After a build-up bigger and longer than the advertising campaign for Avatar (where were the 3-D glasses?), ABC Television’s revamped current affairs flagship 7.30 Report went to air for the first time on Monday under its “new generation” hosts the televisual Leigh Sales and Chris Uhlmann.
As expected, there was a new set – leaving the flame-haired Leigh up on her feet, weather and finance presenter style, and accompanied by an animated slideshow over her left shoulder. While the graphics were a welcome addition in explaining number heavy stories (why has the ABC never used them before?), the actual package was depressingly formulaic, reflecting a style that hasn’t changed in television for 40 years.
That style is lots of pretty pictures (in this case ships at sea), interspersed with set-up shots, brief grabs, a droning voice-of-god voiceover and an occasional piece to camera. The old 7.30 Report’s style was to dramatise the news by doing slow-mo shots of politicians getting out of cars to a sinister music track.
Whether the 30-something version of the show does the same remains to be seen, but on the basis of the first episode they are not taking any particular risks either.
The “big story” was an investigation into the Royal Australian Navy’s “rust bucket armada”, another ritual expose of mismanagement and over-spending in the Defence Department. The response of this blogger was: “And this is news?” When hasn’t the Defence Department been accountable and when hasn’t it sought to white-ant attempts to fix it? The better story might have been to take a step back and iterate how the department has resisted reform for decades.
Chris Uhlmann, perhaps suffering from nerves and the inevitable comparisons with Kerry O’Brien, overdid it with his interview with the minister Stephen Smith, repeatedly interrupting and rushing questions when there was no suggestion at all that Smith had anything to hide.
The other major segment – Ms Sales’ interview with Westpac boss Gail Kelly – I thought could have been turned into a better lead. Kelly said she supported a carbon price mechanism and wanted an ETS running ahead of the government’s timetable. Given the huge topicality of the carbon tax, I would have used that as the stepping off point for a story about business’ undeclared support for action on carbon (for instance, Graham Bradley of the Business Council is a passionate advocate for greening corporate Australia).
But apart from a lack of acuity in news judgement, my major quibble with the program was its worthiness. Good television current affairs should take public issues and look at them in a fresh perspective. That means playing with conventional television narrative techniques, defying audience expectations and subverting journalistic cliche to get at the truth. It often helps to have an attitude – as Jon Stewart does so well on The Daily Show. We last saw this in Australia back on the ABC with This Day Tonight in the late 1960s and early 1970s and by the early days of A Current Affair with Mike Willesse on the Nine Network.
Ultimately, and admittedly based on just one episode, the makeover of 7.30 appears to have gone no deeper than a change of set, the insertion of a couple of younger and better looking presenters and the loss of the word ‘report’ from the title. To this bloggers’ eyes, it’s all a bit beige and one is left to conclude that at least stories about dodgy plumbers would be entertaining.
PS: If I were EP of 7.30, I’d poach one of the creative young minds from Hungry Beast. They at least explore new ways of telling stories outside the extremely codified narratives of television journalism.
20 Comments
Anonymous · March 7, 2011 at 11:05 AM
I do not watch or listen to the ABC at all now. And will not make an exception for this or any other program.
Not surprised to hear that Uhlmann numerously interrupted and talked over the Labor Minister. Uhlmann's political leaning is no secret. Please keep us informed of whether he gives a Liberal the same treatment.
zz · March 7, 2011 at 11:18 AM
That was the biggest non event, since my first attempt at right handed lone gymnastics at 10 yrs of age…the ABC have finally shown they have lost the plot and I object to my tax going to this puerile outfit…Scott you are pathetic and I will be invoicing you for a refund on the percentage of my income that goes to paying your salary
Anonymous · March 7, 2011 at 12:34 PM
With regard to Gail Kelly's reference to carbon pricing, I hope the interview was edited and Leigh Sales' follow-up questions (please don't say there weren't any) will be featured in a more profound piece on the carbon debate later this week.
With regard to Uhlmann's political sentiments, I honestly don't know if he really is that right wing or is just compensating for the politics of his partner so as to avoid finger-pointing from the right. Either way, it lessens his value.
Anonymous · March 7, 2011 at 5:22 PM
Better looking than KO'B? Them's fighting words mister!
David Irving (no relation) · March 7, 2011 at 7:21 PM
I dunno, Mr Denmore, I think you're being a bit harsh. The Sales interview with Gail Kelly was a bit of a puff-piece, but not bad on the whole, and I think Uhlmann did reasonably well with Stephen Smith. He was more respectful than I expected, anyway.
Perhaps I had lower expectations than you, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. Given a few weeks to hit their stride, it might turn out OK.
Denis Wright · March 7, 2011 at 10:31 PM
For the Anonymous who doesn't watch or listen to the ABC at all now, I'm wondering where the hell s/he DOES go to get news and news commentary? Alan Jones?
Denis Wright · March 7, 2011 at 10:35 PM
Actually, the pedestrian promos for the new 7.30 were a pretty good indication of the fact that we weren't going to get something spectacular But I'm prepared to hang in there and see how it goes…… Otherwise I'll go to iView and watch QI.
Anonymous · March 7, 2011 at 10:52 PM
All that was missing from this reboot was an orange set “Orange it's the truthful colour” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIfYvXFYyQQ&t=4m05s
Anonymous · March 8, 2011 at 2:33 AM
One of the problems the ABC has is that it no longer has the appetite for creativity in its news and current affairs. The conspiracy theorists of both left and right do not allow it to go out on a limb as it did in the days of This Day Tonight, for example. But, even if it did not want to go down that track, it could at least move away from the usual news/current affairs cliches of fancy set/cutaways to noddies/overlay of colour and movement, faux toughness in interviews (Chris?), etc. By the way, despite Chris Uhlmann's martital arrangements, I think his past forays into ACT politics would indicate his sympathies lie a little to the right of those of his wife.
Mr D · March 8, 2011 at 3:16 AM
Anonymous, I think you're right about the ABC's fear of creativity. There's a general reluctance to experiment and a reliance on bland, commercial-oriented framing.
But instead of being afraid of advertisers, they're afraid of the politicians – and paricularly the cultural warriors on the right.
They just want the quiet life. You can see it in the studied, self-conscious attempts at 'balance' and the overly enthusiastic embrace of conservative notions of nationalism -whether it be the Anzac 'spirit or the settler myth or Australiana.
They're afraid of being iconoclastic and of ditching the earnest reverence they have adopted to the Howardian view of Australia.
In short, they've been nobbled and you wouldn't see anyone like Kerry O'Brien being allowed on air in this more conservative climate.
Anonymous · March 8, 2011 at 5:13 AM
Denis Wright,
I get Australian news from Fairfax and Crikey. Much better quality than the ABC, which these days is more like Fox News – Fairly Unbalanced.
International news from … any number of sources.
Let's face it, it's mostly recycled News Ltd crap on Their ABC … Limited News. Oh, and the Liberal press releases.
Anonymous · March 8, 2011 at 10:17 AM
I find it disturbing that most of the ABC news is lifted straight from News Ltd. There is hardly a word apart from their online print news.
It is disheartening to think the ABC believe we are not capable of thinking for ourselves.
Tonight 8/3 we got a host to host interview with Uhlmann interpreting what the PM had said. Of course his interpretation of what the PM said. Not what Ms Gillard actually said.
And no-one will convince me that the ABC isn't following in the vein of News Ltd.
For goodness sakes, even their expert guests are journo hacks from The Australian who are nothing more than opinionistas & experts in nought.
Very disturbing
Anonymous · March 8, 2011 at 1:19 PM
7.30, episode 3, 9 March. The ABC stuffed up the renaming/rebadging/rebirth/whatever of the 7.30 Report. It has been reincarnated as the Uhlmann Report. Either Uhlmann does the editorials or he does the interviews – but he doesn't get to eat the banana from both ends. Best for all concerned just to send him back to the Canberra bureau (or doing 666ABC Canberra breakfast with David Kilby, which was his career highlight for this consumer) and let him interview the talent. Or better yet, get him to make the appointments and let Leigh Sales do the interviews.
When Tony Jones, Kerry O'Brien and Laurie Oakes start editorialising, then Uhlmann can have a go too. Until then, spare us.
David Irving (no relation) · March 8, 2011 at 5:03 PM
Fuck me sideways! Last night's episode had Sales interviewing Uhlmann about his interview of the PM. Navel-gazing at its worst, and I take back what I said earlier.
Anonymous · March 8, 2011 at 9:57 PM
I watched the ulman interview with Giilard last night, and wondered why, instead of acknowledgeing the fact that we are not going it alone on the ETS, he tried to tear that argument down, and he did it by being deliberately duplicitous.
Of course, his job is to interview and to find weaknesses, but not at the expense of the truth.
I have more on it here, so I hope the link comes through OK
http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/media-watch-ii/#comment-19918
'Sales interviewing Uhlmann about his interview of the PM'
I'm sure they WANT me to watch two and a half men
tredlgt · March 8, 2011 at 9:59 PM
I like the idea of including some talent from Hungry Beast , a very interesting show.
Anonymous · March 8, 2011 at 10:29 PM
Blame it on being after midnight – I meant Episode 2 in my earlier post.
Uhlmann's half-point about some US states withdrawing climate change policy responses added nothing to the debate but revealed his sympathies. Unless he wishes to explain exactly the circumstances of each state's decision, which he failed to do, quoting a stat like that is misleading, shows lack of integrity, and contempt for journalistic honesty and transparency.
Anonymous · March 8, 2011 at 11:30 PM
After all the self hype Leigh Sales did on twitter about herself, even declaring that Carly Simon's song “Your so Vain,” was a song about her and wanting world domination in her interview with (SMH), last night's 7.30 show was the worst thus far. Interviewer interviewing interviewer and Leigh looks more relaxed sitting than standing, you'd think ABC could afford a comfortable chair for her at least! The two hosts look like they are in competition with each other rather as there's no genuine “work togetherness chemistry,” more like young show ponies. ABC should have appointed Tony Jones as Kerry O'Brien's replacement before Leigh Sales. As one cartoonist Bill Leak once painted a great cartoon of her as Julia Gillard's twin, I guess the next one he'll do is bargain sales or have a triplet on board-Pauline Hanson, where narcissism seems to be apparent amongst all 3.
Pip · March 11, 2011 at 4:15 AM
I think the explanation for the deterioration in quality journalism at the ABC can be found here,
http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/03/11/abc-chairman-gives-editorial-independence-a-kick-in-the-groin/
and here,
http://larvatusprodeo.net/2010/03/11/editorial-interference-by-the-abcs-chairman/
When the journalists at the ABC and the commercial news outlets are challenged they invariably turn it back on the “accuser”, but the fault lies much closer to home for them. Is it now just a case of another day another dollar for the journalists?
Robert van Aalst · March 27, 2011 at 9:35 PM
Like yourself Mr D and a commenter above, I too agree that the ABC should be looking to some of the talented young things within the Hungry Beast set up to do something with the format and presentation styles of the new show. HB is a fantastic show that shows what some fresh young minds can do in the area of current affairs whilst not being bound by rigid structures and over bearing precedents.
I like the work of Mark Scott, the ABC supremo, but he should really be trying to encourage his execs several levels down to 'get with it'. Whilst I, and many other late term baby boomers (cusp X, I like to tell myself) have grown up with the solid ABC style, I am enlivened by new and creative ways of doing things. Just because something has been successful as a particular model over time, does not preclude other, better solutions.
I therefore set a challenge to Mark Scott to introduce the team at Hungry Beast to the team at 7.30 and let the renewal begin.