Nine’s HR head goes

Scott Payne, Nine Network’s Human
Resources head, leaves the Willoughby head office later this week for a
job in London with the BBC. Payne was part of the purge at the end of
June, but instead of departing then he stayed to handle the exits of
other people and continue working with people removed earlier in the
year.

His name was not mentioned by Niners when the departures
were announced, because management wanted to keep it quiet. Without his
assistance, sacking up to 60 people at the end of June would have been
very messy indeed.

Anti-Gunns stance on the ABC

We know that ABC management in Tasmania slapped down Gardening Australia
host Peter Cundall for saying that trees are more important that
woodchips, and daring to oppose Gunns’ proposal to build a new pulp
mill in the state. Here’s how the ABC’s Media Watch reported on the muzzling of Peter Cundall.

So what are we to make of the appearance on Sunday night on the admirable Einstein Factor game show of a contestant from Tasmania, wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the caption “Wilderness not Woodchips.”

Good
sentiments, but is it in keeping with the ABC charter? Or does that
only apply to employees and not to talent such as contestants? Will we
be seeing a contestant from Gunns next Sunday night whose speciality is
the history of woodchipping the Huon Pine?

Last night’s TV ratings

The Winners

Seven and Ten in one of the most even battles of the year so far. Seven’s Border Security (1st with 1.893 million), Ten’s return of Australian Idol (second with 1.591 million) and Seven’s duo, Today Tonight (3rd with 1.553 million) and News (4th with 1.550 million). That saw Seven win the night from Ten in second and Nine in third.
The Losers

Nine for third place and running a repeat of CSI at 8:30pm.
A new episode (if there’s one left) would have pushed Nine up to second
with an extra 200,000 people on top of the 1.358 million who watched
the repeat last night. Nine’s Temptation was its top-performing program with 1.370 million. Taken, at 9:30pm, continues to lose ground with only 787,000 people watching. It just beat Seven’s Last Man Standing with 769,000. Rove on Ten ate both. Ten’s first up episode of series two of The 4400 won the battle of the Alien snatchers with 1.167 million people between 8:30pm and 9:30pm. Frasier and Two and a Half Men (from 7:30pm to 8:30pm) were left behind by Seven and Ten. Seven’s Boston Legal staggered along at 10:30pm with only 385,900 people.
News & CA

Seven News and Today Tonight were clear winners
nationally and in Sydney, Adelaide and of course Perth. The Sydney wins
were by more than 60-80,000: big victories, compared with margins of a
week or so ago. ABC News fell under the million mark to 984,300, while The 7.30 Report was squeezed (with only 733,400 people) by the battle between Idol and Border Security. Nine has dropped its 4:30pm news this week to run a swimming highlights package. Seven’s 4:30pm news is still doing well.
The Stats

Seven won on 27.9% to Ten on 26.7% and Nine on 25.9%. The ABC was
on 14.1% and SBS on 5.4%. Seven won Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Nine
won Brisbane, Ten won Adelaide. Nine finished third in Melbourne,
Adelaide and Perth.
Glenn Dyer’s comments

For the third week in a row the Nine network’s performance has been
patchy and stuttering. Nine leads the week narrowly from Ten then
Seven. The Friday night football will probably confirm Nine as the
winner again, especially without the cricket on SBS, but it’s not a
good showing. Tonight Nine has McLeod’s Daughters, but that’s up against Australian Idol. Another close night looms.