Channel Ten’s head of programming, David Mott has quit today, after a series of poor performing shows for the network. Here, Tim Burrowes – the man behind the media and advertising website, Mumbrella – talks about why we need to keep encouraging TV networks to take risks.
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by TIM BURROWES
I always thought that being a footballer must be one of the worst jobs in the world. Having thousands of people watching you up close and howling at your every error.
If I tried to cope with that in my day job, my spelling would be even worse than it is already. But being a TV programmer must be worse.
There aren’t many gigs where millions of people judge your work every single day. Every morning at 8.30am, the ratings come through – and we all find out if they are dunces or geniuses.
Right now, it’s the turn of Ten’s David Mott in the firing line.[Editor’s note: David Mott has resigned as Ten’s head of programming today].This year, he took a chance on several new pieces of Australian-made programming and so far most of them have not fired. Which leaves the network struggling for audience share and facing dreadful headlines.
I’m part of that problem, by the way. I wait for the ratings to come in, looking for a winner or loser to write about.
Sometimes it’s easy to call. I must confess that after I watched the now axed Everybody Dance Now make its debut last Sunday night, I wrote the next day’s rating story that night and left gaps for the actual numbers – it was that obvious as a viewer that the show was going to flop.
Top Comments
Where do I begin !? ...The bad WAY out-weighs the good.
The more heads that roll, the better.
I have often wondered what goes through the head of the one deciding on the programming especially new shows.
Time and time again it is proven if you launch a new show against a successful show on a rival station or at the end of the series on a rival station you will not get people to view your program no matter how much you promote the program.
Last year "Renovators" began in the final weeks of "The Block" series in the same time slot. Anyone with half a brain would know that the new show will not work. There are only so many people interested in renovation programs and they're already watching another program. Same goes for "Excess Baggage" launched by channel 9 at the same time as "Biggest Loser" the new show was doomed for failure before it began.
The general public is eager to watch anything other than repeats so why don't they spread the programming around?
Perhaps they should give the job to me!