Comments on: Why MTR died … carbon cartoons … The Hun to launch pay wall …

By: Steve777

Steve777 — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 22:41:40 +0000

Good morning John. No, I’m not a regular listener but you can’t avoid catching snippets from time to time. The late Stan Zemanek seemed to have been a favourite with taxi drivers, for example. I want to hear all points of view, but I also want my politics and commentary calm and rational, not shouted. I remember hearing an announcer on 2GB a couple of years ago loudly declaiming how the mining tax would increase the price of every day essentials. He singled out toothpaste as an example. I kept listening, hoping that he’d provide the analysis that lead him to that conclusion (he didn’t).

I can’t comment specifically on MTR. Possibly it provided rational discussion from a Centre-Right perspective (like the Australian does most of the time, for example). But the business model of Sydney’s commercial talk radio seems to be to garner ratings by pushing peoples’ hot buttons and making them angry. In the process they vilify the unemployed, single mothers, unionists, asylum seekers, Muslims and anyone else they think their listeners don’t like.

I won’t deny stations like 2GB and 2UE their right to freedom of speech, although on occaision they have clearly overstepped the mark (e.g. in the runup to the Cronulla riots in 2005). And as long people tune in, they’ll keep going. But I do regard them as a blot on the media landscape.

By: Johnfromplanetearth

Johnfromplanetearth — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:33:31 +0000

STEVE777 : how do you know this? You must be a regular listener? While i am not surprised by the demise of MTR it certainly is a shame they are no longer there.
To many people in this country are wanting to live life as they would like it to be and not as it really is, we need our talk back radio announcers to tell their audience what they need to know not what they want to hear.

By: Steve777

Steve777 — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:33:00 +0000

Melbourne listeners must be a much more laid-back lot than many in Sydney. It would be great if the poisonous 2GB and 2UE could go the same way as MTR. I would find those stations hard to take even if I agreed with the opinions being expressed - who wants to listen to angry voices bellowing bile and prejudice while having breakfast or driving to and from work - apparently lots of people in Sydney.

By: Youthy

Youthy — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:09:32 +0000

Mr Schembri seems a bit highly strung, but it’s not surprising given his profession. The rest of us, if we want to take some time out and relax, can go to the movies. For him - going to the movies is like going to work.

By: klewso

klewso — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 04:25:19 +0000

So what does Dolt think graphite and charcoal are - carbon particles aside?
And aren’t climate change scientists (who disagree with his degree) “devil’s on whore’s back” - if I get his drift Right?

By: Steven Haby

Steven Haby — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 02:48:00 +0000

Regarding the ongoing saga between Mr Schembri and seemingly the rest of the world I would be curious to know if his masters at the Age would approve of him spending a little too much time trawling through tweets looking for negative responses. Methinks he doth protest too much.