine 1,118,000 344,000 299,000 245,000 108,000 122,000
31 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,102,000 268,000 365,000 263,000 116,000 90,000
32 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - THE WEIGH-IN Ten 1,098,000 373,000 232,000 236,000 96,000 161,000
33 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,092,000 312,000 289,000 237,000 124,000 130,000
34 GETAWAY Nine 1,086,000 321,000 361,000 212,000 89,000 103,000
35 LAW AND ORDER: SVU Ten 1,079,000 326,000 278,000 221,000 128,000 125,000
36 CSI Nine 1,067,000 313,000 283,000 218,000 139,000 114,000
37 BONDI RESCUE Ten 1,064,000 342,000 266,000 258,000 91,000 106,000
38 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,057,000 293,000 309,000 224,000 107,000 123,000
39 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,053,000 257,000 372,000 198,000 139,000 86,000
40 TWO AND A HALF MEN -EP2 Nine 1,051,000 315,000 306,000 219,000 121,000 91,000
41 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - ELIMINATION Ten 1,046,000 303,000 300,000 224,000 93,000 126,000
42 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,040,000 294,000 346,000 182,000 109,000 110,000
43 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,032,000 311,000 315,000 209,000 86,000 112,000
(OzTAM mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,345,000 344,000 397,000 290,000 133,000 181,000
2 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,053,000 257,000 372,000 198,000 139,000 86,000
3 IN THE BUSH WITH MALCOLM DOUGLAS Seven 993,000 281,000 292,000 215,000 100,000 104,000
4 NEW TRICKS RPT ABC1 987,000 261,000 320,000 171,000 118,000 117,000
5 ABC NEWS-SAT ABC1 874,000 225,000 289,000 156,000 96,000 108,000
6 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS Nine 860,000 219,000 281,000 168,000 99,000 93,000
7 THE BILL ABC1 852,000 209,000 305,000 134,000 102,000 101,000
8 THE VICAR OF DIBLEY Seven 845,000 216,000 275,000 160,000 106,000 87,000
9 RUNAWAY VACATION -RPT Nine 824,000 229,000 257,000 152,000 94,000 92,000
12 ICE AGE THE MELTDOWN RPT Ten 745,000 197,000 232,000 137,000 86,000 94,000
16 GARDENING AUSTRALIA-EV ABC1 512,000 132,000 182,000 77,000 68,000 53,000
26 IRON CHEF SBS 299,000 96,000 117,000 27,000 19,000 40,000
30 ROCKWIZ RPT SBS 264,000 46,000 109,000 43,000 26,000 40,000

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,316,000 367,000 433,000 200,000 166,000 149,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,311,000 343,000 342,000 261,000 158,000 208,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,179,000 315,000 293,000 259,000 134,000 178,000
4 NINE NEWS Nine 1,084,000 269,000 350,000 259,000 116,000 89,000
5 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,055,000 247,000 363,000 238,000 107,000 100,000
6 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,007,000 295,000 286,000 204,000 120,000 102,000
7 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 987,000 267,000 278,000 217,000 98,000 128,000
8 ABC NEWS ABC1 900,000 250,000 289,000 151,000 106,000 104,000
9 TRIAL AND RETRIBUTION: MIRROR IMAGE ABC1 837,000 213,000 276,000 104,000 115,000 130,000
10 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 823,000 267,000 189,000 183,000 71,000 113,000
11 NRL: LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 801,000 414,000 387,000
15 AFL: 2009 CUP Seven 752,000 19,000 491,000 15,000 127,000 100,000
28 NRL: NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 450,000 275,000 Not shown 175,000 Not shown Not shown
34 SUNRISE Seven 388,000 128,000 79,000 103,000 34,000 44,000
41 TODAY Nine 300,000 102,000 84,000 62,000 24,000 28,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Friday
Channel Nine staged a recovery last night, thanks mainly to Bert Newton and the biffo yobbos. Audience shares at this point in the week are close: Seven 29.2 per cent, Nine 28.3, Ten 22.2, ABC 15.2, SBS 5.1. Seven will win tonight, but if Nine has programmed cleverly on Saturday night, there could be a surprise on Sunday -- which you will read in this space when you come back from church.

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,354,000 369,000 362,000 302,000 135,000 185,000
2 ADULTS ONLY 20 TO 1 Nine 1,304,000 397,000 399,000 237,000 129,000 142,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,252,000 307,000 335,000 312,000 130,000 169,000
4 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 1,097,000 294,000 421,000 176,000 100,000 106,000
5 LAW AND ORDER: SVU Ten 1,085,000 328,000 281,000 222,000 129,000 125,000
6 GETAWAY Nine 1,083,000 319,000 361,000 211,000 88,000 103,000
7 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 1,073,000 349,000 277,000 226,000 99,000 123,000
8 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,057,000 303,000 260,000 248,000 113,000 133,000
9 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 1,057,000 293,000 309,000 224,000 107,000 123,000
10 NINE NEWS Nine 1,051,000 282,000 332,000 246,000 119,000 72,000
11 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 1,032,000 311,000 315,000 209,000 86,000 112,000
12 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,010,000 262,000 310,000 201,000 120,000 118,000
13 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,006,000 239,000 336,000 258,000 106,000 67,000
15 BONDI VET Ten 896,000 243,000 218,000 213,000 94,000 128,000
18 PRIVATE PRACTICE Seven 781,000 231,000 252,000 136,000 78,000 84,000
20 LIFE ON MARS Ten 739,000 239,000 181,000 122,000 87,000 109,000
25 Q & A ABC1 495,000 205,000 110,000 91,000 51,000 39,000
30 SCRUBS - THU (R) Seven 426,000 133,000 122,000 83,000 32,000 57,000
51 THE FOOTY SHOW LATE Nine 215,000 55,000 84,000 34,000 27,000 14,000

What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,540,000 404,000 448,000 301,000 190,000 197,000
2 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Seven 1,344,000 351,000 407,000 274,000 151,000 161,000
3 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,337,000 345,000 413,000 277,000 137,000 166,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,295,000 345,000 363,000 268,000 141,000 179,000
5 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,180,000 322,000 395,000 242,000 93,000 129,000
6 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,155,000 391,000 315,000 216,000 103,000 130,000
7 NINE NEWS Nine 1,137,000 260,000 364,000 276,000 140,000 97,000
8 THE MENTALIST Nine 1,125,000 339,000 394,000 185,000 110,000 97,000
9 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,078,000 245,000 359,000 257,000 116,000 100,000
10 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,075,000 289,000 321,000 245,000 106,000 114,000
11 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,051,000 287,000 266,000 235,000 125,000 138,000
12 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,036,000 281,000 328,000 194,000 107,000 126,000
13 GANGS OF OZ Seven 1,013,000 341,000 302,000 170,000 89,000 111,000
14 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) Ten 1,000,000 303,000 272,000 219,000 81,000 125,000
15 COLD CASE Nine 928,000 254,000 340,000 151,000 117,000 67,000
16 HOUSE Ten 901,000 232,000 279,000 152,000 103,000 135,000
23 GUERRILLA GARDENERS Ten 685,000 238,000 215,000 116,000 45,000 72,000
28 CHANDON PICTURES ABC1 489,000 179,000 123,000 72,000 47,000 68,000
32 LOST Seven 415,000 146,000 112,000 90,000 42,000 26,000
The ratings race, updated 10 am Wednesday
Considering its timeslot, you'd have to call Lie To Me the first new hit of the year. There is no other program that can pull 1.1 million viewers at 9.30 pm. The rest of the novelties this year have already sunk below the magic million mark.

At this point in the week, Seven has 29.7 per cent of the prime time audience, with Nine on 28.0, Ten on 22.7, ABC on 14.4, and SBS on 5.2.

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 1,817,000 524,000 574,000 306,000 199,000 214,000
2 FIND MY FAMILY Seven 1,545,000 383,000 498,000 299,000 178,000 187,000
3 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,497,000 403,000 397,000 307,000 163,000 226,000
4 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,416,000 355,000 412,000 312,000 160,000 176,000
5 NCIS Ten 1,409,000 392,000 391,000 287,000 164,000 175,000
6 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,370,000 347,000 374,000 281,000 152,000 217,000
7 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,220,000 379,000 388,000 167,000 142,000 144,000
8 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,194,000 337,000 325,000 252,000 141,000 140,000
9 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,181,000 285,000 411,000 279,000 119,000 87,000
10 NINE NEWS Nine 1,178,000 284,000 388,000 283,000 133,000 91,000
11 LIE TO ME Ten 1,135,000 284,000 358,000 225,000 127,000 141,000
12 TWO AND A HALF MEN -EP1 Nine 1,132,000 339,000 331,000 232,000 125,000 105,000
13 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,063,000 301,000 325,000 219,000 107,000 111,000
14 BONDI RESCUE Ten 1,056,000 340,000 264,000 257,000 90,000 106,000
17 WIPEOUT AUSTRALIA Nine 990,000 251,000 287,000 202,000 132,000 119,000
21 AUSSIE LADETTE TO LADY Nine 878,000 262,000 278,000 127,000 100,000 111,000
29 LEAD BALLOON ABC1 475,000 157,000 114,000 93,000 54,000 57,000
30 SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL Nine 459,000 119,000 180,000 76,000 47,000 37,000
31 FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT ABC1 453,000 134,000 154,000 78,000 38,000 50,000
35 DOCTOR WHO RPT ABC1 386,000 138,000 78,000 80,000 32,000 59,000
44 JENNIFER BYRNE PRESENTS ABC1 261,000 95,000 79,000 40,000 27,000 21,000

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 UNDERBELLY: A TALE OF TWO CITIES Nine 2,267,000 728,000 691,000 358,000 215,000 275,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,639,000 431,000 457,000 359,000 178,000 215,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,400,000 354,000 378,000 330,000 148,000 189,000
4 CUSTOMS Nine 1,312,000 362,000 394,000 270,000 137,000 150,000
5 CRIME INVESTIGATION AUSTRALIA Nine 1,265,000 434,000 354,000 186,000 113,000 178,000
6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,235,000 294,000 391,000 292,000 154,000 104,000
7 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,196,000 321,000 362,000 285,000 135,000 94,000
8 TWO AND A HALF MEN -MON Nine 1,186,000 322,000 372,000 252,000 112,000 128,000
9 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,161,000 339,000 307,000 251,000 123,000 141,000
10 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,063,000 318,000 307,000 220,000 100,000 118,000
11 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,048,000 294,000 352,000 183,000 109,000 110,000
12 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - ELIMINATION Ten 1,047,000 303,000 301,000 224,000 93,000 126,000
13 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,018,000 261,000 303,000 241,000 121,000 92,000
14 BROTHERS & SISTERS Seven 1,012,000 299,000 372,000 148,000 98,000 95,000
16 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA - RESULTS Ten 965,000 296,000 289,000 191,000 82,000 107,000
20 TOP GEAR SBS 931,000 255,000 303,000 160,000 119,000 94,000
38 SUNRISE Seven 370,000 124,000 74,000 95,000 24,000 52,000
42 TODAY Nine 317,000 105,000 91,000 82,000 14,000 25,000
43 30 ROCK Seven 292,000 82,000 128,000 35,000 32,000 14,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Monday
Channel Seven won the night, and there's no reason to think it won't win the week and the year. More importantly, what did we make of Lost in Austen? Its audience must be a grave disappointment for the ABC, given the publicity.

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,602,000 436,000 393,000 416,000 140,000 217,000
2 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,550,000 513,000 390,000 346,000 122,000 179,000
3 TRIPLE ZERO HEROES Seven 1,331,000 393,000 326,000 308,000 119,000 185,000
4 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,213,000 378,000 373,000 259,000 122,000 81,000
5 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,187,000 374,000 319,000 208,000 118,000 168,000
6 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA Ten 1,150,000 386,000 277,000 236,000 100,000 151,000
7 SUNDAY NIGHT Seven 1,147,000 302,000 304,000 313,000 101,000 127,000
8 60 MINUTES Nine 1,118,000 344,000 299,000 245,000 108,000 122,000
9 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - THE WEIGH-IN Ten 1,094,000 372,000 232,000 235,000 95,000 160,000
10 CSI Nine 1,065,000 311,000 283,000 218,000 139,000 114,000
11 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,013,000 381,000 239,000 190,000 92,000 110,000
12 ABC NEWS-SUN ABC1 933,000 290,000 268,000 180,000 88,000 107,000
13 ROVE Ten 933,000 283,000 287,000 160,000 84,000 119,000
14 CSI: MIAMI Nine 901,000 250,000 249,000 138,000 137,000 128,000
17 WILD CARIBBEAN ABC1 775,000 248,000 195,000 137,000 86,000 109,000
18 LOST IN AUSTEN ABC1 771,000 277,000 199,000 119,000 66,000 111,000
20 THE EINSTEIN FACTOR ABC1 583,000 165,000 164,000 108,000 70,000 75,000
21 FAWLTY TOWERS Seven 559,000 185,000 131,000 109,000 62,000 73,000
28 THE X-FILES Ten 357,000 111,000 123,000 39,000 47,000 38,000
30 OUT OF THE BLUE SUN Ten 289,000 74,000 61,000 69,000 46,000 39,000
41 COMPASS ABC1 225,000 86,000 53,000 27,000 21,000 38,000
42 24 Seven 219,000 68,000 69,000 41,000 18,000 21,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in The Tribal Mind, in whoweare-index at 09:09 AM

Comments (64)

Sunday, March 1, 2009
WHO WE ARE: It's not what you read, or how, but whether

To nominate the most annoying, embarrassing and underrated people or programs for TV's Bogie Awards, go to The Tribal Mind.

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 1/3/2009
Does anybody actually read any more -- in the sense of taking pleasure in turning the pages of a printed object, as opposed to scanning a computer screen? Amazingly, the answer might be yes, if we're to believe the latest reports of the Audit Bureau of Circulations and ACNeilsen Bookscan. It seems that accounts of the death of print have been somewhat exaggerated.

Check out Australia's main reading habits in the past 12 months:

Books: 4 Ingredients by Kim McCosker and Rachel Bermingham, sold 288,000 copies in 2008 (bringing total sales to 800,000); Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer, 235,000; New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer, 217,000; Tales of Beedle the Bard, by J. K. Rowling, 201,000; Underbelly: The Gangland War, by John Silvester and Andrew Rule, 176,000 copies.

Newspapers: The Sunday Telegraph 653,000 a week; The Sunday Herald-Sun, Melbourne, 607,000; The Sunday Mail, Brisbane, 551,000; The Herald-Sun Monday to Friday 515,000; The Sun-Herald 473,000.

Magazines: Women's Weekly 491,000 a month; Woman's Day 406,000 a week; Better Homes and Gardens 380,000 a month; Readers Digest 345,000 a month; New Idea 320,000 a week.

The Audit Bureau reveals that the sales of Better Homes and Gardens rose 9 per cent in the past 12 months, while Health Smart rose 19 per cent, Women's Health rose 15 per cent, and Men's Health rose 11 per cent. In addition, Top Gear mag was launched, with sales of 85,000 a month, and new Grazia is selling 65,000 a week.

Sounds pretty optimistic, doesn't it? Well, to be completely honest, there's more bad news than good on the literacy front. Over the past five years total newspaper sales have been declining at the rate of two per cent a year, and magazine sales at the rate of six per cent. In the past 12 months, capital city newspapers lost 193,000 regular buyers, and magazines lost 561,000 regular buyers.

The biggest losers are the weekly scandal sheets (NW is down 16 per cent and New Idea is down 15 per cent) and the lads mags (FHM is down 24 per cent and Ralph is down 22 per cent). It seems we're no longer interested in gossip and cleavages. Or we've found a more consistent source of titillation.

Just for comparison, here's the latest data I can find on Australia's internet usage. A Roy Morgan Single Source survey conducted in the second half of 2008 found these were the websites most visited by Australians: Google Search, with 11.98 million visitors a month (up 12 per cent in a year); Ninemsn 8.33 million (up 9 per cent); Telstra Bigpond 5.68 million (up 16 per cent); Yahoo!7 4.42m (up 14); Fairfax Digital 4.03m (up 11).

Should literacy-lovers panic? Of course not. If the answer to the question "What do Australians mainly read?" turns out to be Google, that sounds quite a bit better than the answer I'd have given ten years ago, which would have been "the gossip weeklies".

When they use Google, Australians are seeking the answer to a question -- an admirable process that used to be called scholarship. It involves a more active form of reading than 4 Ingredients or Better Homes and Gardens or the mating habits of Lindsay Lohan. Who knew we had become such serious souls?

Is print dying, and if so, does it matter? Tell us at Comments

What Australians read
1 The Sunday Telegraph 653,000 a week (down 2.5 per cent))
2 The Sunday Herald-Sun (Melbourne) 606,500 (down 3%)
3 The Sunday Mail (Brisbane) 551,000 a week (down 5%)
4 The Herald-Sun (Melbourne) 515,500 a day (down 3)
5 The Herald-Sun Saturday 502,000 (down 1.5)
6 Women's Weekly 491,500 a month (down 14)
7 The Sun-Herald 473,000 a week (down 5)
8 Woman's Day 406,000 a week (down 13)
9 Better Homes and Gardens 380,000 a month (up 9)
10 The Daily Telegraph 369,000 a day (down 2)
11 The Sydney Morning Herald Saturday 360,000 (unchanged)
12 The West Australian Saturday 336,000 (down 2)
13 New Idea 330,000 a week (down 15)
14 The Daily Telegraph Saturday 325,000 a week (down 2)
15 Readers Digest 345,000 a month (down 2)
16 The Sunday Times (Perth) 322,000 (down 6)
17 That's Life! 310,000 a week (down 4)
18 The Weekend Australian 309,000 a week (up 3)
19 The Sunday Mail (Adelaide) 304,000 a week (down 5)
20 The Age (Melbourne) Saturday 297,000 (same)
21 The Courier-Mail Sat 296,000 a week (down 3)
22 Super Food Ideas 271,000 a month (down 10)
23 Take 5 260,000 a week (down 3)
24 The Advertiser (Adelaide) Saturday 254,000 (down 3)
25 The Sunday Age 227,000 a week (up 1)
26 TV Week 226,000 a week (down 5)
27 The Courier-Mail 215,000 a day (down 2)
28 The Age 204,000 a day (unchanged)
29 The West Australian 193,000 a day (down 3)
30 The Advertiser 182,000 a day (down 4)
31 Cosmopolitan 166,000 (down 6)

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale in whoweare-index at 12:44 PM

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