Crikey

Show us the money: As financial concerns have risen, fewer journalists cite the quality of coverage and the loss of credibility with the public as the most important problems facing journalism. Among national journalists, just 22% mention the quality of coverage as the biggest problem facing the profession, down from 41% in 2004. The proportion of local journalists citing the quality of coverage also has declined since 2004, from 33% to 21%. — Pew Research Centre for the People and the Press 

How to read newspapers online: Nothing like the biggest business story in recent memory — JPMorgan buys Bear Stearns for $2 (a share) — breaking on a Sunday to bring into sharp relief the difference between news on the web and news in print — not to mention differences in how news is presented on the web. What’s so interesting about this case is that all the reporting on this story from Friday — when business news usually takes a break for the weekend — quickly became utterly old and outdated when the deal was announced on Sunday. — Publishing 2.0

Department of corrections: Slate posted a piece in its Hollywoodland column at about 4:30 p.m. today about the wiretapping P.I. to the stars, Anthony Pellicano, who’s currently on trial in L.A., and the Pelican has never looked better! Except that’s not him. It’s journalist John Connolly, who’s been writing about Pellicano since 1994, when the dick threatened to beat up Connolly after his first story ran in Spy. — Radar Online

Last night’s TV ratings
The Winners: A dozen programs with a million or more viewers on a night that was dominated by repeats or half baked fresh eps. Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA was top with 1.417 million viewers, followed by a repeat of Bondi Rescue on Ten at 8pm with 1.362 million. Seven News was 3rd with 1.342 million, Home And Away was next with 1.287 million and Today Tonight was 5th with 1.281 million. The 7pm ep of Ten’s The Biggest Loser averaged 1.187 million people; A Current Affair was next in 7th with 1.142 million and Nine News was next with 1.122 million. All Saints was 9th at 8.30pm with 1.093 million, the 7pm ABC News averaged 1.079 million, Seven’s cobbled together half fresh ep of It Takes Two averaged 1.051 million from 7.30pm to 8.30pm and Women’s Murder Club on Ten at 8.30pm averaged 1.045 million in 12th spot.

The Losers: Losers? Even though it is non-ratings, these programs stood out last night. Moment of Truth on Nine at 7.30pm 823,000. The person who described it as “genius” as in the Nine on-air promos must have been on medication. Two And A Half Men in repeat at 7pm on Nine, 803,000. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, 671,000 at 9.30pm. It dropped 746,000 viewers from the Gordon Ramsay cooking show at 8.30pm.

News & CA: Seven News won everywhere bar Melbourne. Today Tonight won everywhere bar Melbourne where it drew with A Current Affair. For the fourth night in a row ACA was under 300,000 viewers in Sydney. Nine News averaged 241,000. It was beaten in the rankings by the 7 pm ABC News in Sydney with 305,000. The ABC news beat Seven News in Melbourne in the rankings, 350,000 to 336,000. Does Nine have the resources to try and stop the rot in Sydney? Ten News At Five averaged 825,000, the Late News/Sports Tonight, 475,000. Nine’s Nightline, 201,000. The 7.30 Report, 904,000.Lateline, 286,000, Lateline Business, 140,000. World News Australia at 6.30 pm, 169,000, at 9.30 pm 215,000. Insight at 7.30 pm, 265,000. 7 am Sunrise 410,000, 7 am Today, 274,000.

The Stats: Seven won 6pm to midnight with 28.9% (31.3%) from Ten on 25.7% (24.0%), Nine on 24.7% (23.6). it was the second time this week it has run third. The ABC was next with 15.3% (15.6%) and SBS was on 5.3% (5.5%). Nine won Melbourne again, Seven won elsewhere. Ten and Nine drew for a distant second in Sydney. Seven leads the week, 27.6% from Ten on 27.5%, and Nine on 24.4%. There are four nights of spot this week, including the AFL Footy Show tonight. In regional markets a win to Prime/7Qld with 30.3%, with Southern Cross (Ten) second with 24.4%, WIN/NBN next with 23.9%, the ABC on 14.3% and SBS on 7.1%. Seven also won 6pm to 10.30pm according to figures from Fusion Strategy. Seven had a share of 24.16% (down from the Dancing With the Stars boosted figures of 29.74% a year ago). Ten was second with 21.75% (20.48%), from Nine with 21.28% (20.92%), Pay TV with 15.33% (13.44%), the ABC with 13.18% (11.84%) and SBS with 4.33% (3.58%).

Glenn Dyer’s comments: A cunning Tuesday night out of ratings so Seven ran a “special” on It Takes Two. It was a sort of “fake” episode. It went for an hour and was in effect an almost repeat. A repeat of Bondi Rescue at 8pm ran second nationally, which shows how viewers don’t really object to repeats, sometimes. But it is a worthy show which punches well above its timeslot for Ten and its budget. Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares had a dozen versions of the “F” word up in the first ten or 12 minutes but then I tired of it and the idiot he was trying to help. Others didn’t. The original program was the most watched show on Thursday night and the most watched show last night, so crude swear words do not offend as much as I thought they would at 8.30pm. I wonder how many kitchen conversations will be changed in Australian homes as a result. Tonight Seven goes the BBC route at 7.30pm, then a repeat of Frost. Nine has The Chopping Block. At 8.30pm Nine goes for three hours and 40 minutes of Underbelly in Sydney and Brisbane and the AFL Footy Show elsewhere, so not to clash with Seven’s first AFL game of the year tomorrow night. Ten has new eps of Rules of Engagement and Back To You from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. Then repeats of House and Numb3rs. The ABC with Spicks and Specks at 8.30pm and Stupid Stupid Man at 9pm should be the pick tonight.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks, Fusion Strategy reports