Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Journalism... seriously?

May I draw your attention to an Online Opinion article written by Eric Beecher: Dumbing Down the Media. It was emailed to me today. Eric talks about the decline in journalistic quality and the factors to its demise.

While I agree with most of the article, I don't share his view that the media has 'dumbed down' its audience to the extent that quality media 'cannot attract a broad constituency without large dollops of celebrity gossip and soft lifestyle coverage'. I think this a general statement, and is probably indiciative of the majority of Australians, but I don't think that this is 'driving away the micro audience that craves quality journalism'. Rather, this 'micro-audience' is driving integral papers like The Australian. I imagine the demographic consists of uni students, corporate executives and journalists, who are savvy with the media and have the ability to see through and sift through soft, tabloid headlines and news stories. These are the people who crave facts, not fluff. That audience will never diminish.

As for the other arguments in the article, I largely agree. And I maintain the ideas expressed by Julianne Schultz that for the shortcomings of the Australian news-media industry to be resolved, the catalyst will be journalists. It won't come from the editors, executives, producers, or people in the higher eschelons, not from the media owners--as closely concentrated and incest as they may be--but from the people who write the bloody stuff. Write what they're teaching us to write at uni, investigate articles and if you report one fact, report all facts. Let the suck-up journalists write heavily agendered articles in order to please the editors and publishers--they'll run out of steem and soon fade away.

I understand this is a highly idealised notion, but I believe that all great actions must start with an idea (as a very perceptive Frenchman once said to me), and this is an idea that, if crystalised, will revolutionise news media and save the grace and honesty of journalism.

Friday, October 21, 2005

Uninteresting Title; Interesting article...


I encourage you to read this article, by Erica Iacono, on the Public Relations Week website. I found it through a link in Jozef Imrich's excellent blog, Media Dragon.

The article outlines 10 media trends which are occurinng within modern media industries. It outlines portable video content, blogs, the rise of celebrity news, media transparency, growth of Hispanic media, problems for newspaper industries, digital print media, news consolidation and convergence, the effects of abundant news, and the integrity of media measurement and ratings.

I love the way so many people (including me) hold views and conceptions of how the media will emerge in the 21st century's information economy, but nobody has ever gotten it completely right. When globalisation was the vogue topic, everybody was saying that local media content will dissapate and free speech will be a thing of the past. In fact, we have seen both ends of the spectrum (mass media and local free speech) emerge, in some cases, through the same medium (internet and popular music).

It's interesting to note Lloyd Trufelman's prediction that blogs will become integrated into general media--facilitating the possibility of commercial association. I can't see blogs ever becoming associated with commercial interests, due to the very nature of blogs: they act as a free voice of the people, aside from mainstream media ideologies. Having said that, I am just another chum attempting to forecast the future of new media, and in some instances I'm sure to be proved wrong.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Would you pass the relish, Rupert?..


In an act of undoubted good faith, media mogul and owner of the worlds largest communications holdings organisation, News Corporation, Keith Rupert Murdoch, has offered inviations to a dinner party at News Corp.'s Manhattan headquaters.

The places are selling on eBay for a reported AU$33,000. The money is going straight to the Jerusalem College of Technology--I have no idea why he's chosen that particular institution. Murdoch reckons the college has the potential to provide "many innovations and advances in the world of Information Technology".

Is this really an act of genuine good faith--or does Rupey just know something we dont?..

Oh well, good on him for donating. I wonder who will attend... any suggestions? Does John Howard get a discount?

I'll be bidding for a seat at the dinner table... yeah, it's true. John Fairfax is paying for my ticket on the proviso that I get Murdoch pissed as a fart and persuade him to sell all his Australian newspapers.

Death of television: Pt II


I saw this article, The Death of Television, in Margo Kingston's web diary today.

The article, written by Adam Penenberg, asks whether the internet will replace television as we know it, and has some interesting comparisons of the music and TV industries and their proposed reactions to the emergence of the internet.

I wrote a bit about the death of TV in a previous post, Television Approaching its Final Screening, in September.

It's certainly an interesting debate, and one that Penenberg makes more comprehensively than me, so I encourage you to read his article.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Practice makes perfect?






Jayant Patel practiced medicine for years--but he didn't get any better...

Monday, October 17, 2005

Why complain?


I don't understand why everybody's getting up-in-arms about Howard's new Industrial Relations reforms. They seem more of a reinforcement of fair employment than a conspiracy against blue-collar workers.

If you believe the ads Labor aired on TV a few weeks ago, then you believe that a poor old single mum could be kicked out of her job if she falls pregnant or has to take time off to look after her children. This idea works on a very shallow level of truth. In actual fact, the IR reforms invite employees to consult their employer and refer to the Australian Workplace Agreement codes to negotiate an outcome.

As far as 'the biggest reforms in Australian Industrial Relations' are concerned, nothing much has changed. Anyone who's bothered to read the 4-page outlines in the newspapers, instead of the politically-biased editorials, will see that they are a positive attempt to provide structure to the out-dated IR policy of the past economy.

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image provided by AnneKarin Glass, visual art, San Fransisco
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Monday, October 10, 2005

Greg Cary, 4BC Brisbane, interview

Last Friday, 7th October at 4.00, my dad and I strolled into the swanky new 4BC studios at Cannon Hill, Brisbane. I don't know who was more excited: me, the young Media student about to interview one of the most prominent figures in talkback radio in Australia, or Dad, a long-time 4BC listener about to meet the man he previously only new as a phantom of the airwaves between 12.00 and 3.00pm weekdays.

Well, we didn't have to wait long before the excitement started. As we were waiting nervously in the 4BC foyer--like two schoolboys about to meet the lead singer of Green Day--who should walk in but the great Paul Kelly, toting his iconic Maton acoustic guitar! 'Hi Paul, hi Matt (Paul Kelly's producer)' sparked the receptionist as they walked through the glass doors. What a buzz. Paul Kelly was scheduled to play a song from his latest album "Foggy Highway" on John Miller's afternoon program.

Now, to the topic at hand, the interview.

I couldn't have chosen a more obliging, more appropriate personality to interview than 4BC program director and talk show host, Greg Cary. He was happy to talk perceptively and eloquently about anything I asked. I felt as though it was more of conversation and less of an interview. For ethical reasons I can't use any of his quotes here, but I can say that thoughout the entire interview, he was never shy of a word about anything I asked, speaking freely about 4BC's obligation to the community while maintaining corporate interest and success.

The well-known lover of sport seemed more inclined to chat about philosophical issues, speaking of the world as a beautiful place with only some inconsistencies. A stark dichotomy to most talkback announcers who seem to be cynical about everything.

The interview was designed to go for 20mins. It didn't finish until 50mins (no complaints here), after which he kindly guided Dad and I around the studios, introducing us to everybody we came across. We were lucky enough to watch a segment of John Miller's show while he was interviewing Con Sciacca. For the record, John Miller was wearing a very bright pink Hawaiian shirt, I guess he wears them all the time...

Upon leaving, Greg invited me to sit in on is show any time I liked. An offer I'll certainly take him up on.

As a young radio enthusiast, this was an amazing opportunity. I think Dad was pretty stoked too. Thanks Greg!

Monday, October 03, 2005

It wasn't his milieu anyway

Greg Cary said on 4BC that the move is in response to ACA's waning 6:30pm ratings--I'm assuming he means compared to Today Tonight, who has been taking the cake for some months. ACA are obviously looking for a similar host to Naomi Robson (Today-Tonight), ditching the staunch masculinity of the long-standing Martin.

Personally, I think Mike Munroe has been the best host of ACA in my time, regardless of the fact that I think any self-respecting journalist would steer clear of the soft-news format. Munroe had some genuinity to his approach, claiming that he was 'sick of toothbrush investigations' after he resigned as host. I was also very impressed with Munroe's tenacity in reporting the latest Bali bombings on Sunday night. It was so refreshing to see his calm and direct reporting, when usually the presenter would be heavily sensationalising such a story.

As well as Munroe being unsiutable for ACA, I feel the same way about poor old Ray. We've grown to love and trust him as a dedicated, level-headed Australian journalist, and when I see him on ACA telling us that we only get 497 grams in a packet of frozen peas instead of 500, I feel he is not receiving proper justice.

I hope he still reports after ACA, possibly as a National Nine News political correspodent--his original forte--but I'm glad he's leaving the muck-raking format. Hopefully ratings for commercial current affars programs will drop low enough to force 7 and 9 to clean up their act and produce something decent and informative for Australians to watch.
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I will be interviewing 4BC's GREG CARY this Friday afternoon which will hopefully be very fun and informative.

I'll be asking him all about talkback radio: truth, information and entertainment.

In my opinion, Greg is the fairest talkback radio host on the Brisbane commercial airwaves and I hear he's also a very decent fellow.

Watch out for the wrap-up next Monday!