You can’t get better publicity for a book about a television station than a very public decline frought with scandals, dodgy dealings and disappointing broadcast, especially when Australia only has three commercial networks. Channel 9 was always the highest quality station when it came to contracted stars, original shows, newscaff and even foreign content. But over the last five years they’ve degenerated into a truly second class network.
Some battles have been public, though the majority were privately handled and unknown to broadcast viewers. Gerald Stone (Sixty Minutes founding producer) has corresponded with numerous insiders (some still at the network) to bring everything to light, and to chart exactly how 9 got itself into the predicament it’s currently in.
The first thing I noticed in Stone’s book is a remarkably different Kerry Packer, who’s on a fast downhill slide making terribly irrational decisions; so frail his skin bleeds; so pitiful that you actually feel bad for the mogul. Not that the Packer we all know (primarily from Paul Barry’s book) wasn’t the kind of bloke to look after himself, or sound-off whenever he felt the need. The Kerry Packer here is a sad, frail man in complete denial of his ever-worsening situation and (some would say more important) lessening grasp of his network and the Australian TV industry.
Early on it’s easy to recognise the book is a systematic attack on John Alexander, and a blow-by-blow account of failure after failure made under his leadership. Somewhat less obviously, there’s a continual (if slight) underlying accusation that the real Channel 9 killer (an omnipresent figure) is seen at pivotal points throughout Alexander’s tenure, approving of his leadership and decisions, no matter how bad they are for the TV network.
The photos that appear in the centre of the book are actually best seen before you start reading, as it’s safe to say that most people won’t be familar with the majority of players in the book. Something interesting I noticed was that promotional photos were used for everybody except James Packer and John Alexander, two shots of which I can only describe as snaky.
As all most people see of Channel 9 is the broadcast, this book really is an unbelievable insight behind closed doors, with handshake deals, negotiations and much turmoil that doesn’t ever reach the surface for the public to see.
Overall, a sobering look at what can happen to a business when the owner leaves it in the wrong hands.
