Media Watch’s new slogan: ‘We don’t do last minute’
While Dr Mumbo’s proudest possession (until somebody nicked it) was his Media Watch 20 year anniversary mug with the slogan “Everybody loves it until they’re on it”, he suspects that host Jonathan Holmes has just coined a new one.
In a series of testy exchanges with viewers puzzled why one of the most dramatic days in 21st century Australian media had passed without mention on the show, Holmes had an intriguing explanation for the lack of Fairfax coverage: “We don’t do last minute at Media Watch.”
Jonathan Holmes vs Twitter
Media watch host Jonathan Holmes gets increasingly testy with Twitter followers as they criticise the lack of coverage of Fairfax’s restructure on ABC1’s Media Watch
Storified by Tim Burrowes · Tue, Jun 19 2012 02:50:07
Oh dear. Poor @jonaholmesMW probably has to do a complete script rewrite #fairfaxMatty G aka 007bond
@djmattyg007 tks for sympathy but no we won’t be covering Fairfax changes. We don’t do last minute at #mediawatch 1/2Jonathan Holmes
@djmattyg007 besides News Ltd announcement expected this wk – can cover both next week if there’s stuff left to say. #mediawatchJonathan Holmes
@jonaholmesMW similar BBC programmes would have done it.marianne bradley
@mitchawonga oh give us a break. There are no similar BBC programsJonathan Holmes
@jonaholmesMW think you will find there is. The Media Show for example or maybe they would dedicate a whole programme of Newsnight to itmarianne bradley
@mitchawonga except with days of notice MW has no crews, no edit suites, no live studio. It’s a weekly review program not current affairs.Jonathan Holmes
Will #MediaWatch (which I love) make an issue of it’s inability to cover the #fairfax story tonight #shouldbebetterthanthatMark Doran
@Mark_Doran it’s not constructive it’s knee-jerk, mostly from journos. The program is not for journos.Jonathan Holmes
@Mark_Doran oh ffs. You dont do specials in 2 hours. abc radio and tv caff covered it endlessly all day.Jonathan Holmes
@jonaholmesMW In a media landscape increasingly devoid of integrity, your ‘any old crap’ is better than most others’ serious analysis.Felicity Moore
@FelicityMoore not if I do it in 2 hours. Then it wd be just like all the other old crapJonathan Holmes
@jonaholmesMW ACC News 24 is dedicated 2 going live 24/7. Another 15 mins on ABC1 must be possible. Ur biggest story of 2012. #mediawatchScott Keenan
@scott_keenan oh for god sake. Studios lines directors time zones bla bla. Going live for nonlive shows is virtually impossibleJonathan Holmes
@jonaholmesMW @ivorytowerjourn MW my not be in the news division but its main job is comment on media stories &this one was 2big 2ignoreColleen Murrell
@ivorytowerjourn news24s job is to cover breaking stories. MW isn’t even in news division, doesn’t have live studios #lateline doing it nowJonathan Holmes
Yes, @jonaholmesMW, I think you could have said, "Fuck it, we’ll do it live." #mediawatch #fairfaxABCnewsIntern
@ABCnewsIntern no you can’t do it live. Obviously you’re not a real ABC news intern or u wd know thatJonathan Holmes
Think Media Watch might have to take a look at Media Watch next week.Nick Bryant
@jonaholmesMW Did Media Watch consider a back announcement? "Big story breaking as we record the show, more next week….?’Nick Bryant
@jonaholmesMW Surely easy to acknowledge it happened & trail to next week. You have criticised ABC News 24 for being flat-footed and rigid.Nick Bryant
@NickBryantOz we are not News24. Didnt want to tie ourselves down about next wk. Have done it b4 and regretted it.Jonathan Holmes
@NickBryantOz What I wonder did people think they’d get from MW they didn’t get elsewhere?Jonathan Holmes
@jonaholmesMW Think people understand your time/studio pressures and laudable desire for a considered response. But not even an end mention?Nick Bryant
@NickBryantOz we considered it. Decided against. May have been wrong call but it’s the call we made. We’ll live with itJonathan Holmes
@jonaholmesMW RT @MiaFreedman I recall #mediawatch giving major curry to ABC radio for not breaking into planned programming when #spillardFelicity Moore
@melsingerhack 7.30 did it. News did it. PM did it. Lateline will do it. What did you expect from #mediawatch. Just something?Jonathan Holmes
@jonaholmesMW @MolksPolitica @melsingerhack yes, something.Felicity Moore
@FelicityMoore ‘something’. I think that means ‘any old crap’ doesn’t it?Jonathan Holmes
@katherinefeeney @jonaholmesMW I thought the main principle of the show was to nurture and encourage reactive chatter! #mediawatchMichael
@CaptainFantasy @katherinefeeney what on earth made you think that? WeirdJonathan Holmes
Even with their outrageous staffing levels, still couldn’t pull something together to fill a full 15 minutes.
Must be tough working in the public sector…
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I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal that Media Watch didn’t cover Fairfax. The story’s not going to go away next week, and it’s not like there was a shortage of coverage.
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Count the staff on MediaWatch’s credits – they have, like, 30 people listed. Maybe they could transfer a bunch of them to News24 – who does do ‘last minute’ news with too few resources
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Testy or not, I like the fact he’s engaging with his Twitter audience.
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Agree with the above comments, MW is incredibly well-resourced compared to other shows, there are many ABC staffers who are very jealous of MW resourcing.
It also shows lack of foresight, the FFX announcement was on the cards for yonks and in the diary for at least a week. MW would have known this would be big, should have planned for HOW to cover it and deliver what audiences expect, even as a lead into Lateline, which would have been a boost to Lateline as well.
Let’s hope that The Powers That Be read this for what it is, MW being a little too comfy and spoiled, and give them a good shake-up!
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There’s a very good piece about this on the TV Tonight website. In short, MW would not have added anything to the story that had not already been canvassed on the 7pm News (particularly Alan Kohler’s excellent comment piece) or on 7:30, and subsequently on Lateline.
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i think you’ll find that many of the staff on the credits are backroom staff – librarians, sound people, etc. The cleaners might even get a guernsey. Jonathan has said publicly that he has three researchers who help him prepare very detailed and thorough scripts every week. Don’t think you could really call that ‘outrageous staffing levels’.
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