The X Factor judges throw the term 'star' and 'superstar' too much,
says Colin Vickery.
Colin Vickery, The Daily Telegraph, reports
It is time for Australia's TV bosses to make
some New Year resolutions - and I'm not talking losing weight, quit smoking or
giving up alcohol.
This year I want Channels Seven, Nine and Ten to promise to cut out the
shonky practices that make watching commercial television such a frustrating
experience.
Resolution number one should definitely be 'we promise to screen all of
our programs at the advertised time'.
2012 was filled with TV shows that ran late. That is guaranteed to make
disgruntled viewers hurl the remote control at the screen.
Tune in to Channel 7 at 7.30pm to watch The X Factor and you
would be forced to see the final few minutes of Home and Away.
It took psychic powers to predict when shows such as Nine's Tricky
Business or Ten's Can of Worms would start. Often it was at least
ten minutes after their scheduled time.
Network programmers make sure programs run overtime because they hope it
will stop viewers switching to rivals.
Other New Year resolutions should be 'we will not anger viewers with too
many advertisements' and 'we will not cheese people off with endless repeats'.
I'd also add 'no last minute program changes', 'no inappropriate ad
breaks' and 'no showing episodes out of sequence' to the list.
Just to add salt to the wound, TV networks frequently mix first-run and
repeat episodes of favourites – think NCIS and Modern Family - to
confuse viewers.
Media analyst Steve Allen reckons network bosses are treating viewers
with contempt. I agree.
''The biggest gripe is programs running overtime because it pushes the
whole schedule out,'' Mr Allen says.
''It is taking the public for granted.''
The most annoying thing right now is the constant barrage of on-air
promotions for My Kitchen Rules, The Block All-Stars and
MasterChef - The Professionals.
These shows have been flogged to death since the first week of December
- two months before they go to air.
TV personalities need to make major New Year resolutions too.
I want Ronan Keating, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Guy Sebastian and Mel B
to promise to stop using the words 'star' and 'superstar' to describe
contestants on this year's X Factor.
I need Scott Cam to promise to stop those annoying variations on The
Block (block-tastic, seven-o-block).
I want Hugh Sheridan to concentrate on Packed to the Rafters
after that dud I Will Survive.
I'd also like Lara Bingle and Brynne Edelsten to promise to take a year
off TV. Being Lara Bingle and Brynne: My Bedazzled Life still
cause nightmares.
The most over-used word on TV these days is 'event'. All the networks
use it to juice up promotions for upcoming shows. Let's get this straight. The
Olympics is an event. A double episode of The Big Bang Theory is not.
One of my New Year wishes would be for Ten to put Before the Game
back on in Melbourne on Saturday nights.
Another would be for networks to resolve to stop cloning successful
shows.
Ratings hit MasterChef Australia has already spawned My
Kitchen Rules. In 2013, networks are set to plate up Recipe to Riches,
The Great Australian Bake-Off, and The Taste.
Talk about indigestion.
The success of Nine's The Block led to Ten making ratings dud The
Renovators. Now Seven is trying to get in on the act with new renovation
show House Rules.
How many times can you see a nail hammered into a piece of wood and call
it entertainment?
Fortunately, Seven, Nine and Ten have some exciting new programs lined
up for 2013.
The Batavia mini-series based on Peter Fitzsimons' best-seller, Never
Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS, and Power Games: The
Packer-Murdoch story all sound compelling.
The ABC will weigh in with a new Chris Lilley project, the Cliffy
telemovie about Aussie ultra-marathon runner Cliff Young, and a re-vamped Spicks
and Specks.
Let's hope that network bosses have the guts to end the annoying tactics
that so often undermine the TV viewing experience.
It is a turn-off at a time you would think TV networks should be begging
for every viewer they can get.
The internet and social media have cut into TV audiences – so why add to
the exodus?
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