The Sun-Herald

The Tribal Mind: We're a page right out of history

For David Dale's daily update on Australian attitudes, bookmark blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare

Bloody Australians. You offer them a whole new world of choice in entertainment, and what do they go for? The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Survivor, Doctor Who, Mr Bean and people playing poker. Those are among the most watched shows on the digital channels that have suddenly popped into existence on our TV screens. Australia's response to the new abundance is not so much "back to the future" as "forward to the past".

Mind you, this week's enthusiasm for The Flintstones and The Jetsons may be based on scholarly curiosity rather than simple nostalgia. In the 1960s, The Jetsons predicted what Western society would be like in the 21st century: robot maids, flying cars, food pills, videophones and interplanetary tourism, while The Flintstones demonstrates what life will be like if we don't do something about climate change.

What no forecaster anticipated was a proliferation of media outlets combined with a massive shortage of imagination, causing a network such as Channel Nine to fill the schedule of its new station with programs that have already been regularly repeated on free to air and Pay TV.

This week the ratings agency, OzTAM, reported for the first time on audience figures for Nine's new digital offshoot GO! (the exclamation mark is part of its official title).

On Sunday GO! attracted 2.8 per cent of the prime time audience. Nine got terribly excited and put out a press release headed "GO! Makes History As Australia's Most Successful Multi-Channel Launch". It quoted Nine's CEO, David Gyngell, thus: "Viewers have embraced the channel and what it has to offer, and to be recording this sort of outcome within a couple of weeks of our soft launch is very good news for Australian television and the PBL Media Group."

By mid week, this was looking like a case of premature expostulation. GO! settled down to 1.6 per cent - close to the share gained by ABC2 and by the top Pay channel, Fox 8. Here's what the neophiliacs of the digital age were watching ...

The hits of GO!: The Big Bang Theory rpt 204,000 in the mainland capitals; Wipeout 169,000; The Flintstones rpt 131,000; Survivor: Gabon 127,000; The Nanny rpt 123,000; Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles rpt 107,000; The Jetsons rpt 99,000.

The hits of ABC2: Scrapheap Challenge 123,000; Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride rpt 115,000; Wire in the Blood USA 113,000; Mr Bean rpt 85,000; The Beast 85,000.

The hits of ONE (Channel Ten's sports station): One Week at a Time 98,000; UFC Wired 82,000; FIA Formula One World Championship 65,000; Poker: Latin American Tour 51,000.

The hits of SBSTWO: The Elegant Universe rpt 61,000; Blokes and Sheds 35,000; Nathalie rpt 32,000; Dreamship Surprise rpt 23,000.

The hits of Fox8: America's Next Top Model 146,000; The Simpsons rpt 142,000; Family Guy rpt 126,000; Futurama rpt 119,000; Dollhouse 71,000.

So the top show across the multiverse is a repeat of an American sitcom that started on Nine last year. The only hits which are not repeats are a game show and a reality show that flopped when tried out on Nine (Wipeout and Survivor) and two American cop shows that are too grim for mainstream TV (Wire in the Blood USA and The Beast).

It would seem that in their viewing choices, Australians are the modern stone age family. Go to Comments to discuss whether TV has got better or just bigger.

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

• by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 01:12 AM
• Comments (7)

The Who We Are update: Week 33

This week's forum is now a heritage item - worth studying but no longer current. For the latest on Australian attitudes and media trends, go to blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

To learn why Australians are going back to the stone age in their digital viewing, go to The Tribal Mind.

The ratings race, updated 10 am Monday
These were the prime time audience shares at the end of a week without Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation: SBS2 0.4 per cent; ONE 1.1; ABC2 1.4; GO 1.7; SBS 5.6 per cent; ABC 16.7; Ten 20.6; Nine 25.1; Seven 27.4.

Note that those percentages represent a share of free to air prime time viewing. If you include subscription TV, you get a different picture. This was Pay's account of itself: "In week 35, subscription TV was the number one source of television across Australia. STV channels represented 22.3% of all metropolitan viewing between 6am and midnight, 21.7% of all regional viewing and 57.5% of all viewing in subscription TV homes.

"As the football home-and-away schedules draw to a close, 282,000 people watched Live: NRL Titans v Wests Tigers and 232,000 saw Live: AFL Fremantle v Essendon; 105,000 people viewed Live: Cricket: Ashes: Day 4 Session 1 and 92,000 people saw Australia battle South Africa in Live: Rugby Union: Tri Nations (all on FOX Sports).

"In entertainment programming this week, NCIS on TV1 was seen by 131,000 people and Movie One's premiere of Indiana Jones: Kingdom of Crystal Skull was watched by 127,000 viewers. America's Next Top Model on FOX8 was seen by 116,000 people, Project Runway Australia had a season-to-date high with 108,000 viewers and iCarly on Nickelodeon also had a year-to-date best audience with 94,000 viewers. Destroyed in Seconds on Discovery Channel was seen by 84,000 people and the Michael Kanaan expose in Crime Investigation Australia on Crime & Investigation was watched by 83,000 people."

And if you thought Australian Idol was a flop this year, examine this chart, which suggests that it is working well with its target audience ...

What viewers aged 16-39 watched, week ending August 29
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 546,000 159,000 188,000 88,000 44,000 67,000
2 GOOD NEWS WEEK Ten 464,000 130,000 145,000 88,000 43,000 58,000
3 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - SEMI FINAL 1 Ten 447,000 138,000 120,000 88,000 40,000 61,000
4 ROVE Ten 444,000 106,000 157,000 86,000 44,000 51,000
5 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - TOP 100 Ten 444,000 121,000 128,000 93,000 47,000 54,000
6 RUSH Ten 432,000 123,000 144,000 91,000 20,000 54,000
7 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 432,000 120,000 140,000 77,000 48,000 48,000
8 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - SEMI FINAL 4 Ten 420,000 109,000 134,000 95,000 27,000 54,000
9 TWO AND A HALF MEN -WED Nine 406,000 92,000 140,000 102,000 34,000 38,000
10 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 403,000 109,000 124,000 85,000 39,000 46,000
11 HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX Nine 395,000 118,000 118,000 67,000 40,000 52,000
12 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 390,000 84,000 133,000 85,000 30,000 58,000
13 20 TO 1 -RPT Nine 389,000 94,000 151,000 75,000 40,000 29,000
14 AIR WAYS Seven 388,000 112,000 135,000 77,000 32,000 31,000
15 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - SEMI FINAL 2 Ten 382,000 120,000 103,000 70,000 35,000 54,000

16 WORLD'S STRICTEST PARENTS-UK Seven 380,000 120,000 111,000 68,000 40,000 41,000
17 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - SEMI FINAL 3 Ten 367,000 100,000 121,000 63,000 34,000 50,000
18 NCIS RPT Ten 367,000 99,000 121,000 79,000 30,000 38,000
19 CRIMINAL MINDS (R) Seven 365,000 100,000 125,000 65,000 31,000 45,000
20 MY NAME IS EARL Seven 361,000 76,000 130,000 69,000 35,000 51,000
21 SURF PATROL Seven 358,000 93,000 121,000 77,000 30,000 37,000
22 20 TO 1 Nine 357,000 119,000 105,000 67,000 24,000 42,000
23 THE BIG BANG THEORY Nine 352,000 86,000 126,000 85,000 55,000
24 NEIGHBOURS Ten 351,000 94,000 103,000 77,000 34,000 44,000
25 NCIS EP 2 RPT Ten 343,000 78,000 127,000 69,000 26,000 42,000
26 THE AMAZING RACE Seven 324,000 111,000 79,000 61,000 37,000 37,000
27 THE SIMPSONS FRI EP 2 Ten 321,000 78,000 123,000 43,000 24,000 53,000
28 THE SIMPSONS FRI Ten 319,000 84,000 110,000 57,000 27,000 41,000
29 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 318,000 90,000 88,000 80,000 43,000 17,000
30 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 317,000 69,000 79,000 95,000 21,000 52,000
31 TWO AND A HALF MEN -EP1 Nine 315,000 82,000 115,000 59,000 36,000 23,000
32 BONES (R) Seven 312,000 86,000 73,000 71,000 32,000 50,000
33 SCRUBS-WED (R) Seven 310,000 80,000 119,000 41,000 31,000 40,000
34 HOME AND AWAY Seven 310,000 92,000 77,000 69,000 32,000 39,000
35 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 309,000 88,000 94,000 65,000 23,000 39,000
36 TWO AND A HALF MEN -EP2 Nine 307,000 76,000 107,000 60,000 35,000 28,000
37 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 306,000 77,000 114,000 53,000 31,000 32,000
38 CITY HOMICIDE-MON Seven 304,000 71,000 118,000 60,000 15,000 39,000
39 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 302,000 84,000 83,000 59,000 36,000 40,000
40 THE LIBRARIANS ABC1 298,000 76,000 113,000 40,000 32,000 38,000
41 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 297,000 122,000 87,000 45,000 31,000 12,000
42 THE FOOTY SHOW Nine 297,000 75,000 113,000 41,000 27,000 41,000
43 60 MINUTES Nine 295,000 101,000 91,000 50,000 29,000 25,000
44 BEYOND THE DARKLANDS-MON Seven 295,000 118,000 80,000 45,000 22,000 30,000
45 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS Nine 293,000 76,000 118,000 41,000 24,000 34,000
46 NANNY MCPHEE RPT Ten 291,000 88,000 88,000 47,000 26,000 41,000
47 JOURNEY TO THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE Seven 289,000 108,000 74,000 56,000 20,000 31,000
48 UNITED STATES OF TARA ABC1 283,000 71,000 90,000 41,000 35,000 46,000
49 BONES Seven 282,000 102,000 100,000 35,000 45,000
50 THE SIMPSONS Ten 282,000 75,000 99,000 42,000 27,000 38,000 153 WIPEOUT GO! 81,000 22,000 14,000 18,000 8,000 19,000
177 THE BIG BANG THEORY -RPT GO! 67,000 28,000 16,000 9,000 6,000 8,000
(OzTAM mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX Nine 1,230,000 379,000 374,000 202,000 123,000 153,000
2 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,217,000 350,000 347,000 264,000 81,000 176,000
3 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS Nine 1,021,000 267,000 316,000 199,000 125,000 114,000
4 ABC NEWS-SA ABC1 914,000 296,000 257,000 156,000 105,000 99,000
5 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 860,000 237,000 261,000 192,000 89,000 81,000
6 THE GREAT OUTDOORS Seven 847,000 246,000 258,000 163,000 72,000 108,000
7 TEN NEWS AT FIVE SAT Ten 815,000 170,000 380,000 146,000 117,000
8 SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFL Ten 793,000 64,000 409,000 50,000 198,000 72,000
9 THE BILL ABC1 773,000 228,000 216,000 134,000 77,000 118,000
10 EAST OF EVERYTHING ABC1 644,000 230,000 167,000 122,000 58,000 67,000
12 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Ten 610,000 72,000 246,000 110,000 113,000 68,000
18 SEVEN'S R.U: TRI-NATIONS: AUS V S A Seven 351,000 184,000 32,000 112,000 10,000 14,000
108 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 22: GEELONG VS FREMANTLE Seven 56,000 56,000
113 VFL FOOTBALL 2009-PM ABC1 53,000 53,000
125 RUGBY LEAGUE: (QLD) 2009-PM ABC1 45,000 45,000
136 RUGBY UNION: SHUTE SHIELD (NSW) 2009-PM ABC1 41,000 41,000
149 DANCE YOUR ASS OFF GO! 36,000 9,000 6,000 12,000 3,000 5,000
176 WAFL LIVE LEAGUE FOOTBALL 2009-PM ABC1 21,000 21,000
178 THE SANFL-PM ABC1 19,000 19,000
186 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LATE Nine 16,000 6,000 6,000 4,000
202 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 22: WEST COAST VS RICHMOND Seven 11,000 2,000 8,000

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,417,000 422,000 398,000 220,000 204,000 173,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,325,000 349,000 358,000 291,000 160,000 168,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,157,000 304,000 313,000 249,000 124,000 168,000
4 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,092,000 314,000 277,000 224,000 159,000 119,000
5 NINE NEWS Nine 1,091,000 305,000 362,000 182,000 136,000 106,000
6 GEORGE GENTLY ABC1 1,043,000 339,000 313,000 150,000 119,000 122,000
7 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 981,000 264,000 303,000 188,000 107,000 119,0008 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 973,000 243,000 325,000 181,000 126,000 97,000
9 ABC NEWS ABC1 953,000 285,000 286,000 146,000 111,000 126,000
10 NANNY MCPHEE RPT Ten 858,000 257,000 242,000 140,000 98,000 122,000
16 NINE'S LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 711,000 384,000 327,000
18 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 22: WEST COAST VS RICHMOND Seven 661,000 15,000 334,000 11,000 123,000 177,000
27 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 373,000 229,000 143,000
34 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Ten 342,000 100,000 99,000 62,000 40,000 41,000
36 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 22: WEST COAST VS RICHMOND - AFTER THE GAME Seven 327,000 163,000 49,000 115,000
95 SCRAPHEAP CHALLENGE ABC2 93,000 24,000 27,000 12,000 10,000 19,000
99 TORCHWOOD ABC2 89,000 13,000 17,000 25,000 15,000 20,000
116 CSI: MIAMI GO! 66,000 25,000 12,000 18,000 11,000 0
128 CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION GO! 57,000 16,000 18,000 14,000 10,000 0
148 POKER: LATIN AMERICAN TOUR ONE 49,000 9,000 22,000 1,000 7,000 10,000
160 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LATE Nine 44,000 25,000 9,000 10,000
221 FOON RPT SBS TWO 10,000 1,000 4,000 2,000 2,000 1,00

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,394,000 398,000 373,000 283,000 141,000 199,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,332,000 360,000 357,000 301,000 129,000 185,000
3 RUSH Ten 1,320,000 387,000 444,000 213,000 132,000 144,000
4 20 TO 1 Nine 1,164,000 345,000 333,000 248,000 97,000 142,000
5 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - SEMI FINAL 4 Ten 1,153,000 356,000 333,000 219,000 97,000 148,000
6 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,132,000 350,000 283,000 246,000 122,000 131,000
7 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,123,000 258,000 402,000 230,000 116,000 117,000
8 GETAWAY Nine 1,016,000 266,000 324,000 228,000 86,000 112,000
9 NINE NEWS Nine 1,009,000 269,000 305,000 226,000 109,000 100,000
10 ABC NEWS ABC1 991,000 271,000 326,000 186,000 93,000 115,000
11 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 982,000 229,000 332,000 223,000 101,000 96,000
13 THE AMAZING RACE Seven 914,000 264,000 299,000 149,000 97,000 105,000
16 BURN NOTICE Ten 823,000 212,000 269,000 149,000 98,000 95,000
27 Q & A ABC1 497,000 191,000 131,000 88,000 36,000 52,000
39 COSTA'S GARDEN ODYSSEY SBS ONE 326,000 92,000 104,000 55,000 36,000 38,000
88 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC2 115,000 24,000 30,000 26,000 17,000 18,000
118 MOONLIGHT GO! 68,000 26,000 19,000 9,000 8,000 6,000
119 THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE ONE 67,000 16,000 20,000 13,000 8,000 9,000
181 BLOKES AND SHEDS RPT SBS TWO 31,000 3,000 12,000 3,000 3,000 9,000

What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,507,000 446,000 389,000 317,000 162,000 193,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,343,000 384,000 376,000 266,000 145,000 172,000
3 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,321,000 449,000 398,000 220,000 126,000 128,000
4 TWO AND A HALF MEN -WED Nine 1,309,000 344,000 428,000 285,000 108,000 144,000
5 WORLD'S STRICTEST PARENTS-UK Seven 1,302,000 374,000 368,000 247,000 164,000 149,000
6 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,213,000 350,000 336,000 227,000 173,000 128,000
7 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,168,000 321,000 375,000 219,000 114,000 139,000
8 CRIMINAL MINDS (R) Seven 1,142,000 359,000 347,000 188,000 118,000 129,000
9 RPA Nine 1,082,000 309,000 345,000 169,000 129,000 131,000
10 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,064,000 343,000 338,000 165,000 102,000 117,000
11 NINE NEWS Nine 1,062,000 292,000 348,000 196,000 113,000 114,000
12 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - SEMI FINAL 3 Ten 1,049,000 315,000 326,000 169,000 108,000 131,000
13 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 987,000 238,000 336,000 224,000 100,000 89,000
14 THE GIFT Nine 983,000 302,000 296,000 147,000 121,000 117,000
17 THE LIBRARIANS ABC1 877,000 282,000 285,000 136,000 80,000 94,000
18 WITHOUT A TRACE Nine 812,000 226,000 264,000 146,000 89,000 87,000
19 LAW & ORDER: UK Ten 806,000 216,000 255,000 126,000 107,000 102,000
22 DEAL OR NO DEAL Seven 767,000 244,000 221,000 136,000 87,000 79,000
24 UNITED STATES OF TARA ABC1 731,000 249,000 212,000 110,000 73,000 87,000
25 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 722,000 199,000 215,000 149,000 74,000 84,000
29 HOT SEAT Nine 634,000 179,000 202,000 123,000 72,000 58,000
93 SCRAPHEAP CHALLENGE ABC2 109,000 23,000 42,000 18,000 10,000 17,000
96 TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES GO! 107,000 19,000 44,000 16,000 18,000 9,000
103 FRINGE GO! 89,000 24,000 32,000 15,000 15,000 4,000
111 MR BEAN WITH ROWAN ATKINSON ABC2 79,000 27,000 24,000 6,000 9,000 13,000
118 SEINFELD GO! 71,000 14,000 35,000 11,000 6,000 5,000
138 POKER: LATIN AMERICAN TOUR ONE 51,000 5,000 21,000 2,000 9,000 15,000
145 SPORTS TONIGHT ONE 46,000 9,000 16,000 4,000 6,000 11,000
219 INSIGHT RPT SBS TWO 18,000 9,000 2,000 3,000 3,000 1,000

The ratings race, updated 10am Wednesday
Desperately trying to boost the audience for Australian Idol, Channel Ten shoved it into the slot normally occupied by Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation. But Australians are no longer creatures of habit. The mainland capitals audience in the timeslot dropped from 1.6 million to 1.0 million.

Here's how the prime time audience was shared last night: Seven 33.0 per cent; Ten 23.4; Nine 22.7; ABC1: 12.5; SBSONE: 4.0; GO: 1.6; ABC2: 1.5; ONE: 0.7; SBSTWO: 0.6. Did anybody pay their last respects to Patrick Swayze in The Beast?

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 1,931,000 547,000 628,000 316,000 225,000 214,000
2 AIR WAYS Seven 1,443,000 409,000 431,000 251,000 189,000 163,000
3 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,385,000 338,000 405,000 273,000 174,000 196,000
4 SURF PATROL Seven 1,379,000 380,000 412,000 274,000 162,000 149,000
5 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,353,000 344,000 370,000 286,000 160,000 193,000
6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,265,000 336,000 441,000 224,000 139,000 125,000
7 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,198,000 296,000 449,000 198,000 120,000 136,000
8 20 TO 1 -RPT Nine 1,181,000 299,000 416,000 238,000 116,000 112,000
9 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,170,000 339,000 287,000 242,000 164,000 137,000
10 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,145,000 337,000 364,000 161,000 164,000 119,000
14 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - SEMI FINAL 2 Ten 1,049,000 311,000 311,000 180,000 113,000 134,000
22 TONY ROBINSON'S CRIME AND PUNISHMENT ABC1 754,000 312,000 174,000 100,000 76,000 92,000
23 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 743,000 190,000 237,000 138,000 91,000 87,000
24 DEAL OR NO DEAL Seven 736,000 195,000 226,000 127,000 108,000 80,000
25 HOT SEAT Nine 727,000 196,000 241,000 151,000 83,000 56,000
87 SURVIVOR: GABON GO! 127,000 26,000 22,000 35,000 23,000 21,000
88 EAST WEST 101 RPT SBS ONE 125,000 49,000 39,000 20,000 10,000 7,000
89 SCRAPHEAP CHALLENGE ABC2 123,000 17,000 52,000 16,000 19,000 19,000
103 THE BEAST ABC2 85,000 30,000 20,000 9,000 3,000 23,000
105 MR BEAN WITH ROWAN ATKINSON ABC2 85,000 15,000 23,000 22,000 9,000 15,000
116 THE BACHELOR: OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN GO! 71,000 18,000 25,000 8,000 12,000 8,000
121 THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE RPT SBS TWO 61,000 17,000 20,000 2,000 7,000 15,000
182 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 RPT ONE 28,000 6,000 8,000 6,000 7,000 2,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Tuesday
Yesterday Channel Nine put out this press release:

GO! MAKES HISTORY AS AUSTRALIA'S MOST SUCCESSFUL MULTI-CHANNEL LAUNCH
GO!, Australia's newest free-to-air television channel is the most successful multi-channel ever to launch, breaking records in all markets. With the youngest median age (31) of any of the Freeview TV channels, GO! secured a 5.6% share of the viewing audience across People 16-39 (5 City Metro, 6pm to midnight) on Sunday, a staggering 460% greater than ONE HD on debut. GO! was also strong across People 18-49 (4.4%) and 25-54 (3.9%) in the 6pm to midnight slot.
The screening of The Big Bang Theory on GO! has also set an impressive benchmark. Screening at 7.30pm on Sunday night, the comedy series attracted an average 230,000 viewers across all demographics, making it the highest rating program in the survey year-to-date across the subscription TV and multi-channel platform, excluding sports events, in the 5 City Metro market. This result surpasses the result of FOX8's flagship Australia's Next Top Model Live Finale, which averaged 185,000 earlier this year.
Nine Network CEO, Mr David Gyngell, said: "This is a terrific result for GO! and for free-to-air television. Viewers have embraced the channel and what it has to offer, and to be recording this sort of outcome within a couple of weeks of our soft launch is very good news for Australian television and the PBL Media Group. This multi-channel gives our viewers access, free of charge, to a second channel that offers a great range of entertainment. I'm gratified that GO! has delivered such strong ratings already."

Day two of GO's ratings were a little different. Here's how the prime time audience divided up last night: Seven 29.5 per cent; Nine 24.8; ABC1: 15.7; Ten 19.8; SBSONE: 5.8; GO: 1.6; ABC2: 1.3; ONE: 1.0; SBSTWO: 0.5. Coincidentally, Eddie McGuire's Hot Seat on NIne has now slipped back behind Andrew O'Keefe's Deal Or No Deal on Seven. Its audience figure is no longer added to the figure for GO's Bewitched, which appears in the chart below. Also below you will see what was the most watched show across the new digital channels.

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,699,000 493,000 466,000 340,000 199,000 201,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,593,000 485,000 447,000 307,000 186,000 167,000
3 CITY HOMICIDE-MON Seven 1,334,000 376,000 447,000 222,000 122,000 167,000
4 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,304,000 391,000 360,000 252,000 163,000 139,000
5 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,277,000 297,000 474,000 241,000 116,000 149,000
6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,228,000 346,000 384,000 263,000 128,000 107,000
7 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,173,000 315,000 397,000 214,000 105,000 142,000
8 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,169,000 328,000 365,000 227,000 109,000 140,000
9 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,150,000 331,000 343,000 243,000 106,000 127,000
10 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - SEMI FINAL 1 Ten 1,110,000 356,000 296,000 202,000 119,000 137,000
11 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,087,000 318,000 358,000 197,000 98,000 115,000
12 BEYOND THE DARKLANDS-MON Seven 1,077,000 403,000 309,000 173,000 77,000 115,000
13 AUSTRALIAN STORY ABC1 1,071,000 363,000 297,000 204,000 92,000 116,000
14 JOURNEY TO THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE Seven 1,068,000 371,000 289,000 207,000 85,000 116,000
17 THE BIG BANG THEORY Nine 934,000 247,000 370,000 193,000 Not shown 125,000
19 DEAL OR NO DEAL Seven 885,000 290,000 252,000 151,000 112,000 80,000
22 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 788,000 253,000 225,000 161,000 59,000 90,000
23 HOT SEAT Nine 774,000 228,000 227,000 175,000 87,000 57,000
26 TOP GEAR BOTSWANA RPT SBS ONE 636,000 168,000 208,000 128,000 48,000 84,000
28 ASHES TO ASHES ABC1 544,000 208,000 163,000 47,000 56,000 69,000
98 DOCTOR WHO ABC2 98,000 7,000 43,000 25,000 16,000 8,000
100 ONE WEEK AT A TIME ONE 98,000 9,000 49,000 11,000 24,000 4,000
110 DOCTOR WHO: CONFIDENTIAL CUTDOWN ABC2 87,000 11,000 34,000 21,000 14,000 7,000
112 SCRAPHEAP CHALLENGE ABC2 84,000 19,000 18,000 16,000 16,000 15,000
115 DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER GO! 78,000 19,000 18,000 9,000 20,000 11,000
116 MR BEAN WITH ROWAN ATKINSON ABC2 76,000 17,000 20,000 5,000 7,000 27,000
117 NEIGHBOURS AT WAR GO! 73,000 21,000 15,000 11,000 14,000 12,000
118 BAD LADS ARMY GO! 73,000 24,000 21,000 6,000 15,000 7,000
142 GOOD GAME ABC2 49,000 12,000 3,000 8,000 5,000 21,000
153 DRAG RACING: ANDRA CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 ONE 45,000 9,000 8,000 7,000 9,000 13,000
161 THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE GO! 42,000 13,000 10,000 4,000 10,000 4,000
175 BEWITCHED -RPT GO! 37,000 10,000 9,000 7,000 7,000 4,000
183 NATHALIE... RPT SBS TWO 32,000 8,000 10,000 6,000 4,000 4,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

The ratings race, updated 11am Monday
Finally OzTAM has started releasing data on audiences for GO (Nine's new digital channel, for which this column refuses to use the exclamation mark). We publish them below, along with figures for the other digital offspring of the broadcast dinosaurs.

A whole new world of choice, and what does Nine offer? The Flintstones, The Nanny and The Jetsons. And how many people in the mainland capitals take the opportunity to visit this new world? Consider this chart and tell us what it implies about Australians. Or hold your fire till tomorrow, when we'll know if Eddie McGuire's apparent growth last week was because OzTAM was adding Go's figures to Nine's mainstream programming.

Here's how the prime time audience divided up last night: Seven 26.0 per cent; Nine 21.3; ABC1: 19.7; Ten 18.1; SBSONE: 8.7; GO: 2.8; ONE: 1.9; ABC2: 1.1; SBSTWO: 0.4.

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,650,000 380,000 482,000 388,000 163,000 237,000
2 DANCING WITH THE STARS 9 Seven 1,352,000 386,000 375,000 299,000 135,000 157,000
3 MIDSOMER MURDERS ABC1 1,264,000 383,000 420,000 185,000 128,000 149,000
4 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,256,000 366,000 413,000 242,000 154,000 81,000
5 BONES Seven 1,142,000 355,000 278,000 257,000 124,000 129,000
6 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,142,000 308,000 337,000 245,000 149,000 102,000
7 STEPHEN FRY IN AMERICA ABC1 1,129,000 336,000 389,000 177,000 109,000 117,000
8 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - TOP 100 Ten 1,086,000 339,000 301,000 209,000 116,000 121,000
9 ABC NEWS UP-DATE ABC1 1,079,000 333,000 370,000 139,000 108,000 129,000
10 60 MINUTES Nine 1,040,000 313,000 321,000 191,000 113,000 102,000
12 RESCUE SPECIAL OPS Nine 878,000 244,000 310,000 158,000 88,000 79,000
14 ROVE Ten 832,000 214,000 286,000 155,000 99,000 79,000
22 THE 2009 ASHES: TEST5 DAY4 S1 SBS ONE 444,000 143,000 140,000 73,000 39,000 50,000
31 SEVEN'S V8 SUPERCARS ROUND 8: QUEENSLAND D2 Seven 275,000 54,000 71,000 83,000 44,000 24,000
48 THE BIG BANG THEORY -RPT GO! 204,000 77,000 48,000 24,000 23,000 31,000
54 WIPEOUT GO! 169,000 51,000 30,000 29,000 27,000 32,000
66 THE FLINTSTONES -RPT GO! 131,000 45,000 42,000 31,000 8,000 4,000
70 THE NANNY GO! 123,000 40,000 38,000 16,000 19,000 10,000
81 SEINFELD -RPT GO! 101,000 30,000 21,000 28,000 18,000 5,000
83 THE JETSONS -RPT GO! 99,000 27,000 21,000 42,000 4,000 5,000
92 HORNBLOWER ABC2 85,000 25,000 15,000 10,000 15,000 20,000
102 ALIENS IN AMERICA GO! 73,000 33,000 17,000 5,000 8,000 10,000
114 SCRAPHEAP CHALLENGE-AM ABC2 52,000 6,000 23,000 5,000 7,000 12,000
116 RED DWARF ABC2 47,000 12,000 10,000 10,000 8,000 8,000
126 I FISH ONE 38,000 11,000 6,000 2,000 10,000 8,000
128 THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE GO! 37,000 13,000 13,000 1,000 3,000 6,000
131 TREAD BMX ONE 35,000 5,000 2,000 12,000 4,000 12,000
133 DRAG RACING: ANDRA CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 RPT ONE 35,000 5,000 8,000 8,000 3,000 9,000
135 CRANFORD ABC2 34,000 7,000 14,000 1,000 1,000 12,000
136 SLAMBALL ONE 33,000 5,000 6,000 11,000 4,000 8,000
140 SADDAM'S TRIBE: BOUND BY BLOOD ABC2 31,000 6,000 11,000 4,000 6,000 4,000
143 POWER BOATING: CLASS 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ONE 29,000 6,000 1,000 4,000 8,000 11,000
160 DREAMSHIP SURPRISE: PERIOD 1 RPT SBS TWO 23,000 6,000 4,000 1,000 4,000 7,000
184 IAAF WORLD CHAMPS IN ATHLETICS D9 S1 SBS TWO 15,000 5,000 3,000 0 2,000 4,000
197 WORLD NEWS AUSTRALIA SBS TWO 12,000 1,000 1,000 3,000 1,000 6,000
205 A FORK IN THE MEDITERRANEAN RPT SBS TWO 8,000 2,000 3,000 0 3,000 0
(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 blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

• by David Dale in whoweare-index at 05:41 PM
• Comments (51)

WHO WE ARE: Pudding on the fritz

To learn how you can save Australia from looking stupid, go to The Tribal Mind.

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald 23/8/2009
Kevin Rudd has been leader of the Labor Party for nearly three years, and in that time his opponents have been unable to substantiate any suggestion of misbehaviour against him. Like the Irishman Harrigan in the song (also called Harrigan), his is a name that a shame never has been connected with.

Until this month. Now the evidence is there for all to see in Hansard, the record of proceedings of the parliament. Kevin Rudd has imposed horrific tortures on a national hero. The Prime Minister stands revealed as a perpetrator of pudding abuse.

Two years ago this column's readers bestowed the title "the national metaphor" on The Magic Pudding (go here for that discussion). Albert (for that is the pudding's name) has been an infinitely renewable resource for pundits and politicians ever since his creation in 1918 by the artist Norman Lindsay.

Lindsay wrote: "What this pudding requires is politeness and constant eating." Sadly, Kevin Rudd has provided only the latter.

In Lindsay's book, Albert's friend Bill Barnacle outlined his three characteristics:
1) "The more you eats, the more you gets. Cut and come again is his name and cut and come again is his nature".
2) Although Albert was originally a steak and kidney pudding, you can change his flavour if you whistle three times and turn the plate around. Then Albert will encourage you to "eat away, chew away, munch and bolt and guzzle. Never leave the table till you're full up to the muzzle."
3) Albert gets his kicks by tricking people. "He's that artful, lawyers couldn't manage him," says Bill. "If you wasn't up to his games, he'd be asking you to look at a spider and then run away while your back is turned."

The former Prime Minister, Paul Keating, was a grateful consumer. Revealing that he had actually read the book, he accused the Liberal Party of being "puddin' thieves" (the villains in Lindsay's book, while "puddin' owners" are the heroes). He remarked: "The Coalition parties have always regarded Telstra as some sort of magic pudding from which they could cut a slice to pay for their election commitments."

Keating's successor, John Howard, used to call the Labor Shadow Treasurer "Mr Magic Pudding Himself", because he promised increased government spending simultaneously with tax cuts.

It was only a matter of time before Kevin Rudd poked his spoon into the basin. Over recent months this column has been tracking his use of antiquated Australianisms. "Fair shake of the sauce bottle, mate" he told a journalist asking an impertinent question. He described the Muslim cleric Taj El-Din Hilaly as "several sandwiches short of a picnic", and when he got food poisoning, he said he'd had to "drive the porcelain bus".

These attempts to make himself sound more like an ocker and less like a nerd were lame but harmless. Then, on August 10, his climate change minister Penny Wong remarked that Malcolm Turnbull's proposal for a cheap solution to climate change had "the distinct taste of magic pudding". That got a small laugh, so the next day Rudd decided to improve on it: "Mr Speaker, this is a rolled-gold, unreconstructed, Magic Pudding from Central Casting.''

Poor Albert. He's encased in precious metal, rendering him not only uncomfortable but also inedible. He's unable to reconstruct himself, leaving him stuck as steak and kidney. And he's accused of being a generic acting stereotype, when of course, he's unique.

This crime against an icon was so blatant you'd have expected Turnbull to demand Rudd's resignation. His silence suggests he secretly envies Rudd for getting in first. Like all politicians, Turnbull is a pudding-abuser-in-waiting.

Go to comments to suggest appropriate punishment.

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

• by David Dale in whoweare-index at 11:06 AM
• Comments (1)

The Tribal Mind: How not to look stupid

To learn how Kevin Rudd tortured an Australian icon, go to Who We Are.

by David Dale
It's up to you. This week you can choose to make a difference, and redeem Australia's reputation as a nation of discerning cinemagoers. Or you can stand idly by and let us be shamed in the eyes of the world as a nation whose young people have been zombified by the Hollywood entertainment machine, losing the archetypal human appreciation of the fundamentals of storytelling -- plot, character development, emotional diversity and intellectual engagement.

For the most part, the list of Australia's favourite movies so far this year speaks well of our taste, but there's trouble at the top, and that's where you come in.

The highest-grossing movies of 2009:
1 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $40.1 million
2 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince $38.5m
3 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $30m
4 Twilight $22m
5 The Hangover $21m
6 Monsters Vs Aliens $20.5m
7 Slumdog Millionaire $20m
8 Wolverine $18.5m
9 Angels and Demons $18m
10 Night At The Museum 2 $17m.

If we allow this situation to stand, history will record that Australia's most seen movie of 2009 was a collection of explosions. Possibly we could live with that, if it was only one year. But the deeper problem becomes apparent in this chart.

The highest grossing movies of all time:
1 Titanic (1997) $58 million
2 Shrek 2 (2004) $50m
3 The Return of the King (2003) $49m
4 Crocodile Dundee (1986) $48m
5 Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $47m
6 The Two Towers (2002) $46m
7 The Dark Knight (2008) $46m
8 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) $42m
9 Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace (1999) $40m
10 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) $40m.

Do we want a film made for (and apparently by) 11 year old boys to be part of Australia's all-time top ten, when spending three hours out of the house this week could change history? It's bad enough that Star Wars Ep I (featuring Jar Jar Binks) appears in the list, but we can excuse that with the argument that fans were curious to see if George Lucas could sustain the commitment to classical storytelling that energised the original Star Wars trilogy (he couldn't).

Let me background you. From the time when everybody sat around the campfire at the end of a hard day's hunting and gathering, humans have responded to tales which involve plot twists, engaging characters and emotional highs and lows. You laugh, you cry, you empathise, you wonder, you think ahead of the game. None of those things happens with Transformers 2. All you do is jump. The director has adopted George Bush's policy of "shock and awe", which may help in speeding the descent of testicles in pubescent boys, but does little for the rest of us. So why is it so successful? Because in recent years Hollywood has managed to convince young cinemagoers to expect nothing more from storytelling.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has sharply defined characters, suspense, jokes, emotional development and intriguing plotlines -- the essential ingredients of a classic tale. Yet its ticket sales are $1.5 million behind Transformers 2. Here's where you come in. HPHBP is still showing in most multiplexes. If another 150,000 people go to see it, they'll lift Harry's box office total past the $40 million mark and push Transformers 2 out of the top ten. And we'll have no reason to be embarrassed.

Yes, you understood me correctly. I'm asking you to rort the figures that display Australia's tastes. You go to HPHBP (for the first, second or third time) and make it look as if Australians prefer a well-crafted film with intellectual integrity to a three hour avalanche of special effects.

It wouldn't really be cheating -- just a levelling of the playing field, since Transformers 2 had the advantage of being shown through the entire school holidays. So its success is an unfair portrait of national preferences. If we were really that stupid, we'd have been equally keen on GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, but it looks like totalling less than $15 million at the Australian box office.

This is not to suggest HPHBP is perfect. For anyone who has not read the book, it's downright confusing in places. It's nowhere near as powerful as The Dark Knight. That's why you should not go back so many times that its total ends up passing $45 million. Twice should be enough.

Go to Comments to offer your support.

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

• by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 08:57 AM
• Comments (13)

The Who We Are update: Week 32

This week's forum is now a heritage item - worth studying but no longer current. For the latest on Australian attitudes and media trends, go to blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

To learn how you can save Australia from looking stupid, go to The Tribal Mind.

The ratings race, updated 10 am Monday
Channel Seven's victory for the week was diminished by the poor performance of the Bledisloe Cup on Saturday. Australia is often described as "sports mad", but rugby union seems to be an exception -- even when you add in the genuinely "live" audience on Pay TV. At week's end, the prime time audience shares stood at: Seven 28.3 per cent, Nine 26.6, Ten 20.8, ABC 16.5, SBS 7.8.

Here is Pay TV's account of itself: "Hollywood's most famous archaeologist entertained subscribers as Movie One played the first three Indiana Jones movies across successive nights this week. The Saturday night broadcast of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was seen by 101,000 viewers and a total of 147,000 people including the audience to the delayed broadcast on Movie Two. This week's episode of America's Next Top Model on FOX8 was seen by 146,000 people, Notting Hill on TV1 was seen by 113,000 viewers, Project Runway Australia by 105,000 and Tuesday night's episode of M*A*S*H on Fox Classics was watched by 88,000.

"In viewing to a different Crusade, 210,000 fans watched Australia battle the English in Live: Cricket: Ashes: Day 1 Session 1 on FOX Sports. In football, 276,000 people watched Live: NRL Knights v Cowboys, 229,000 watched Live: AFL Essendon v St Kilda and 180,000 watched Live: Rugby Union: Bledisloe Cup. In week 34, Live: AFL: On the Couch had its best result ever with 149,000 viewers (all on FOX Sports).

"STV channels represented 21.7% of all metropolitan viewing between 6am and midnight, 22.1% of all regional viewing and 56.7% of all viewing in subscription TV homes."

And for fans hoping for a sudden surge in support for their codes, the charts below show audiences for all the football games that OzTAM reported over the weekend.

What Australia watched, week ending August 22
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 1,894,000 567,000 589,000 312,000 205,000 221,000
2 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,714,000 440,000 496,000 357,000 190,000 230,000
3 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,609,000 457,000 481,000 353,000 183,000 135,000
4 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,549,000 448,000 478,000 277,000 185,000 161,000
5 TALKIN' 'BOUT YOUR GENERATION Ten 1,523,000 465,000 462,000 272,000 157,000 167,000
6 WORLD'S STRICTEST PARENTS Seven 1,521,000 458,000 427,000 274,000 176,000 187,000
7 DANCING WITH THE STARS 9 Seven 1,492,000 453,000 391,000 307,000 173,000 168,000
8 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,475,000 417,000 401,000 294,000 165,000 197,000
9 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,440,000 440,000 422,000 274,000 133,000 170,000
10 CITY HOMICIDE-MON Seven 1,390,000 395,000 453,000 209,000 172,000 160,000
11 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,377,000 378,000 396,000 296,000 142,000 165,000
12 BONES Seven 1,376,000 413,000 385,000 255,000 183,000 139,000
13 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,372,000 304,000 531,000 259,000 126,000 152,000
14 60 MINUTES Nine 1,327,000 388,000 406,000 265,000 122,000 147,000
15 GETAWAY Nine 1,309,000 366,000 458,000 247,000 95,000 142,000
16 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,307,000 366,000 378,000 289,000 139,000 135,000

17 AIR WAYS Seven 1,305,000 346,000 411,000 232,000 149,000 168,000
18 SURF PATROL Seven 1,293,000 364,000 402,000 235,000 143,000 149,000
19 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,279,000 439,000 369,000 202,000 127,000 142,000
20 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,267,000 355,000 404,000 250,000 131,000 127,000
21 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,263,000 333,000 423,000 250,000 122,000 134,000
22 NINE NEWS Nine 1,254,000 339,000 414,000 247,000 133,000 121,000
23 TWO AND A HALF MEN -WED Nine 1,231,000 316,000 393,000 253,000 124,000 145,000
24 RESCUE SPECIAL OPS Nine 1,227,000 365,000 398,000 208,000 136,000 120,000
25 RPA Nine 1,201,000 351,000 379,000 216,000 133,000 121,000
26 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,194,000 342,000 329,000 249,000 148,000 127,000
27 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,180,000 291,000 394,000 240,000 100,000 155,000
28 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - AUDITION 2 Ten 1,171,000 350,000 377,000 201,000 110,000 133,000
29 20 TO 1 -RPT Nine 1,168,000 314,000 388,000 225,000 103,000 138,000
30 NCIS EP 2 RPT Ten 1,161,000 323,000 352,000 224,000 123,000 138,000
31 THE GIFT Nine 1,140,000 324,000 363,000 204,000 134,000 116,000
32 NCIS RPT Ten 1,137,000 318,000 339,000 228,000 119,000 133,000
33 LOCKERBIE DISASTER Seven 1,124,000 340,000 270,000 217,000 146,000 150,000
34 RUSH Ten 1,115,000 312,000 378,000 184,000 131,000 109,000
35 20 TO 1 Nine 1,102,000 358,000 295,000 207,000 105,000 137,000
36 CRIMINAL MINDS (R) Seven 1,101,000 345,000 307,000 234,000 89,000 126,000
37 COLD CASE Nine 1,090,000 290,000 370,000 191,000 135,000 104,000
38 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,077,000 337,000 333,000 151,000 142,000 114,000
39 THE BIG BANG THEORY Nine 1,074,000 238,000 474,000 234,000 127,000
40 GEORGE GENTLY ABC1 1,067,000 364,000 290,000 149,000 117,000 147,000
(OzTAM Mainland capitals)

All Sunday's football
18 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 21: COLLINGWOOD VS SYDNEY Seven 482,000 58,000 264,000 63,000 85,000 11,000
27 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 382,000 234,000 148,000
28 THE SUNDAY FOOTY SHOW Nine 371,000 86,000 153,000 63,000 33,000 36,000
62 AFL GAME DAY Seven 141,000 76,000 36,000 29,000
65 ORANGUTAN DIARIES Ten 135,000 19,000 42,000 39,000 14,000 20,000
75 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 21: FREMANTLE VS ESSENDON Seven 115,000 115,000
124 SEVEN'S R.U: BLEDISLOE CUP: AUS V N Z Seven 38,000 27,000 0 11,000
127 LES MURRAY'S FOOTBALL FEATURE SBS ONE 37,000 17,000 3,000 3,000 2,000 12,000
132 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL LATE Nine 35,000 17,000 8,000 10,000
149 THE WORLD GAME SBS ONE 26,000 12,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 5,000
166 SUPER LEAGUE Nine 20,000 17,000 3,000
193 FIFA FUTBOL MUNDIAL SBS ONE 13,000 4,000 7,000 2,000
194 FOOTBALL: BUNDESLIGA REPLAY RPT ONE 13,000 5,000 1,000 2,000 1,000 2,000
232 SATURDAY LATE NIGHT AFL ONE 1,000 1,000 1,000

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,440,000 440,000 422,000 274,000 133,000 170,000
2 COMING HOME Seven 1,066,000 328,000 306,000 244,000 85,000 103,000
3 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,039,000 237,000 354,000 208,000 142,000 97,000
4 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS Nine 1,028,000 246,000 294,000 195,000 146,000 146,000
5 ABC NEWS-SAT ABC1 785,000 277,000 220,000 135,000 85,000 67,000
6 THE BILL ABC1 752,000 224,000 193,000 115,000 104,000 116,000
10 SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFL Ten 567,000 45,000 230,000 23,000 149,000 119,000
11 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Ten 566,000 Not shown 275,000 79,000 140,000 72,000
15 SEVEN'S R.U: BLEDISLOE CUP: AUS V N Z Seven 521,000 275,000 39,000 171,000 8,000 28,000
20 THE 2009 ASHES: TEST5 DAY3 S1 SBS ONE 393,000 129,000 129,000 60,000 30,000 45,000
119 SIMPLY FOOTY Ten 38,000 38,000
121 RUGBY UNION: SHUTE SHIELD (NSW) 2009-PM ABC1 37,000 37,000
130 VFL FOOTBALL 2009-PM ABC1 31,000 31,000
133 RUGBY LEAGUE: (QLD) 2009-PM ABC1 31,000 31,000
157 SATURDAY LATE NIGHT AFL Ten 21,000 21,000
161 FOOTBALL: BUNDESLIGA LIVE ONE 19,000 3,000 8,000 1,000 3,000 4,000
171 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 21: WESTERN BULLDOGS VS GEELONG Seven 17,000 10,000 7,000
174 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LATE Nine 15,000 6,000 4,000 6,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,549,000 448,000 478,000 277,000 185,000 161,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,336,000 431,000 322,000 238,000 163,000 182,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,286,000 389,000 344,000 266,000 142,000 145,000
4 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,179,000 331,000 359,000 259,000 107,000 124,000
5 NINE NEWS Nine 1,161,000 298,000 378,000 239,000 120,000 126,000
6 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,101,000 310,000 272,000 243,000 157,000 118,000
7 GEORGE GENTLY ABC1 1,067,000 364,000 290,000 149,000 117,000 147,000
11 NINE'S LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 787,000 460,000 327,000
13 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 21: WESTERN BULLDOGS VS GEELONG Seven 711,000 11,000 432,000 19,000 140,000 108,000
14 DEAL OR NO DEAL Seven 707,000 212,000 191,000 114,000 94,000 95,000
16 THE SIMPSONS FRI EP 2 Ten 680,000 157,000 241,000 122,000 59,000 101,000
17 HOT SEAT Nine 677,000 197,000 186,000 169,000 75,000 50,000
19 THE SIMPSONS FRI Ten 609,000 166,000 191,000 115,000 57,000 80,000
20 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 599,000 155,000 213,000 102,000 60,000 68,000
21 THE SIMPSONS Ten 580,000 138,000 186,000 103,000 84,000 70,000
22 NEVER BEEN KISSED RPT Ten 568,000 146,000 171,000 112,000 62,000 77,000
23 THE 2009 ASHES: TEST5 DAY2 S1 SBS ONE 545,000 160,000 194,000 71,000 56,000 65,000
29 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 459,000 302,000 157,000
30 SUNRISE Seven 426,000 134,000 106,000 90,000 45,000 50,000
36 TODAY Nine 332,000 111,000 113,000 55,000 24,000 30,000
42 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Ten 302,000 63,000 92,000 63,000 46,000 38,000
106 TORCHWOOD ABC2 86,000 10,000 8,000 29,000 13,000 27,000
148 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LATE Nine 45,000 23,000 10,000 12,000
154 POKER: LATIN AMERICAN TOUR ONE 40,000 6,000 4,000 7,000 11,000 12,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Friday
It's too soon to use the word "resurgence" for what is happening to Channel Nine, but if you look at the chart below, you will see that Hot Seat is now beating Deal or No Deal convincingly, and Today is now beating Sunrise in Sydney. The problem for Nine is that both of these successes are outside prime time, and that's what the daily "audience percentages" are based on. At this point in the week, the shares stand at: Seven 28.5 per cent, Nine 27.0, Ten 21.8, ABC 15.8, SBS 6.9.

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,441,000 393,000 423,000 293,000 160,000 172,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,417,000 394,000 424,000 305,000 147,000 146,000
3 GETAWAY Nine 1,309,000 366,000 458,000 247,000 96,000 142,000
4 NINE NEWS Nine 1,270,000 377,000 430,000 252,000 113,000 99,000
5 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,229,000 345,000 426,000 231,000 117,000 111,000
6 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,212,000 353,000 434,000 227,000 102,000 95,000
7 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,177,000 316,000 344,000 244,000 150,000 122,000
8 RUSH Ten 1,114,000 312,000 377,000 184,000 131,000 109,000
9 20 TO 1 Nine 1,102,000 358,000 295,000 207,000 104,000 137,000
10 THE AMAZING RACE Seven 1,054,000 303,000 345,000 187,000 117,000 103,000
13 TEN NEWS AT FIVE Ten 835,000 216,000 225,000 157,000 95,000 142,000
14 HOT SEAT Nine 809,000 233,000 259,000 186,000 79,000 52,000
15 TV BURP Seven 775,000 233,000 245,000 130,000 84,000 84,000
18 BURN NOTICE Ten 723,000 191,000 248,000 115,000 90,000 80,000
19 DEAL OR NO DEAL Seven 722,000 211,000 204,000 154,000 82,000 71,000
20 THE 2009 ASHES: TEST5 DAY1 S1 SBS ONE 700,000 252,000 209,000 110,000 72,000 57,000
21 DOUBLE TAKE Seven 687,000 212,000 218,000 103,000 79,000 74,000
22 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 684,000 196,000 213,000 141,000 64,000 70,000
26 TRUE BEAUTY Seven 616,000 220,000 188,000 65,000 66,000 77,000
36 SUNRISE Seven 370,000 103,000 87,000 89,000 42,000 50,000
43 TODAY Nine 306,000 120,000 83,000 52,000 27,000 23,000
97 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC2 103,000 54,000 21,000 9,000 9,000 10,000

What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 WORLD'S STRICTEST PARENTS Seven 1,521,000 458,000 427,000 274,000 176,000 187,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,509,000 409,000 424,000 298,000 166,000 212,000
3 NINE NEWS Nine 1,295,000 342,000 419,000 263,000 135,000 136,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,275,000 336,000 352,000 293,000 121,000 173,000
5 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,275,000 360,000 383,000 255,000 137,000 140,000
6 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,273,000 440,000 364,000 203,000 124,000 142,000
9 RPA Nine 1,195,000 348,000 376,000 215,000 135,000 121,000
11 THE GIFT Nine 1,127,000 322,000 358,000 200,000 134,000 115,000
17 LAW & ORDER: UK Ten 903,000 251,000 291,000 130,000 117,000 113,000
19 THE LIBRARIANS ABC1 843,000 295,000 259,000 108,000 81,000 100,000
21 TEN NEWS AT FIVE Ten 832,000 204,000 248,000 157,000 104,000 120,000
22 UNITED STATES OF TARA ABC1 828,000 303,000 247,000 110,000 68,000 100,000
24 HOT SEAT Nine 731,000 204,000 229,000 165,000 79,000 54,000
25 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 720,000 202,000 250,000 116,000 75,000 78,000
26 AUSTRALIA'S PERFECT COUPLE Nine 698,000 200,000 254,000 147,000 98,000
27 DEAL OR NO DEAL Seven 696,000 212,000 189,000 131,000 84,000 80,000
35 AT THE MOVIES ABC1 507,000 208,000 131,000 65,000 42,000 61,000
36 FAMILY GUY Seven 498,000 178,000 153,000 72,000 59,000 35,000
42 AMERICAN DAD Seven 386,000 145,000 114,000 59,000 41,000 27,000
43 FOOD SAFARI RPT SBS ONE 374,000 128,000 110,000 58,000 41,000 37,000

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 1,894,000 567,000 589,000 312,000 205,000 221,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,509,000 408,000 451,000 307,000 156,000 187,000
3 TALKIN' 'BOUT YOUR GENERATION Ten 1,503,000 459,000 456,000 269,000 155,000 165,000
4 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,500,000 426,000 404,000 293,000 166,000 212,000
5 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,382,000 367,000 447,000 282,000 142,000 144,000
6 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,375,000 391,000 405,000 267,000 148,000 163,000
7 AIR WAYS Seven 1,306,000 346,000 411,000 232,000 149,000 167,000
8 SURF PATROL Seven 1,292,000 363,000 402,000 235,000 143,000 149,000
9 NINE NEWS Nine 1,274,000 333,000 409,000 256,000 147,000 129,000
10 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,225,000 347,000 356,000 238,000 144,000 140,000
11 20 TO 1 -RPT Nine 1,169,000 313,000 388,000 226,000 104,000 138,000
12 NCIS EP 2 RPT Ten 1,167,000 325,000 353,000 226,000 124,000 139,000
13 NCIS RPT Ten 1,149,000 323,000 344,000 229,000 120,000 133,000
14 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,078,000 337,000 333,000 151,000 142,000 114,000
22 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 745,000 191,000 225,000 160,000 84,000 85,000
23 COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN ADULTS ONLY Nine 737,000 172,000 287,000 122,000 82,000 74,000
26 TONY ROBINSON'S CRIME AND PUNISHMENT ABC1 701,000 243,000 172,000 133,000 80,000 72,000
33 KITCHEN NIGHTMARES U.S.A. Nine 409,000 116,000 137,000 59,000 52,000 44,000

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,588,000 427,000 434,000 348,000 171,000 208,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,391,000 365,000 404,000 308,000 144,000 171,000
3 CITY HOMICIDE-MON Seven 1,389,000 395,000 453,000 209,000 172,000 159,000
4 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,385,000 393,000 444,000 264,000 155,000 129,000
5 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,372,000 304,000 531,000 259,000 126,000 152,000
6 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,300,000 378,000 370,000 278,000 148,000 127,000
7 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,286,000 302,000 486,000 221,000 126,000 150,000
8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,251,000 344,000 427,000 224,000 143,000 113,000
9 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,180,000 291,000 394,000 240,000 100,000 155,000
10 LOCKERBIE DISASTER Seven 1,124,000 340,000 270,000 217,000 146,000 150,000
11 THE BIG BANG THEORY Nine 1,074,000 238,000 474,000 234,000 127,000
12 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,069,000 316,000 328,000 172,000 96,000 157,000
13 BEYOND THE DARKLANDS-MON Seven 974,000 283,000 334,000 156,000 96,000 105,000
18 ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? Ten 888,000 282,000 238,000 173,000 92,000 104,000
23 DEAL OR NO DEAL Seven 780,000 235,000 219,000 173,000 97,000 56,000
24 TOP GEAR SBS ONE 776,000 222,000 234,000 160,000 72,000 88,000
25 HOT SEAT Nine 747,000 218,000 236,000 148,000 84,000 60,000 26 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 734,000 210,000 193,000 170,000 78,000 83,000
27 DROP DEAD DIVA Nine 641,000 203,000 318,000 120,000
28 DEXTER Ten 610,000 148,000 184,000 112,000 84,000 81,000
30 ASHES TO ASHES ABC1 508,000 181,000 165,000 44,000 64,000 54,000
62 FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS SBS ONE 211,000 74,000 54,000 44,000 18,000 22,000

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,719,000 440,000 502,000 357,000 190,000 230,000
2 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,610,000 457,000 482,000 353,000 183,000 135,000
3 DANCING WITH THE STARS 9 Seven 1,473,000 447,000 384,000 304,000 173,000 167,000
4 BONES Seven 1,434,000 432,000 400,000 271,000 184,000 146,000
5 60 MINUTES Nine 1,328,000 388,000 406,000 266,000 122,000 146,000
6 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,307,000 366,000 378,000 289,000 139,000 135,000
7 RESCUE SPECIAL OPS Nine 1,233,000 366,000 399,000 209,000 135,000 124,000
8 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - AUDITION 2 Ten 1,171,000 350,000 377,000 201,000 110,000 133,000
9 ROVE Ten 1,053,000 264,000 354,000 197,000 102,000 135,000
10 STEPHEN FRY IN AMERICA ABC1 1,032,000 300,000 326,000 167,000 103,000 136,000
16 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 20: PORT ADELAIDE VS CARLTON Seven 599,000 10,000 320,000 14,000 157,000 98,000
19 THE LAST ENEMY ABC1 575,000 179,000 171,000 84,000 66,000 75,000
20 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 539,000 304,000 235,000
21 THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY RPT Ten 471,000 120,000 184,000 61,000 55,000 52,000
22 LAS VEGAS Seven 470,000 140,000 170,000 58,000 60,000 43,000
54 AFL GAME DAY Seven 188,000 107,000 48,000 33,000
58 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 20: MELBOURNE VS FREMANTLE Seven 175,000 34,000 31,000 111,000

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

• by David Dale in whoweare-index at 09:21 AM
• Comments (69)

The Tribal Mind: Faces that sell and repel

For daily updates on how Australians entertain themselves, bookmark blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

by David Dale
Lets call it The Paltrow Paradox. Gwyneth Paltrow is a smart, attractive, accomplished woman. At the same time Gwyneth Paltrow is regarded by US publishers as a giant turnoff for readers. You might say she is America's Nicole Kidman, who is alleged to provoke the same reaction in her compatriots.

Paltrow's image crisis was revealed last month when Entertainment Weekly magazine published a cover story on the stars of the forthcoming sequel to Iron Man. It displayed Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke, but not even a glimpse of Paltrow, who plays Iron Man's assistant Pepper Potts. The New York Post asked Entertainment Weekly why she was absent, and reported that "rightly or wrongly, the editors feel any cover with Paltrow is newsstand suicide." Apparently Americans, particularly female Americans, find her annoying.

Women's Wear Daily followed up this insight by listing who was on the cover of the worst-selling issues of the main glossies over the past year. The faces that sank a thousand ships were: Rachel Weisz (Vogue, which revealed that Paltrow had been on its second-worst seller), Nicole Kidman (Glamour), Jessica Simpson (Cosmopolitan), Katherine Heigl (Vanity Fair), Carrie Underwood (Elle), Hilary Swank (W), Anne Hathaway (InStyle), Drew Barrymore (Harper's Bazaar) and Jennifer Connolly (Marie Claire).

(By contrast, America's top selling cover faces included Keira Knightley, Angelina Jolie, Eva Longoria, Scarlett Johansson, Victoria Beckham and "the women of Sex and the City".)

The editors of Australia's magazines are notoriously reluctant to reveal their worst selling issues, so we are left to speculate that over the past 12 months, Paltrow, Heigl and Kidman must have appeared often on New Idea, Woman's Day and NW.

Those were the big losers among the weeklies in sales figures released this week by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Since mid 2008, New Idea has lost 26,000 buyers, Woman's Day has lost 23,000, and NW has lost 15,000.

Or is poor choice of cover images too shallow an explanation for the collapse of Australia's glossies and gossipies? Instead we might need to raise the C word as the possible problem here - as in Credibility. In March, New Idea ran a cover which purported to show Bec Hewitt (former soap star and current tennis wife) with the "new man in her life". New Idea has since admitted that it made a huge mistake, because the man in the picture was actually Hewitt's brother. The magazine seems to have taken the word of a paparazzo.

New Idea is not alone among weeklies in taking such a casual approach to fact-checking, and it would be nice to interpret the figures as meaning readers are punishing their former favourites for constantly deceiving them. But that might be wishful thinking -- in the same year that New Idea lost its 26,000 fans, another weekly called Famous gained 13,000 buyers (bringing it to 80,000 a week) and a new gossipy called Grazia entered the market, selling 66,000 a week. So it seems many Australians have not been able to give up their weekly wallow in scandal.

Lets look more closely at the changes in Australia's reading habits over the 12 months to June 30 ...

Australia's favourite magazines:
1 Women's Weekly 491,500 a month
2 Woman's Day 408,000 a week
3 Better Homes and Gardens 370,000 a month
4 New Idea 325,000 a week
5 Readers Digest 325,000 a month
6 That's Life! 302,000 a week
7 Super Food Ideas 271,000 a month
8 Take 5 246,000 a week
9 TV Week 224,000 a week
10 Cosmopolitan 166,000 a month
11 Australian Geographic 141,000 a month
12 NW 140,000 a week

The biggest losers: Cleo, NW, New Idea, Super Food Ideas, Good Taste, Alpha.

The biggest improvers: Famous, Better Homes and Gardens, Dolly, Shop Till You Drop, Notebook, Time Australia.

Can you discern a pattern? Go to Comments to offer your theory on what it means, and to tell us whose face would make you buy or avoid a magazine

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

• by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 03:47 PM
• Comments (8)

The Who We Are update: Week 31

This week's forum is now a heritage item - worth studying but no longer current. For the latest on Australian attitudes and media trends, go to blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

To discuss the credibility crisis of Australia's magazines, go to The Tribal Mind.
To learn how to abolish State Governments, go to Who We Are.

The ratings race, updated 10 am Sunday
Channel Ten managed only 14.6 per cent of the prime time audience on Friday night, easily beaten by the ABC on 20.4 per cent, thanks to George Gently, its new detective series. No wonder the shares for the week (and probably for the rest of the year) ended up thus: Seven 28.0 per cent, Nine 26.3, Ten 21.6, ABC 17.5 and SBS 6.6. We can expect Celebrity MasterChef to be rushed to air within weeks.

This was Pay TV's account of itself: "The English Premier League football season kicked off on Saturday night with 76,000 people watching Live: Football: EPL Chelsea v Hull on FOX Sports. In other sport, 316,000 viewers watched Live: NRL Broncos v Sharks, 277,000 watched Live: Cricket: Ashes: Day 3 Session 1 (the biggest audience for the Ashes series so far), 264,000 viewed Live: NRL Raiders v Dragons and 192,000 people saw Live: AFL Bris Lions v Western Bulldogs (all on FOX Sports).

"The Simpsons topped the week in entertainment programming with 150,000 viewers on FOX8, America's Next Top Model (also on FOX8) was seen by 135,000 people and NCIS on TV1 had 109,000 viewers. Daddy Day Care premiered on TV1 with 107,000 viewers, Disney Channel's broadcast of The Parent Trap was watched by 95,000 people and Project Runway Australia on Arena was seen by 93,000.

"In week 33, STV channels represented 21.7% of all metropolitan viewing between 6am and midnight, 20.4% of all regional viewing and 56.4% of all viewing in subscription TV homes."

What Australia watched, week ending August 15
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 1,909,000 584,000 577,000 323,000 206,000 219,000
2 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,672,000 409,000 486,000 389,000 163,000 225,000
3 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,560,000 501,000 508,000 249,000 200,000 102,000
4 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,528,000 431,000 398,000 304,000 184,000 211,000
5 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,521,000 388,000 553,000 257,000 146,000 177,000
6 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,508,000 487,000 460,000 229,000 135,000 197,000
7 TALKIN' 'BOUT YOUR GENERATION Ten 1,492,000 452,000 524,000 207,000 155,000 155,000
8 WORLD'S STRICTEST PARENTS-UK Seven 1,453,000 411,000 408,000 275,000 194,000 164,000
9 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,448,000 439,000 457,000 263,000 138,000 151,000
10 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,388,000 371,000 379,000 279,000 167,000 192,000
11 GETAWAY Nine 1,372,000 433,000 375,000 276,000 126,000 162,000
12 SURF PATROL Seven 1,354,000 411,000 346,000 247,000 169,000 182,000
13 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,344,000 377,000 412,000 281,000 172,000 101,000

14 20 TO 1 Nine 1,334,000 400,000 371,000 276,000 121,000 166,000
15 AIR WAYS Seven 1,334,000 406,000 329,000 255,000 173,000 171,000
16 CITY HOMICIDE-MON Seven 1,308,000 388,000 423,000 200,000 143,000 155,000
17 60 MINUTES Nine 1,303,000 413,000 383,000 282,000 124,000 101,000
18 DANCING WITH THE STARS 9 Seven 1,301,000 381,000 351,000 294,000 115,000 159,000
19 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - AUDITION 1 Ten 1,300,000 402,000 411,000 229,000 124,000 134,000
20 ON BOARD AIR FORCE ONE Seven 1,261,000 353,000 340,000 265,000 133,000 171,000
21 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,258,000 331,000 424,000 247,000 120,000 137,000
22 TWO AND A HALF MEN -WED Nine 1,253,000 318,000 420,000 252,000 120,000 142,000
23 GEORGE GENTLY ABC1 1,232,000 417,000 345,000 191,000 124,000 156,000
24 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,221,000 316,000 329,000 298,000 127,000 151,000
25 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,216,000 361,000 326,000 230,000 160,000 139,000
26 NINE NEWS Nine 1,210,000 312,000 412,000 242,000 127,000 117,000
27 RUSH Ten 1,206,000 360,000 418,000 179,000 118,000 131,000
28 AUSTRALIAN STORY ABC1 1,206,000 436,000 336,000 200,000 113,000 122,000
29 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,205,000 324,000 398,000 241,000 121,000 121,000
30 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,166,000 368,000 346,000 189,000 140,000 123,000
31 20 TO 1 -RPT Nine 1,163,000 295,000 417,000 230,000 78,000 144,000
32 RESCUE SPECIAL OPS Nine 1,155,000 383,000 331,000 234,000 118,000 89,000
33 NCIS EP 2 RPT Ten 1,143,000 320,000 361,000 216,000 113,000 132,000
34 CITY HOMICIDE-MON EP. 2 Seven 1,142,000 314,000 405,000 169,000 125,000 128,000
35 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS Nine 1,129,000 283,000 341,000 231,000 148,000 126,000
36 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,123,000 305,000 359,000 215,000 108,000 136,000
37 RPA Nine 1,108,000 297,000 357,000 209,000 114,000 131,000
38 BONES Seven 1,103,000 317,000 305,000 212,000 115,000 154,000
39 NCIS RPT Ten 1,066,000 318,000 303,000 193,000 115,000 137,000
40 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,041,000 321,000 301,000 187,000 93,000 140,000
41 CRIMINAL MINDS (R) Seven 1,032,000 274,000 304,000 205,000 131,000 117,000
42 THE LIBRARIANS ABC1 1,031,000 310,000 353,000 168,000 106,000 93,000

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,221,000 316,000 329,000 298,000 127,000 151,000
2 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS Nine 1,129,000 283,000 341,000 231,000 148,000 126,000
3 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 932,000 208,000 274,000 226,000 135,000 89,000
4 M-MADAGASCAR Seven 904,000 325,000 297,000 113,000 87,000 83,000
5 ABC NEWS-SAT ABC1 844,000 254,000 258,000 161,000 81,000 91,000
6 THE GREAT OUTDOORS Seven 838,000 250,000 201,000 219,000 95,000 73,000
7 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Ten 789,000 85,000 428,000 97,000 98,000 82,000
8 THE BILL ABC1 765,000 208,000 231,000 125,000 86,000 115,000
9 TEN NEWS AT FIVE SAT Ten 697,000 181,000 289,000 149,000 78,000
10 EAST OF EVERYTHING ABC1 628,000 216,000 162,000 121,000 49,000 80,000
11 GARDENING AUSTRALIA ABC1 588,000 168,000 178,000 114,000 69,000 58,000
15 SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFL Ten 509,000 61,000 277,000 34,000 60,000 77,000
19 MYTHBUSTERS SBS ONE 371,000 101,000 97,000 84,000 40,000 50,000
77 RAGE: GUEST PROGRAMMER ABC1 104,000 17,000 34,000 23,000 14,000 16,000
123 RAGE ABC1 43,000 10,000 10,000 13,000 5,000 6,000
128 RUGBY UNION: SHUTE SHIELD (NSW) 2009-PM ABC1 38,000 38,000
130 VFL FOOTBALL 2009-PM ABC1 37,000 37,000
145 RUGBY LEAGUE: (QLD) 2009-PM ABC1 29,000 29,000
156 WAFL LIVE LEAGUE FOOTBALL 2009-PM ABC1 22,000 22,000
158 DALEKS - INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. -RPT Nine 21,000 21,000
162 THE SANFL-PM ABC1 20,000 20,000
171 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LATE Nine 17,000 4,000 5,000 8,000
189 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 20: HAWTHORN VS ADELAIDE Seven 11,000 9,000 2,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)
What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,464,000 403,000 381,000 290,000 175,000 215,000
2 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,373,000 487,000 460,000 229,000 197,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,295,000 329,000 360,000 265,000 153,000 188,000
4 GEORGE GENTLY ABC1 1,232,000 417,000 345,000 191,000 124,000 156,000
5 NINE NEWS Nine 1,185,000 316,000 426,000 216,000 109,000 118,000
6 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,112,000 297,000 369,000 211,000 123,000 112,000
11 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 20: HAWTHORN VS ADELAIDE Seven 792,000 11,000 413,000 8,000 251,000 108,000
16 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 664,000 210,000 206,000 115,000 74,000 59,000
17 NINE'S LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 648,000 353,000 295,000
25 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 451,000 242,000 Not shown 209,000 Not shown Not shown Not shown
33 M-FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL Seven 335,000 213,000 Not shown 122,000 Not shown Not shown
119 BANANAS IN PYJAMAS-PM ABC1 68,000 25,000 13,000 10,000 7,000 14,000
146 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LATE Nine 52,000 34,000 9,000 9,000

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,491,000 450,000 377,000 310,000 167,000 187,000
2 GETAWAY Nine 1,372,000 433,000 375,000 276,000 126,000 162,000
3 20 TO 1 Nine 1,336,000 400,000 371,000 277,000 122,000 167,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,272,000 362,000 316,000 256,000 158,000 179,000
5 RUSH Ten 1,206,000 359,000 418,000 179,000 118,000 132,000
6 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,181,000 359,000 330,000 208,000 140,000 143,000
7 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,176,000 345,000 381,000 216,000 112,000 122,000
8 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,171,000 308,000 398,000 237,000 104,000 124,000
9 NINE NEWS Nine 1,127,000 291,000 384,000 226,000 110,000 115,000
10 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,012,000 320,000 262,000 197,000 98,000 136,000
11 THE AMAZING RACE Seven 949,000 294,000 313,000 142,000 112,000 88,000
15 JON & KATE PLUS 8 - SURVIVING SEXTUPLETS Ten 813,000 203,000 268,000 160,000 72,000 111,000
22 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 697,000 195,000 222,000 146,000 67,000 67,000
27 CONSUMING KIDS: THE COMMERCIALISATION OF CHILDHOOD ABC1 497,000 192,000 119,000 76,000 55,000 56,000
33 SUNRISE Seven 392,000 131,000 97,000 79,000 35,000 50,000
38 TODAY Nine 327,000 108,000 114,000 57,000 22,000 26,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Thursday
What last night revealed: 1. A Current Affair has no holding power. All of the people who made it Nine's most watched program on Tuesday went back to Today Tonight on Wednesday. So its general approach has no residual appeal to Kyle Sandilands fans.
2. The Librarians drives away 500,000 of the people who watch Spicks and Specks.
3. Not even Charlie Sheen can help Australia's Perfect Couple. Nine turned it into a half hour show and put it on after 2.5M, where it immediately drove away 500,000 viewers.

What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,548,000 429,000 424,000 288,000 192,000 215,000
2 WORLD'S STRICTEST PARENTS-UK Seven 1,453,000 411,000 408,000 275,000 194,000 165,000
3 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,449,000 439,000 459,000 262,000 139,000 151,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,406,000 361,000 419,000 289,000 160,000 177,000
5 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,309,000 327,000 423,000 278,000 133,000 147,000
6 TWO AND A HALF MEN -WED Nine 1,253,000 318,000 420,000 253,000 120,000 142,000
7 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,238,000 354,000 342,000 240,000 178,000 125,000
8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,189,000 311,000 371,000 259,000 126,000 121,000
9 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,142,000 309,000 346,000 251,000 116,000 120,000
10 RPA Nine 1,106,000 297,000 357,000 208,000 114,000 130,000
13 THE LIBRARIANS ABC1 1,028,000 308,000 353,000 168,000 106,000 93,000
14 THE SIMPSONS WED Ten 1,023,000 308,000 334,000 179,000 101,000 102,000
15 THE ALL NEW SIMPSONS WED Ten 1,019,000 332,000 320,000 159,000 87,000 121,000
16 UNITED STATES OF TARA ABC1 990,000 302,000 355,000 132,000 97,000 104,000
17 THE GIFT Nine 986,000 299,000 313,000 158,000 105,000 110,000
25 LAW & ORDER: UK Ten 775,000 213,000 264,000 119,000 91,000 88,000
26 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 772,000 212,000 246,000 160,000 67,000 87,000
30 AUSTRALIA'S PERFECT COUPLE Nine 701,000 237,000 239,000 147,000 78,000
33 FAMILY GUY Seven 529,000 152,000 168,000 89,000 69,000 53,000
36 AT THE MOVIES ABC1 502,000 163,000 163,000 69,000 43,000 64,000
39 AMERICAN DAD Seven 452,000 130,000 148,000 76,000 53,000 45,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Wednesday
The finest science fiction series of the decade, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, starts tonight on GO. If a few people watch it, Nine might just let it run to the end. If not, you could always rent the DVD.

As for last night, we have a mystery: why did A Current Affair suddenly attract more viewers than Today Tonight? It was Nine's most watched show of the day, even topping Nine's star performer 2.5M. Can anyone offer an explanation? ACA's surge was part of the reason the prime time audience shares for the week stand thus: Seven 28.8 per cent, Nine 24.9, Ten 23.4, ABC 15.4, SBS 7.4.

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 1,904,000 582,000 575,000 322,000 205,000 219,000
2 TALKIN' 'BOUT YOUR GENERATION Ten 1,479,000 447,000 520,000 205,000 154,000 153,000
3 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,467,000 422,000 377,000 279,000 186,000 203,000
4 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,357,000 387,000 435,000 268,000 125,000 142,000
5 SURF PATROL Seven 1,353,000 410,000 345,000 247,000 169,000 182,000
6 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,335,000 348,000 356,000 254,000 181,000 196,000
7 AIR WAYS Seven 1,334,000 406,000 329,000 255,000 173,000 171,000
8 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,327,000 352,000 455,000 253,000 119,000 150,000
9 NINE NEWS Nine 1,290,000 320,000 431,000 276,000 138,000 125,000
10 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,270,000 382,000 322,000 237,000 174,000 155,000
11 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,174,000 371,000 349,000 191,000 142,000 123,000
12 20 TO 1 -RPT Nine 1,167,000 297,000 419,000 230,000 77,000 144,000
22 TONY ROBINSON'S CRIME AND PUNISHMENT ABC1 791,000 269,000 202,000 130,000 96,000 94,000
23 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 756,000 208,000 245,000 148,000 77,000 79,000
33 KITCHEN NIGHTMARES U.S.A. Nine 457,000 126,000 149,000 70,000 74,000 39,000
75 THE PINKY AND PERKY SHOW-PM ABC1 163,000 43,000 47,000 32,000 11,000 29,000
96 WIRE IN THE BLOOD: USA ABC2 113,000 39,000 27,000 14,000 9,000 26,000
100 ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT Seven 102,000 37,000 37,000 9,000 10,000 9,000
What Australia watched, Monday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,670,000 451,000 431,000 355,000 198,000 234,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,628,000 452,000 441,000 329,000 181,000 225,000
3 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,521,000 388,000 552,000 261,000 142,000 177,000
4 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,345,000 348,000 463,000 263,000 139,000 133,000
5 CITY HOMICIDE-MON Seven 1,321,000 393,000 426,000 201,000 145,000 156,000
6 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,286,000 376,000 360,000 247,000 167,000 137,000
7 ON BOARD AIR FORCE ONE Seven 1,261,000 353,000 340,000 265,000 133,000 170,000
8 NINE NEWS Nine 1,237,000 321,000 436,000 229,000 148,000 103,000
9 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,231,000 316,000 438,000 235,000 136,000 105,000
10 AUSTRALIAN STORY ABC1 1,204,000 436,000 332,000 200,000 113,000 123,000
11 CITY HOMICIDE-MON EP. 2 Seven 1,142,000 314,000 403,000 170,000 125,000 131,000
12 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,125,000 304,000 360,000 216,000 109,000 136,000
18 ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? Ten 914,000 254,000 316,000 136,000 117,000 90,000
26 ASHES TO ASHES ABC1 625,000 168,000 214,000 78,000 75,000 91,000
27 DROP DEAD DIVA Nine 582,000 219,000 227,000 137,000 Not shown Not shown
29 DEXTER Ten 515,000 126,000 162,000 102,000 73,000 53,000
117 NATIONAL PRESS CLUB ADDRESS-PM ABC1 74,000 22,000 25,000 14,000 9,000 4,000

The ratings race, updated 11 am Monday
How do we answer the question of whether the removal of Kyle Sandilands helped or hurt Australian Idol on its opening night? As you see in the chart below, the commercial audience divided into thirds. To be precise, the prime time audience shares were: Seven 25.5 per cent, Nine 24.9, Ten 24.5, ABC 12.9, SBS 12.3 (thanks to cricket).

Idol won its timeslot with what Ten calls "all key demographics": people aged 13-17, 16-24, 16-39, 16-54, 18-29, 18-49, 25-54, and 30-49 (you'll gather that Ten could not give a spit about people over 55).

Sandilands was not really absent -- he was visible in the auditions process. So the true test will come in three weeks, when he's missing from the judging panel. What's your prediction - audience up or audience down? And to tell us if Kyle, like Malcolm Turnbull, is a victim of changing times, go to The Tribal Mind.

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Total Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,666,000 409,000 486,000 389,000 157,000 225,000
2 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,546,000 494,000 503,000 249,000 199,000 100,000
3 DOMESTIC BLITZ Nine 1,339,000 375,000 411,000 280,000 172,000 101,000
4 DANCING WITH THE STARS 9 Seven 1,301,000 380,000 351,000 293,000 118,000 159,000
5 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - AUDITION 1 Ten 1,300,000 402,000 411,000 229,000 124,000 134,000
6 60 MINUTES Nine 1,219,000 383,000 355,000 265,000 121,000 95,000
7 RESCUE SPECIAL OPS Nine 1,140,000 375,000 326,000 230,000 118,000 90,000
8 BONES Seven 1,106,000 320,000 304,000 219,000 109,000 155,000
9 ABC NEWS-SU ABC1 994,000 288,000 297,000 185,000 107,000 116,000
10 STEPHEN FRY IN AMERICA ABC1 979,000 308,000 283,000 168,000 110,000 109,000
11 LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE Ten 976,000 271,000 325,000 172,000 119,000 89,000
13 THE 2009 ASHES: TEST4 DAY3 S1 SBS ONE 804,000 238,000 278,000 122,000 95,000 71,000 15 CSI: MIAMI Nine 737,000 184,000 224,000 135,000 109,000 85,000
19 THE LAST ENEMY ABC1 521,000 159,000 125,000 79,000 66,000 93,000
20 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 460,000 297,000 163,000
24 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 19: RICHMOND VS SYDNEY Seven 399,000 89,000 210,000 33,000 67,000
35 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 19: FREMANTLE VS PORT ADELAIDE Seven 253,000 134,000 119,000
56 AFL GAME DAY Seven 168,000 107,000 30,000 31,000
74 THE SUN HERALD CITY TO SURF 2009 Ten 121,000 74,000 21,000 15,000 4,000 7,000
82 ENGLISH CHALLENGE CUP RUGBY LEAGUE Nine 104,000 66,000 39,000
89 SEVEN'S R.U: TRI-NATIONS: S A V AUS (R) Seven 81,000 51,000 30,000 (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 blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

• by David Dale in whoweare-index at 10:06 AM
• Comments (77)

The Tribal Mind: Don't blame poor Kyle and Mal

To find out how to abolish State Governments, go to Who We Are.

by David Dale
Kyle Sandilands is the Malcolm Turnbull of entertainment. Malcolm Turnbull is the Kyle Sandilands of politics. Both are so on the nose they are perceived to taint any brand they are associated with, which makes it impossible for them to perform their functions (opposition leader and shock jock).

Both are being held to unprecedentedly high standards of behaviour, because both are victims of a change in national sentiment. If this was 2001, they'd be winners. But Australians are leaving this decade in a very different mood from the way they entered it.

Back in 2001, a British producer named Simon Cowell helped to create a talent quest format called Pop Idol (which was soon franchised as American Idol and Australian Idol). Idol's appeal was its mixture of sadism and inspiration. Before being voted on by viewers, would-be singers were analysed by a panel of judges who fitted three archetypes -- The Bitchy One, The Waffly One and The Kindly One (usually a woman). Cowell was the prototype Bitchy One. In the Australian version, his clone was a music producer named Ian Dickson. Dicko's putdowns were not as witty as Cowell's, but he had a capacity for self-mockery that tempered his shredding of the contestants.

Australian Idol was Australia's most watched series of 2003 -- the same year Mark "Headkicker" Latham was riding high in the opinion polls as Opposition leader. The Waffly/ Kindly/ Bitchy formula was repeated in a host of other talent quests, and it worked a treat for Dancing With The Stars and Australia's Got Talent. In 2005 Dicko left Idol, and The Bitchy One became the radio jock Kyle Sandilands. He replaced Dicko's brutal humour with raw aggression.

Sandilands resembles Latham (and Turnbull) in apparently having no capacity for self-criticism, but this was not a problem while TV and radio audiences enjoyed macho competitiveness as part of their entertainment.

Now we come to 2009, The Year of Living Lovingly. Seven weeks ago, this column quoted a perceptive reader named Wazza, who had sent in this comment about MasterChef: "I much prefer to watch something constructive and which builds people's self esteem rather than something that is destructive and tears people down. I'm glad they aren't going down the road of 'Game on, molls!' bitchfighting of Big Brother. That is soooo 2006."

Part of MasterChef's success seemed to derive from replacing the Waffly/ Kindly/ Bitchy judging formula with Practical/ Kindly/ Eccentric. This column remarked: "Judging by TV tastes, the economic crisis seems to have put Australians in the mood for constructive cooperation and gentle generosity. If so, this is not a good time to be Malcolm Turnbull."

As it turns out, this is also not a good time to be Kyle Sandilands. The stunt which led to his removal from his radio show and from Idol -- getting a 14 year old to discuss her sexual experiences -- was premised on sadism. Sandilands further failed to read the national mood when he offered excuses instead of apologies -- just like Malcolm Turnbull, when he responded to revelations about Godwin Grech.

Does this mean Australia at the end of the Noughties prefers opposition leaders who do not attack and shock jocks who do not offend? Sandilands and Turnbull are entitled to ask: "You hired us to go in boots-and-all and suddenly everyone is wearing woollen socks. What do you want from us?" We might reply: "Well, it would help if you'd just shut up for a while."

Go to Comments to tell them what you want.

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

• by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 10:55 AM
• Comments (11)

WHO WE ARE: A State of quivering expectation

To learn why Kyle S and Malcolm T are victims of social change, go to The Tribal Mind.

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 9/8/2009
AWESOME is the only word for the power, reach and influence of this column's readers. A matter of days after they resoundingly endorsed this column's campaign to abolish State governments (which we listed as number 4 priority on The National To-Do List after becoming a republic, amalgamating with New Zealand and fixing the coat of arms), our political leaders start the process of abolition.

The prime minister reveals plans for Canberra to take over most of the States' current responsibilities in health care, while his deputy introduces a national schools curriculum, so Canberra can take control of education.

And Malcolm Turnbull urges the Federal Government to take control of our inland rivers, since the States have messed them up, while his rival Tony Abbott promotes a constitutional amendment to let the Federal Government override State laws. After that, the State governments might as well wither away for lack of anything to do, leaving local councils to take on their few remaining duties.

Of the readers who joined our forum, none expressed any enthusiasm for their State leadership (or their State opposition). The only apparently dissenting voice among the chorus of "Good riddance to bad management" was Andy, who asked: "What happens to the State of Origin?" Answer: It becomes the much more interesting Region of Origin series.

The plan to abolish the States includes the notion of amalgamating Australia's 677 local councils into 100 regional bodies, each serving a population of about 200,000 (go to The next big thing for details). Each region would send three representatives to the Senate in Canberra, so it would continue to be a house of review (but would concern itself only with major national initiatives, rather than all the tiny bills which currently constipate the upper house). There would be no difficulty in organising a series of rugby league matches between players originating in, say, Townsville and North Sydney or Newcastle and East Brisbane.

But before the process of defederalising goes too far, we should take one last look at what we're losing, to see if any of them have a unique quality worth preserving. I've been through all the reports released by the Bureau of Statistics for the past 12 months, noting any significant differences between the six former colonies. These details stood out ...

What's special about the States
Highest population: NSW (7 million). Lowest: Tasmania (500,000).
Highest unemployment: NSW (6.6 per cent). Lowest: Western Australia (5.2).
Most people aged over 65: South Australia. Most people under 15: Queensland.
Highest birth rate: Tasmania. Lowest: Victoria.
Most connected to internet: Qld (68 per cent of homes). Least connected: Tas (56).
Most religious: NSW (76 per cent). Least: SA (64).
Most people moving to: Qld. Most people moving from: Tas.
Lowest rate of personal crime: Vic. Highest: Qld.
Least building approvals: NSW. Most: WA.
Highest sporting attendance: SA. Lowest: NSW.
Highest attendance at live performances (concerts, plays, etc): WA. Lowest: Tas.
Highest marriage rate: Qld. Lowest: SA.
Highest divorce rate: Qld. Lowest: NSW.
Most living in sin before marriage: Tas. Fewest: NSW.
Most people saying they are delighted or pleased with their lives: Brisbane and Perth equal (55.7 per cent). Fewest: Melbourne (47.9).
Cheapest beer in pubs: Sydney. Costliest: Adelaide.
Cheapest chocolate: Brisbane. Costliest: Perth.
Cheapest bread: Hobart. Costliest: Melbourne
Cheapest rump steak: Sydney. Costliest: Brisbane
Cheapest oranges: Brisbane. Costliest: Perth.
Cheapest milk: Brisbane. Costliest: Hobart.
Cheapest potatoes: Sydney. Costliest: Perth.

So you might imagine Tasmanians are lustful, Queenslanders are violent, Victorians are depressed, Western Australians are rich and New South Welshpeople are devout. Are such cultural differences worth preserving or should we just go ahead and axe these historical and geographical anomalies? Join the discussion at Comments

David Dale is the author of The Little Book of Australia -- A snapshot of who we are (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

• by David Dale in whoweare-index at 02:41 PM
• Comments (78)

The Who We Are update: Week 30

This week's forum is now a heritage item - worth studying but no longer current. For the latest on Australian attitudes and media trends, go to blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

To learn why Kyle and Malcolm are victims of social change, go to The Tribal Mind.
To find out how to abolish State Governments, go to Who We Are.

The ratings race, updated 10 am Monday
After a strong start, thanks to Meryl Streep and Shaun Micallef, it's back to business as usual for Channel Ten -- or no-business-as-usual, to be precise -- now that its 7pm drawcard has vanished. The week ended with the prime time audience shares thus: Seven 28.7 per cent, Nine 23.8, Ten 21.5, ABC 17.1, SBS 8.9 (thanks entirely to cricket).

Time for your prediction: how will Australian Idol go this year? Will the removal of Kyle lift its popularity, or had it passed its prime in any case? Go to Comments to predict Idol's Sunday night audience over the next three weeks.

This was Pay TV's account of itself for the week: "194,000 viewers saw the Australian cricket team take the ascendancy in the fourth Ashes Test on Saturday night in Live: Cricket: Ashes: Day 2 Session 1 on FOX Sports. On Monday night football 317,000 people viewed Live: NRL Wests Tigers v Sea Eagles, the Sunday afternoon Aussie Rules game, Live: AFL West Coast v Essendon was seen by 191,000 people and 93,000 subscribers watched the 2009/10 A-League season kick off with Live: Football: A-League Melb v C Coast (all on FOX Sports).

"This week's episode of America's Next Top Model on FOX8 was watched by 152,000 viewers (a record for the season so far), the Sunday night broadcast of NCIS on TV1 was seen by 142,000 people and Wednesday night's Deadliest Catch on Discovery Channel was watched by 108,000 people. S.W.A.T. premiered on TV1 with 97,000 viewers, Dora the Explorer on Nick Jr. had its best audience of the year with 88,000 viewers and Law & Order on W was seen by 86,000 people.

"In week 32, STV channels represented 21.7% of all metropolitan viewing between 6am and midnight, 20.9% of all regional viewing and 56.8% of all viewing in subscription TV homes."

Just for a change, what viewers aged 16-39 watched, week ending August 8
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 TALKIN' 'BOUT YOUR GENERATION Ten 593,000 187,000 190,000 97,000 55,000 65,000
2 THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA RPT Ten 562,000 147,000 191,000 100,000 63,000 62,000
3 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 549,000 168,000 183,000 89,000 40,000 69,000
4 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 513,000 133,000 168,000 101,000 58,000 52,000
5 THE SIMPSONS WED Ten 488,000 129,000 174,000 91,000 54,000 39,000
6 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 477,000 121,000 140,000 106,000 55,000 56,000
7 GOOD NEWS WEEK Ten 474,000 122,000 142,000 85,000 65,000 60,000
8 THE ALL NEW SIMPSONS WED Ten 457,000 102,000 167,000 94,000 42,000 51,000
9 WORLD'S STRICTEST PARENTS Seven 440,000 130,000 112,000 92,000 51,000 55,000
10 MIRACLE OF THE HUDSON PLANE CRASH Seven 409,000 128,000 114,000 75,000 35,000 57,000
11 THE BIG BANG THEORY Nine 405,000 101,000 123,000 90,000 40,000 51,000
12 ERAGON Ten 401,000 127,000 116,000 70,000 43,000 44,000
13 RUSH Ten 393,000 95,000 165,000 63,000 32,000 37,000
14 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 391,000 82,000 142,000 84,000 33,000 48,000
15 UNITED STATES OF TARA ABC1 382,000 102,000 111,000 71,000 47,000 52,000

16 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT Ten 380,000 88,000 119,000 93,000 25,000 55,000
17 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT RPT Ten 376,000 68,000 128,000 95,000 32,000 53,000
18 THE AMAZING RACE Seven 372,000 132,000 96,000 67,000 38,000 40,000
19 TV BURP Seven 370,000 116,000 113,000 58,000 35,000 48,000
20 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 368,000 142,000 98,000 66,000 29,000 32,000
21 BONES Seven 366,000 125,000 92,000 73,000 33,000 43,000
22 DANCING WITH THE STARS 9 Seven 365,000 90,000 111,000 93,000 31,000 39,000
23 60 MINUTES Nine 364,000 127,000 116,000 64,000 26,000 31,000
24 NCIS EP 2 RPT Ten 362,000 82,000 109,000 87,000 34,000 51,000
25 THE LIBRARIANS ABC1 358,000 95,000 122,000 66,000 36,000 39,000
26 MY NAME IS EARL Seven 348,000 112,000 72,000 81,000 39,000 44,000
27 TWO AND A HALF MEN -EP2 Nine 347,000 99,000 127,000 44,000 34,000 44,000
28 NCIS RPT Ten 346,000 94,000 94,000 76,000 41,000 41,000
29 DOUBLE TAKE Seven 334,000 108,000 79,000 60,000 37,000 51,000
30 HOME AND AWAY Seven 333,000 97,000 80,000 71,000 38,000 47,000
31 SURF PATROL Seven 333,000 94,000 91,000 74,000 29,000 46,000
32 CRIMINAL MINDS (R) Seven 330,000 99,000 80,000 77,000 32,000 42,000
33 TRUE BEAUTY Seven 328,000 106,000 95,000 48,000 30,000 48,000
34 20 TO 1 Nine 327,000 108,000 93,000 63,000 29,000 34,000
35 AIR WAYS Seven 325,000 79,000 93,000 72,000 36,000 46,000
36 FAMILY GUY Seven 324,000 113,000 101,000 51,000 33,000 26,000
37 RESCUE SPECIAL OPS Nine 318,000 101,000 100,000 59,000 19,000 38,000
38 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 316,000 91,000 91,000 46,000 38,000 50,000
39 ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? Ten 316,000 82,000 101,000 46,000 48,000 38,000
40 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 315,000 95,000 101,000 59,000 22,000 37,000
41 SCRUBS-WED (R) Seven 313,000 102,000 76,000 58,000 36,000 41,000
42 SUPERNATURAL Ten 312,000 55,000 93,000 71,000 38,000 55,000
43 NEIGHBOURS Ten 310,000 73,000 87,000 71,000 36,000 44,000
44 ALL SAINTS Seven 309,000 90,000 104,000 34,000 37,000 44,000
45 TWO AND A HALF MEN -EP1 Nine 301,000 86,000 106,000 39,000 28,000 41,000
46 RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS Nine 301,000 97,000 94,000 59,000 19,000 31,000
47 LAW AND ORDER: SVU WED Ten 300,000 65,000 121,000 45,000 39,000 31,000
48 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 300,000 86,000 95,000 53,000 29,000 35,000
49 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 294,000 68,000 96,000 66,000 28,000 36,000
50 COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN ADULTS ONLY Nine 293,000 104,000 101,000 36,000 24,000 27,000
(OzTAM mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,429,000 382,000 367,000 329,000 147,000 204,000
2 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,052,000 243,000 342,000 208,000 147,000 111,000
3 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS Nine 1,050,000 290,000 302,000 229,000 113,000 116,000
4 M-MEET THE ROBINSONS Seven 898,000 253,000 233,000 176,000 110,000 126,000
5 ABC NEWS-SA ABC1 893,000 251,000 279,000 164,000 94,000 104,000
6 RICHIE RICH -RPT Nine 865,000 254,000 290,000 149,000 83,000 89,000
7 THE BILL ABC1 801,000 213,000 222,000 121,000 93,000 152,000
8 GARDENING AUSTRALIA ABC1 734,000 206,000 204,000 140,000 100,000 84,000
9 TEN NEWS AT FIVE SAT Ten 695,000 162,000 153,000 127,000 114,000 139,000
10 EAST OF EVERYTHING ABC1 689,000 190,000 171,000 137,000 79,000 113,000
11 SATURDAY NIGHT AFL Ten 635,000 299,000 88,000 157,000 90,000
12 THE 2009 ASHES: TEST4 DAY2 S1 SBS ONE 633,000 218,000 181,000 127,000 52,000 55,000
13 SATURDAY AFTERNOON AFL Ten 622,000 70,000 279,000 34,000 81,000 159,000
15 M-AIR FORCE ONE Seven 585,000 207,000 151,000 99,000 65,000 63,000
17 THE 2009 ASHES: TEST4 DAY2 S2 SBS ONE 481,000 129,000 154,000 70,000 55,000 72,000
18 M- 16 BLOCKS -RPT Nine 419,000 93,000 156,000 69,000 51,000 51,000
20 M-HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL Seven 374,000 89,000 157,000 42,000 37,000 50,000
62 STEPTOE AND SON -RPT Nine 111,000 35,000 30,000 24,000 4,000 17,000
79 SEVEN'S R.U: TRI-NATIONS: S A V AUS Seven 86,000 21,000 29,000 16,000 12,000 8,000
99 SIMPLY FOOTY Ten 64,000 64,000
117 RUGBY UNION: SHUTE SHIELD (NSW) 2009-PM ABC1 47,000 47,000
132 RUGBY LEAGUE: (QLD) 2009-PM ABC1 32,000 32,000
135 WAFL LIVE LEAGUE FOOTBALL 2009-PM ABC1 31,000 31,000
142 VFL FOOTBALL 2009-PM ABC1 28,000 28,000
154 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LATE Nine 23,000 6,000 8,000 9,000
175 SATURDAY LATE NIGHT AFL Ten 16,000 16,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,460,000 413,000 458,000 231,000 167,000 190,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,430,000 424,000 368,000 286,000 175,000 178,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,287,000 351,000 352,000 281,000 145,000 159,000
4 NINE NEWS Nine 1,126,000 308,000 373,000 224,000 126,000 95,000
5 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,124,000 318,000 302,000 209,000 153,000 142,000
6 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,021,000 303,000 328,000 190,000 97,000 103,000
7 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 974,000 255,000 365,000 172,000 107,000 74,000
8 ABC NEWS ABC1 927,000 348,000 246,000 110,000 105,000 118,000
9 TEN NEWS AT FIVE Ten 856,000 225,000 262,000 154,000 100,000 116,000
10 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 19: CARLTON VS GEELONG Seven 721,000 16,000 438,000 18,000 134,000 115,000
11 DEAL OR NO DEAL Seven 720,000 230,000 177,000 146,000 89,000 77,000
13 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 675,000 163,000 249,000 132,000 69,000 62,000
15 HOT SEAT Nine 665,000 194,000 191,000 140,000 73,000 68,000
17 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Ten 658,000 194,000 201,000 120,000 73,000 70,000
19 THE 2009 ASHES: TEST4 DAY1 S1 SBS ONE 608,000 189,000 198,000 103,000 62,000 57,000
21 NINE'S LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 596,000 349,000 247,000
30 SUNRISE Seven 396,000 122,000 89,000 98,000 39,000 49,000
43 TODAY Nine 288,000 83,000 96,000 62,000 16,000 31,000
40 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Nine 326,000 192,000 134,000
52 PLAY SCHOOL-AM ABC1 233,000 90,000 76,000 20,000 24,000 23,000
67 THE MORNING SHOW Seven 188,000 66,000 50,000 34,000 17,000 21,000
83 MORNINGS WITH KERRI-ANNE Nine 129,000 37,000 44,000 34,000 6,000 8,000
86 TORCHWOOD ABC2 123,000 21,000 27,000 22,000 26,000 27,000
91 THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW Nine 114,000 38,000 30,000 24,000 15,000 6,000
145 NINE'S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LATE Nine 47,000 25,000 11,000 11,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Friday
With two days of the ratings week still to go, and only football to look forward to on the commercial stations, the average prime time audience shares stand at: Seven 29.6 per cent, Nine 24.0, Ten 22.9, ABC 16.7, SBS 6.9.

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,450,000 378,000 393,000 309,000 174,000 195,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,408,000 345,000 393,000 309,000 176,000 186,000
3 GETAWAY Nine 1,235,000 367,000 357,000 242,000 119,000 150,000
4 RUSH Ten 1,218,000 328,000 470,000 156,000 122,000 143,000
5 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,214,000 324,000 306,000 248,000 176,000 160,000
6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,111,000 308,000 361,000 211,000 119,000 111,000
7 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,107,000 320,000 372,000 195,000 92,000 127,000
8 20 TO 1 Nine 1,091,000 313,000 308,000 240,000 97,000 133,000
9 THE AMAZING RACE Seven 1,060,000 332,000 283,000 179,000 132,000 134,000
10 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,030,000 297,000 337,000 209,000 88,000 99,000
15 DOUBLE TAKE Seven 832,000 276,000 195,000 133,000 105,000 124,000
19 TV BURP Seven 774,000 231,000 204,000 131,000 99,000 110,000
21 DEAL OR NO DEAL Seven 720,000 227,000 166,000 165,000 86,000 75,000
22 HOT SEAT Nine 702,000 197,000 210,000 140,000 88,000 67,000 23 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 695,000 168,000 212,000 165,000 63,000 87,000
26 TRUE BEAUTY Seven 613,000 183,000 172,000 93,000 71,000 94,000
28 Q & A ABC1 551,000 229,000 130,000 96,000 47,000 49,000
36 INSPECTOR REX RPT SBS ONE 371,000 101,000 124,000 60,000 40,000 44,000

What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,535,000 411,000 441,000 316,000 144,000 223,000
2 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,508,000 467,000 492,000 262,000 143,000 143,000
3 WORLD'S STRICTEST PARENTS Seven 1,499,000 416,000 445,000 272,000 183,000 183,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,345,000 381,000 361,000 284,000 132,000 188,000
5 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,240,000 352,000 335,000 255,000 158,000 140,000
6 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,202,000 341,000 401,000 230,000 108,000 122,000
7 NINE NEWS Nine 1,162,000 287,000 370,000 256,000 134,000 115,000
8 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,127,000 257,000 384,000 249,000 126,000 110,000
9 UNITED STATES OF TARA ABC1 1,065,000 352,000 331,000 171,000 98,000 113,000
10 RPA Nine 1,053,000 276,000 325,000 200,000 131,000 120,000
11 THE LIBRARIANS ABC1 1,053,000 356,000 333,000 178,000 89,000 97,000
22 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 757,000 201,000 240,000 128,000 77,000 111,000
27 AUSTRALIA'S PERFECT COUPLE Nine 672,000 193,000 223,000 118,000 58,000 80,000
28 THE COOK AND THE CHEF ABC1 660,000 209,000 206,000 95,000 62,000 88,000
29 JAMIE SAVES OUR BACON Ten 543,000 148,000 207,000 62,000 55,000 72,000
35 FOOD SAFARI RPT SBS ONE 456,000 139,000 147,000 86,000 42,000 41,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Wednesday
For the first three nights of the ratings week, the networks are averaging these prime time audience shares: Seven 31.0 per cent, Ten 23.9, Nine 22.6, ABC 15.1, SBS 7.3. Very slowly, The 7pm Project seems to be rising, but last night's lift could be because some people switched to Ten early in anticipation of Two Apostrophes.

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 1,878,000 577,000 591,000 283,000 197,000 230,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,609,000 468,000 394,000 360,000 171,000 216,000
3 TALKIN' 'BOUT YOUR GENERATION Ten 1,513,000 476,000 489,000 225,000 139,000 183,000
4 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,485,000 421,000 401,000 302,000 157,000 203,000
5 SURF PATROL Seven 1,416,000 392,000 395,000 267,000 179,000 183,000
6 AIR WAYS Seven 1,379,000 386,000 392,000 247,000 172,000 182,000
7 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,259,000 381,000 332,000 228,000 165,000 155,000
8 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,184,000 357,000 365,000 142,000 163,000 157,000
9 NINE NEWS Nine 1,166,000 312,000 403,000 201,000 131,000 119,000
14 GRAND DESIGNS ABC1 1,086,000 344,000 312,000 185,000 104,000 141,000
23 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 780,000 255,000 238,000 141,000 65,000 80,000
27 COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN ADULTS ONLY Nine 658,000 214,000 222,000 86,000 68,000 67,000
75 LIBERAL RULE SBS ONE 191,000 103,000 47,000 16,000 13,000 13,000

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,729,000 479,000 482,000 354,000 190,000 224,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,623,000 471,000 400,000 366,000 169,000 218,000
3 MIRACLE OF THE HUDSON PLANE CRASH Seven 1,490,000 485,000 381,000 273,000 153,000 198,000
4 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,423,000 373,000 422,000 320,000 153,000 155,000
5 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,421,000 442,000 370,000 272,000 167,000 169,000
6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,273,000 331,000 402,000 280,000 151,000 108,000
7 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,199,000 277,000 410,000 271,000 138,000 103,000
11 THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE Nine 1,001,000 317,000 286,000 185,000 87,000 126,000
14 AUSTRALIAN STORY (about Malcolm Turnbull) ABC1 941,000 315,000 251,000 166,000 95,000 113,000
15 ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? Ten 904,000 252,000 296,000 133,000 118,000 104,000
21 THE SIMPSONS Ten 820,000 244,000 247,000 122,000 99,000 109,000
22 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 748,000 204,000 216,000 138,000 92,000 97,000
23 SPOOKS ABC1 725,000 213,000 207,000 116,000 99,000 90,000
25 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 606,000 Not shown 379,000 Not shown 99,000 128,000
26 M-KNOCKED UP Seven 512,000 322,000 Not shown 190,000 Not shown Not shown
43 DROP DEAD DIVA Nine 300,000 209,000 Not shown 91,000 Not shown Not shown Not shown

The ratings race, updated 10 am Monday
Channel Nine would have expected better than 1.1 million for its new cop drama, since it stars a familiar face from Underbelly (go to Comments, below, for the verdict of this column's alert readers). But Ten trumped Nine with a chickflick, and the audience shares came out this way: Seven 30.0 per cent of the prime time audience, Ten 26.6, Nine 23.5, ABC 11.7, SBS 8.2. Ten won Sunday night with viewers aged 18-49, which means Seven's audience was mostly geriatrics.

The ABC needs to take a serious look at its Sunday lineup, since this should be one of its biggest nights of the week. Should we anticipate a return of Monsieur Poirot, Miss Marple, Doctor Who or the Messrs Midsomer?

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Total Network Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,806,000 489,000 532,000 396,000 175,000 216,000
2 DANCING WITH THE STARS 9 Seven 1,592,000 468,000 433,000 357,000 162,000 172,000
3 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,512,000 463,000 463,000 297,000 170,000 119,000
4 THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA RPT Ten 1,238,000 365,000 396,000 205,000 134,000 139,000
5 BONES Seven 1,190,000 393,000 322,000 227,000 113,000 135,000
6 60 MINUTES Nine 1,190,000 337,000 389,000 234,000 109,000 121,000
7 ERAGON Ten 1,175,000 407,000 334,000 178,000 117,000 139,000
8 RESCUE SPECIAL OPS Nine 1,135,000 357,000 323,000 202,000 118,000 135,000
9 RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS Nine 1,099,000 269,000 354,000 246,000 109,000 120,000
10 BONES (R) Seven 925,000 324,000 263,000 139,000 102,000 98,000
11 ABC NEWS-SU ABC1 866,000 281,000 242,000 146,000 91,000 106,000
12 WALL OF DEATH ABC1 808,000 270,000 238,000 131,000 83,000 87,000
15 CSI: MIAMI Nine 645,000 155,000 198,000 125,000 86,000 81,000
18 THE LAST ENEMY ABC1 500,000 149,000 153,000 81,000 60,000 58,000
19 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 18: PORT ADELAIDE VS HAWTHORN Seven 482,000 5,000 330,000 6,000 132,000 9,000
20 NINE'S SUNDAY FOOTBALL Nine 469,000 296,000 173,000
23 LAS VEGAS Seven 410,000 120,000 126,000 67,000 46,000 51,000
26 THE 2009 ASHES: TEST3 DAY4 S1 SBS ONE 348,000 96,000 117,000 62,000 32,000 41,000
32 OUT OF THE BLUE SUN Ten 292,000 74,000 87,000 53,000 28,000 51,000
33 MACGYVER Ten 280,000 86,000 74,000 63,000 22,000 35,000
55 AFL GAME DAY Seven 184,000 111,000 35,000 38,000
71 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 18: WEST COAST VS ESSENDON Seven 128,000 128,000
82 SEVEN'S AFL: RND 18: MELBOURNE VS RICHMOND Seven 104,000 61,000 43,000
(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 blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

• by David Dale in The Tribal Mind, in whoweare-index at 09:25 AM
• Comments (87)

The Tribal Mind: How to save satire for the next generation

To find out why we need to abolish State Governments, go to Who We Are.

by David Dale
We like to laugh in this country, and in particular, we like to laugh at ourselves. That's why satire has been one of the most successful genres in 54 years of television, and why last Wednesday was such a sad day, because it contained the final episode of The Chaser's War on Everything, that glorious celebration of our healthiest national trait, the tall poppy syndrome.

But lets not dwell on the void this will leave in our lives. After all, there's plenty of other satire on the box right now. Channel Seven offers Double Take and TV Burp and Ten offers The 7pm Project every weeknight. Not cheered up yet? Well, there's also the first item on this list ...

Australia's smartest satires of all time
1 John Clarke and Brian Dawe within The 7.30 Report (ABC)
2 Frontline (ABC, 1994-97)
3 The Chaser's election coverage and the War on Everything (ABC, 2001-09)
4 The Games (ABC, 1998-2000)
5 The Gillies Report (ABC, 1984-85)
6 The Mavis Bramston Show (Seven, 1964-68)
7 Newstopia (SBS, 2007-08)
8 The Hollowmen (ABC, 2008)
9 Life Support (SBS, 2006-07)
10 The Norman Gunston Show (ABC, Seven, 1975-79 and 1993)

This column has long argued that John Clarke, whose work appears twice on that list, is the single best reason for Australia to amalgamate with New Zealand. We would then be able to declare him a living national treasure, along with his only serious rival for the post of Australia's Court Jester, Shaun Micallef.

Clarke and Dawe have been presenting their deadpan dialogues, in which Clarke channels pompous politicians, for 20 years now, first on A Current Affair and now on The 7.30 Report. A recent exchange began like this ...

Dawe: Mr Turnbull, thanks for your time.
Clarke: Good evening Bryan, and can I just complain firstly that as I entered the building this evening, I was searched by some jumped-up clown in the foyer who wanted to know if I had explosives attached and was I going to self-destruct on ABC premises.
Dawe: Well clearly you're not.
Clarke: Well it's bloody ridiculous. The man should resign."

Compare that with an exchange last Tuesday on The 7pm Project, when host Charlie Pickering asked entertainment commentator Ruby Rose to report on the Helpmann (theatre) awards. She talked about how she had to change into her ballgown in a car on the way there. Host Dave Hughes asked: "What does happen at the Helpmann awards?" Rose replied: "I didn't know what it was but Cate Blanchett was there, so it must have been pretty important."

Rose has apparently decided to present herself an egocentric scatterbrain, which is a risky self-marketing strategy. She may be beautiful enough to survive the taint of association with failure, but Hughes and Pickering don't have glamour on their side. Hughes is under unfair pressure to come up with witty punchlines for every news item.

Hughes wrote this message on Twitter last week: "Personally I need to chill, everytime I spoke I thought I was ruining my career." He could be right. The audience in the mainland capitals dropped from 1.2 million on the opening night to 701,000 last Wednesday. Industry observers are betting on when Ten will replace 7PP with The Simpsons or Friends or the remaining episodes of Yasmin's Getting Married.

I have a helpful suggestion. Why not absorb the successful game show Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation into The 7pm Project? Put Shaun Micallef in charge, spinning out the kind of topical gags he made on Newstopia, and turn Hughes and Pickering into occasional guests, along with Chas Licciardello, Julia Zemiro, Tom Gleisner, Annabel Crabb and John Clarke.

As for Ruby Rose, she can be the barrel girl.

Go to Comments to offer your suggestions.

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

• by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 10:33 AM
• Comments (10)