Nine has exposed the cynicism of feeding Daryl Somers’ limelight deprivation syndrome. For the past decade, Somers has moaned mightily to Nine and Seven managements about the inequity of David Leckie axing Hey Hey It’s Saturday (even to Leckie at Seven).

Every year there would emerge a story about how Somers was pushing for Hey Hey‘s return, and how it was ‘key’ to Somers remaining at Seven when he was hosting Dancing with the Stars. Eventually, Somers wasn’t hosting Dancing, and he left Seven. But the stories about Somers and Hey Hey‘s return continued, with Nine now mentioned.

Nine’s David Gyngell bit and Somers landed the show’s return earlier this year as Nine, desperate for new or even new again old product, decided that going back to the future wasn’t such a strange idea at all. But now we know how strange.

Hey Hey It’s Saturday went to air most Saturday nights (and mornings of its life at Nine from the 1970s). There may have been an odd Friday night broadcast for programming reasons, but it appeared on the day in the name. Now Nine is scheduling it on Tuesday September 26 and Tuesday October 6. It’s still called Hey Hey It’s Saturday. Somehow Hey Hey It’s Tuesday is a bit limp. The program starts at 7.30pm and was originally programmed for two hours.

The same press release added, in a final paragraph:

STOP PRESS: Due to overwhelming public response to news of the reunion the programs have been extended past their originally scheduled timeslots and will now run for 2½ hours.

Excuse my cynicism please, but this about takes the cake. In the space of a few paragraphs the length of the program goes from two hours to two and a half hours? Puleese.