If you
wanted any illustration of just how far Nine News had fallen from its number one
perch then this morning provided the best example. The
extensive police raids in Sydney and Melbourne got good coverage on Nine news on
Today and on Seven News on Sunrise, but as soon as the programs finished, so did
Nine’s news sense.

Seven
broadcast live the Sydney press conference of NSW Premier, Morris Iemma and senior police at about 9.40 am and went to air
with updated reports, a live news crawl across the bottom of the screen, crosses
to Melbourne and Canberra, all anchored from Martin Place.

And
where was Nine? Kerry Anne Kennerley was on spruiking her
wares and Ten was running GMA. Nine had an
update on the Sydney press conference with no vision just before 10 am and then
just after 10.30 KAK did an update with
some overnight vision and chats with Sally Loane and
John Stanley, both whom where there for another story and both of whom were not
Nine reporters.

Nine’s Morning
News finally went to air at 11 am, 20 minutes after Seven’s Morning News had
finished. Nine
missed the police news conference, and a shooting at Green Valley
in western Sydney.

Nine
missed the start of the coverage of the London bombings back in early July and
despite boasting that more people watched its coverage, it took 50 minutes (until Getaway had almost finished) for the live coverage to
start.

Seven’s
lead in news and at 6.30 pm, which was being pressured by Nine up till then,
stopped and Nine hasn’t come near Seven since, in Sydney in particular, and
nationally on most week nights.

And ABC local radio did pretty well, especially Virginia Trioli, out
performing the TV, especially Nine. The NSW press conference, live
crosses to Green Valley, calls from a lot of listeners (many of whom
just don’t believe the raids). Sara MacDonald in ABC 702 breakfast also
did well, as did AM. But where was Nine?