Confused, I reached for the dial. I must have accidentally changed stations. Because there seems to some navel-gazing, crystal-toting west coast Yank whining intolerably about a host of uninteresting matters, primarily herself.

The horror! It WAS Radio National.

Is it just me? It’s happened more than once

Matilda, if you click on any of the archived categories, there should be an arrow thingie with “older posts” next to it, either at the top or bottom of the page, depending on your browser. That should enable you to navigate the entire archive.

On Thursday morning, heard the Media report’s Antony Fennell say it was the last program. Ditto for Robin Williams – and Perspective (where ordinary people get 5 mins to eloquently sound off about something interesting). So i was thinking: where are the people who might care about this stuff – if they’re on the Oz blogosphere, i can’t find them. As someone who’s passionate about the radio it gobsmacks me that no-one is regularly and exclusively blogging about radio. Come to think of it – where do we go if we want to have a whinge about something we’ve read in the Age?

Maybe it should be pride of place on the F.M. band and Lucky Oceans be allowed to take over the time from the saccharine Rachael Kohn.

And some people still play drums with sticks. Fancy.

For us, listening to the wireless means using the laptop with the wifi card in it!

Unfortunately, the opposite is the case now, in that I only turn to RN when I don’t like what’s on PNN.

Why? Geraldine Doogue is one reason. She was a very good broadcaster 20 years ago, but now is more of a ‘celebrity’ broadcaster than an interviewer in my opinion.

Crap buy-ins like “New Dimensions” is another reason.

Nevertheless, RN still has some terrific audio gems amongst the growing dross. Others have mentioned what they are, so I won’t repeat them here.

He just unilaterally announced the programs he planned to axe on R.N. without explaining what was to replace them. What made it even more galling was that the station had been recently calling on listeners to give feedback about what they wanted, so that the national broadcaster could be made “even better”.

It is interesting to note, with regard to ratings concerns, that R.N. has never had the benefit of cross promotion from the local abc stations and via television. A decent radio signal would also help and should be made available right around Australia. Proper recognition of the importance of, one station, that every individual can tune into, no matter where they are in the country, should at last be made. And definitely not in that creepy ‘Macca’, hyper-patriotic, model.

This wonderful gem is just not being given any where near a fair go by administrators who should know far better. Mark Scott needs to resign immediately and somebody who understands radio that stimulates brains, rather than counts heads, should be brought into the job.

Well, I sincerely hope not.

Is this suddenly Necrophilia Week ??
“Silly Season” I can accept, but I draw the line at …….

One thing I’ve noticed lately is that RN really doesn’t schedule its programming for the 9-5 set. Listening only on weekends and before and after work means I can hear the same program 4 times in a week! I know there’s interesting things I’m missing out on, but they’re in the middle of the day, or super-late at night.

Seriously, I’m a world expert on effing Billy Hughes, after hearing his 3-part series 6 times. Ask me anything.

Sorry admins. Will cease and desist forthwith.

Been meaning to get to a show but the timing hasn’t been right…finally living back in the city again though now, which makes things easier.

We opened the whole thing, so not heaps of punters there by midday on day 1, and my right hand seized up (due to a week of renovation and gardening – how fucking rock and roll is that?) in the middle of the set. I had to hold the stick ‘caveman style’, which kinda gets in the way of nuance, but managed to maintain my record of never dropping a stick while playing to an audience.

We managed to gather a bit of a crowd for the second set on Saturday, played better and got some positive feedback from people I’m frankly in awe of, so no complaints!

Also do I know you? You needn’t answer.

And while we are at it I’ll gladly personally strangle Macca one Sunday morning if it will get rid of his jingoistic propaganda and insistence that the only real australians are outside of the cities and Victoria and “in the outback” – ignoring the fact that most of the callers are travelling suburbanites from Ringwood doing the “real australia” from the comfort of an $80k 4wd.

I agree, put him on the regional network only and spare him from the Metro stations – he is a classic example of the ABC delaying his program here in WA thereby denying anyone from even the rural areas the chance of talking to Macca live.

Oh and the ABC have decided to Cancel the Suncday night Coodabeen Champions programme and restricting them to Saturday Mornings – except in WA who have a local Sports Talkback program in Winter, and take Delayed programming on Saturday Evenings in Summer which will be the new home of the program during Summer.

Hint: Australia doesn’t start and end on the NSW Borders to Qld/Victoria.