INSIDE MEDIA: How Dr. Phil was the most bizarre twist in the U.S. election AND when will the ABC apologise to the staff at 7NEWS Spotlight

In our column that takes you inside the world of media, we reveal how Doctor Phil provided one of the most bizarre twists of the US election, why the ABC needs to apologise to the staff of 7NEWS Spotlight and the truth behind rumours of Eddie McGuire moving to Channel 7 for a late-night talk show.

*A video version of this column is available in the player above*

DR. PHIL – THE MOST PATHETIC THING ABOUT THE US ELECTION

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Well, he did it – Donald Trump will be the 47th President of the United States.

It was amazing spending the day watching the coverage… while trying to also do my actual work! I set up my own multi-view room in the lounge room and, let me tell you, the wife was happy about that one!

Local coverage across all Aussie TV stations was strong but the US networks really do elections well. I think there are some great ideas we can learn about turning election coverage into an event rather than just having some people sitting around a desk.

As for the actual result, Kamala Harris underperformed despite the biggest line-up of stars getting behind her. It shows that a celebrity endorsement is worthless. Voters don’t base their vote on the opinion of their favourite singer or actor.

And that’s a good thing.

One bizarre postscript on the celebrity angle though is the endorsement of Donald Trump by Dr. Phil at Madison Square Garden.

Despite addressing the crowd and talking Trump up, it turns out Doctor Phil’s endorsement wasn’t quite genuine.

Speaking to Piers Morgan just before election day he revealed he wasn’t endorsing Trump for President and his appearance at the rally was an “act of rebellion” after Kamala Harris’ campaign allegedly rejected his offers to interview her.

Are you freakin’ kidding me?

I respect anyone who stands up in public for what they believe in… but Doctor Phil is saying he only spoke at Trump’s rally because the Harris camp rejected him.

What a little cry baby.

That admission could be the most pathetic thing I’ve seen in this whole campaign.

WILL THE ABC APOLOGISE TO SPOTLIGHT STAFF?

Much has been made of the “fake bullets audio” issue surrounding the ABC. We covered the story in a previous edition of INSIDE MEDIA.

In essence, the ABC added audio of five bullets being fired from a helicopter which, at the time, had only fired one warning shot.

On Tuesday, news boss Justin Stevens fronted estimates in Federal Parliament and said the broadcaster stands by its investigations into the alleged conduct of Australian soldiers. That’s despite issuing two apologies following its publication.

An interim ‘independent’ review led by former ABC executive Alan Sunderland found the audio was “inadvertently but inaccurately” added.

“It appears to be an inadvertent consequence of attempts to create clean, accurate and effective sequences in the story,” Sunderland said.

But will the ABC now apologise to the staff at 7NEWS Spotlight who they attacked in a statement when issues with its report were raised?

As I previously reported, instead of accepting a mistake had been made, the ABC attacked the staff working on Seven’s current affairs program, saying: “Given the information that has emerged this year about Spotlight’s conduct and approach to journalism we have no confidence in engaging with your program”.

On Tuesday, Justin Stevens criticised the attacks on his journalists, saying “The general lack of civility and public discourse means, and the nature of some media proprietors elevating, actually has a very damaging effect on individuals and journalists”.

The hypocrisy is astounding.

The ABC seems to think it’s not OK to disparage its staff but is quite happy to do so to other organisations.

The response by the ABC to 7NEWS Spotlight was outrageous. Spotlight has proven to be right and the ABC should apologise to the staff immediately.

RAY HADLEY CALLS IT QUITS

Big news in the world of radio today with Ray Hadley announcing his retirement.

“It’s been a hell of a ride from a young bloke wanting to call the races to being the old bloke sitting in this studio for so long, but the time has come for someone else to do the job,” Hadley told listeners.

Hadley hasn’t been beaten in 20 years and will be a big loss for Sydney’s 2GB. Whatever you think of him, you have to agree he’s one of the medium’s biggest legends and has never pulled his punches.

Hadley’s last show will be December 13, no announcement has been made regarding his replacement.

NO LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOW FOR EDDIE

Media types were in a flurry on Monday when the AFR reported Channel 7 had approached Eddie McGuire about leaving Nine to host a new late-night talk show.

According to the outlet McGuire had a catch-up with Seven’s news boss Anthony De Ceglie where the offer was made.

INSIDE MEDIA can reveal that while a catch-up to “shoot the breeze” did take place, no offer was ever on the table. Insiders at Seven point out there’s no money for a big late-night talk show and certainly not for the kind of money Eddie would want.

There is ongoing talk, however, on what Seven could do in the late-night space. I have been pitching various ideas for the past few years and recently the Courier Mail revealed the location for such a show could be Brisbane, with Katrina Blowers as one of the presenters.

While Australia has a long history of variety shows – including The Graham Kennedy Show, The Don Lane Show, Midday, and The Mike Walsh Show – today’s executives don’t have the appetite for that type of programming.

A late-night show in 2025 would most likely be a panel show talking about topics of the day with variety elements added in, including celebrity interviews and studio-based stunts.

Umm, sounds like the morning show Studio 10 I was Executive Producer of when it launched.

Anyway…. I’m still a big advocate and believe if Free To Air TV wants to see growth, they need to give viewers something to watch after 9pm. Viewers have been conditioned to go to bed after the 7.30 reality show or switch on Netflix. Channel 10 is the only exception with Have You Been Paying Attention, The Cheap Seats and Gogglebox – and those shows are actually bringing in ratings!

The proof is there Nine and Seven – for once there’s a lesson to be learned from little old Channel 10!

So, take note!

WHY POLITICAL REPORTERS LOVE PUNS

A few weeks ago I revealed why I hate puns in TV news reports and included some examples from all commercial networks.

This week I was in Canberra and thought I’d confront one of the biggest culprits – Seven’s Chief Political reporter Mark Riley. I’m a big fan of Riles and we get on well, so I knew I could cheekily ask him about it.

You can watch the exchange in the video player abovebut here is a transcript:

Rob: Why do political reporters love puns?

Mark: Yeah, that’s a good question. Look, because, I think the essence of what we work with is seen as, as either dull, complex or impenetrable. So we’re trying to give people access to it. You’ve gotta have a bit of fun, and you’ve gotta be a bit entertaining. You’ve gotta grab people’s attention. That’s the art of making television, right? It’s really easy to make dull television – super easy. To make a complex issue interesting and fun. That’s the real art. That’s hard. A pun might get you there.

Rob: You love it. You love a pun.

Mark: Oh, yeah, yeah. I, I do, I do. In the great tradition of the dad joke, the worst are the best.

Oh, Mark Riley, you’ve pun it again… and you’ve almost convinced me.

INSIDE MEDIA is published every Monday and Thursday at 5pm.

Rob McKnight is the co-owner of TV Blackbox.