This week, a high profile radio presenter switches teams – and a newspaper heavyweight takes on a second job (or is it a new job?). Plus, the sudden lack of “electoral business” for our politicians.
Big boots to fill
A piece of the breakfast radio puzzle appears to have fallen into place today with word that Mix102.3’s Mark Aiston is leaving FM radio for greener fields.
Aiston is part of Mix’s brekkie team “Jodie, Mark and Snowy”, third in the most recent ratings behind FIVEaa and ABC’s 891.
The likeable larrikin has worked as a fill-in presenter at FIVEaa numerous times over the years and is slated to be the replacement for veteran announcer Keith Conlon who retires at the end of the month.
Aiston’s successful partnership in previous AA shifts with Conlon’s current co-presenter Jane Reilly suggests she’ll stay in breakfast as part of the new team for 2014.
The popular Channel Ten sports presenter started his career in radio some 20 years ago when he pestered stations in Darwin to give him a go.
He called races at 5DN in the early 90s before getting a gig at ABC News and building his quirky quick-witted image.
After moving to the Ten Network in 1996 he’s become part of the media furniture; now it seems he’s about to change rooms.
Aiston wasn’t returning calls this morning.
Even more interestingly, the hard edge to the new FIVEaa brekky line-up will come from Sunday Mail editor David Penberthy, who will move from an occasional contributor to a permanent daily member of the crew. We don’t know whether Penbo will stay on as editor, at least in the role as it’s structured now. Stay tuned.
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Electoral business dries up
It might be the race that stops the nation, but The Outsider is concerned at a sudden collapse in the conduct of “electoral business”.
As readers will recall from the explanations provided by members of parliament for their regular attendance at major sporting events, it’s the grandstands, golf courses and racetracks of Australia where much “electoral business” is done.
We have been assured that our MPs are doing us an almighty favour by giving up their spare time to do “electoral business” at Grand Finals, Melbourne Cups and PGA golf events.
We have, however, noticed an alarming trend.
At Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day there was barely an MP to be seen.
The only one we managed a chat with was Federal Minister for Social Services Kevin Andrews; and as a former race-caller (albeit at the Rosedale trots) we figured he was there in a professional capacity.
Our Melbourne office tells us the trend continued on Derby Day and Cup Day with Flemington almost bereft of “electoral business”.
Most Federal Ministers and Shadow Ministers had chosen to ignore the demands of “electoral business” and stay in the office.
Back home at Morphettville, the two major party leaders Jay Weatherill and Steven Marshall had politely declined their official invitation, missing another opportunity for “electoral business” to be conducted.
Both were seen hanging around shopping centres and talking to voters. Outrageous.
We are thankful, however, that racing fanatic and Speaker Mick Atkinson knows where the real voters hang out, squiring his partner Jennifer Rankine to the races.
Not only could “electoral business” be done, but no doubt there would have been some handy hints on how to run an Education Department.
Sports and Tourism minister Leon Bignell was spotted, still smiling we believe from backing Brew in 2000…and doing a lot of electoral business.
Iain Evans and Terry Stephens flew the flag for the Libs, but there was a stack of MPs missing this year.
Clearly, there is a national trend away from “electoral business”; just how the parliament will inform itself is beyond us.
Stay informed, daily
Perhaps a fact-finding mission overseas might find the answer.
Cory clams up
South Australian Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi has always been a prolific communicator with his rather niche support base.
There have been regular online blogs, posts to a Facebook page with more than 10,000 followers, audio missives, and a dedicated YouTube channel, CBTV (filmed, as InDaily has reported, in Family First Senator elect Bob Day’s Adelaide emporium of conservative thought).
But now, suddenly, he has switched off the communication, leaving his followers bereft.
He says he’s taking a break from blogging – at least until January next year – to work on two new books, due for publication before Christmas, and the draft of a third which he hopes to have completed before the end of the year.
Oh, well – at least the taxpayer isn’t paying him to go to the races.
The good news is that his weekly “common sense” email will keep coming.
When too much opinion is barely enough
The Outsider made it very clear last week that Adelaide needs to “be cool” when someone praises us.
Annoyingly, the Sunday Mail didn’t take our advice – with not one, not two, but three, of its enormous stable of columnists devoting themselves to basking in the glow of Adelaide making Lonely Planet’s top 10 cities list.
Meanwhile, The Advertiser seems to have an opinion recycling problem, with one recent column not only seeming old in content, but very familiar – to InDaily readers at least.
Careless whispers
We don’t have an Edward Snowden in our midst, that much is clear.
This week, there was another “leak” against the Government, this time a paper on the future of Holden (or, rather, its lack of future).
How it was supposed to damage the Government is a mystery perhaps only known to the “leaker”.
Safe to say, there isn’t a witchhunt in Government to find out what happened.
Meanwhile, the investigation of the leak of Jay Weatherill’s announcement schedule, which led to the suspension of a senior Labor staffer, is moving inexorably to a conclusion.
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