“It’s been an interesting couple of days,” said Thomas Woodgate, editor of Bauer Media’s TV Week, when asked how his week had been.
He was talking to Mediaweek as the fuss surrounding the Gold Logie winner has started to calm a little.
Headlines have slammed the event and the Gold Logie winner for much of the week. Neil McMahon wrote:
RIP, Gold Logie, you’ve had your moment. It’s time for bed
Others have been apathetic for a while. Annette Sharp:
I couldn’t be arsed when invited to head to the Gold Coast to cover the 2019 Logies
The TV Week editor has weathered the storm: “I’m good, I’m happy and I’m still in one piece,” said Woodgate.
Asked about the Gold Logie winner and his campaign, Woodgate said: “Tom Gleeson played to his strengths – a cutting, satirical style of comedy and it serves him well. Did he take it too far along the way? Arguably he maybe did. Not that he would say so.”
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TV Week editor Thomas Woodgate on the TV Week Logies
Woodgate noted it’s the public that vote for the award. “They have said that for this year, Tom is the most popular. I am not about to argue with what the public want.
“The opening of the show was Tom at his best. It was hilarious, it was cringe worthy in the best possible way, it was insightful, it was clever and above all it was funny. Nobody was spared and Tom was really in his element.
“What I thought about his acceptance was, that for someone who is usually pretty composed, I felt like Tom was almost in a tunnel and he didn’t know how to get himself out of it.
Two Toms: TV Week editor Thomas Woodgate with the Gold Logie bad boy
“After anyone wins a Logie, the first place they go off stage is into the TV Week media room where they do an exclusive interview and photo shoot. I was the first person to talk to Tom when he came off stage, and the obvious question was, ‘What’s going through your head right now?’
“He was shell shocked. He said when Costa won [Logie for Best Presenter] he had a few drinks because he thought his night was over.”
TV Week’s Logie Awards special on sale Monday July 8
Woodgate noted that people who win Best Presenter, often go on to also win the Gold Logie. That has happened with Carrie Bickmore, Waleed Aly and Grant Denyer.”
Woodgate asked Gleeson backstage if he thought he might have gone too far in his acceptance speech. “Of course he said, ‘No I didn’t.’ Tom had a script, a story and he was sticking to it.”
There is no doubt that Gleeson’s clever campaign tactics – that ranged from cancelling his high-ratings show to attacks on his competitors – was key to his Gold Logie win, but Woodgate said there is no proof that campaigning will always work.
“Nine ran a very aggressive campaign for Tracy Grimshaw for Gold, a very worthy nominee, but it didn’t result in a win for her.
“People say Tom Gleeson hi-jacking Grant Denyer’s campaign was the reason he won Gold – maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. There are many reasons a person can win.”
During our Mediaweek podcast Woodgate was asked if the TV Week Logies had been killed. Will they be back next year?
“The very easy answer to that is no, and yes they will be back. People have been a little bit carried away in the last few days.”
Woodgate said he was happy to have people debating the awards and the TV industry. “I want us to talk about the industry, I want it to thrive, I want it to be celebrated and I want it to be all-inclusive.
“We will be back in 2020 and looking to do better.”
Woodgate should have an interesting few weeks when, as happens every year, TV Week meets with the various broadcasters to review the awards and canvas ideas for changes for the future.
Listen: Mediaweek Podcast: Mercado & Manning on the TV Week Logies
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Top Photos: Thomas Woodgate with some of TV Week’s team on the Gold Coast