WA TV viewers snubbed again
Western Australians were again given the raw prawn by local television networks recently, when WIN chose to replace Mornings with Kerri-Anne with another Eastern States program, Susie, instead of choosing to source a local content program.To add further insult, WIN has chosen an American chat show, Ellen, featuring Ellen DeGeneres as a replacement for their morning national news bulletin.Despite recent calls by the public to consider more locally produced programs, WIN has chosen to ignore Western Australians in favour of more content focusing on the Eastern States. This leaves our state in serious danger of losing its identity altogether in favour of an amalgamated national identity where the majority of the focus will be centred squarely on the East. As the medium of the masses, television is integral to establishing and maintaining a highly recognised profile. Without the support of the medium, our state identity cannot be maintained entirely successfully.
The decision also snubs its nose at local television producers who work tirelessly to create locally produced show and promote the people, places and events that make WA great. Shows such as Wake Up! WA are a testament to the quality of local talent and the determination of local producers to provide local viewers with information that concerns them.
Executive Producer of Wake Up! WA, Scott Hunt, is disappointed that WIN did not consider the benefits of a WA program.
“This decision was a fantastic opportunity for a regional network like WIN to show their support for local communities and to endorse WA as a great place with great people on a daily basis,” says Scott.
“For example, Wake Up! WA is produced on a shoestring budget and it wouldn’t take a lot of additional resources to make it the kind of program that could be a real showcase for our state and give us a real sense of identity,” Scott adds.
Prior to the recent decision, Ian McCrae, General Manager of WIN TV WA, stated that there was no room for a program like Wake Up! WA due to commitments the regional network has with Today and the morning news bulletin. This is in direct contrast to the axing of the news bulletin in favour of an American chat show.
Thanks to the existence of Access 31, local content will continue to survive in WA. However, without the commitment of local television networks, local content will not thrive and our identity as a state will continue to be diminished.
To show your support for local TV content, send your thoughts to mail@wakeupwa.com, or send a letter to your local media outlet.