Throng

ONE News:

1. Hospital strikes (Live cross, Garth Bray)
2. Coroner's findings - arms act review (Live cross, Catherine Wedd)
3. Michael Swan ordered to forfeit items
4. Middle East peace talks (BBC)
5. NZ athletes selected for Moscow games - recognition (Live cross, Jack Tame)

3 News:

1. David Smale's sex scandal (Samantha Hayes)
2. Miner's marital mess
3. Cricket players charged with corruption
4. Hospital strikes (Melissa Davies)
5. Jeep goes down hospital corridor

Commentary:

The news just was weird tonight.

It was a strange live cross to Catherine Wedd in front of blue background on ONE News. 

The Olympic story was strange to have so high up in the bulletin, and it's a sports story?

The David Smale sex scandal story was stupid.

Official data detailing August’s viewing behaviour shows 3 News has lost to ONE News in its own target demographic for the first time since the Beijing Olympics.

The average audience across the month of August 2010 shows that ONE News had 205,190 viewers aged 18-49 watching the main 6pm bulletin every evening compared to 198,650 viewers in the same age group watching 3 News.  July data showed ONE and 3 News were neck and neck with ONE News just slightly behind in TV3’s own target demographic.

The last time ONE News beat 3 News in 18-49 age group was in August 2008 (during the Beijing Olympics).

Total viewership data for all news and current affairs television programmes during August on FTA is detailed below.

AVERAGE TELEVISION NEWS VIEWERSHIP FOR AUGUST 2010

ONE News:

1. Armed robbery at Westgate (Breaking news, Kim Vinnell by phone)
2. Child support system overhaul (Live cross, Jessica Mutch)
3. Legal aid costs (Heather du Plessis-Allan)
4. Westin Hotel problems (Garth Bray)
5. Middle East peace deal (Tim Wilson)

3 News:

1. Rugby World Cup promotion in Australia (Exclusive, Amanda Gillies)
2. Rugby World Cup - motel response (Simon Shepherd)
3. Warren Jenkins drink driving conviction (Melissa Davies)
4. Chlld support system overhaul (Dan Parker)
5. New dog law

Commentary:

ONE News had the breaking news (with an update at about 6:30pm) but it wasn't mentioned on 3 News (as of posting this at 6:40pm).

ONE News:

1. South Canterbury Finance fallout (Garth Bray)
2. Hubbard statement (Live cross, Lisa Davies)
3. Plane crash in Papua New Guinea
4. Qantas jet fire (Krissy Moreau)
5. Drugs bust in Wellington

3 News:

1. Drugs bust in Wellington (Emma Joliff)
2. Westin Hotel shuts rooms, cuts jobs (Live cross, Adam Ray)
3. Boat on fire in Cook Strait
4. Plane crash in Papua New Guinea (Amanda Gillies)
5. Asylum seeker protest

Commentary:

ONE News:

1. Government bailout of South Canterbury Finance (Live cross, Guyon Espiner)
2. Collapse fallout (Live cross, Lisa Davies)
3. Economy reaction (Nadine Chalmers-Ross)
4. 20,000 construction jobs at risk
5. James Webster - parent interviews/John Banks' son (Exclusive, Mark Crysell)

3 News:

1. Government bailout of South Canterbury Finance (Live cross, Duncan Garner)
2. Collapse fallout (Live cross, Jeff Hampton)
3. Farewelling Lucas (Ingrid Hipkiss)
4. Top five stolen cars
5. Truck with beehives crashes

Commentary:

Lisa Davies was quite emotive in her description: "overwhelming sense of sadness in Timaru here today... tonight, this is a town in mourning".

ONE News:

1. South Canterbury Finance - John Key's comments (Live cross, Guyon Espiner)
2. South Canterbury Finance's future (Live cross, Lisa Davies)
3. Sentencing of Don Wilkinson's killers (Amy Kelley)
4. Secondary school teachers to strike (Renee Graham)
5. Radiographers' strike

3 News:

1. South Canterbury Finance - John Key's comments (Live cross, Duncan Garner)
2. South Canterbury Finance's future (Live cross, Jeff Hampton)
3. Sentencing of Don Wilkinson's killers (Jane Luscombe)
4. Cricket match-fixing scandal update (Kim Chisnell)
5. Cricket match-fixing scandal - Australia (Live cross, Amanda Gillies)

Commentary:

Word has filtered through that Francesca Mold has quit her role of Deputy Political Editor at TVNZ in order to take up a position currently held by another ex-TVNZ staffer Kris Faafoi.

Mold will reportedly replace Faafoi as the Chief Press Secretary to Phil Goff and his Labour party.

Faafoi meanwhile is in the running for the Mana electorate in the upcoming by-election.

ONE News:

1. Bill English on the economy (Guyon Espiner/Q+A)
2. South Canterbury Finance deal (Tom McRae/Q+A)
3. Suspicious campervan fire
4. Lucas Ward confirmed as drowned
5. Anorexia treatment (Exclusive, Kim Vinnell)

3 News:

1. Cricket match-fixing scandal (ITV/News of the World)
2. Cricket match-fixing scandal - NZ response (Ingrid Hipkiss)
3. South Canterbury Finance deal (Simon Shepherd/Q+A)
4. Police pursuit witness interviews (Exclusive, Juliet Speedy)
5. Newmarket viaduct (Jane Luscombe)

Commentary:

For me, the two cricket stories should fall in the sports section of the bulletin. ONE News also covered the story, but not in the first segment.