News hires former PBL lobbyist. In an another example of life after the Nine Network, its former chief lobbyist has got a new gig at a rival media company. From Monday, Creina Chapman joins News Ltd in the new role of corporate affairs manager. She will report to the director of corporate affairs, Greg Baxter. Chapman was director of corporate affairs for Nine from 1998 to 2005, as well as a former advisor to government ministers, Philip Ruddock and Richard Alston. Chapman left PBL last year and has been a consultant. She knows a fair bit about TV media policy and this could indicate that News is getting serious about being a player in TV, either Free To Air or narrowcasting (Channel B?). In her time at PBL, Chapman dealt with its stakes in Foxtel and Premier Media Group (Fox Sports). News also has a 25% stake in Foxtel and half of Premier Media Group. — Glenn Dyer

Last night’s TV ratings
The Winners: A win to Nine, the Footy Shows and RPA Where Are They Now doing the job. Seven News was top with 1.510 million viewers, followed by the final ep of Nine’s RPA Where Are They Now with 1.391 million. Today Tonight averaged 1.326 million and Nine’s Getaway had 1.320 million. Nine News was next with 1.267 million followed by Seven’s 7.30pm program, How I Met Your Mother. A Current Affair got 1.189 million, The 7pm ABC News got 1.185 million and That ’70s Show was next at 8pm for Seven with 1.182 million. Home And Away won the 7pm battle with 1.181 million and Temptation was close behind with 1.116 million. Lost for Seven with 1.107 million and the two Law and Orders were next for Ten with 1.087 million for CSI and 1.081 million for a repeat of SVU. The Footy Shows were got 1.072 million and was the final program with a million or more viewers last night. 7pm Big Brother averaged 982,000 viewers for Ten, Seven’s final ep of The Amazing Race averaged 930,000.

The Losers: The Pirate Master on Ten at 7.30pm. Yo Ho Ho Me Hearties, only 778,000 hardy souls walked the plank for this one. Keel haul it quick! Rexy on SBS, 508,000 for a repeat. Not a loser. Bargain Hunt on Nine at 5pm, 472,000, Antiques Roadshow, 618,000. Lost is looking a little frayed.

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Sydney, which is the first Monday to Friday that Nine has won for some weeks. Today Tonight won everywhere bar Brisbane. The Ten News At Five averaged 881,000 people, the Late News/Sports Tonight, 485,000. The 7.30 Report, 939,000, Lateline, 236,000, Lateline Business, 154,000. World News Australia on SBS, 201,000 at 6.30 pm, 173,000 at 9.30. 7am Sunrise down to 363,000, 7am Today up to 274,000. The gap was the narrowest since Lisa Wilkinson started. 9am Morning Show on Seven, 204,000, Kerri-Anne on Nine at 9 am, 125,000, 9am with David and Kim on Ten, 97,000. The three programs are settling down.

The Stats: Nine won with a share of 29.8% (30.3%) from Seven with 27.8% (28.3%), Ten was third with 21.4% (21.9%), the ABC with 15.6% (14.5) and SBS was on 5.5% (5.0%). Nine won Sydney (by 0.1%), Melbourne easily, lost Brisbane to Seven, won Adelaide and lost Perth narrowly to Seven. Seven leads the week 29.4% to 27.3%. In regional areas WIN/NBN won for Nine with 30.5% from Prime/7Qld with 28.6%, South Cross (Ten) with 21.0%, the ABC with 13.7% and SBS on 6.1%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Wasn’t The Doc great last night? I haven’t been a fan for a while, and I don’t know if I will visit again tomorrow night (Australia is playing the All Blacks in Thugby on Seven at 7.30pm, after all) but the Christmas special last night was entertaining and good TV. 846,000 viewers agreed with me. And it was Catherine Tate, not Veronica Tate (no rides on the Tardis for me for the that stuff up). A suitably horrible alien bad person, a surprise co-conspirator, a black character (Pom TV is very politically correct at the moment. Just look at Robin Hood), although I note tomorrow night that the Doc scores a black female assistant. But it was one of the best bits of TV this year for me. It’s a pity Ms Tate couldn’t be in the series full time but she is a star in her own right. And, OK, I know that I didn’t like the Catherine Tate show much on the ABC, but she was pretty good last night, so I am revising my opinion. Perhaps she’s a better actor than comedian? Tonight it’s the usual AFL vs NRL, with Seven News, Today Tonight and Better Homes and Gardens thrown in. The ABC is still undermanned on Crime night Fridays. Taggart needs subtitles for both the dialogue and the storylines. If you don’t like football there’s not much on tonight. And its the same tomorrow night. Seven has the Rugby Test, Ten has AFL in some markets and repeats in others. Nine has a Harry Potter movie. The ABC has Dr Who, the boring Bill and a repeat of New Tricks. Slightly more choice than tonight, but not much. And then its Sunday all over again.