In a recent opinion piece by Duncan Garner he said he strives to find more of a work-life balance and prioritise the important things after the loss of his father and realising Parliament was “a ridiculous place to work”. He might find that a bit difficult now, as it was announced today he will be a co-host on Campbell Live’s replacement Story alongside Heather du Plessis-Allan while continuing to present his RadioLIVE drive show from 3-6 weekdays. But no doubt the show will be welcomed with open arms after Come Dine with Me has failed to deliver in the ratings department as TV3 hits an all-time low.
Browsing: Campbell Live
Television has had quite the facelift over the past few years. Reality television has taken over the episodic drama, with its cheap production cost and malleable format, which viewers can easily tune into without any kind of backstory. What else is changing is our current affairs shows, the days of the solo renegade hosting style of John Campbell and Paul Holmes seems to be over as a softer format with multiple hosts is nudging its way in. With all these changes we thought we’d do a bit of an overview of the top shows on telly to see how they’re performing amongst this difficult and ever-changing media climate.
Today, Campbell Live tweeted a clip of a song ‘Love lifts us up where we belong’ to celebrate the fact that it was the number one show on TV3 once again last night. Despite its recent ratings boost, the show is still under official review by MediaWorks, but the team is regularly showing its gratitude to the viewers for supporting it and making the decision to get rid of it more difficult for the powers that be. It’s also maintaining its competitive streak and trying to beat the opposition, which it did in entertainingly petty fashion last night.
The idea that Campbell Live is, to use the often emotive language of the media, ‘on the chopping block’, seems to have been popping up for a few years now, and that’s not entirely surprising given the changes to the free-to-air TV market and media in general. But it was officially confirmed yesterday when MediaWorks management said it was undertaking a review. The Herald’s John Drinnan wrote about that decision and alluded to a rumour that Jono and Ben could be taking over the slot, but MediaWorks has taken the unusual step of responding to that story by issuing a clarification and saying it’s a “complete fabrication”.
Last night Campbell Live broadcast a show dedicated to the generosity of New Zealanders, GJ Gardner and various suppliers who pitched in to help a couple who had bought a house that was infested with termites. And it was a great example of the power of positivity—and the marketing value of good, genuine corporate citizenship.
It’s the height of TV promo season, as evidenced by the recent launch of campaigns for The Great Food Race and MasterChef NZ. And, as the major news and current affairs shows return to air for 2013—and one new show announces its arrival—here’s what they’re doing to drum up some interest.
Mike Hosking and Toni Street will be joining Jesse Mulligan as the presenters of Seven Sharp in 2014. To make way for the new pair of faces, current presenter Ali Mau and stand-in presenter Tamati Coffey will accompany Seven Sharp producer Mauricio Olmedo-Perez as they exit the TVNZ offices for the last time on 20 December. PLUS: Willie Jackson to return to RadioLive.
TVNZ’s new current affairs show Seven Sharp got off to fairly shaky start. So 18 weeks in, how is it holding up? And what has its arrival meant for the 7pm ratings? PLUS: Comment from TVNZ’s new HONCA John Gillespie.
Tip Top bread, a George Weston Foods brand, gained a few fans when chief executive Greg Coffey announced the establishment of its Nourish Our Kids programme on Campbell Live in February. The new initiative is a long-term commitment to work with Kidscan and help alleviate child hunger—and it fitted in nicely with Campbell Live’s quest to bring attention to and create solutions for child poverty. And now it’s promoting the programme with a simple but effective TV ad showing two very different worlds colliding.
Campbell Live won its first battle in the 7pm timeslot last night, by attracting more viewers than its current affairs rival Seven Sharp. This is the first time the Mediaworks show has overtaken any TV One 7pm programme, a massive blow for TVNZ which has probably got John Campbell yelling “bloody marvellous” from TV3’s Mt Eden office.
Worrying figures for TVNZ, whose Seven Sharp show has lost 40 percent of its audience since the start of the week, placing it near competitor Campbell Live.
The battle for New Zealand’s 7pm eyeballs in 2013 has been a topic of much conversation recently given the departure of Close Up last year and the arrival of Seven Sharp. That battle became even more interesting when the architect of those changes, Ross Dagan, resigned from TVNZ after less than a year in the role to head back to Australia. And, not surprisingly, Campbell Live, which kicked off again last night after its summer marketing campaign with a new logo, a new set and a renewed focus on “the issues that matter to New Zealanders”, is hoping to capitalise on the changes.
When mainstream media outlets put their minds to it, they can be a powerful force for good. Campbell Live, which was in the headlines today after the announcement about is main rival Close Up, has given it a good nudge this year with a series of fundraising initiatives and it’s been shining a light on child poverty in New Zealand and its social and economic impacts this week. To raise funds, it’s instituted Lunchbox day with KidsCan and there are a number of businesses and community organisations doing their bit around the country. So as you slip back to work from your Friday power lunch, either text lunch to 8595 to make a $3 donation or harass the boss to come up with some cash. Or both.
Award winning journalist Mihingarangi Forbes has left her role with TV3’s current affairs show Campbell Live and signed with Maori Television to produce its daily news programme, Te Kaea.
The Aotearoa Film and Television Awards were dominated by tributes to the people of Christchurch, and honours were mostly split between the two major news networks TVNZ and TV3.
MediaWorks has been in the news a bit recently, with the unexpected departure of its TV wunderkind Jason Paris and continuing discussion about the sizable debts of its owner Ironbridge. But it’s not all bad: its two-channel strategy appears to be paying off in terms of share, ad revenue is up and general manager of integration Melanie Reece says the “sleeping giant” of branded content and product placement is starting to wake up, as evidenced by the success of New Zealand’s Next Top Model and the inclusion of new sponsors like 2degrees into the show.