You may recall that back in August I had a dream about a film crew visiting me to film some green mesh. This dream occurred a short time before a real film crew were supposed to arrive and film part of a documentary at my house. The documentary in question is about talkback radio, and in particular the people who ring talkback radio.
Yesterday I had an opportunity to catch up with the producer of the documentary, the ACRA award winning, 2CC Drive Show producer, Michael Thompson (not the one in the Woolworths ads). The part of the documentary which was being filmed over a series of weekends in August was the interviews of various talkback radio callers, it has been slow going since then as it is (or so it would appear to me at least) a part-time project. There have been other things to film, there has been plenty of footage to edit, and many other things have needed to be done.
It’s a silly thing to say, but the documentary is getting closer to completion every day, or in other words, it will be done when it is done. The grand plan is for the documentary to be screened on free-to-air television and I will keep you updated on that.
I’m not sure when the documentary will be completed, but based on what I have been told over the last few months, it will be done sometime in the next few months. I’m quite happy to wait, as I’m sure it will be worth the wait.
Incidentally, Michael Thompson has been the producer of the drive show for over a year now and I still haven’t officially welcomed him. Michael, welcome. Michael graduated from Charles Sturt University’s Journalism course last year and is doing a great job as the producer of the drive show.
Michael will be on leave after today, so I would strongly encourage anybody who listens to the 2CC Drive Show to ring 62554444 this afternoon and wish him a merry Christmas…and while you’re there, wait on the line and do the same for the presenter, Mike Welsh.
Yes, the man for whom most things are “blooming marvellous”, ABC “Gardening Australia” host Peter Cundall is retiring after 40 years on the air.
Peter has been broadcasting gardening programs on ABC television and radio each week since 1969, and has been presenting Gardening Australia for the past 17 years, and it is no longer just our “blooming lot for the week”.
It really has been quite a year for retirements.
Enjoy your retirement Peter, may your garden bloom.
I’ve suspected it for a while because, quite frankly, who else could 2UE offer the morning show to if they wanted a serious and “hard hitting” newstalk program. According to The Daily Telegraph, Steve Price will be taking over the 9am to midday slot next year.
The Daily Telegraph also confirms my fears, namely that Tim Webster will be taking over the afternoon show, and John Stanley will move to Drive, effectively removing John Stanley from the airwaves in Canberra. I’m very happy that Steve Price will be a permanent fixture of the Canberra airwaves, but I will miss John Stanley.
I like Tim Webster, but I do have to wonder if his arrival on the afternoon show will herald the end of the mostly fun and frivolous format of John Stanley’s afternoon show, and its replacement with a more serious news based show.
These are big changes, and will be interesting to see how the hosts perform in their new shows.
There was an interesting four-page article about Ian McNamara in The Weekend Australian Magazine last week titled “Macca All Over”. Many would know Ian by his nickname, Macca, the host of ABC Local Radio’s Sunday morning program “Australia All Over”.
I didn’t spot the article on the weekend but it did come to my attention earlier this week on The Australian’s website. It’s lengthy, but it’s worth a read and is probably one of the best feature articles in a newspaper this year.
Ian McNamara is one of the few people I can listen to for any length of time on the ABC…I think this quote from former ABC boss David Hill probably explains the key difference between Macca and most other ABC radio presenters quite well:
Generally speaking he’s got extraordinary popularity and extraordinary reach but Macca is philosophically old Australian conservative, old working-class conservatism. Philosophically, I don’t agree with a lot of what he says, it just rubs me up the wrong way – not progressive, uncomfortable with change.
He’s a real traditionalist. And he breaks all the rules (of radio). Traditional professional radio management have always found Macca exasperating. He mumbles, ‘Now, I’ve got this letter from Bill somebody.’ Rustle, rustle on air. ‘Oh here it is – oh that’s not it.’ Most people in a program like that would have a strict rundown but he’s all over the place.”
It’s not just the fact that I find some of the more “progressive” presenters on the ABC utterly infuriating and I find Macca much easier to listen to, but it is that “unprofessional” element of his program…it’s not a strict schedule, things don’t quite go to plan and he plays with that. It’s just a down-to-earth Sunday morning chat program. I think many of the best radio presenters are the ones who don’t expect everything to go perfectly, and aren’t afraid to have fun with things going wrong.
I disagree with him on various issues, I find his bird call music annoying and some of his callers to be bordering on the stultifyingly boring, but I like him, and in general I like his program. It is almost the only thing that I can listen to on 666 ABC Canberra without trying to pull my hair out. That being said I am probably more likely to listen to 2CC on most Sunday mornings, but every few weeks I spend a couple hours listening to Macca. He is, to summarise, a good change of pace.
Anyway, the article is most interesting and I encourage you to read it. Even if you’re not interested in Ian McNamara, it’s one of the best bits of journalism you will see this year, and for that reason alone it is worth reading. I congratulate Mark Whitaker for writing such a wonderful article.
For at least the last ten years Bunnings Warehouse have been using the same theme music, and now they have changed it. I noticed it twice on television last night and have heard it once on the radio today. It’s the same basic tune, but (and this won’t sound very technical) it sounds a bit like they’ve taken the tape and boiled it.
They haven’t updated the ads on their website yet so you can still hear the old music at http://bunnings.com.au/aboutus/100/Who_We_Are.aspx (Update: New ads with new music now on that link). I’ll update this with the new and old music shortly. (I should have recorded the 2CC gardening show before the final “Best of Laws” on the 2nd of December as it is sponsored by Bunnings and there are a couple extended commercials each morning produced either by 2CC Production or Bunnings, these commercials use extended versions of the Bunnings Music…maybe they will get another run this weekend.
Did I hear that correctly? The traffic report during 2CC’s 4:30 news ended with “Canberra’s traffic leader, 1206 2CC”.
They say that nothing is new in radio, and in this case they would be correct, because that’s the 2GB line. “Sydney’s traffic leader, 2GB 873”.
I’m the first to admit that I don’t know a huge amount about the way the Australian Traffic Network provide reports to stations, but after hearing that I have to wonder if they have a bunch of standard outcues and let stations choose. This one obviously is “(location)’s traffic leader, (station name and frequency)”.
I’ll keep an ear out for the next traffic report and see what happens.
Update 4:47pm: Looks like it was just a bit of ad-libbing from Ash Keenan (I’m guessing the spelling…care to correct me Ash? Oh, and a belated welcome to Capital Radio) as we’re back to the regular outcue now. I enjoy Ash’s ad-libbing, Canberra’s traffic isn’t always particular interesting but Ash seems to be able to find a way to keep it interesting. End Update
I was rather surprised tonight to see Nine News using Google Earth to provide a map. I suppose there is nothing wrong with it as they would be paying royalties etc, but it certainly makes a change from the usual in-house maps that news bulletins tend to use.
The Google Earth image started with an overview of Australia, and then rotated to show New Zealand roughly in the bottom centre of the frame. Nine then superimposed their own location labels and an oval shaped blur with Missing Yacht”scrawled across it. Apart from the Google logo and the map copyright message, there were no Google Earth symbols or labels in sight.
When it comes down to it, this is a very efficient way of producing custom maps for broadcast as it will even produce the “pan from broadcast location” effect for you, which makes it much easier to put the location in perspective. It would probably be quicker than creating custom maps too, saving valuable production time for items other than graphics.
On the whole I think this is a great idea, and I look forward to seeing more stations adopt the Google Earth imagery.
I do have one unrelated thing to say to Nine News though. Asking for my thoughts on Sydney taxi drivers was a bad idea…I’m sure that there are plenty of good ones, but if I have one more taxi driver in Sydney who refuses to wear a seatbelt or has difficulty understanding basic mathematics (400 is an even number and is higher than 200 so we should keep going and not stop in a panic because you don’t know where you are going) then I will scream.
John Laws wrote an article in today’s The Daily Telegraph. Here it is.
John Laws signs off
By John Laws
November 30, 2007 12:00am
THIS is a very difficult time – and to put pen to paper is somewhat like writing one’s own obituary.
With the exception of my wife and family, the most important thing in my life is about to come to an end.
It was a difficult decision to make, and it may well have been unwise.
It certainly wouldn’t be the first, and more than likely won’t be the last unwise thing I will do in my life.
I have always endeavoured to be fair and, to my knowledge, I have never gone out of my way to deliberately hurt anyone.
I can only trust I have succeeded.
I have been hurt, many times, because of my own stupidity; many times because I felt I was being dealt with unfairly.
I have often said, admittedly in semi-jest, that the 11th Commandment in Australia is “Thou shalt not excel”.
If there’s a country in the world in which you can excel, it is Australia, and if you do, and according to many I have, be aware that excellence comes with a price, as does honesty.
But, no matter what the price, it’s worth paying.
I have watched the formation and development of communications in Australia. I have seen communications improve, and I have seen them decline with gutter journalism, and lower than gutter broadcasting, but I am proud to have been part of an industry where excellence has been predominant.
We have some of the most capable journalists in the world in this country and we enjoy to a large extent freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It’s rarely abused, unlike in many other countries.
It is a comforting feeling, but not one of complacency, to have made people happy and to have been relevant in the lives of so many.
It is also, in a convoluted way, a comforting feeling to have angered people, to have incited them to think differently about a topic.
There have been many who have strongly objected to the way in which I have incited people. I have had death threats – plenty.
I have had people want to jail me – plenty – from the highest criminal court judges to twisted, malicious, small-minded individuals fighting their own minds for their place in the world. But their wrath, their anger, their vitriol, has simply powered the adrenalin into what could have been a very lazy mind.
I can’t say I love all my listeners – I don’t know all my listeners.
Nor can I assume that all my listeners love me. Many have listened despite the fact that it is me.
I can say that those who have communicated with me since I announced my retirement have shown what I know to be a genuine affection.
In some cases theirs is a love which has left me astounded but very happy.
If I have been able to give you even a small percentage of the happiness that you have given me, then it will all have been worth it.
What will I do without you?
I have spent almost 55 years walking a tightrope with no safety net.
It’s hard to believe, but after all these years John Laws has switched off the golden microphone, hung up the golden headphones, and set off for his retirement with his wife Caroline.
I can’t think of any more fitting way to say goodbye to Lawsie, than by running the Musician Of The Week award early. Roger Miller, and the feature song is the one Lawsie has signed off with for years and years and years.
Goodbye and good luck John, I can’t say much more than to say that if I spend much longer writing this, the keyboard will short circuit because of the amount of liquid falling in to it right now. Goodbye John, and good luck.
[audio:https://samuelgordonstewart.com/wp-content/LessOfMeRogerMiller.mp3] Download link
Let me be a little kinder
Let me be a little blinder
To the faults of those about me
Let me praise a little more
Let me be when I am weary
Just a little bit more cheery
Think a little more of others
And a little less of me
Let me be a little braver
When temptation bids me waver
Let me try a little harder
To be all that I should be
Let me be a little meeker
With the brother that is weaker
Let me think more of my neighbour
And a little less of me
Let me be when I am weary
Just a little bit more cheery
Let me serve a little better
Those that I am striving for
Let me be a little meeker
With the brother that is weaker
Think a little more of others
And a little less of me
I just watched Seven’s cross to the 2UE studios, and it looks like 2UE have provided a camera in a particular spot for the live crosses, and another camera with audio for studio vision…both Seven and Ten have crossed from the same spot with the same slightly fuzzy vision, and, along with Sky News, had the exact same crystal clear footage of Lawsie in the studio.
It was good to see Ann sanders is still presenting news for Seven, I always liked the news she presented alongside Ross Symonds.
2UE are now running a special tribute to Lawsie…only twelve minutes of the king to go.
I decided to switch on Ten News (as the first morning news bulletin of the day) to see what coverage they would have of Lawsie’s final day on the air. They did a live cross to the 2UE studios, and I thought it was very fitting that the Ten reporter at 2UE was none other than ex-2UE reporter Daniel Sutton.
I’m not sure whether to check Nine or Seven News at 11:30…as I intend on capturing Nine News tonight, I’ll check Seven News in a couple minutes.
Due to the sheer number of people trying to access the 2UE/4BC etc website MyTalk, it appears to have crashed under the load.
The MyTalk administrators have temporarily taken down the full version of the website and replaced it with a rather simple list of links to the webstreams. Unfortunately due to the load video streaming is not available, but the audio stream is.
I’m sure it will be all over the television news tonight, but the first few minutes of the show were broadcast live on Sky News, and News Limited have put a copy up on their website. Click here to see the first few minutes of John Laws’ final show.
As I write this an era is just about to begin to end, as John Laws’ final broadcast of his 54 year career begins on 2UE, 2CC and about 70 other stations across the nation.
2UE and 4BC will be streaming his final show, and with daylight saving it wouldn’t surprise me if 4BC have it on a delay on an hour.
It is hard for me to believe that today will be the final time that I’ll hear El Presidente and “Hello World” at 9:05am, and have the day punctuated at Midday by “be kind to each other” and Roger Miller singing “Less Of Me”. Admittedly Lawsie has gone on holidays before and I haven’t had these events in my life, but he has always come back. Knowing that it will never happen again is going to be very strange indeed.
I will be listening to every second of the John Laws show this morning. It, as I said, is the end of an era, and I do not intend on missing any of it.
Anyway, John Williamson produced the following song as a tribute to John Laws a few weeks ago. John Williamson, amongst others, has produced many jingles for Lawsie over the years, but this one is especially for his retirement, and whilst the title is not clear, I think it is fair to say that it is “You’ve Pulled The Plug At Last”.
[audio:https://samuelgordonstewart.com/wp-content/JohnWilliamsonYouvePulledThePlugAtLast.mp3] Download Link
I will get the results of the weekly poll online shortly.
Tonight I will providing half hourly or thereabouts updated on the election, and in particular, the results of Fraser, Canberra, Eden Monaro and Hume, and the overall result in the House of Representatives. I will also be providing updates on the ACT senate election.
I have decided not to rely on the commentary of the ABC, Nine or Seven, and instead will probably have Nine’s coverage muted, and be listening to 2CC all night. 2CC will be using 2UE’s coverage which will be anchored by people I can actually put up with for an entire night, namely Steve Price and John Stanley in the national tally room, and Stuart Bocking in the Sydney studio.
Naturally they will be joined by various political figures, and will have reporters in key locations.
2CC will be running their own half-hourly local updates from the tally room. From what I can gather, they will have their full contingent on news and current affairs staff on hand and in various locations to cover the local seats.
I believe that this coverage will be far better than any other broadcast coverage.
Legendary Australian horse race caller Bryan Martin is retiring. Tomorrow’s meeting at Sandown will be the final race meeting he will call in a career which has spanned 36 years.
Bryan Martin has been a prominent voice in the racing industry, and in many cases has been the voice of the racing industry, and will arguably be most remembered for his call of the 2006 Cox Plate where he called Fields Of Omagh, a horse he part owns, to victory.
I don’t know an awful lot about Bryan Martin, except for the fact that just about every time I have taken any notice of horse racing, his voice has been there. For me at least, Bryan Martin is synonymous with horse racing. However, as I don’t know much about him, I will defer to the good people at racingandsports.com.au and their article on Mr. Martin’s retirement.
Bryan’s close call to the end…
Wednesday, 14 November 2007: Australia’s number one race caller Bryan Martin will hang up the binoculars this Saturday 17th November at Sandown, after a stellar 36 years in broadcasting. Loved by both television viewers and radio listeners alike, Martin is best known for calling his own horse, Fields of Omagh, to win two Cox Plates.
Beginning his unofficial career by calling plastic horses on string on the family kitchen table, Martin quickly developed a love for the sport of racing and a passion for broadcasting – “I started my career as the mail boy at 3AW in 1966, anything to be involved in the profession!”. From there he moved to 5DN in Adelaide, back to Melbourne at 3UZ, 3DB, Sport 927 and finally switching mediums to head up the charge at Racing’s own station – TVN.
Taking Australian Racing to an International level, Martin has called in many countries around the world including Dubai, Hong Kong, New Guinea, Canada New Zealand and every state of Australia. But his most memorable international call was of the 1990 Japan Cup, where he was broadcast to every English speaking nation in the world, only to call Australian favourite Better Loosen Up across the line “Before a crowd of 187,000 fans, it was like calling at the Olympic Games of Racing”.
His thrill at calling horses he loved was taken to a new level, when in 2003 he called his horse Fields of Omagh to win the W.S Cox Plate, for television, radio and on course. His dream was to be repeated in the 2006 Cox Plate, when Bryan called FOO in the horse’s last race before retirement “I knew deep down he could do it, and though it was close to call, I just knew in my heart he had got there”. While the champagne flowed, so did the accolades for a most professional race call against the toughest of odds.
Recognised by not only the public as brilliant in his field, Martin was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for Services to the Horse Racing Industry, twice awarded the “Bert Wolfe” Award for Media Excellence, and has been an Australia Day Ambassador for five years in a row. Most recently, Martin was awarded the Kingston Town Award by Moonee Valley Race Club for Services to the Cox Plate.
While ever present in the racing media, Martin has worked behind the scenes with his passion for the sport driving him to set up many racing programmes. He was a critical part of establishing the Australian Racing Hall of Fame which he has chaired for the last five years, Champions – the Racing Museum, and Living Legends – a rest home for retired Australian and International racehorses, and home of Fields of Omagh. When Bryan calls Correct Weight for the last time this Saturday at Sandown, it will be with a twinkle in his eye “Maybe I’ll join Fields of Omagh and the other retired racing champions at Living Legends!”
For the record, Bryan is photographed with his wife Jill in the second photo.
Legendary Australian horse race caller Bryan Martin is retiring. Tomorrow’s meeting at Sandown will be the final race meeting he will call in a career which has spanned 36 years.
Beginning his unofficial career by calling plastic horses on string on the family kitchen table, Martin quickly developed a love for the sport of racing and a passion for broadcasting – “I started my career as the mail boy at 3AW in 1966, anything to be involved in the profession!”. From there he moved to 5DN in Adelaide, back to Melbourne at 3UZ, 3DB, Sport 927 and finally switching mediums to head up the charge at Racing’s own station – TVN.