Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The Next Act

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  • Sacha, in reply to DexterX,

    Now that would be great content.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Kristen Hill, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Great wrap Russell. Spot on. The additional challenge they seem to have made for themselves, is their treatment last night and today in their own social media. In addition to not engaging to manage response, and develop a 'we are listening to our viewers (customers)' reputation, it seems they're censoring FB posts to their page and apparently removing a number. So while initial negative response was about the show, now people are miffed their opinions weren't even listened too, and deleted.

    Also, it looks like they've changed and re-skinned their FB page from CloseUp, rather than develop a genuine and authentic audience. I appreciate wanting to maximise an existing audience, but being up front about the transfer and giving people the opportunity to opt in, might have been received better.

    Since Feb 2013 • 4 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Lilith __,

    Busted!!! ;-)

    Heh. I've actually just worked out why the account exists. For a short time ages ago we ran a paid blog for The Documentary Channel and I needed a separate account to write and comment from.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Damian Christie, in reply to Kristen Hill,

    Also, it looks like they’ve changed and re-skinned their FB page from CloseUp, rather than develop a genuine and authentic audience

    This was discussed, dealt with, criticised and the subject of a tweet by someone at Seven Sharp a week or two back - not that I'm saying you should have known that, but just that there's plenty of comment on it already if you want to look around. Taking over the Close Up page was a smart move, albeit ethically dubious - but when it comes to facebook pages, is it really a huge ethical consideration? No. And having a built in audience of 30k sort of trumps that when you're launching a new show.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1164 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Ease up, Josie. We all have to reach our own accord with mortality, and if Holmes in his final days found that in the idea of God, that’s his business and his right. I fail to see how it’s “vile”.

    Quite. Holmes consented to sit for an interview, but Sunday made the call to broadcast it. They could have decided it was in bad taste or could have caused distress and embarrassment to third parties. They didn’t, and so it goes.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Kristen Hill,

    it seems they're censoring FB posts to their page and apparently removing a number. So while initial negative response was about the show, now people are miffed their opinions weren't even listened too, and deleted.

    And there's a whole other group of people hating on them for not swiftly deleting apparently racist comments from . Poor buggers.

    Also, it looks like they've changed and re-skinned their FB page from CloseUp, rather than develop a genuine and authentic audience. I appreciate wanting to maximise an existing audience, but being up front about the transfer and giving people the opportunity to opt in, might have been received better.

    Yes. I don't regard it as a great crime, but what you say is exactly what they should have done.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __, in reply to Russell Brown,

    why the account exists

    Good for charming teh ladiez .

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to TracyMac,

    This past couple of weeks of pre-obits has been incredibly irritating. I think the only day when there wasn’t a story was the day before he actually passed away.

    Yup. I'm sorry for sounding like an utter bitch, but I don't think I need to hear Mike Williams retelling the story of how they rolled the executive of the Victoria University Drama Club ever again.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Lilith __,

    Good for charming teh ladiez .

    Why did I not know this sooner?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Damian Christie,

    having a built in audience of 30k sort of trumps that when you're launching a new show

    Though you can guarantee some reaction against change from all those viewers of the old show.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Hebe, in reply to TracyMac,

    This past couple of weeks of pre-obits has been incredibly irritating.

    I must throw up now. On the cover of NZ Women's Weekly's special issue, "Celebrating the life of our greatest broadcaster." Holmes was hardly Ed Hillary.

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    On the other hand, there was his dreadful, fulminating Waitangi Day column in the Herald, the low point of a second round as a newspaper columnist that didn’t have many highs.

    And there was the unedifying spectacle of his puff-piece interview with “close friend” Tony Veitch in the Herald on Sunday, which doesn’t strike me as a particularly obscure or debatable conflict of interest. (IIRC, Holmes was also *cough* less than entirely candid about giving media advice to his pal, which IMO is a whole other ethical can of worms. If my memory is correct, that should have been disclosed at the very least.) I know Auckland’s a small town, but it’s not THAT small.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Kristen Hill, in reply to Damian Christie,

    Hi Damian, small world - I just realised you host with Wallace, and I'm mates with Tabby. Fair point, I'm behind the 8 ball on the takeover of the page ;)

    As to whether it's a huge consideration though, if you go back to the purpose (IMO) of social, it's to build your brand likeability around quality conversations with your community, rather than a numbers game. And with a good community, and good system you should be able to show ROI around sales number, brand penetration, likeability etc.

    So to me, more than anything they missed the opportunity to invite people to their new space, maximising a conversation around the transition etc. Instead, (rightly or wrongly), people feel like they were duped without their consent. What's the point of a large number of fans, if they don't actually 'like' you? It puts you in front of critical sharks, rather than legion fans.

    Since Feb 2013 • 4 posts Report Reply

  • Kristen Hill, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Well, at least people are spelling their name right ;)

    Since Feb 2013 • 4 posts Report Reply

  • Damian Christie, in reply to Sacha,

    Though you can guarantee some reaction against change from all those viewers of the old show.

    Yeah - although even with a bit of an outcry, I think all of 70 people 'unliked' the site (unless 30,000 unliked and 30,000 new people suddenly came along, but let's assume that wasn't the case, not even a little bit). So the vast majority of those 30,000 probably made no decision at all, probably didn't know or care why Seven Sharp stuff was coming up in their news feed, or if they did put two and two together we can only assume the overwhelming reaction was 'meh'.

    @Kristen - yes you can start from the ground up I guess, and be proud of your however many genuine 'likes', but in the end a facebook page is nothing more than a marketing tool, and I'd rather have 30,000 than 0 when I'm trying to launch - and many people (myself included) 'like' pages just so they can criticise them, so that's not exactly a guarantee of positivity either.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1164 posts Report Reply

  • Grant McDougall,

    I was never a fan of Holmes, even less so given the over-the-top obits refered to above.

    As for Seven Sharp, what a dog's breakfast. It seems confused and directionless. I thought the piece on post-traumatic stress disorder was a good, solid article, but why have it at the end instead of the start ?
    The rest was irrelevant, bland puff-pieces.

    Also, there is no need for three presenters. Have that many reiterates the lack of leadership and direction. Time is wasted letting them all bang on, rather than just hitting into a story.

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell, in reply to Kristen Hill,

    ETA points all better made above and below :)

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen,

    It feels really strange to even think of criticising Seven Sharp. It was their first day!

    To judge them on this performance would be like canning Firefly halfway through the first season, think of what we would have missed out if we'd never seen the episode with Wash and the donkey, or found out why Jayne really loves grenades so much, we'd never have seen what happened when the Alliance finally ...

    It's an ensemble cast and crew, they just take time to bed in. It may turn out to be crap but you just can't make that judgement until they've had time to learn how to really perform together.

    As for the news they present, it will also take time for them to figure out what kind of news and stories work with this team.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Cecelia, in reply to Grant McDougall,

    I agree about the dog's brekkie. By the time the serious story came on I just couldn't be bothered and found myself moving inexorably towards the computer in the other corner of the lounge. It might have been a good story but after the juvenile stuff I wasn't in the mood.I noticed a musician being interviewed later but I'd never heard of him and wasn't interested. Is there hope for the future? I don't really think so ... I can't see those three fulfilling my prime time needs. John Campbell can be so sycophantic ( is that how you spell it?) but he's going to be my port of call from now on. Will have to wean my husband off One:)

    Hibiscus Coast • Since Apr 2008 • 559 posts Report Reply

  • Gabor Toth, in reply to Shaun Lott,

    As a relative new-comer to these shores, I have always felt that I was missing or had missed something when it came to Paul Holmes - some great feat he had performed back in the day that had allowed him to subsequently have a ubiquitous platform from which to broadcast whatever crossed his mind. But for a long time, I have felt that his primary concern was to maintain his own public profile. Unfair perhaps, but for me the man (or the persona?) had long since got in the way of any message he may have been trying to impart.

    Agreed. I came back from an extended OE to find everyone making a big deal about this chap called Paul Holmes and his "new" and "innovative" 7pm television show. I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about and remained ambivalent about the show for its entire run.
    Funnily enough, I recall feeling something similar about Jimmy Savile who was knighted a couple of years after I arrived in the UK. Everyone was fawning over this "lovable icon" of British television. Not having been exposed to 20 years of Jim'll Fix It, Savile struck me as being a revolting little turd and I really couldn’t see what people saw in him (leaving my English friends spluttering into their cups of tea that I should even consider blackening Saint Jimmy's name). Turns out I was right...

    p.s. Just in case you were wondering, please don't think I'm associating the work of P.H with the deeds of J.S...completely different ball-park...

    Wellington • Since Dec 2006 • 137 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Gabor Toth,

    p.s. Just in case you were wondering, please don't think I'm associating the work of P.H with the deeds of J.S...completely different ball-park...

    Phew. :-)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    And there was the unedifying spectacle of his puff-piece interview with “close friend” Tony Veitch in the Herald on Sunday, which doesn’t strike me as a particularly obscure or debatable conflict of interest. (IIRC, Holmes was also *cough* less than entirely candid about giving media advice to his pal, which IMO is a whole other ethical can of worms. If my memory is correct, that should have been disclosed at the very least.) I know Auckland’s a small town, but it’s not THAT small.

    I'd forgotten about that. And you are so correct. It ties into what I wrote about him believing that if he felt something, it must be right.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Ah. So tonight, Seven Sharp has Karen from YouTube who wants her $20 back -- in person.

    I'm not saying they took the advice about viral video in my comment this morning, but ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Seven Sharp has Karen from YouTube who wants her $20 back – in person.

    I wondered how long that’d take :) Youtube seemed to push this clip like anything. While there has to be a story in it, it seems a bit sad.
    In an ideal world, SevenSharpish would have a year to get things right. At today’s TVNZ- whadda ya think? 6 weeks to 3 months before someone hits the panic button? :)
    (ETA: or they hit their straps in fine form, great stories start dropping in their laps, rating soar, critics rave- who knows?)

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell, in reply to Kristen Hill,

    In addition to not engaging to manage response, and develop a ‘we are listening to our viewers (customers)’ reputation, it seems they’re censoring FB posts to their page and apparently removing a number.

    Way to show the world you really really don’t get social media! It’s all about response, dialogue, interaction and- if at all possible- taking flack with grace and wit.

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

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