The Seven Network launches two new weekly comedy shows — The Big News, a sketch comedy series featuring former Fast Forward stars Marg Downey, Michael Veitch and Peter Moon with Matt Tilley; and The Late Report, a current affairs spoof with Richard Stubbs, John Safran, Emma Tom and Sandy George.

Nine competed in the same timeslot with the debut of four-part comedy series Super Debate. The first episode featured the topic “The Aussie Bloke Is A Hopeless Bloke”, hosted by Paul Lyneham and featuring HG Nelson (Greig Pickhaver), Wendy Harmer, Judith Lucy, Jean Kitson, Natasha Stott-Despoja, Peter FitzSimons, Paul Clitheroe, Sam Newman, Graham Richardson and Nova Peris-Kneebone.

Seven’s new comedy double struggled and after a few weeks The Big News was cancelled as a standalone show and segments became incorporated into an extended The Late Report, before it too was axed shortly after.

(This listing excludes community Channel 31 which is not listed in TV Week)

Source: TV Week, 13 February 1999

	ABV2	HSV7	GTV9	ATV10	SBS28
6AM	6am Open Learning: Australian Environmental Studies, A Sense Of Place, Time To Grow	6am Sunrise (News)	6am National Nine Early News	6am Aerobics Oz Style 6.30 Sports Tonight (Rpt)	6am Worldwatch: 6am Cantonese News, 6.20 Mandarin News, 6.55 Telegiornale, 7.30 Das Journal, 8am Ta Nea Ton Ennea, 9am Le Journal, 9.30 Sevodnia, 10.15 Telediario, 11am Siaran Berita, 11.30 The Journal, 12pm Business Report
7AM	7.30 Mixy 7.35 Teletubbies	7am Sailor Moon 7.30 Shnookums And Meat Funny Cartoon Show	7am Today. Tracy Grimshaw, Steve Liebmann	7am Cheez TV
8AM	8am Johnson And Friends 8.10 Small Stories 8.15 Noddy 8.30 Sesame Street	8am The Adventures Of Mickey And Donald 8.30 The Book Place		8.30 In The Box
9AM	9.30 Play School	9am A Country Practice	9am Here’s Humphrey 9.30 Hardcastle And McCormick	9am Good Morning Australia. Bert Newton
10AM	10am More Than Words 10.15 Numbers Count 10.30 Picture This 10.45 Behind The News	10am The Village 10.30 Acropolis Now	10.30 News
11AM	11am Ancient Civilisations 11.30 Behind The News	11am Eleven AM	11am Remington Steele	11.30 Ten News
12PM	12pm World At Noon 12.30 Australian Story (Rpt)	12pm Movie: The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. 1992 [IMDB]	12pm Days Of Our Lives	12pm The Roseanne Show	12.30pm Movie: The Lighthouse. 1996 (Netherlands) [IMDB]
1PM	1pm Four Corners (Rpt) 1.45 Art Attack		1pm The Young And The Restless	1pm Judge Joe Brown 1.30 Beauty And The Beast
2PM	2pm Parliament Question Time: House Of Representatives	2.30 Ricki Lake	2pm Movie: A Private Matter. 1992 [IMDB]	2.30 Oprah Winfrey	2.15 Weatherwatch, Music
3PM	3pm Sesame Street 3.25 Pingu 3.30 Play School	3.30 Disney Adventures		3.30 Breakers (Rpt)	3pm TV Ed 3.30 World Sports (Rpt)
4PM	4pm Arthur 4.25 Thomas The Tank Engine 4.30 Neverending Story 4.55 The Trap Door	4pm Wipeout 4.30 I Dream Of Jeannie	4pm Spellbinder 4.30 What’s Up Doc?	4pm Totally Wild 4.30 The Bold And The Beautiful	4pm Sportswoman 4.30 Nancy Lam
5PM	5pm The Secret World Of Alex Mack 5.25 Feral TV 5.30 Daria 5.55 Gogs	5pm Bewitched (B&W) 5.30 Wheel Of Fortune	5pm Full House 5.30 Catch Phrase	5pm Ten News	5pm Newshour (PBS)
6PM	6pm Hetty Wainthropp Investigates 6.50 Consuming Passions	6pm Seven Nightly News 6.30 Today Tonight	6pm National Nine News 6.30 A Current Affair. Mike Munro	6pm Happy Days 6.30 Neighbours	6pm Global Village 6.30 World News
7PM	7pm ABC News 7.30 The 7.30 Report. Kerry O’Brien	7pm Home And Away 7.30 Better Homes And Gardens	7pm Sale Of The Century. Includes Keno 7.30 Australia’s Funniest Home Video Show. Kim Kilbey	7pm Judge Judy 7.30 Party Of Five	7pm World Sports 7.30 Front Up
8PM	8pm The Bill 8.30 Inside Story	8pm The Great Outdoors. Includes OzLotto 8.30 All Saints	8pm The Drew Carey Show 8.30 Water Rats	8.30 Dawson’s Creek	8pm The Cutting Edge
9PM	9.30 Foreign Correspondent	9.30 The Big News. Marg Downey, Michael Veitch, Peter Moon, Matt Tilley PREMIERE	9.30 The Super Debate PREMIERE	9.30 Melrose Place	9pm World News At Nine 9.30 Movie: Clando. 1996 (Cameroon) [IMDB]
10PM	10.30 Lateline. Tony Jones	10pm The Late Report. Richard Stubbs, John Safran, Tony Wilson, Emma Tom, Sandy George PREMIERE 10.30 Buffy	10.30 Nightline. Jim Waley	10.30 Ten News. Sandra Sully
11PM	11.05 People’s Century	11.30 Seven Nightly News	11pm Star Trek Voyager	11pm Sports Tonight 11.30 Breakers	11.20 Fine Cut
12AM	12am Parliament Question Time: The Senate	12am Today (NBC)	12am The Late Show With David Letterman	12am Sunset Beach	12.15am Movie: Caruga. 1991 (Croatia) [IMDB]
1AM	1am Australia Television News 1.30 Movie: It’s Hard To Be Good. 1948 (B&W) [IMDB]		1am Movie: Listen Up: The Lives Of Quincy Jones. 1990 [IMDB]
2AM		2am Telemall Shopping		2am Telemall Shopping	2.05 Close
3AM	3am Open Learning: Marketing, Dragon’s Tongue, French In Action, Aboriginal Studies, English Have A Go Destinos (Continues to 6am)	3am Movie: Father. 1990 [IMDB]	3.10 Celebrity Home Shopping	3am Home Shopping
4AM			4.10 Catholic TV 4.35 Court TV	4am Life In The Word 4.30 Kenneth Copeland
5AM		5.10 Promised Land (Continues to 6am)	5am 20/20 (Continues to 6am)	5am Marilyn Hickey 5.30 Benny Hinn (Continues to 6am)	5am Weatherwatch, Music 5.30 Worldwatch: Japanese News (Continues to 6am)