Stop press — Cat looks through fishbowl: A slow news day at news.com.au? Take a look at the caption running underneath this delightful picture of a cat:  

Coals to Kerry: The 7.30 Report transcript of last night’s superb Paul Keating interview with Kerry O’Brien includes this:

“The last big idea in the world was really Mitron and Coal (phonetic) talking about a united Europe with a single currency and a constitution, you know. Since that, what?”

That would be Kohl we’re guessing. As in pencil. Surely Aunty can do better than that on a big transcript that will be read around the world?

Age should credit its trainspotter: The Age business section carries an opinion piece today defending Victoria’s rather chequered history of public transport privatisation. It’s written by the IPA’s Richard Allsop. Who should know. Richard was an advisor to Kennett transport minister Allan Brown, the man who sold the state’s railways, buses and trams. A disclosure wouldn’t have hurt?

The Winners: 13 programs with a million or more viewers. Sea Patrol on Nine at 8.30pm averaged 1.477 million, Getaway was again strong with its Australia special and 1.409 million viewers, Seven news had 1.397 million and Home And Away was 4th at 7pm with 1.369 million. Today Tonight was 5th with 1.336 million and Nine News was 7th with 1.185 million. Seven returned Ghost Whisperer to 7.30pm where it averaged 1.177 million for 8th. Temptation was next for Nine at 7pm with 1.122 million, the 7pm ABC News averaged 1.102 million, The Footy Show averaged 1.071 million, Seven’s new 8.30 program Fight For Life averaged 1.030 million and the Law And Order CI repeat at 8.30pm was Ten’s most watched program with 1.002 million. It was also the last of the million audience programs last night. The fresh Law And Order ep averaged 912,000 at 9.30pm. The AFL Footy show averaged 431,000 people in Melbourne last night and that pushed Nine to a big win there and helped nationally.

The Losers: Losers? Seven’s 9.30pm show. The Time Of Your Life , 665,000. Story idea OK but wouldn’t appeal to The Footy Show audience. (Just image, you’ve been in a coma for a dozen years and you wake up on a Thursday night and the first thing you see if the NRL Footy Show on Nine. It would be enough to go back to sleep). Inspector Rex is getting tired at 7.30pm on SBS: just 343,000. The ABC flogging the royal horse again at 8.30pm: 837,000 viewers is OK but the premise of the program?

News & CA: Seven News again won nationally and in every market but Melbourne and it was a similar story for Today Tonight . Nine’s Nightline averaged 214,000. The Ten News At Five averaged 794,000, the Late News / Sports Tonight , 385,000. The 7.30 Report , 921,000, Lateline , 262,000, Lateline Business , 178,000. World News Australia (without the protagonists Stan Grant and Runaway Mary), 196,000 at 6.30pm (Not even missed) and 149,000 at 9.30pm. 7am Sunrise back over 400,000 viewers with 419,000; 7am Today , 275,000.

The Stats: Nine won with a share of 32.9% (31.9% last week) from Seven with 26.7% (25.6%), Ten was third with 20.6% (21.8%), the ABC was on 15.5% (15.2%), and SBS was on 5.1% (5.5%). Nine won everywhere bar Perth where Seven won. Seven leads the week, 28.3% to 26.8%. In regional areas a win to Nine through WIN/NBN with 32.6%, from Prime/7Qld with 26.0%, Southern Cross with 22.9%, the ABC with 12.6% and SBS with 6.0%.

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Is Sea Patrol starting to list? Just as Seven’s Thursday night hit Lost started strongly and lasted that way for over a season before shedding viewers, Nine’s drama is showing some worrying signs. But unlike Lost these signs have shown up quickly. The program started with 1.998 million viewers: last night the average was 1.477 million for an episode that held some promise but was once again ruined by inadequate scriptwriting. The audience loss is now up around 25%, at this rate it could be down to around 1.3 to 1.35 million by the time it ends, which isn’t the best of platforms to build a second series on. Tonight its the AFL vs. the NRL, the kick and giggle to win, helped by better Homes and Gardens . Tomorrow night, it’s even stevens. The Swans are playing the wobbles (Collingwood), the athletics titles from Japan are on SBS and there’s movies on Seven and Nine. Sunday night its K&K, Midsomer Murders on the ABC and Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton on Nine, with Idol on Ten.