Complaints flood in over PRIME axing Today

PRIME aired Channel 9′s Today Show for the last time on Friday – and this week the compaints have been flooding in from unhappy viewers.

PRIME’s Channel Manager Karen Bieleski responded by saying that while it’s a really good programme “we need to focus on spending our limited programming budget in primetime. Despite the loyal viewership, there’s just not enough audience to justify the cost in an offpeak timeslot.”

View the complaints here, here and here.

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Co-founder of Throng. Favourite TV shows recently: Homeland and The Newsroom.
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  • spidah

    This is the second time this month that a flood of complaints as followed a decision by one of the networks to axe a program.

    I seriously wonder if the households that have the people meters (about 430 I think), truly are representative of the country’s viewing habits.

  • samofthewest

    I agree, where do they select these people, they are obviously not a fair representation when it comes to television viewing. I quite liked the Today show, it was something to watch instead of those damn infomercials!
    TV2 is also bad when it comes to decisions or should i say programme timings as many of their shows which they hype up in the first couple of seasons get pushed to ridiculous times, e.g. Smallville, The O.C., Entourage just to name a few. These television companies really need to get their acts together!

  • Tui

    ugh. Dumb Prime. Not that I watch the channel, but canning a show which is this popular is suicide. Suffer sky! Muhaha.

  • Rogue

    I wonder if Today got the cut because Prime needed more dosh for that new reality series they have in the works???

  • nanisnap

    Their official reasoning is that they decided to focus their money on getting better quality prime time shows. So let’s hold them to that lol. The only good shows they have right now are Flight of the Conchords and Weeds, and those are both on reruns.

  • caz

    Okay, so Prime’s excuse is ‘there’s just not enough audience to justify the cost in an offpeak timeslot” so, are they saying that MORE people will watch those stupid informercials and Batman??

    I think not.

  • Joan Moore

    I am very disappointed that the Today show has been canned.
    Especially in the winter months I felt as if I could have
    a “holiday” in Australia by just turning on the TV.
    Wouldn’t you re consider please.
    Joan Moore]
    Chtistchurch

  • ellennz

    I’d like to add my complaint to the axing of Today, and on his behalf, my husbands too. We both watch this programme and really enjoy it. Considering I have now only just found this site and joined because I was googling trying to find out what the heck Prime had done to the Today show (which we love, and both sets of our parents watch it too – none of us are Australian either) I am bemused how it apparantly has such a small audience its not worth its time/cost, when you can see from here that there is a variety of people watching it. It is a fun informative and enjoyable morning show, and I do much prefer to the other TV shows running in the mornings. Would Prime rather us turn our sets to Good Morning or whatever in preference to their own channel? That is not a good way to attract advertisers surely? Come on Prime, bring back Today!!!!!

  • Anne Senior

    It is unbelievably that you would axe Prime News Today from Australia. It was a great way to start the day , now we must go back to the radio, Seems like any show that is good is to be denied to us , what next would you also like to Axe Rove which is also a great show , come on give us a fair go Prime .
    Regards Anne Senior

  • Anna Short

    over the last year or so I’ve been watching the Today show every morning- even making my toast and cup of tea and jumping back into bed to watch it. I feel even though it’s not a ‘Kiwi’ show many people find it entertaining and by far the best morning programme than channel One or three has to offer (the preseanters of the channel One show are the stupiests people I have ever witnessed on tv – and channel three is just plain Boring with a capital B). So I guess it’s back to the morning radio for my wake up call as I will def not be watching TV, sucks to you prime – you’ve made it our problem that you don’t have enough funding for a programme you’ve been screening for a long time and it’s now that you can’t afford it?- was this not a thought when the decision was made to launch the show?
    disappointed as.

  • Fozzy Bear

    If their excuse for “Primetime viewing” investment is “New Zealands got Talent”, then Prime needs to take a good, hard look at themselves.
    Today is brilliant!
    It flows nicely, the presenting is far superior to any of it’s NZ equivilents and the news items seem far more objective.
    Like others said, watching Today is like taking a holiday in Australia at times. And when you do go over there, it’s a comforting familiarity.
    We need more dodgy infomercials and reality tv like we need a hole in the head.
    Bring back Today and some intelligence!!