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JUDGE ROB | Correcting the ABC on audience figures for Q+A and its attack on The Australian

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Rob McKnight is sticking his nose in where it’s not wanted and giving his verdict on disputes between media organisations

The Australian story about Q+A which prompted a backlash from the ABC

Every time an e-mail pops into my inbox from the ABC titled Correcting The Record I read with interest. The focus of these e-mails is to present information missing from articles critical of the ABC.

But the latest ‘correction’ over audience figures for Q+A has destroyed any credibility of the service and is nothing short of a lame PR attempt at spin.

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It all started on Friday when The Australian reported on the fact the ABC’s Q+A program, hosted by Hamish McDonald, had plummeted “to its lowest ever ratings at just 228,000 viewers across the five major capital cities”.

The paper went on to say “The disastrous figures come just two weeks after the program already recorded its lowest ratings on March 25 in its 14-season history, drawing just 237,000 viewers across the five major capital cities.”

That led the ABC to issue a Statement Alert “Correcting inaccurate reporting on Q+A audiences”, chastising The Australian for not including regional audiences in its reporting.

Q+A’s average national audience so far in 2021 is more than 430,000 people across Australia.

Spin is nothing new in television, but it’s hardly ‘inaccurate’ to report 5 cap city audiences… something the ABC does all the time in its own press releases.

While the ABC statement talked up the average of 430k nationally, the broadcaster forgot to mention the episode in question only achieved a national audience of 361,000.

It was the 24th highest rated program of the day, behind Sunrise (19), 10 News First (21) and Seven News at 4.30 (23).

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This is woeful by any measurement for a prime time program, let alone one of the ABC’s highest profile shows.

PR spin is fine – I’ve been guilty of it myself, but you can’t accuse publications of incorrect reporting just because you don’t like the facts. There’s no doubt the comms team was pressured into putting out this half-hearted response by the makers of the show, who must be under enormous pressure. Is it a timeslot problem or a content issue? The figures were dropping before the move, but perhaps the change of timeslot has sped up the decline.

Unfortunately, this is an own goal by the ABC and hurts their credibility when trying to correct the record in future.

PLEASE STAND FOR JUDGE McKNIGHT’S VERDICT

I find in favour of The Australian.

Their reporting was fair and correct, based on the data from OzTam.

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Know more about this or another Australian media story?

Contact the team anonymously at TV Blackbox

Robert McKnight
Robert McKnighthttps://tvblackbox.com.au/robert-mcknight/
"Leading TV commentator" - The Daily Telegraph | "Known for his impeccable sources in the TV industry" - The Daily Mail | "Always first with the correct info" - Beau Ryan | Robert McKnight is a highly regarded Australian Television Producer having worked at SEVEN, NINE and TEN during his 30 years in the industry. Currently Rob can be seen every fortnight on THE MORNING SHOW (7) and heard on NIGHTS WITH JOHN STANLEY (2GB/4BC). He is also a producer on 7 NEWS SPOTLIGHT.
Comments

2 COMMENTS

  1. Timeslot doesn’t help, but the change of host was all wrong. I see what they wanted to do, but it hasn’t resonated with the audience at all. Clearly the audience wants a bit of a bastard/bitch who will bait and antagonise and be as smug as Tony Jones was. It’s why people tuned in, honestly.

  2. Audiences want to be entertained with outspoken comments. The compare needs to have experience as a no nonsense aggressive reporter. He or she must have personality and flair. The subjects chosen should be controversial and of interest, not some relatively uninteresting subject to the masses

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