On the podcast this week, we get serious…about television. While the debate over an Australia network tender process may not be the sexiest tale you’ll hear all week, you will be excited when we deliver the exciting news about the return of Yes, Minister. But wait? There’s more? Calm down Bucko, we also have a discussion about the diminishing ratings of US cable drama The Killing.

As always, we also offer some TV highlights and sprinkle a little bit of magic throughout the podcast.

At Televised Revolution, we look forward to receiving your mail and check us out on the Twitter. You can also find the podcast on iTunes (please leave us a review, it helps people find the show).

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This week we kick off the brand new Televised Revolution: In Review podcast. Reviewing TV shows as they go to air. Host Dave Owen is joined by a panel of regular Televised Revolution contributors, which includes Prue Martin and Dan Barrett. For those familiar with The 400 Club Podcast, you’re in familiar territory. To those new to the panel, welcome aboard.

Up for discussion this week:

Mad Men (s05E01) – 05:15

2 Broke Girls (S01E19) – 13:15

Community (S03E12) – 20:18

30 Rock (S06E13 & S06E14) – 25:46

Key & Peele (General discussion) – 27:05

The question of the week also gets a look in as the panel discuss the gaps in their TV knowledge that they wish to fill.

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As TV profits fall, pressures on networks to perform increases, and opportunities for multi-platform distribution arise, expect TV in Australia to get a whole lot more advertorial. This week saw Channel 9 launch their new datacasting service ‘Extra’, providing a similar mix of advertorial and infotainment content as seen on 7′s datacast channel TV4ME. No longer can networks truly afford to be a prestige service and rebuke advertising platforms such as this. Instead, they are being embraced and Extra / TV4ME is really just the start of what’s to come.

This week on the Televised Revolution podcast, Dan and Simon discuss:

• The launch of Extra and its ‘Twitter For Bogans’ messaging service.
• Nine prepare for an Olympics 3D channel.
• WIN ditch Freeview.

At Televised Revolution, we look forward to receiving your mail and check us out on the Twitter. You can also find the podcast on iTunes (please leave us a review, it helps people find the show).

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We have something a bit different on Televised Revolution this week. Usually we try and provide some commentary on the biggest TV-related news stories of the week, provide some TV highlights, and point out a few interesting issues related to the medium. This week we’re dropping that to take you into the belly of the beast.

The ABC is a multi-platform media giant in Australia. It has significant influence across TV, Radio, and Online. It also drives a lot of the innovation that we see in the Australian marketplace. Brisbane is the home to a brand new building for the ABC that brings into it staff working across all three platforms. It’s a purpose-built facility that was designed to ensure all three platforms are able to work together as part of the same harmonious entity.

On this weeks Televised Revolution, the manager of the project to build the new ABC South Bank (Brisbane) studios, Mike McGowan, takes us on a tour of the new building. He highlights some of the more interesting aspects of the building while also taking us through the key areas that may be of interest to Televised Revolution listeners.

At Televised Revolution, we look forward to receiving your mail and check us out on the Twitter. You can also find the podcast on iTunes (please leave us a review, it helps people find the show).

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Launching on SBS1 on Feb 27 at 9:30pm is Danger 5 – a TV show that finally embraces the medium to its fullest potential with its tales of Nazi’s, dinosaurs, and diamond-clad vixens.

For me, this is THE show of 2012. It’s a show that is doing something creative and unique on Australian TV. You will not see another show like this again. Well, probably not. On this episode of Televised Revolution, Dan speaks with the shows creators Dario Russo and David Ashby about the production of the series and how it came about.

At Televised Revolution, we look forward to receiving your mail and check us out on the Twitter. You can also find the podcast on iTunes (please leave us a review, it helps people find the show).

The Danger 5 trailer:

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It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. And by that, I mean there is next to no new TV shows on the air and that number is falling drastically as we near yuletide logs. Next week we’ll no doubt be overrun by Christmas episodes of our favourite shows, followed by weeks of the best that TV has to offer (re: Rankin Bass animated Drummer Boys, Olivia Newton John in A Mom For Christmas, and surely there’ll be a snoopy dance amid that.

This week the panel takes a look at:

• Community (S03E09)
• Parks & Recreation (S04E09)
• The Office (S08E09)
• Fresh Meat (So1E01)
• Life’s Too Short (S01E01)

We also discuss our favourite television cross-overs.

Be sure to visit us on Twitter / Facebook, or check out our iTunes feed and leave a review (it helps people find the show). We also really want to hear from you! What did you think of the shows being discussed?

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Iain Morris is one half of the team responsible for The Inbetweeners. Together with writing partner Damon Beasley, the two have crafted one of the funniest, brutally honest comedies to air on television. Morris has also had his hand in series like Peep Show and Flight of The Conchords, while also working with UK comedy greats like Jimmy Carr and Ricky Gervais.

Episode 209 of the Televised Revolution podcast features an interview with Morris, in town for the launch of The Inbetweeners movie. We discuss the writing of the TV series, just how handsome the stars of the US adaptation of the series will be, the upcoming Muppets movie, and just how bent Neil’s Dad really is.

At Televised Revolution, we look forward to receiving your mail and check us out on the Twitter. You can also find the podcast on iTunes (please leave us a review, it helps people find the show).

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We make it a habit here on Televised Revolution to have a chat with the CEO’s of our local community television station, 31 Digital. We’ve had a chat with Andrew Carroll, Paul Mills, and now the new CEO Scott Black.

As good quality production equipment gets cheaper and the opportunities for DIY distribution increase with the availablity of platforms like YouTube, the role of the community broadcaster comes into question somewhat. We chat with Scott about this and what the benefits of community broadcasting have over online distribution. Further to this, we discuss the state of the union for 31 Digital, its history of confusing branding, and what Blacks vision is for the future of 31 Digital.

Even for those who aren’t Brisbane locals, this should prove to be an interesting interview. What happens when a community TV staffer takes control of the organization and finally has the chance to put into place his own vision for the organization – an organization that has been in disarray for many years.

At Televised Revolution, we look forward to receiving your mail and check us out on the Twitter. You can also find the podcast on iTunes (please leave us a review, it helps people find the show).

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The Internet changed the game for television distribution. No longer are TV services restricted to being provided by those who have been provided with access to the airwaves/permission to cable by the Government, but now any company that strikes a deal with content creators/distributors can now deliver content to the home. As broadband data allowances offer increasingly generous data allowances and more TV’s are connected to the Internet (either directly, or via devices that have a net connection like Bluray players, gaming consoles, etc), the race is on for companies to establish themselves and take ownership of the space. One such company is Quickflix.

Quickflix have established themselves as a mail DVD distribution service. Customers pay a monthly fee and ‘rent’ DVD’s from Quickflix, with discs delivered by traditional mail services. Last week they announced that they have launched a video streaming service. With US companies like Netflix and Hulu expected to launch in Australia soon, Quickflix Watch Now represents an attempt to own the Australian market before the competition gets a foothold.

This week on Televised Revolution we interview Chris Taylor, the CEO of Quickflix, about the launch of the service and what customers can expect.

At Televised Revolution, we look forward to receiving your mail and check us out on the Twitter. You can also find the podcast on iTunes (please leave us a review, it helps people find the show).

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