Everybody has their price. And Dr Mumbo would love to know that of former Media Watch host Jonathan Holmes.
Having spent five years dishing it out to News Corp, last night saw Holmes appear in a promotion for the company’s Fox Sports channels at the Foxtel upfronts presentation.
The evening featured a spoof episode of Media Watch, complete with the original opening credits and music. It started with 2GB’s Alan Jones, pretending to be on air singing the praises of Fox Sports and why it was “common sense” for the audience to watch it. Jones famously fell foul of Media watch on a number of occasions over undeclared plugs for sponsors.
Then Holmes joined in, introducing a video of Fox Sports boss Patrick Delany. Holmes then deadpanned, in the style of one of his Media watch editorials: “We’ve sent that damning quote to ASADA. And they will prove what we at Media Watch can only suspect . It’s not ‘common sense’ Mr Jones. It’s not ‘genius’ either. It’s FSGH. Fox Sports Growth Hormone. And it shouldn’t be allowed. Well, you be the judge.”
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Delany told the audience that Jones and Holmes were persuaded to do the double act based on their love of sport.
And it was something of a night for Foxtel to take the battle to its ideological enemy the ABC.
Director of television Brian Walsh couldn’t resist a little triumphalism about having snatched most of the first run rights to BBC programming from the Australian public service broadcaster. “It’s as easy as ABC,” he told the audience.