In this special “fourth estate” edition of The Outsider, we reveal more Sunday Mail intrigue, as well as media dummy spits, ironies and the greatest lyrics about Adelaide – but strangely not in a local competition’s shortlist of SA songs.
Mandibles of crystal
News Corp executive Campbell Reid has been in town this week – and top of the agenda was the future of Sunday Mail editor David Penberthy.
As The Outsider revealed last week, Penberthy has a solid offer on the table to join the breakfast team at talk station FIVEaa … a revelation that caused a hissy fit at the station last Friday when we hit readers’ inboxes (we also revealed Mark Aiston’s defection from Mix to the double A brekky team).
Penbo was well received by listeners when he filled in on breakfast on a couple of occasions and the station needed a familiar authoritative figure in breakfast given the retirement of Keith Conlon at the end of this month.
News Corp, however, also has a fondness for Penbo and his regular syndicated columns would be hard to replace.
We understand a deal is being carved out to allow the columns and other contributions to continue, but he’ll have to relinquish the Sunday Mail editor’s job if he accepts the FIVEaa offer – putting the battling Sunday paper into the hands of its third editor in 11 months.
Staff are expected to be told in the next day or so.
Meanwhile back at FIVEaa, program director Dave Shearer spat the dummy when he read The Outsider’s update on likely radio movements last week and promptly canned the regular weekly spot that InDaily’s Kevin Naughton has done for years with Leon Byner.
Shearer also pulled the pin on a deal already inked for Naughton to fill in for Byner in December and January.
With a 30-year career in radio behind him, Naughton tells The Outsider that while he was flattered by the offer and mystified by the back flip, a much more relaxing Christmas and New Year period beckons.
The Outsider simply notes the irony of a media organisation getting upset about being the subject of – shock, horror – an accurate media report.
You might like
On Monday former ABC program director Craig Munn stepped into FIVEaa for his first day on the job as Operations Manager.
After the sudden departure of predecessor Brad Hulme and the efforts of Mr Shearer, let’s hope they thoroughly cleaned the desk for him.
Amateur worriers
Media juxtaposition of the week – the Sunday Mail’s breathless page 9 story last week about new “jumpsuits” for the Grid Girls at next year’s Clipsal, and the editor’s comment piece about why people concerned about gender stereotyping of their kids are “professionally worried”.
For those who are interested, the Grid Girls’ shorty onesies show plenty of cleavage and are “designed to be worn with high heel trainers or stilettoes”.
High heel trainers – brought to you with the taxpayer’s generous support.
All the king’s horses
Triple M and the News Corp lads are searching for “SA’s best songs”.
No matter that most of the songs on the list were neither written in SA, nor are they about this fine free state.
It’s all good fun.
Very weird, however, is the large collection of Paul Kelly songs on the list – most of which seem to be celebrations of Melbourne.
They even included “From St Kilda to Kings Cross”, which is only about Adelaide to the extent that you can almost taste SA-raised Kelly’s relief that he’s finally escaped the Athens of the South.
The weirdest thing is, though, that Paul Kelly’s song “Adelaide” – all about this fair metropolis – isn’t on the list.
We reprint the lyrics below – you tell us why it didn’t make the cut.
The wisteria on the back verandah is still blooming
And all the great aunts are either insane or dead
Stay informed, daily
Kensington Road runs straight for a while before turning
We lived on the bend it was there I was raised and fed
Counting and running as I go
Down past the hedges all in a row
In Adelaide, Adelaide
Dad’s hands used to shake but I never knew he was dying
I was thirteen I never dreamed he could fall
And all the great aunts were red in the eyes from crying
I rang the bells I never felt nothing at all
All the king’s horses all the king’s men
Cannot bring him back again
Find me a bar or a girl or guitar where do you go on a Saturday night?
I own this town I spilled my wine at the bottom of the statue of Colonel Light
And the streets are so wide everybody’s inside
Sitting in the same chairs they were sitting in last year
(This is my town!)
All the king’s horses all the king’s men
Wouldn’t drag me back again
to Adelaide, Adelaide, Adelaide, Adelaide…
Got a tip for The Outsider? Send us an email – [email protected]
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
