Breakfast is served
Ten's much anticipated new breakfast show is off and running.
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"It is Thursday, 23rd of February and it is game on." With those words, spoken by co-host Paul Henry, the Ten Network this morning launched a fourth player in the competitive breakfast TV market.
Game on in two ways: firstly, for the Gillard vs Rudd Labor leadership challenge, which dominated morning headlines, and secondly, and perhaps more importantly, at least in television terms, for Ten's ambitious play for a slice of the breakfast TV pie.
At first glance, Breakfast doesn't look too much different to the slot's longest-serving program, Today, and the younger, but higher-rating Sunrise. All three are couch-based, feature rolling news graphics and multi-window conversations with guests.
New players in the market ... from left to right, Magdalena Roze, Paul Henry, Andrew Rochford and Kathryn Robinson. Photo: Michael Lallo
But for identifying deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop as "Julia Bishop" in a graphic, the first episode of Breakfast was free of any major glitches, switching from the Sydney studio to Brisbane, and then to Adelaide, with no problems.
Ten's decision to launch Breakfast this morning was made last night; it was originally scheduled to launch next Monday. It's a smart move, allowing the show, and its hosts, to participate in coverage of the Labor leadership fight.
That story broke, in its current form, too late last night to be properly explored by the 6pm evening news services, or even several hastily-assembled late night news specials, leaving the lion's share of the debate for breakfast TV today.
As a result, Ten's rushed-to-air Breakfast looked a little rough around the edges but the alternative - to come to the party four days later - would have left a news-oriented show looking like it was well behind the clock.
On first acquaintance, it felt very much like The Paul Henry Show.
Henry, the show's controversial import from New Zealand, was sitting in centre-position on the show's couch, flanked by Andrew Rochford and Kathryn Robinson. When he was recruited it seemed he was part of the team. After this morning's performance he was very much the star.
Magdalena Roze was nearby with a graphic wall to provide weather reports. Again, a departure in style from its competitors which typically have weather reports filed by men in stunt-type situations for comic relief.
In the show's interviews, Henry seemed to take the lead. He was by far the most aggressive of the three hosts as an interviewer.
And we did get a glimpse of Henry's infamous political incorrectness - supressing a snicker at a story on the world's smallest man. "He's got a meeting with a ruler," Henry said, and Rochford, taken aback, responded with "oh, my".
But Henry has himself indicated he will be a little more considered in his manner until he finds his feet.
In truth, it's difficult to measure the show on its first day because a single story dominated the script. The result was that Breakfast felt less showbiz-oriented than its rivals and thankfully free of commercial TV's prevailing style of entertainment reportage: that is, noisy Americans.
It also felt more politically-focused, but that, again, was shaped by the news of the day. A clearer picture of the show's tone and balance should emerge tomorrow and on Monday.
There are also, at this stage, no ratings to measure the first broadcast. They will land tomorrow about 8am and then, in the words of Paul Henry, it will be game on indeed.
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