The mayor will be with you in a moment
We thought we’d stumbled into a Winston Peters press release this morning when we picked up our morning Chron(ic) and saw its journos were being admonished to do "proper journalism". However, this was not from the pen or mouth of Winston First but from his onetime advisor and string-puller Michael First.
The occasion for the Winston-like reaction was a front page story that added Black Power chief chappie John Aki, a college principal and a bunch of teenagers to the list of people (including a District Court judge and a police spokesman) debunking the Diva’s hysteria-inducing claims about gangs recruiting from Wanganui colleges.
Reading on, we learned that communications from the Diva on this sensitive issue came to the Chron "through a spokesperson" who, we wager, just might have been his Spin Fairy. According to this anonymous mouthpiece, "Mr Laws said yesterday he wasn’t referring specifically to Black Power, even though he named the gang in his e-newsletter".
While we can’t help but be impressed by this piece of creative dissembling and butt-covering (it’s good to see the mayoral media machine earning its keep) we wondered why it hadn’t just resorted to the modus operandii it usually adopts when the Chron gets all carried away and quotes people other than the Diva.
Long-suffering Chron readers will know this goes something like:
"I just wish he/they (the critic/s) had come and discussed this with me before going to the media. And anyway, it’s just trivia and he/they and the Chron should be focussing on the real issues, the big issues, the issues deemed by the Diva to be media-worthy."
Then of course we realised that neither the Diva nor his Spin Team would be too thrilled to find Mr Aki and his Black Power colleagues waiting in the mayoral reception area for an audience in the division/mayoral HQ.
Apart from the fact they’re much bigger than him, the Diva’s many dissertations on his preciousness about the hygiene habits of others would doubtless turn it into a very traumatic experience for him:
"So I admit, I can be a bit anal at times. Particularly when the poor habits and hygiene of others intrude on my personal space", he told us in a recent column tracing the origins of this syndrome to an Oedipal mothering issue.
And we figure there is no space more personal to the Diva than 101 Guyton St.
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49 comments:
Great 'do' at the Chronicle building for the opening of the Ucol show tonight. Masses of people there but not a council rep in sight. So, what's new?
Ever thought that they might not have been invited? And if there were no councillors at all then doesn't that suggest the snub wasnt solely aimed at Vision plus Rangi.
I hate dar0links to rain on anyone's parade but the invites to council-lors went out for tomorrow's nights show and quite a few of them are coming including our blonde mayoress.
Oh dear, Michael. You are far too sensitive. The observation here seems to be just that there were no council representatives there tonight. Nobody here gives a shit what you and your concubine, blond or otherwise, will be doing tomorrow.
Carrying on wth the radio ratings thread - I'm starting to think ML's column today might be right and that you build from the ground up. In the business weekly 'The Independent' yesterday, the following in their AdLib column (p19) -
FCB media director Anna Chitty says
"Chitty says CanWest RadioWorks' new talk station, Radio Live performed well in its first survey, scoring 2.1% share (aged 10-plus). In Auckland the newcomer has taken audience from Radio Sport and Radio Pacific."
If 2.1% first up is good, then isn't Laws' 2.2% better??
Speaking of which (the brown stuff that is), perhaps Laws Watch should run a sweepstake on how much the River Queen shambles will end up costing the ratepayers. Looks like a bail-out for Dotty's dream might be on the cards.
Oh dear, Michael. You are far too sensitive. The observation here seems to be just that there were no council representatives there tonight. Nobody here gives a shit what you and your concubine, blond or otherwise, will be doing tomorrow.
7:37 PM, November 10, 2005
Sorry dearie but I'm not the mayor but just someone who processed the invites. The Mayor is not coming if that makes you happy.
Funny, isn't it that the Diva is suddenly quoting Auckland audience percentages here when earlier he was madly trying to avoid the issue that he rates only a dismal 1.6% in the Big Auck.
Oh well, there's lies, damn lies, and mayoral lies and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.
Black Power are thugs, crims and drug-dealers - why would anyone take their denials seriously?
Carol - beauty may be skin deep but sister, ugliness cuts to the bone so no wonder you frotted the mayor at the business awards - and I bet you don't keep this posting up.
The mayoress is a honey.
Black Power are clearly concerned that Mickey is taking over some of their traditional functions.
Hi Leo
How's the book coming along?
It is a measure of the contempt with which Mickey's views are held that most people would take John Aki's word over his.
I for one am looking forward to Leo's book. I just hope no harm comes to the computer it's being written on before it gets published.
It's probably being ghost-written, anyway, dar0links.
Dan said...
Saw your Mad Mayor on TV last night, he seems like he only needs one little push and he'd be 'over the edge'.
4:06 PM, November 10, 2005
Carol/Matt - isn't it time you stop pretending to be all these posters? Or are you Sybil, Carol?
Sorry Laws-Lovers, but I am not who you think I am or want to be, you guys are really too obsessed with 'naming' each other both sides). And get REALLY worried when someone uses their REAL name .. get over it!
Anonymous said...
Oh dear, Michael. You are far too sensitive. The observation here seems to be just that there were no council representatives there tonight. Nobody here gives a shit what you and your concubine, blond or otherwise, will be doing tomorrow.
7:37 PM, November 10, 2005
Is that the 'concubine' that is taking the ratepayers hard earn cash for doing fuck-all at Horizons?
Who says she's doing f-all? She looks great and that's good enough for us red blooded males. Like what is there to do at Horizons anyway apart from eat your lunch? The mayor is right - abolish regonal councils.
Then you invite Black Power over to your place, anon. I'll take the mayor anyday, although I'd prefer the mayoress.
Wonder who's home alone? Haven't gone horse riding tonight? And yes, you've pissed me off recently .... so I'm joining the club
What club? AA?
anon ..."perhaps Laws Watch should run a sweepstake on how much the River Queen shambles will end up costing the ratepayers. Looks like a bail-out for Dotty's dream might be on the cards."
Heard there was yet another secret (crisis?) meeting on the flick last week.
Can't wait to hear how they spin this trainwreck.
but the invites to council-lors went out for tomorrow's nights show
What, only the fashion show? And since when did anyone require an invite to turn up at a UCOL opening?
The Show is good. Check it out. 5:30 Saturday for the BFA opening should be primo too: painting's really strong this year.
Liver Qreen might not be as bad as the critics say. That doesn't mean the ratepayers should fork out for Dotty's catering.
I'm only responsible for fashion invites. Did Ucol even send invites to the Council because its mighty suspicious that none of them turned up.
FLASH!
NBR [National Business Review]has an expose on Laws tomorrow.
I don't know about what but heard from a good media source that he's their target tomorrow. Can you get it posted here tomorrow, LW?
Did Ucol even send invites to the Council because its mighty suspicious that none of them turned up.
UCOL publicises its shows widely. If Councillors are so detached from what's going on in the community they've no business being there in the first place.
Continuing the ratings debate, the person in the earlier thread who said s/he'd worked in radio and "no one gets sacked on the strength of one survey" must have worked in a different industry to the one I've spent 25 years in.
It's long been held that a ratings point in Auckland is worth a million dollars - but that was coined years ago and allowing for inflation it'd be more like $3 million now I'd guess.
So no one gets a chance to fail twice. I've seen people called out of the studio mid-shift for chat with the boss, they turn round and someone else is putting on the headphones and their stuff has been kindly pre-packed in a cardboard box.
He *might* survive because this is a *first* survey; because ratings for the *whole station* stink like a fly-blown sheep and it'd be unfair to blame just one loser when they obviously have an entire cast of losers, and because no one in the industry would want to take the poisoned chalice of a shift previously hosted by a poorly rating amateur lest they too get the chop.
You're right, anon. I've seen those invites all around town. You just pick one up and turn up - but not, apparently, if you consider yourself to be only interested if you have some sort of VIP (that's Vacuous Imbecillic Parasite) status.
Thats ridicuous because I consider myself up with Wangas and I didnt know there was something on at Ucol apart from the fashion show which has got good publicity. You cant moan about councilors not being at a function if you dont invite them. Who turns up anyway univited?
Invites all over town, you just pick one up - do you mean, like, as in 'rent-a-crowd'? No I wouldn't go either if I was a councillor. Doesn't hurt to personally address invitations. Besides they can't go to everything, some of them have a life.
Anon at 9.10pm is wrong. If you're building any radio staton from scratch then you invest time, effort and energy and expect results in the medium to long term. Its taklen TV3 16 years to challenge TV1 in the ratings by building a new audience.
I take the point of the experts like Anna Chitty (quoted above) that 2% from nothing is a good solid start.
As for being 25 years in radio, only one person in Wanganui can claim that and that's Keith Richardson and, ironically, he was fired by Newstalk ZB last year.
8.28pm Anon
What's that all about?
It was me at 9.10, I'd better use a name so we can keep track :-)
I'm not in radio in Wanganui, anon @ 9.16 (I wouldn't want Keith to be blamed for my comments!), in fact it's one market I've never worked in.
While I agree you don't go into a new station other than for the long haul, you DO change presenters and even format if they're not working. TV3 is still here, yes, but is Phillip Sherry? Remember him? Hard to, isn't it, since TV3 unceremoniously dumped him when he didn't rate.
Laws will be tomorrow's Sherry, and I wouldn't be surprised if Devlin and a few others don't meet the same fate.
Radioguy said
Laws will be tomorrow's Sherry.
That sucks, Radioguy; he'll just inflict more of his poison on Wanganui. Being on Radio Lifeless keeps Mickey from screwing up mornings at Council.
Weren't there Ucol programmes distributed with every copy of river city press a couple of weeks ago?
Why should councillors expect to be treated differently?
On radio ratings, its obvious that ML has set a solid base and that we'll have to watch 2006 surveys(there are two) to see how he goes. Any host though needs a strong breakfast lead-in but if he's rating 2.2 now then he has his core. I agree with whoever posted before on radio listening times - that info would tell us a lot.
Is it just me but why would anyone want to go to a Ucol do?
So what sort of magic has put the other startup, TRN's Laws-free Viva at 4.8%?
Viva is billed as "feel good" - Laws is definitely "feel bad"
NBR [National Business Review]has an expose on Laws tomorrow.
Nothing in the NBR (apart from more info on radio ratings) pertaining to Laws.
So what sort of magic has put the other startup, TRN's Laws-free Viva at 4.8%?
The NBR puts Lifeless at 2.3%, Viva at 1.9%. Is 4.8% the Auckland figure?
Viva is not a new station.
It is a rebranded Radio I which has been going with its easy listening format for over 15 years.
The Independent comment is accurate - if you're starting up a radio station with new frequencies then it takes 2-3 years just to get market awareness.
The other thing about radio is that it is a very fractionated market so concentrates on particular demographics. I worked for a station that had an 18-35 demo so that's different from an easy listening station.
Talk radio is different again but there are only 4 players - Newstalk, Radio Pacific, Radio Sport and Radio Live. For Live to have matched already the Pacific and Sport figures isn't bad but you have to judge them after two more surveys and whether they're attracting listeners from Newstalk ZB. Its the classic TVNZ v TV3 scenario with Live targeting a younger demo I'm figuring, and hoping to carry them over the next 5-10 years according to the CanWest CEO Impey.
Nothing in NBR? You sure? They were seen in town last week.
I can't find anything in their online edition, and they list the stories "only in print".
"Targeting a younger demo" with an amateur 50-year old like Laws seems doomed, wouldn't you say?
A younger demo for talk would be 30-50, Newstalk is 45-60 and Pacific 55-plus. Most under 30 listen to music.
If NBR was here did any from LW meet them?
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