This afternoon we watched THISafternoon.

For some reason Channel 9 has felt the need to add to the never ending torrent of ridiculously ‘casual’ news programming that started with Sunrise and Today and has brought us right up to THISafternnon.

Ignoring for a moment the fact that THISafternoon is a retarded title, and that if Channel 7 had the show it’d be called Arvo we popped on the telly just in time to catch Andrew Daddo, a random blonde co-host and a newsreader be awkward around each other.

According to the internet the Blonde Woman’s name is Katrina Blowers but she looks more like a cartoon mushroom that’s come to life. She also fails at the very premise of the show: casual news. There is nothing casual about Katrina’s “reporter voice”.

I’m sure the mission statement for THISafternoon (it’s even retarded to write) is to present the news in the casual, just got home from work, enjoying a cuppa with friends, style that you might get down at your local coffee shop. If that is the case I can imagine enjoying a coffee with Katrina goes something like this:

“Hey Kat, what’s going on today?”

“Michael Jackson is still making headlines even after his death.”

“Yeah?”

“His father has released video footage of his preparation for his ill-fated world tour.”

“Yeah, but how are you feeling?”

“Sources close to family say that Michael was excited. Are you excited? Send us an email at THISafternoon@ninemsn.com.au.”

Andrew Daddo on the other hand seems to have forgotten all of his hosting skills he learnt on World’s Wackiest Commercials and didn’t seem to be able to remember reporter names, or the email address, or who the blonde girl next to him was.

Mark Ferguson jumped in with the news and it felt like we’d changed programs and were now watching a very orange afternoon news program.

There’s a reason the non casual/real news will continue to thump THISafternoon in the ratings. Why wouldn’t you watch the news straight when your only other option is to watch the extra orange news, and listen to the pissweak “banter” of two hosts who don’t appear to have actually met each other yet.