Struggling television station Channel 10 has replaced the names of Australian cities with traditional Aboriginal names in its weather bulletins in an attempt to appeal to its younger and ‘socially progressive’ audience.
The US-owned network removed colonial place names in Sunday night’s TV forecast to mark the beginning of NAIDOC week – a national event that celebrates the history and culture of indigenous people.
Traditional names for cities across the country were changed on a map during the forecast, and by weather presenter Amanda Jason.
‘Now the first Sunday of July is the first day of NAIDOC week to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land,’ she said.
Pictured: Amanda Jason delivering the weather forecast on Channel 10 using traditional Aboriginal names
‘We acknowledge the traditional names of our capital cities for our national weather.’
Bulletins presented by news anchor Narelda Jacobs also shifted away from the norm to include indigenous names.
‘We’re acknowledging traditional place names and I’ll begin in the city that we’re coming to you from: Warrang, Sydney, in Gadigal country,’ Jacobs said.
Channel 10 journalist Kate Doak was asked on Twitter whether the move would confuse people who are unfamiliar with geography, but she said presenters were still announcing both names for the major cities.
‘Respect costs nothing, though can make a huge difference for all of us, of any background,’ she wrote.
Pictured: A weather map showing the traditional names of major Australian cities
Pictured: A weather map showing the colonial names if Australia cities. The names have been changed for NAIDOC week on Channel 10
Social media users largely applauded the network for teaching them about the traditional names of Australian cities.
‘Well done 10 – I have really enjoyed learning the indigenous names of various places through this initiative on the news,’ one man wrote.
‘Can we please make it ongoing rather than just this week?’ another asked.
Someone else added: ‘Great work, it should be permanent.’
But others were left feeling confused over the network’s use of language.
‘Can you put both names for those who don’t read another language? I had to switch channels,’ one man said.
Bulletins presented by news anchor Narelda Jacobs (pictured) also shifted away from the norm to include indigenous names
Another user replied and asked, ‘you don’t know where your city is on a map?’
‘Not sure where I live now?’ added someone else.
‘Off to 9 I go,’ said another.
The change comes just weeks after Channel 10 vowed to steer its programming in a more ‘woke’ direction to capitalise on its younger audience.
The network’s head of sales, Rod Prosser, said during a meeting with advertisers in June that 10’s upcoming slate of shows will prioritise ‘social justice, equality and inclusion’ to meet the expectations of its ‘purpose-driven’ consumers, reports RT.
While Channel 10 has a much smaller audience than its commercial rivals, Mr Prosser said their viewers are still valuable to brands because they have ‘more income’ and are ‘more socially progressive’ compared to Australians who watch Nine and Seven.
‘We are acutely aware of our ability to influence culture, which raises a number of questions about our responsibility,’ said Mr Prosser.
The network’s head of sales, Rod Prosser, said that 10’s upcoming slate of shows will prioritise ‘social justice, equality and inclusion’. Pictured: The Project hosts Waleed Aly (left) and Carrie Bickmore (right)
‘How can we better promote and employ social justice, equality and inclusion? How can we represent all Australians and their stories? How can we raise the conversation and now lower the bar? These are questions of integrity and to us, integrity matters.’
While this ‘socially progressive’ pitch may attract some like-minded brands, industry insiders fear a shift to the left could negatively impact 10’s bottom line, as ‘getting woke’ can often lead to ‘going broke’ in the corporate world.
In this case, the younger ‘woke’ audience 10 is hoping to appeal to may have already migrated away from free-to-air television in favour of streaming platforms.
The move has already been criticised by Seven CEO James Warburton, who said 10’s ‘integrity’-led strategy was ‘clutching at straws’ in a bid to win over advertisers.
‘Three odd million people watch the Seven and Nine news brands every single night; that absolutely dwarfs everything they do,’ Mr Warburton told The Australian Financial Review.
‘They program for 90 minutes a day; they’re irrelevant in the back end of the week. Their biggest franchise [MasterChef] just halved. That just sounds desperate.’
US-owned Australian television station Channel 10 has vowed to steer its programming in a more ‘woke’ direction to capitalise on its younger audience. Pictured: The Project host Lisa Wilkinson
Meanwhile, 10’s political shift is in keeping with a recent trend toward ‘wokeness’ at parent company ViacomCBS, which coincidentally saw its stocks plummet in March.
In April, the U.S. media conglomerate signed a deal with #MeToo activist Tarana Burke to make shows that ‘highlight underrepresented voices’.
And in July 2020, it began a multi-year partnership with civil rights group NAACP.
Channel 10 already has a reputation for being more left-leaning than Nine and Seven, with current affairs show The Project – hosted by Lisa Wilkinson, Carrie Bickmore and Waleed Aly – being singled out by some viewers for its liberal bias.
The network has struggled in the ratings in recent years, often jostling for third place with the publicly funded ABC. However, it promotes itself as Australia’s number-one destination for the under-50s demographic.