Mood:
sharpTopic: big media
What's carrots on the road got to do with good broadcasting? Alot more than the local government election ward system apparently.
So we exercise junkies learned pre 7am this morning taking snaps of the wonderous Cooks River in the dawn light listening to 702 compere Ellen Fanning standing in for big brain Adam Spencer.
But that's not really good enough is it on standard bearer ABC.
It's been a good and even great week for stand in broadcaster Ellen Fanning having been dumped along with the rest of Sunday 9 quality current affairs show.
A real talent, mature professional savvy, yet Fanning betrayed pride before a fall in judgement this morning. Earlier this week she pulled off two great and influential interviews:
1. Peter Coleman as co-author of the Costello (-ology) literature hitting the stands any day now;
2. Noreen Hay MP in breaking story about sacking of Matt Brown MP as Police Minister and all round goose.
The mis-judgement in our view was honking on (and she should watch out for that descriptor) about squashed carrots in the shadow of the 6-7 am low ratings period preferring to cut short the role of local government with a sledge.
Yes this writer has spent 4 years 1995-1999 in that milieu. Yes we are offended at the soft headed, overpaid, condescending, dismissive tone about the grassroots level of government. And I just know the hundreds and thousands employed in the same sector will agree with me. Them's ratings Lady.
The level of govt closest to the people. That do the most with least amount of money. That look their ratepayers in the eye week in and week out.
The economists and big media on the drip of multinational corporations one way or another will say it's an indulgent inefficiency. Anachronistic wards based on ridings of yesteryear for Godsake.
Only they would be wrong - when you look into the reality of grassroots politics because it's the great anchor of social cohesion along with the welfare system. When an MP or journalist at either State or Federal level - all invariably on a wage well over $100K per year and haughtily secure in that knowledge as Warren Beatty so insightfully noted in Bullmore - give the People a cold shoulder in their cosy sinecures it's Local Govt they get a hearing.
And vice versa when council loses the plot back to the other 2 levels. Governance in this country is a three string puppet, not two and we are lucky to have that depth of stability. Like the old mining propaganda advert you'd miss it if it wasn't there.
Thankfully sharp blade Fanning noted the laughably "hypothetical" nature of the recall of NSW Govt idea just because it's a Left faction premier: Hence the barracking by Opposition Iraq war champ Nelson at federal level, and sundry numbskulls keen for another Chile 1972 capital strike by big business (not least Fairfax board). Vale Allende. Such are the saving graces of Ms Fanning and indeed our ABC.
* Fine Line, 6 part sbs documentary by Ellen Fanning on the media industry made in 2000 as here http://nla.gov.au/anbd.bib-an000028661694
