Logie winner sparks furore
EXECUTIVES from rival commercial television networks are unified in calling for an overhaul of the annual Logie Awards after Tom Gleeson’s controversial win of the annual event’s top honour.
Gleeson lambasted his fellow nominees and called the awards and voting process a farce when he took home the Gold Logie on Sunday night.
“The Logies haven’t evolved since 1983, it is like we are literally stuck back in the ’80s,” said one television executive. “It is still sponsored by a magazine that few people read and surely from a credibility point of view, it is a circus. The whole thing needs to be reinvented. It is completely disjointed.”
While Gleeson led the ABC to a total of 10 awards at the 61st annual Logies, main commercial network Nine took home half a gong and Seven none.
Nine’s half award was for Deborah Mailman, who won Most Popular Actress for her work on its drama Bite Club as well as the ABCS Mystery Road.
“In many ways it is good that this has happened because instead of hushed conversations, it is all brought out into the open,” another well-placed television executive said. “The Logies need a complete overhaul. I think we are going to see a line drawn under this. We have to unpack the system as it stands and come up with other options. The pressure is up to TV Week to do this.”
The awards are put on by TV Week magazine each year with editor Thomas Woodgate conceding he would consult with networks following the backlash.
“We will consult, as we always do, with the networks to look at what we can do to make sure we honour what’s happening on TV,” he said. “We are always looking at what we can do to keep things fresh. We look forward to an even stronger 2020.”
A major sticking point on the awards is the fact the Gold Logie remains solely publicly voted.
One suggestion mooted yesterday was for each of the major networks – Seven, Nine, Ten, Foxtel, SBS and the ABC – put forward one nomination each for the Gold trophy. Then the public would decide on a final winner, although others suggested the Gold should solely be industry-voted.
Tony Barber, who took home the Gold Logie in 1973, said he thought the Gleeson scandal had “probably given the whole event a real boost”.
“As an entertainment medium, we must be the first to laugh at ourselves,” he said.