Waleed got nominated for the Gold Logie. So what?

logies_2016_nomineesThis week’s announcement of the nominees for the 58th annual TV Week Logie Awards has triggered some astounding reaction for an award that many Australians would otherwise normally declare that they have no interest in.

waleedalyThe nomination of The Project‘s Waleed Aly and SBS newsreader Lee Lin Chin for the top award, the Gold Logie, has brought on some staggering if not confusing commentary from that beacon of journalism, The Daily Telegraph, and a sister website, Rendezview. (Although the latter’s review is actually less than clear if it is being serious or satirical) And, in turn, some of their supporters are seemingly happy to jump on the outrage bandwagon at the thought that TV’s most prized trophy might (remember, there are four other nominees) go to someone who is less than white.

The fact that it has taken 58 years for Australia’s viewing population to acknowledge talent from a diverse background is telling enough. The reaction is even more disappointing… especially given most of the critics most likely never voted nor cared for an award that they now seem so passionate about. (And with all due respect to TV Week, at the end of the day — it is a Logie award. Not a knighthood or the Nobel Peace Prize)

leelinchinNo doubt the nomination of Aly and Chin is a largely youth-led choice, given Aly’s profile as co-host on The Project and Chin’s self-parody perpetuated by youth current affairs program The Feed. And, no doubt, their respective profiles are boosted by social media — even though Aly avoids it but his content from The Project has certainly gone viral — which in turn has impacted on what is essentially a popularity poll.

Critics have labelled their popularity as not in line with ratings. But the Logies have never been about ratings. The Project reaches more viewers than Today, for which Karl Stefanovic won Gold a few years ago — and whose win was also on the back of a considerable social media campaign. And Aly’s on-air partner Carrie Bickmore won the same award last year. She is also nominated again this year.

Other Gold Logie winners have included stars of daytime TV — names like Mike Walsh, Ray Martin, Jeanne Little, Hazel Phillips and Maggie Tabberer — which also rates lower than its prime-time counterparts.

tvweek_200376One year the Gold Logie was even awarded to a fictional character: Norman Gunston. And from the ABC, no less. Again, not a result in line with traditional ratings but, perhaps like Chin’s self-parody profile, was aided by Gunston’s (Garry McDonald) public campaigning for votes.

Media outlets such as The Daily Telegraph should be thrilled to see younger Australians engaging with heritage brands like the Logie Awards at a time where every traditional media outlet is facing the challenge of appealing to a generation that has so many other media options available to it. This shows that there is hope for “old media” among the millennials.

The Logie Awards have often been accused of being a relic of the past. But these nominations show that it, and its voters, are more contemporary than many might now care to admit.

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2016/04/waleed-got-nominated-for-the-gold-logie-so-what.html

18 comments

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  1. I believe Waleed really deserves to be among those nominated. Lee Lin and her mates ran a brilliant social media campaign and for the first time in my life I Logie voted, to nominate her.

    • Andrew M on 7 April 2016 at 11:17 AM
    • Reply

    the only fictional character to date to win a gold logie

    1. @Andrew M.,
      “the only fictional character to date to win a gold logie” That was Norman Gunston(as played by Gary McDonald). He should’ve been awarded the gold as Gary McDonald, not “in character”. Thankfully Gary has long-ago shaken off that old guise and has made a name for himself in serious roles as well as in comedy.

      1. Blame the viewers who voted for Norman Gunston by name.

  2. Oh well

  3. But I do admit it would look out of character (pardon the pun) see a fictional character voted in any category rather the person who creates them by today’s standards

      • Neil Forbes on 10 April 2016 at 8:03 AM
      • Reply

      (My second attempt to post – first attempt went “ker-blooey!)

      Like nominating Bugs Bunny for an Oscar and waiting to see if he shows up to collect his award!…… Nyaaah, what’s up, Doc?

    • Neil Forbes on 16 April 2016 at 1:00 PM
    • Reply

    This is way off-topic, I’m sorry, but there’s no provision for new unrelated topics on this website, but anyway…. Has anyone been trying to log in to the ABC-TV “Media Watch” message board over the past week?
    If so you’ll have been greeted with a greenish coloured display alerting “server error”, It’s been this way since last Monday(11th April) and it seems there has been no effort whatsoever to fix it. Prior to the failure, there had been a message posted by the moderator of that message board that it was about to close. Just thought I should alert people to this as best I could.

    • Andrew M on 17 April 2016 at 12:56 PM
    • Reply

    in response to Neil Forbes response my reply is also off topic I received an E Mail from the moderator stating the MWMB is discontinued my apologies to bring this up but now back to main topic

    • Neil Forbes on 18 April 2016 at 11:44 AM
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    @Andrew M.
    Thanks for that information… So the bastards went ahead and cut the Media Watch Message Board… SHAME, ABC, SHAME!
    We now return you to your normal programme!

  4. Back to topic(is that a sigh of relief from Andrew M. that I hear? LOL), I’ve always held the view(or at least since the advent of Pay-Tv) that the Logies are for the free-to-air stations, Pay-Tv programmes and stars should not be eligible as the Pay TV coverage is restricted to subscribers whereas FTA television is open to all comers, be they from the commercial stations, ABC or SBS, or even Community TV if that sector wasn’t under the unconscionable threat that this disgraceful government has it at the moment. Lee Lin Chin and Waleed Aly are just as deserving of a Logie for their efforts as any other person on Free-To-Air TV. Though in truth it wasn’t always entirely free-to-air. Remember the viewing and listening licences imposed by the federal government in those dim, dark days of old? They were, in effect, an enforced subscription to the ABC, which back then was very elitist and snobbish, and had very little worthwhile content to offer, nothing like today where the ABC has, thankfully long ago shed that elitist snobbish attitude. For me, I reckon Craig McLaughlan and Marta Dusseldorp should get the “gong” for their respective shows, Dr. Blake Mysteries & Janet King.

    1. I don’t have an issue with Foxtel or other providers such as Netflix or Stan being included in the awards provided that it is on the basis of original Australian content. Stan is getting some nominations this year.

    • Neil Forbes on 20 April 2016 at 3:31 AM
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    @Andrew B.
    My comment was based on the fact that it was the free-to-air stations like ATN, TCN, HSV and GTV that pioneered TV in Australia, and to some degree ABC stations, ABN and ABV in 1956. The Qld stations came later. So these stations were on-air when the Logies were launched and pay TV was unheard-of, and “reality TV” was documentaries or news bulletins. Oh how things have changed… for the worst! We may have 21st Century TV technology, but we need to wind the programme style clock back to the 1960s and 1970s.

    1. the Logies isn’t just about recognising the pioneer players in the industry. Remember there was no Channel Ten when the Logies started either. I think it’s only fair to have the awards recognise the contribution made by other players such as Foxtel, Netflix, Stan, etc. which are part of the same industry.

  5. I didn’t know doctor Blake mysteries is an Australian series

    • Neil Forbes on 20 April 2016 at 11:52 AM
    • Reply

    The Doctor Blake Mysteries is indeed Australian! Though it’s produced by an off-shoot of the British ITV, which was originally an “umbrella” organisation under which British TV stations like Thames, Granada, London Weekend, HTV-West, Trident, ATV and others were grouped together. The lead character is played by Craig McLaughlan, who was also a pop singer, and had an acting role in Home & Away in the 1990s, and had even filled in for Johnny Young as guest-host on Young Talent Time in the late 1980s. Craig is not one for standing still! If you watch the opening credits for Doctor Blake, he even gets an associate producer’s credit!

    • Neil Forbes on 20 April 2016 at 12:13 PM
    • Reply

    the post I just made(awaiting moderation) is indeed about TV history, though a side of it often ignored but still important – the technical side!

    1. which again has nothing to do with the topic of this post… and is something that has been well covered already on this site.

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