I cringed when I saw her interview Nick Cage when he was in NZ to promote his movie 8mm. She attacked him and accused him of only choosing more and more violent films.

That was a national embarrassment.

Another one was when Marc Ellis (our hero) talked to that boxing announcer on the sports cafe.

That was about the time I decided to return to China.

“He threatened to move to Oz where his talents would be appreciated and he would be paid his worth.”

Meaning he would have had to pay the radio stations for his air time. IMHO, Holmes, along with Susan Wood, Mike Hosking, Mark Sainsbury and a host of other such government worshipping toadies, has never been anything but a socialist cronyist.

……………………..

I guess Winston had people such as these in mind when he coined:

“An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. ”

Edit: That’s Churchill … not Peters!

Meaning he would have had to pay the radio stations for his air time. IMHO, Holmes, along with Susan Wood, Mike Hosking, Mark Sainsbury and a host of other such government worshipping toadies, has never been anything but a socialist cronyist. Not to say that Australia too doesn’t have its share of such fakes. Anywhere you have the state involved in broadcasting, similar no talent propagandists become ascendant. Not through ability, but by means of “networking”, a euphemism for sucking up to the politically powerful.

I larfed years ago when Holmes thought he wasn’t paid enough at $400 and something thousand on the state tit. He threatened to move to Oz where his talents would be appreciated and he would be paid his worth.

Lindsay Perigo rang a heap of broadcasters in Oz to see if any of them would take him on …. they all asked “Paul who?”

http://www.marklevinshow.com/wp-content/themes/levin/player/?url=http://podloc.andomedia.com/dloadTrack.mp3?prm=2824xhttp://citadelcc.vo.llnwd.net/o29/network/Levin/MP3/levin12182008.mp3

Having said that, Mike Hosking can be a devastatingly stroppy interviewer.

Holmes was the best interviewer in the country and the failing in his show was in dumbing it down. To gain audience you need IMO to lift the elucidation not drop it.

Contrary to popular wisdom, I think ratings will come when you eshew the dual stranglehold of sport and lifestyle pap that inhabits the airwaves.

Air not only NZ content and also the best of the best of European, US, Chinese, Russian and Japanese content and you have a winning format.

For the lighter side, throw in regular vignettes from the competition (e.g. RadioNZ and TVNZ/TV3) highlighting their superficial, ignorant and biased perspectives.

Reading about how Holmes completeely bombed on air for 18 months following Merv Smiths footsteps. who wouldn’t.

They said they were on the verge of firing Holmes but pushed on with him and he finally found his footing.

But guess what…. now they’re saying the same thing about Holmes replacement

“we’re taking a huge risk.”

Awww, someone cry me a river. they’ll be talking about how they made the right decision this time next year.

Nutbars.

To consistently win the ratings battle in Auckland – one of the most over-radioed markets in the world, incidentally – is no mean feat.

Sure I have issues with some of his attitudes (far too fawning to some… the “at home with Helen” articles just the latest manifestation) and some of his techniques but there’s no denying he first created a niche, then dominated it for years. making himself and his employers wealthy in the process.

By anyone’s standards that’s quite an achievement and, if you’ve worked in breakfast radio as I have, you realise how much sheer energy goes into doing so (and yes, getting up at bloody 3am!!).

I could defect to National Radio but again with Sean Plunket leaving, that loses some of its appeal.

I took the day before the general election as annual leave – to participate in a National Party street march. As I got dressed, I thought I would listen to Radio New Zealand National for their election commentary. They were having a good long talk to some guy in Afghanistan about the problems there.

Okay, this was admittedly the nine to noon programme, rather than Holmes’ slot, but I decided that if they couldn’t be bothered running a decent discussion about NZ issues on the day before our general election, then they had little to offer as a public service broadcaster.

Have enjoyed Newstalk ZB since, and am sure Hosking will be fine – he is quick witted and amusing.

With Plunket leaving, and taking his biro with him, there will be very little happening on RLW. Especially as the next few months will consist of their “Rainy Day at the Bach” programme…

I have to agree with Redbaiter totally on this one.

Thank God the old days are over and NZ is finally moving out of the dark ages.