Television

After (entirely too) much research, it is high time I reported on Australian television. A perfectly legitimate reason for someone in the biz to delay talking about it exists, as you will soon see.






The Players: ABC (noncommercial gov't supported), SBS (Special Broadcast Service-lots of foreign language news & movies, any bicycle race), and the three networks; 7,9 and 10. This is the same throughout the entire country as the population is way too small and spread out way to far to do any different. "Local" (as in the closest of the 6 major cities) news is the only thing that separates them. In fact, until several months ago, Channel 9 network was owned by a single family by the name of Packer.

When I lived in South Korea, only one U.S. television show was available: Beverly Hills 90210-in English with subtitles and dubbed into Korean. I couldn't bear to watch either. Fortunately, there are a lot more choices here in OZ. Channel 7 airs quite a few NBC programs, Channel 9 is buddies with ABC. Shows usually found on cable in the U.S. are intersticed everywhere as are programs which air after prime time. "Two & a Half Men"-a program I couldn't stand at home- is regular 7pm viewing now. "The Simpsons"- another not watched program- keeps Channel 10 alive along with various "Law & Orders". Of course, the Australian version of many shows [e.g. Australian Idol, Australia's Got Talent, Australia's Funniest Home videos] keep the channels within the domestic content regulations. Some of my favorite shows: "Gruen Transfer" (OZ program about advertising), "Spicks & Specks" (OZ program with musical quizzes), BBC's "Antiques Roadshow" (despite the 'experts' appalling handling of artefacts, I love the history the show provides), "Desperate Housewives" and "NCIS".

Beyond explanation is the timing of the programs. All programs will start at 6:00pm as scheduled. The second program will start at 6:32 or 6:34. Programs scheduled to start at 9:30pm may start at 9:33pm or 9:37pm. If, in a rare attempt to be accurate, the TV guide will say an ABC program will start at 9:40pm, you can count on it being closer to 9:46. I (nor Kev) has any idea why this is so. The networks do reset their programming to the clock a few times a day, but regularity ends with the first program. Cracks me up.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, soap operas are soap operas the world over as are really obnoxious commercials.