The Bolt Report
Encyclopedia
The Bolt Report is an Australian Sunday morning political discussion show. Broadcast by Network Ten
on Sunday mornings at 10 am and repeated at 4:30 pm, it is hosted by conservative commentator and Herald Sun
columnist Andrew Bolt
. The programme emphasises a right wing agenda and is consistently critical of the Australian Labor
Government
and the Australian Greens
. The programme premiered on 8 May 2011.
The debut was narrowly beaten by Insiders
, which received 172,000 viewers.
Bolt stated on his blog he would like to beat Insiders
. He reached this goal in his second episode, reaching 174,000 viewers, beating Insiders with 166,000.
Ratings for the show declined to 136,000 viewers for the third episode and 131,000 for the encore. This compared to 207,000 for Insiders. Insiders has defeated The Bolt Report in every subsequent week. The Bolt Report remains at the bottom of the free-to-air ratings for its timeslot.
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
on Sunday mornings at 10 am and repeated at 4:30 pm, it is hosted by conservative commentator and Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
columnist Andrew Bolt
Andrew Bolt
Andrew Bolt is an Australian newspaper columnist, radio commentator, blogger and television host. Bolt is a columnist and associate editor of the Melbourne-based Herald Sun. He has appeared on the Nine Network, Melbourne Talk Radio, ABC Television, Network Ten and local radio...
. The programme emphasises a right wing agenda and is consistently critical of the Australian Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
Government
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
and the Australian Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
. The programme premiered on 8 May 2011.
Format
The programme involves panel discussions, interviews, commentary and individual segments including:- Spin of the Week - a look at the best media spin of the week nominated by readers of his blog
- Free Speech Award - an award given to a high-profile personality who has made a controversial or criticised statement during the week. The inaguaral award went to former Prime Minister, Paul KeatingPaul KeatingPaul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
for his description of supporters of Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore as 'sandal-wearing, muesli-chewing, bike-riding pedestrians'
- Poor Taste Award - an award given to a high-profile personality for an offensive statement made during the week. The inaguaral award went to Julia GillardJulia GillardJulia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
for a describing Tony AbbottTony AbbottAnthony John "Tony" Abbott is the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives and federal leader of the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott has represented the seat of Warringah since the 1994 by-election...
as the 'love childLove child"Love child" is a euphemism for a child born out of wedlock. See Legitimacy .Love child may also refer to:In music:* Lovechild , an indie rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland...
of Sarah PalinSarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
and Donald TrumpDonald TrumpDonald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
'
- The show also features a 'programme psychologistPsychologistPsychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
', Sandy Rea, who provides a psychological perspective on news items and stories.
Guests
- Episode 1. Mark LathamMark LathamMark William Latham , an author and former Australian politician, was leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from December 2003 to January 2005....
and Michael KrogerMichael KrogerMichael Norman Kroger is a businessman and a powerbroker within the Victorian division of the Liberal Party of Australia. He was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne.-Early Life :...
. Interview with Tony AbbottTony AbbottAnthony John "Tony" Abbott is the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives and federal leader of the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott has represented the seat of Warringah since the 1994 by-election...
and refugee Riz Wakill. - Episode 2. Michael CostaMichael CostaMichael Costa is a former Australian Labor politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 2001 until 2008, and Treasurer of New South Wales from 2006 to 2008.- Early life and career :...
and Peter CostelloPeter CostelloPeter Howard Costello AC is an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the Treasurer in the Australian government from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving Treasurer in Australian history. Costello was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 to 2009, representing...
. Interview with Simon Bush from the Home Entertainment Distributors Association. - Episode 3. John Roskam from the Institute of Public AffairsInstitute of Public AffairsThe Institute of Public Affairs is a public policy think tank based in Melbourne, Australia. It advocates free market economic policies such as privatisation and deregulation of state-owned enterprises, trade liberalisation and deregulated workplaces, climate change skepticism , and the...
and Liberty Sanger from Labor law firm Maurice Blackburn. Interview with Dr Richard Walley about Indigenous Welcome to Country. Unspinning the spin with business commentator Terry McCrann.
Ratings
The series debuted with 163,000 while the encore received 123,000 viewers.The debut was narrowly beaten by Insiders
Insiders
Insiders may refer to:* Insider, a member of a group of people of limited number with access to restricted knowledge or resources* Insiders , an Australian news and politics analysis television programme...
, which received 172,000 viewers.
Bolt stated on his blog he would like to beat Insiders
Insiders
Insiders may refer to:* Insider, a member of a group of people of limited number with access to restricted knowledge or resources* Insiders , an Australian news and politics analysis television programme...
. He reached this goal in his second episode, reaching 174,000 viewers, beating Insiders with 166,000.
Ratings for the show declined to 136,000 viewers for the third episode and 131,000 for the encore. This compared to 207,000 for Insiders. Insiders has defeated The Bolt Report in every subsequent week. The Bolt Report remains at the bottom of the free-to-air ratings for its timeslot.