Four Corners gets lost on its path to power

Last night on the ABC, Four Corners (738,000 nationally) had what initially looked like a perfectly adequate report on how Labor came to power, with chats to swinging voters through the campaign and a couple of “experts” including John Howard’s old mate David Gazard, PR spinner Sue Cato (a one-time Fairfax flack), and Kevin07 flack and one-time electricity guru Lachlan Harris, looking older and balder. Lots of pictures, lots of sequences and the odd question or two from Adam Harvey joined in the monstering of Anthony Albanese.

So comprehensive was the report that the word “teal” was never mentioned. And yet the collective campaigns played a huge part in the result, especially Monique Ryan, who stole the former treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s inner-Melbourne seat. And the Greens were a separate but just as important story.

Media Watch was far more comprehensive, and that was reflected in its solid figures — 719,000 (including 2000 more in the metros: 528,000 to 526,000). In the end Four Corners’ path to power got lost and was never found by the close of counting on Saturday.

In breakfast, a leap in the figures for the ABC’s News Breakfast from 7 to 9am (343,000) and the hour of ABC news from 9am to 10am (376,000). Sunrise was hit, with its audience dropping back under 400,000 to 376,000 (equal with the hour of ABC news from 9am). Today did OK, regaining the 300,000 level but finished fourth — its lowest finish for a long while.

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