Tag Archive for 'Radio National'

Let’s ban postmodernism!

Published
by
Mark
1 year, 3 months ago
in Culture, Film, TV, Video etc and Politics
. 357 Comments

I think it was klaus k who once suggested on this blog that we should completely eschew the word “postmodernism”, so vacuous and meaningless has it become. That seems a proposal worth reviving when you read an astonishing take on the ABC’s decision to reallocate resources away from specialist Radio National programs, particularly the Religion Report.

The questions facing mankind are, essentially, the same as they have always been: the age-old questions about what is good, true and beautiful. How do we identify those characteristics in our own and others’ behaviour? How do we achieve them in our lives?

Inevitably, we will never answer them validly if – confusing the medium with the message, to put it in Marshall McLuhan’s discredited formula – we confuse the garments for the person, the cover for the book.

Apparently, the ABC’s remit is to pose (or answer?) eternal questions, and any management decision about Radio National demonstrates “relativism” and that “they hate religion”.

I’m actually not a huge fan of Stephen Crittenden’s, but there can be no doubt that discussing programming decisions in this fashion is, well, just demented. Continue reading ‘Let’s ban postmodernism!’

Trioli Redux; Murdoch’s ABC frontier

Published
by
Kim
1 year, 4 months ago
in Film, TV, Video etc, Media and Politics
. 118 Comments

I’m not really one for breakfast television, but I’d be interested in hearing from anyone who’s seen the new ABC2 Breakfast show, which debuts today. It will also be streamed online. With Virginia Trioli as one of the hosts (the other is Barrie Cassidy, filling in for Peter Lloyd – who’s got some legal problems), I’m not hopeful that it will provide much of an alternative to the rest of the press gallery trivial horse race agenda of the day coverage. It’s not a very hopeful time generally for the ABC’s public affairs reportage and analysis, with the Radio National cutbacks and journos such as Fran Kelly, Chris Uhlmann and Michael Brissenden constantly reciting opposition talking points and doing their world weary cynicism thing. Print has always prided itself on setting the tv agenda and the ABC’s political reporters seem to take their cues from whatever the current News Limited line is. With Fairfax descending further into celebrity drivel and Eastern suburbs navel gazing, it’s a huge pity when the scarce resources of the national broadcaster go to waste in hunting somewhere at the back of the trivial and insipid press gallery pack.

And speaking of News Limited and the ABC, Philosopher King Rupe is delivering this year’s Boyer lectures, billed as “Big Ideas”. Continue reading ‘Trioli Redux; Murdoch’s ABC frontier’