Sean Hannity
Dave Ramsey
Category: International
Derryn Hinch’s Return Tops News from
Down Under
By Trevor Smith
Australia Bureau Chief
BYRON BAY, NSW –– Further to our October article about Derryn Hinch “The Human Headline,” Derryn triumphantly returned to the airwaves on Melbourne’s 3AW on December 22 last year. Hinch’s switchboard on the first program back was packed with well wishers and supporters.
Opening with the words, “As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” Hinch told his audience, “I handled it; I didn’t get bored.” But being under house arrest was tough he said. “I was made a non-person.” Was five months punishment worth it to try and change what Hinch regards as a bad law? “My bloody oath it was. And if necessary, if an obscenely bad law does not change, I would do it again,” he said.
Hinch was unrepentant about naming pedophiles, telling listeners in his opening editorial: “In my weekly sessions with case managers from the Department of Corrections, they did their job and tried to get me to pledge that I would never do such a thing again. I pointed out, with respect, if seven High Court Judges, and other judges from the Supreme Court and Magistrates’ Court hadn’t convinced me that what I did was wrong then they didn’t have much of a show.”
He argued that the toll on the victims of pedophiles is worse than the excuses used by courts to protect their identities. “One judge talked about the ‘emotional and psychological effect on the respondent if material is published.’ What about the victims –– and future victims? What about the emotional and psychological effects on them…whenever released on parole they must be on such a short leash they could well attack again.”
Melbourne Talk Radio facing financial difficulties
By Trevor Smith
Australia Bureau Chief
BYRON BAY, NSW –– In our article in the September issue of TALKERS, we interviewed MTR’s (Melbourne Talk Radio) programme director and morning drive presenter Steve Price about his plans and direction for the fledgling Melbourne talker. However in the past couple of months things have taken a turn for the worse with JV partners Pacific Star and Maquarie Radio Network (MRN) in court haggling over the future of the station.
In the Melbourne court hearing, lawyers for Pacific Star Network alleged that Macquarie Radio Network wants the station to close immediately and applied unsuccessfully for an injunction to stop this course of action.
MRN’s lawyer said court action was unnecessary because “the applicant is premature by a long way. There is no plan to close the station,” which he said is “losing money hand over fist.”
Crossing the line
By John Brenner
CFRA, OTTAWA
Managing Editor
OTTAWA –– When a host shoots from the lip, contrition can absolve most sins. The construction of controversy is something completely different.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC), has released a decision concerning a controversial episode of the “Conventioneers” which airs on BITE TV. The program hosts interview people working at and attending conventions and trade shows. Their mission –– find the humour in what they hear and see.
The episode in question involved interviews with children. In post-production, extremely crass sexual comments were dubbed in to replace the real dialogue with the children. In the most offensive segment, one host was heard saying, “What do you want for Christmas, you little c@#t?” followed by, “You wanna stick a penis in your vagina?” In a separate segment a host told a group of children, “Sit there, don’t move or we are gonna rape your ass.” Sexual comments were also dubbed into conversations with adults.
Meet talk host Derryn Hinch
By Trevor Smith
Australia Bureau Chief
BYRON BAY, NSW –– Derryn Hinch is an extraordinary person by any measure. Known as the “Human Headline,” Derryn hosts afternoon drive on Melbourne’s number one-rated news/talk station 3AW. That is until July this year when a Melbourne magistrate sentenced him to five months home detention.
To understand this extraordinary turn of events for one of Australia’s preeminent broadcasters let’s go back to where it all began.
Canadian consolidation
By John Brenner
CFRA, OTTAWA
Managing Editor
OTTAWA –– Since I last contributed to TALKERS, media ownership in Canada has changed significantly.
The richest corporate tie-up in the country has been the recent acquisition of CTV and its CHUM Radio division, my employer, by telecommunications titan Bell Canada Enterprises, (BCE). The broadcast divisions now form a new unit called Bell Media. It’s headed by Kevin Crull whose credentials include former senior vice president and general manager of AT&T Wireless.
The takeover is among the biggest steps yet taken in Canada to integrate content and distribution. BCE now owns and operates almost three dozen radio stations and 60 conventional and specialty TV channels. Its other businesses include Bell TV (satellite and fiber optic television delivery) Bell Internet, Bell Home Phone, Bell Mobility and Dome Productions.
Talk Radio is Alive and Well Down Under
By Trevor Smith
Australia Bureau Chief
BYRON BAY, NSW –– As we head into the first quarter of a new financial year Down Under, I’d like to congratulate Michael Harrison and my TALKERS colleagues on staging an outstanding New Media Seminar in New York in June. It was interesting, informative, exciting and more than worthwhile attending. After experiencing it firsthand I can thoroughly recommend the NMS to any broadcaster in Australia who wants to continue to learn about the ever-evolving world of news/talk radio, particularly relating to its application in the social media/online world.
Just before I left for New York I encountered an article in The Australian, which was written by Mark McGrath, who is the CEO of the media buying and analysis company Maxus. In it he says, “At our media agency we believe the days of the music stations are numbered. Digital devices, mp3 players and mobile phones now make it easy for consumers to program their own formats and playlists. Talkback is one of the most powerful media formats in Australia because listeners programme the content.”
Australian TalkBack Radio
By Trevor Smith
Australia Bureau Chief
BYRON BAY, NSW –– Greetings from the Land Down Under! This new column and my participation in TALKERS operations represents the tremendously interesting developments taking place here in the talk media industry as well as our huge interest in what our esteemed American counterparts are doing. We’ll begin with a bit of an overview:
In Australia we’ve grown up on a rich diet of American pop culture while at the same time welcoming entertainment input from the “Mother Country” –– the UK –– and slowly but surely developing our own highly successful pop culture with home grown hit music, movies and television shows successfully exported to the world. Australian actors are finding great success with Oscar winners Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, Simon Baker (the star of “The Mentalist,”) Broadway and Hollywood star Hugh Jackman, Rachel Griffiths from “Brothers & Sisters” and Rachael Taylor from “Grey’s Anatomy” to name a few.
