What can I say…I have been incredibly fortunate this year. Receiving Stan Zemanek’s book early, having the immense pleasure of chatting with Steve Liebmann yesterday afternoon, having the chance to write ten blog posts in one day (including this one) that were all useful to some extent and being surrounded by some fantastic and wonderful people.
The one other thing that I would really like to see for Christmas is some more (light) rain. We had some tonight, and the Bureau Of Meteorology are predicting the likelihood of drizzle tomorrow at 30%.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a fantastic, fulfilling and joyous Christmas day. Whether or not you celebrate Christmas for Christian reasons is irrelevant in my mind as the meaning of the day is the same, and it is a day that draws people together and spreads joy. Hopefully this will be something which happens for you.
Somebody is going to accuse me of jumping on my hobby horses here, but if, for whatever reason, you aren’t feeling joyous for one reason or another. Please don’t let it get to you, there are plenty of people who would love to help spread their joy to you and make your day a good one. Lifeline (phone 13 11 14 in the ACT) and the similar services would love to help you…many charities will be putting on special lunches to gather large groups of people together for a celebration and I’m sure they’d love to have you…and talkback radio will be “on the boil” all day, with hosts who would love to have a chat with you and keep you connected with others via the wireless.
It’s been a while since I published one of my news bulletins for Australian Independent Radio News on here, and whilst I could easily pick one from Saturday I would much rather do something different, and instead publish a report I filed a few hours ago instead. It’s not an overly important story on a national basis, but with tomorrow being Christmas and hopefully a slow news day, there is a chance it will get a run.
Suggested intro: For the second time in just over a month Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin is closed due to health concerns. Samuel Gordon has more.
[audio:https://samuelgordonstewart.com/wp-content/samuelairnewsdecember2007.mp3] Download Link
Incidentally, this audio is not for reproduction without the express written permission of either Samuel Gordon-Stewart or Australian Independent Radio News.
I don’t know how they managed it or why nobody has bothered to fix it, but the 2UE feed from Carols By Candlelight has been mangled quite badly this year. Everything was fine until “Ding Dong Merrily On High” when the house microphones were turned up and the main microphones seemingly turned down so that the audience participation could be heard. For some reason the arrangement has not changed since…the orchestra is clear, the choir is almost clear, and the audience is very clear…unfortunately the main program audio is an echo.
I was away from a television for most of the night so I didn’t know if this was being replicated on the Nine feed…I got home a short time ago and Nine’s feed is as clear as a bell. I do, therefore, have to wonder why 2UE did not switch over to taking audio straight from Nine’s digital television broadcast.
Normally the 2UE feed of Carols is an excellent way to enjoy the program, sadly this year is not one of them. It’s a real pity.
Good News: It’s not quite an update because I hadn’t actually published this post…but just as I was going to, somebody fixed it. Two hours after the chaos started, it’s fixed. Thank you to whoever fixed it (was it you Leigh?), I can finally listen to it without the television and know I’m actually getting the full quality of the program. Carols By Candlelight on the radio…it’s Christmas for me now!
Well that’s a pleasant surprise. Steve Liebmann on 2CC’s Drive show via 2UE.
Looks like much like last year we won’t have a local drive show for a week or so, but if we have Steve Liebmann then I think it’s worth it…we’ve got local Breakfast and news anyway, so a couple good weeks of Steve Liebmann is a very nice Christmas present from 2CC’s program director Duncan McCrea (last time I checked anyway).
Welcome to weekdays, it's nice to hear you during the week.
I don't really take much notice of the Queen's message, I certainly wouldn't sit down to watch it, but I'll certainly check to say that she has said the usual things which is a bit of a fait acompli. She says pretty much the same thing every year, so unless she broadcasts her bank account details or launches a scathing attack on Prince Charles I don't think many people will take all that much notice.
The only thing I really remember about the various messages from Queen Elizabeth the second over the years is when her baton was late for the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the opening ceremony wasn't able to continue until it arrived. That being said, she is a lovely lady and I do agree with you that her message is one of those "stabilisers" for this crazy world in which we live.
By the way, Congratulations to Lil on getting her Driver's Licence back. That's great news, and thanks to both you and A Current Affair's Ben Fordham for helping her out.
Merry Christmas to you and all the listeners…and is that Dave I can hear counting in the program? If so, Merry Christmas Dave, it's good to hear your voice occasionally under the ads…or announcing “this will be a two minute break” straight after the news theme and weather intro which started the 12:57 ad break!
About this poor child that died after being accidentally left in a car in Perth…I have to wonder how it is possible to accidentally forget that you have left a living human being in a motor vehicle, especially a two year old.
I can't imagine how it is possible to get out of a car and leave a two year old in it, and then drive away in a different car for an hour. To me this is just beyond comprehension.
I hope this really was an accident and the parents did just forget, because as horrible as that is, the other possibility is stomach churning.
Also I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family of Isaraelu Pele. It seems to me like a case of shared blame, doctors not picking up on the symptoms, and the administrators for making the medical staff work longer and harder than they should have to. The decisions of these dedicated professionals directly affect whether people live or die…we have limits on how many hours professional drivers and pilots can work, why is it that the powers-that-be expect medical staff to work so much longer and harder than the rest of us.
As for the politicians who wouldn't even talk to the media yesterday and left it to the administrators to explain, "spineless" is about the only word for it. And the stupid statement by the administrator that "if we ran this test on every child that had symptoms of meningitis then we would be running the tests all day every day", well if we are having children turning up at hospitals vomiting blood all the time, doesn't this indicate a more serious medical problem in the wider community that deserves more action that stupid statements?
I'm sorry Tim, don't mind me, I know this email is too long for you to read in its entirety on-air, these two stories have managed to get under my skin and it is hard to stop writing.
Anyway I would like to wish you, your staff and all the listeners a fantastic Christmas and new year.
A week or so ago I mentioned that Steve Price will be taking over the morning show, previously hosted by John Laws, next year. A date has now been confirmed for Pricey’s first day on the New South Wales morning show, and that is Monday January 14. This, interestingly, is one day after his 53rd birthday.
At the beginning of November I pondered a question about how long it would be until the new owners (Fairfax) stamped their authority on the news and rebranded it. It finally happened about a week ago. The “2UE Southern Cross Network News” intro is gone, replaced (oddly) by the return of Ken Sparkes to 2UE voice overs (Ken’s voiceovers stopped on January 14). The voiceover is now “2UE 954 News” which, if I’m not mistaken, is one of the old intros. Perhaps it is too close to Christmas to replace the voiceover with a new one?
The story outcue has also changed. It was “(name), Southern Cross Network News, (location)” and is now “(name), Fairfax News Network, (location)”. I’m not sure that I understand why they swapped the order of the words “news” and “network”…but so be it.
John Kerr is filling in for George and Paul on the weekend morning show for the next few weeks. He did so on the weekend that just passed as well.
As I understand it, the Christmas day and surrounds lineup is as follows:
Christmas Eve
9pm: Carols By Candlelight simulcast
Christmas Day
Midnight to 6am: Clinton Maynard
6am to Midday: John Kerr
Midday to 6pm: Glenn Wheeler
6pm to Midnight: Clive Robertson
Boxing Day:
Midnight to (5:30 or 6am?): Clinton Maynard
Update: Err, oops. Ian McRae is supposed to have one of those middawn shifts and I can’t remember which one. I’m going to take a stab and guess Christmas…I should have written it down. Oh well. End Update
Further Update: Looks like Ian McRae will have boxing day, because Clinton Maynard has Christmas middawn based on the show I’m hearing on Christmas morning as I write this update. End Update
As for how much of that 2CC will broadcast…I suspect all of it except for part of John Kerr’s show (or all of if we repeat the 2005 morning performance).
Incidentally, I recall that in 2004 Stuart Bocking hosted a show on Christmas day, and he got a permanent shift a short time thereafter…perhaps this is a good omen for Clinton Maynard.
The 27th and 28th of December are interesting dates for some 2CC and 2UE staff for various reasons. More on that on the specific days. The 11th of January is also an interesting day in Canberra, details either later this week or early next week.
There are a few people who I doubt I will be able to get in contact with at 2UE between now and the end of Christmas day, so to Kate, Ally, Heidi and Abe, Merry Christmas.
Also Merry Christmas to Michael from 2CC’s production department. I’m not entirely sure how you missed out on a Christmas card, it’s probably a bit late for me to deliver one now, so I hope this will do.
It’s amazing how much news you can find lurking in radio stations when you take a look.
You may have noticed that I didn’t run a Musician(s) Of The Week award last week or yesterday. I did this so that I could save them up for today and tomorrow.
Today’s award goes to Chris Rea, the feature song is one which annoyed me to the point of switching it off when I first heard it, but has grown on me since, and I now think it is a great song. It’s “Driving Home For Christmas”.
I’m drivin’ home for Christmas
Oh, I can’t wait to see those faces
I’m drivin’ home for Christmas, yea
Well I’m movin’ down that line
And it’s been so long
But I will be there
I sing this song
To pass the time away
Drivin’ in my car
Drivin’ home for Christmas
It’s gonna take some time
But I’ll get there
Top to toe in tailbacks
Oh, I got red lights all around
But soon there’ll be a freeway, yea
Get my feet on holy ground
So I sing for you
Though you can’t hear me
When I get through
And feel you near me
(Drivin’ in my car)
I’m drivin’ home for Christmas
Drivin’ home for Christmas
With a thousand memories
I take look at the driver next to me
He’s just the same
Just the same
Top to toe in tailbacks
Oh, I got red lights all around
I’m driving home for Christmas, yea
Get my feet on holy ground
So I sing for you
Though you can’t hear me
When I get through
Oh and feel you near me
Drivin’ in my car
Drivin’ home for Christmas
Drivin’ home for Christmas
With a thousand memories
I take look at the driver next to me
He’s just the same
He’s drivin’ home
Drivin’ home
Drivin’ home for Christmas
Drivin’ home for Christmas
I don’t like to criticise the police because I am generally very supportive of their efforts. I think they do a fantastic job and deserve to be commended for their work, but this morning I find myself compelled to express a minor gripe.
A message for Senior Constable Sasha (something which sounded like “Lidcombe”) from the Media Unit of the New South Wales Police, who presented a report for Clive Robertson on 2UE this morning. “Actually” and “of course”, whilst useful additions to sentences, become very annoying when added to almost every sentence. “Alleged” is understandable as you are forced to use that for anybody who has not yet had their innocence or guilt proven by a court of law, but “actually” and “of course” are rarely useful additions to a sentence. They add a bit of colour to some sentences, but are highly annoying when used in every second sentence for no apparent reason.
Apart from that Senior Constable Sasha (something which sounded like “Lidcombe”), I think you are doing a great job. You read the stories well and you interact with the program host in a friendly and professional manner. Hopefully if you read this, you will take this feedback in the constructive manner in which it is intended.
Merry Christmas Senior Constable, may your Christmas and the Christmas of every police officer in the country be safe and uneventful.
Well that’s a pleasant surprise. 