 January 2019 | |
| Editor | Stephen Downie |
|---|---|
| Former editors | Emma Nolan, Thomas Woodgate, Amber Giles |
| Founded | 1957 |
| First issue | 5–11 December 1957 |
| Company | Are Media[1] |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
TV Week is a weekly Australianmagazine that providestelevision program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news.
Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particularly dramas, comedies, soap operas and reality shows airing in Australia, celebrity interviews, gossip and news reports about television, movies and music. A full weekly program guide with highlights is featured, as well listings forstreaming services andcrossword puzzles.
It was first published as aMelbourne-only publication in December 1957 (asTV-Radio Week), bearing a strong affiliation to television station Channel Nine,GTV9.[2] The publication is also well known for its association with the annualTV WeekLogie Awards.
The first issue ofTV-Radio Week published in Melbourne covered the week 5–11 December 1957, with popular GTV9 performers Geoff Corke and Val Ruff featured on the cover. In 1958, the title was shortened toTV Week. Around 1956, radio magazineListener In first published in 1925 adapted with the times and began covering television and added "TV" to its title. As part of theHerald and Weekly Times (HWT) group,Listener In-TV had an affinity to the company's new television station,HSV7. The magazine was renamedTV Scene in 1976.[3]
Rival publicationTelevision Preview, produced by the Television Owners Club of Australia, was also launched in 1957. By June 1958, the two magazines had more competition withTV News, published by theAustralian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) and a fortnight laterAustralian Consolidated Press (ACP) launched its own guide,TV Times.
It was thought that so many television titles in the market was unsustainable, so ACP entered into a co-publishing deal with the ABC, which saw their respective magazines merged to becomeTV News-Times, soon simplified toTV Times. By the end of 1958,Television Preview was incorporated intoTV Week, leaving two strong rival publications in the market for the next two decades.[4]
In July 1958,TV Week added an edition inSydney, then the only other TV market in Australia. It continued to expand publication as television launched in other capital cities and regional areas across Australia. At the close of 1958, Melbourne readers were invited to vote for their favouriteTV personalities and programs, to be presented awards along with some categories judged by an industry panel. Graham Kennedy and Panda Lisner from GTV'sIn Melbourne Tonight were voted Melbourne's Most Popular TV personalities. Kennedy then named the awards theLogies, after the inventor of the first working television system,John Logie Baird.[5]
TV Week introduced colour internal pages in 1962, moving to gloss colour covers and internal pages in 1967. As a final evolutionary stage, the magazine doubled size from A5 to A4 in July 1968.
By 1971 TV Week had a national weekly circulation of 400,000. South Australia'sTV Guide (formerly TV-Radio Tonight) attempted to launch a Melbourne edition in 1973 but only lasted for four months and later became known asTV-Radio Extra in its home state. TV Week and TV Times dominated the market across Australia. In 1979, Family Circle Publications introduced a local version of the American magazineTV Guide, in the compact A5 size.
In 1980, the ABC chose to end its agreement withTV Week and ACP purchased their interest. ACP then entered into a partnership with News Limited, leading to rival publicationTV Times being incorporated intoTV Week. Later that year, Family Circle Publications sold the nationalTV Guide to ACP and it was also incorporated intoTV Week. Competition then came from existing women's magazines whenThe Australian Women's Weekly began including a free television magazineTV Weekly (laterTV World) as an insert for its publication in May 1980.Family Circle followed suit in August 1980, as didWoman's Day withTV Day in November 1981.TV Week hit a peak circulation of 850,000 in the mid-1980s.
In 1984, the Federal Publishing Company's tabloid celebrity gossip magazineStar Enquirer was restyled to becomeTV Star but only ran until 1985.[6] The Victorian publicationTV Scene (formerlyListener In-TV) was shut down after 62 years of publication after it was handed over to Southdown Press, following the media shake-up sparked byRupert Murdoch's takeover of theHerald and Weekly Times Group Group.TV-Radio Extra was discontinued in South Australia in 1988 when it was incorporated into the Sunday Mail's free television guide,TV Plus. With an increasing number of these types of free magazine supplements in Sunday newspapers across the country in the 1990s,TV Week began to lose significant circulation.
In 1998, in an attempt to boost its local entertainment news credentials,Who Weekly introduced a TV supplement with television news and TV listings but by 2000 this had been dropped.
TV Week was a joint venture betweenKerry Packer'sAustralian Consolidated Press and Southdown Press (laterPacific Publications), with the latter publishing the magazine on behalf of both parties. In 2002, Packer boughtTV Week out of the joint venture, with a clause in the agreement. A legal battle over the custody of the magazine'sLogie Awards followed as both Australian Consolidated Press and Pacific Publications claimed ownership. Pacific wanted to use the Logies to promote their new rival TV listingWhat's on Weekly but Packer won the battle and the Logies remain connected toTV Week.[2]What’s on Weekly ceased publication by the end of that year and it became the last attempt to launch a national rival toTV Week, now with a circulation of 265,000.
ACP Magazines soldTV Week andFoxtel magazine to GermanBauer Media Group in 2012.[7] In 2016, another women's magazineNew Idea published byPacific Magazines, introducedTV Extra a supplement covering television news and highlights, however it did not contain TV listings.[8]
In recent years, online program guides have had a significant effect on TV Week's traditional market with circulation dropping below 200,000.[citation needed]
In 2020,Are Media acquiredTV Week as part of its acquisition of Bauer Media's Australian and New Zealand assets.[1][9] Are Media promoted associate editor, Stephen Downie, to editor of the publication in 2021. Outgoing editor Amber Giles was appointed to lead the entertainment group.[10]
In 2013,TV Week received criticism from formerNeighbours actressKym Valentine for their lack of coverage ofNeighbours. Valentine tweeted toTV Week, saying: "Why don't you giveNeighbours as much coverage asHome and Away? The fans are asking for it? Bring back the love xx".[11]
| Editor | Erin McWhirter |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 |
| First issue | 31 July 2014 |
| Final issue | 29 October 2015 |
| Company | Bauer Media Group |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
TV Week Soap Extra was an Australian fortnightly televisionmagazine, produced as a sister magazine toTV Week.[12]
In January 2014, Bauer Media published a one-off special ofTV Week Soap Extra which featured exclusive teasers and first-look photos of upcoming storylines, reviews, and interviews with the stars from local and internationalsoap operas screening in Australia, includingNeighbours,Home and Away,The Bold and the Beautiful,The Young and the Restless andDays of Our Lives.[13] Other soaps included in its content wereCoronation Street,[14]EastEnders,[15]Emmerdale,[16]Hollyoaks,[17] andShortland Street.[18]
On 14 July 2014, Bauer Media confirmed that they would be launchingTV Week Soap Extra as a fortnightly magazine dedicated to the storylines of Australian and overseas soaps and dramas.[19] The decision came after Bauer Media had identified a gap in the market for a contemporary magazine that covered television soaps and dramas.[20]TV Week deputy editor Erin McWhirter toldTV Tonight, "The one-off special ofTV Week Soap Extra we produced and launched in January was a huge success. Off the back of that, as well asTV Week's reputation as a known and trusted brand, it was evident there was enough room in the magazine market forTV Week Soap Extra as an ongoing offering."[20] The 66-page magazine was edited by McWhirter, published on a Thursday and cost $4.50.[19] The first issue was available from 31 July 2014.[19][21][22][23]
The final issue ofSoap Extra was released on 29 October 2015.[24] Following its release, their coverage of soap operas moved back toTV Week.[25] McWhirter told TV Tonight, "WhilstSoap Extra has attained a loyal following since launch, due to the relative size of the soap market the business decision has been made that the popular content fromSoap Extra is better placed withinTV Week.[26]
| Editor | Thomas Woodgate |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2018 |
| First issue | 2 August 2018 |
| Company | Bauer Media Group |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
TV Week Close Up is an Australian monthly televisionmagazine, produced as a sister magazine toTV Week.[27]
On 2 August 2018, Bauer Media launchedTV Week Close Up as a monthly magazine dedicated to interviews with stars and industry power brokers and behind the scenes stories about Australia's most popular TV shows.TV Week editor Thomas Woodgate toldMumbrella, "TV Week has earned the trust of our best talent over many years, and we have unrivalled access to Australian stars and shows. It's this access that we want to be able to share every month. We want to provide more of what we know readers love, which is in-depth chats, photo shoots with the stars, exclusive behind- the-scenes looks at favourite shows, and nostalgic trips down TV memory lane".[28] The magazine was sold at a special launch price of $2.99 but normally sells for $5.99.
Media related toTV Week at Wikimedia Commons