Gossip Queen: Sam Newman’s powers put to the test in Footy Show shuffle
SAM Newman is going to need superhero powers to carry The Footy Show through a daunting five-week period where the AFL fixture kicks the ageing Channel 9 show to Wednesday nights.
Fiona Byrne
Don't miss out on the headlines from Fiona Byrne. Followed categories will be added to My News.
SAM Newman is going to need superhero powers to carry The Footy Show through a daunting five-week period where the AFL fixture kicks the ageing Channel 9 show to Wednesday nights.
The out-of-sync programming could be the nail in the coffin for the 25-year-old show, which has been savagely challenged by Channel 7’s Front Bar offering this year.
The ball bounces on Thursday night footy as of this week with matches scheduled for June 14, June 21, June 28, July 5 and July 12, meaning The Footy Show will move forward a day into a Wednesday night timeslot.
FRONT BAR BEATS RIVAL FOOTY SHOW IN RATINGS
SAM NEWMAN SUFFERS HEAD INJURY IN US
SAM NEWMAN PULLS OUT OF MAYORAL RACE
The show’s ratings have traditionally slumped when it airs on Wednesday, an unfamiliar time to its rusted-on fans.
A drop in ratings can be carried when a show is flying, but is hard to hide when the viewing figures have already started a downward trend.
The move could not come at a worse time. The most recent episode of The Footy Show averaged 167,000 viewers in Melbourne and was beaten by The Front Bar, which averaged 228,000 viewers. The previous week The Footy Show averaged 173,000 viewers to The Front Bar’s 210,000.
Newman, The Footy Show’s teflon headline magnet, was on Saturday in superhero mode, slipping into a Superman costume at Oz Comic Con at the Melbourne Convention Centre to film a Street Talk segment for the show.
He was joined by an uncharacteristically camera-shy Dane Swan, who was dressed as The Riddler.
Meanwhile, the show is sending Shane Crawford to Russia this week to file segments on footy of a different kind — the soccer World Cup.
Beauty queen slams ‘dumb blonde’ insult
Former Miss Universe Australia and qualified speech pathologist Olivia Rogers says brains and beauty are not mutually exclusive, clapping back at a heartless mum who labelled her a “dumb blonde” who wouldn’t trust Rogers to teach her child.
Fev’s savage swipe at AFL WAGs, players’ diva behaviour
Footy legend Brendan Fevola has delivered a brutal reality check for the AFL players and WAGs in the Queensland hubs, savaging their diva-like behaviour and unleashing some pointed words of advice.