A radical “quality stocktake” needs to take place if television current affair programs are to improve audience numbers, according to a University of Queensland (UQ) expert.
Author of Ending the Affair: The Decline of Television Current Affairs in Australia, Professor Graeme Turner said the “tabloid” style of current affairs had proved a failure.
“Audience numbers have plummeted in the pursuit for the downmarket viewer,” Professor Turner said.
“Television executives have argued for years that the public is only interested in watching stories about bad neighbours and dodgy diets. But the audience is not watching.
“It is time (for commercial television executives) to try a different strategy because the infotainment format is very fatigued.”
Professor Turner, Director of UQ’s Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies said new editorial policies should be introduced to allow journalists to cover “hard, quality” stories.
“Current affair programs, particularly those aired on commercial television, are flogging a dead horse,” he said.
“The low-quality formats that we have now were designed to attract bigger audiences, but numbers have dropped considerably.
“There needs to be a concerted investment in developing high-quality programs in prime time slots to at least test audience response. It can not hurt to try and find out.”
‘Ending the Affair’ is a critical analysis of the decline in quality offered by current affair television programs in Australia. Professor Turner has an outstanding national and international reputation as a key figure in the development of cultural and media studies.
In addition to Ending the Affair (published by University of New South Wales), Professor Turner has also authored Understanding Celebrity (Sage, UK 2004). He is currently researching the growing popularity of talkback radio in Australia.
For more information/media requests: Professor Graeme Turner, Phone: (07) 3365 7183 or UQ Senior Communications Officer Tiffany Lippett, Phone: (07) 3365 2049
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