Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: About Campbell Live

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  • Sacha, in reply to Kumara Republic,

    don't tempt them :)

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie, in reply to izogi,

    What are the criteria for the ratings system to determine that a show's been watched by someone? Would people who watched for the first 10 minutes, then switched off, be attributed as watching the entire hour? Or is it possible to track people watching the entire thing.

    I can only speak for my parents' experience which goes back a decade or more. Both TVs in their house had a little Neilson box on the top. When a TV was switched on, the box started flashing a message: "Who is watching?" You then input person 1 or 2 (via preset buttons) or defined any guest by gender and age. The box already knew which channel was selected.

    Annoyingly, it would flash the "Who is watching?" message every 10 or 15 minutes. Unless you were anal and complied with the little machine's demands, it decided that you'd stopped viewing. The machine dumped its contents down the phone line to Neilson every night.

    My parents lived in the Sounds and could only receive TV1 clearly and sometimes a rather fuzzy version of TV2. They couldn't stand Paul Holmes but watched his show every night and thought they could 'fool' the box by not inputting any person. I had a theory (unproven) that the box was actually measuring 'opportunity to view' rather than whether or not people were paying attention to a given programme, but I still don't know if that was really the case. In any event, I'm sure monitoring technology has moved on from that system nowadays.

    I mentioned earlier that despite Neilson's policy of changing the viewing panel every 18 months or so, my parents were part of the viewer panel for 8 years. I should add that they were only removed from the panel when they eventually passed away.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Cecelia,

    Kim Hill, Morning Report,now = I feel less Barbarians at the gate-ish.

    Hibiscus Coast • Since Apr 2008 • 559 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Useful 5 minute interview with the NZ on Air boss Jane Wrightson about this topic on Morning Report.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Alfie,

    “To find out more, let’s cross live to a junior journo who’s somewhere less than ten kilometres from the place where the incident actually occurred several hours earlier.”

    THIS

    Honestly if you wanted to save bucks on the news etc you'd kill almost all those live crosses.

    Sure if there is actually something to see then a camera on site makes sense but really we've all seen what the outside of a supermarket look like so the reporter standing in the rain outside added nothing to the news.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Damian Christie,

    “By contrast to Seven Sharp, it holds on to most of its lead-in news viewers and occasionally does better.”

    Does it? That’s not my understanding

    That was my impression from the data as well. It looked very much like a major part of CLs problem was the TV3 news. Given our news watching habits I'm not surprised. We tend to have it on in the background while we make dinner and then switch to something recorded when we sit down in the lounge to eat.

    I might insist on watching a bit of the sports news but inevitably turn it off when said sports news switches to reporting what some All Black did on holiday.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    Don't go there. If you analyse TV news down, it consists of an A4 page of information spun out to an hour. Lose the noise, and we'd have a 3 minute news bulletin.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    But then again, “Guess today’s live cross location” is the best part of the bulletin.

    Story about Ebola in Africa: live cross outside Auckland hospital (not making that up, honest).

    Story about Middle East: live cross outside kebab shop (OK, may be making that one up).

    The only requirement is that the location is in central Auckland, a minute or two from the studio. Domain, Viaduct, Britomart … they must have a list they go by (Sex? Go to K Road. Immigration? Go to Food Court. Resource Management Act? Go to a park with trees …).

    I don’t know how they keep a straight face, nobody watching can.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • bob daktari, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    Given our news watching habits I’m not surprised.

    I do wonder sometimes how much of the potential news audience find it near on impossible to actually be home in time to watch

    We live in ever changing work and home environments that for many don't involve being able to sit down at 6pm to watch the news headlines which for those connected are hours out of date then anyways

    auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 540 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Cecelia,

    Kim Hill, Morning Report, now = I feel less Barbarians at the gate-ish

    I know!
    just hearing her there today made me feel years younger and more optimistic - some weird deja voodoo going on there...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    Newzak...

    We tend to have it on in the background while we make dinner and then switch to something recorded when we sit down in the lounge to eat.

    What no conversation and commentary about the news of the day - what's Mark Weldon gonna do now he knows that?
    :- )

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    we all have our live cross to be aired...

    Honestly if you wanted to save bucks on the news etc you’d kill almost all those live crosses.

    That's if the 'live crosses' don't kill them first -I felt for those poor reporters standing round in arctic temperatures last night - stuck-a-bed with a cold, as I am... ( a veritable drip-fled phlegmish panter!)
    But seriously you are so right, there is much that could be pared down rather than the constant hunt for 'novelty' - novelty is not news, just new and usually transient...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    I felt for those poor reporters standing round in arctic temperatures last night

    And here is their patron saint (25 second clip, it made him a TV hero):

    Colin Baker, soaked, pissed off ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Gio blogs about this.

    We won’t be saved by being better consumers, nor would things be significantly better if our business leaders were less short-sighted and awful. We have tasked the wrong people with solving this problem, and as we watch them extracting a diminishing profit from our desperate need for information, we had better come up with alternatives.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • phplad,

    What in the world.....
    Why is Mark Wheldon in the position to remove the last bit of impartial truth from the stream of crap that comes out of our TV. How much would it cost to run Campbell live on the internet, 3 mill per year ?
    If this is nationals idea , which I highly suspect it is with the relationship to wheldon then it's creepy as f&&k.

    New Zealand • Since Aug 2014 • 17 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Breaking: John Key tells Newstalk ZB that Campbell Live plays no role in holding the government to account, and is purely for entertainment.

    Neither of those claims is a direct quote, so maybe he said something slightly different, but ... wow.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    What no conversation and commentary

    Usually the commentary we have is unprintable

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Breaking: John Key tells Newstalk ZB that Campbell Live plays no role in holding the government to account, and is purely for entertainment.

    Neither of those claims is a direct quote, so maybe he said something slightly different, but … wow.

    Classic Key.

    Say something that is patently false, an absolute baldfaced lie, then repeat enough times that the media take it up and present it as fact.

    It's bizarre.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • izogi, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    If you analyse TV news down, it consists of an A4 page of information spun out to an hour. Lose the noise, and we’d have a 3 minute news bulletin.

    That'd be awesome in my world. Not that I'm disinterested in news or think it's not important, but the constant filler that's inserted for the pure reason of stretching it to its exact scheduled hour each evening is sometimes just inane.

    Why is it so hard to have a news bulletin that's as short or as long as it takes to describe the actual news, then slide more detailed analysis of the issues around that?

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 1142 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    Don’t go there. If you analyse TV news down, it consists of an A4 page of information spun out to an hour. Lose the noise, and we’d have a 3 minute news bulletin.

    Actually it is important to go there.

    You are right, currently the TV3 news is about 10 minutes of news. Also the ratings have been declining as they reduce the actual content.

    Logic might suggest that if they wasted less time and money on live crosses they could deliver more news. You know that there IS more than 10 minutes of news available.

    That may or may not improve ratings but the current strategy is not working so surely you should stop doing what is failing and try something else.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Breaking: John Key tells Newstalk ZB that Campbell Live plays no role in holding the government to account, and is purely for entertainment.

    Key thinks the Fourth Estate is no longer relevant and he is apparently happy to carry on with his Fifth Column action against anyone who thinks in NZ...

    ... he really doesn't get it does he?

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Rae Sott, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    No he doesn't but, sadly, way too many people are happy to let him get away with it. That is what I find so incredible

    Hamilton • Since Apr 2015 • 21 posts Report Reply

  • linger, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    Key thinks the Fourth Estate is no longer relevant and he is apparently happy to carry on with his Fifth Column action against anyone who thinks in NZ…
    … he really doesn’t get it does he?

    But he gets away with it ... because not enough people have any kind of Si(x)th Sense?

    @Rae: snap.

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • izogi, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    John Key tells Newstalk ZB that Campbell Live plays no role in holding the government to account, and is purely for entertainment.

    ….

    Say something that is patently false, an absolute baldfaced lie, then repeat enough times that the media take it up and present it as fact.

    Does Campbell Live really hold the government to account, though? Doesn’t doing so require obtaining explanations from authorities?

    This doesn’t happen anywhere near as much with Campbell Live as it should, because the Prime Minister and his Ministers so frequently don’t make themselves available to give explanations of things. Unless it’s about rugby or cute and cuddly cats.

    Not that this is John Campbell’s or his colleagues' fault, and not to suggest that it makes the PM’s recent (alleged) statement any less ridiculous in the scheme of things. We do seem to have a government in place which has a political strategy of controlling the avenues by and issues upon which it’s able to be held to account (if at all), and it’s now been re-elected twice.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 1142 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Breaking: John Key tells Newstalk ZB that Campbell Live plays no role in holding the government to account, and is purely for entertainment.

    Neither of those claims is a direct quote, so maybe he said something slightly different, but … wow.

    Thinking about this further

    If CL is simply entertainment then there is no reason for any MP to ever appear on it, except perhaps in a 7 Days like role.

    If that is true then it is also equally true for 7 Sharp, and the various radio shows hosted by Hosking and Henry and their ilk.

    So why do MPs, ministers and the PM ever appear on any of these shows - are they paid to do it, if so who by? If they are purely entertainment shows then it cannot be any part of their job as parliamentary representatives. Logically the PM in particular should stop making any radio and TV appearances.

    In short Key's comments fail at all levels, especially at the honesty level.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

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