UMM AND UMMER

From the Green Guide, on Tony Delroy's midnight Challenge trivia shenanigans:

Cheating, Delroy says, has "become an issue" with the growth of the internet. "You'll know nine times out of ten in they're Googling because they'll be floundering and then all of a sudden they come up with the answer straight out of left field. When that happens, I'll quietly get rid of them."

Fortunately, it's not a big problem.

Not sure about that. Just last night Tones asked who directed Raging Bull, only for the caller to umm-umm-brainstrust it before bumbling "Martin, ummm, Sorcers?" TD passed it without a pause. Stand-in host Rod Quinn would have come straight out and said "No Googling; you're out." Rod's feisty. Tones, HTFU.

Tones recently had a lash at the cheats, calling them pathetic and sad for scumming to win no more than a book or a DVD. But there are a lot of low-rent dead-shits out there, so the issue won't go away soon.

Comments

[Big Ramifications]

I dunno what you're talking about. There's no linky [as I type], but it's obviously not talkback radio because you hate that, and this little Perthite hasn't heard of the Green Guide.

But as an ex quiz night JUNKIE, I've often wondered out loud what has happened with the advent of the internet, and more importantly: hand held gadgets that can surf the 'net?

Anyone know how organisers combat this?

[Big Ramifications]

Oh, and another thing that had me scratching my head. If they get the answer right... no matter how much floundering or left fielding... how does one "quietly get rid of them"?

Tony Delroy: "Correct! Well done. You certainly pulled that one from left field."

[activates hidden trapdoor to crocodile infested pit]

[Tony]

Biggy

Talkback is not "talkback" when it's a quiz.

The article is not online; it's in the Melbourne Fairfax TV paper called The Green Guide.

On his show Nightlife, Tony Delroy hosts a national radio quiz of 25 questions comprising five randomly chosen topics of five questions.

Listen to ABC 720. Nightlife starts at 8:00pm Perth time; the Challenge kicks off at 9:15pm Perth time.

[Francis Xavier Holden]

I can claim to be one of a group "banned" by Delroy way back in the 90's for using the net. We were all on #quiz channel on IRC and used to run our own quizes. We then banded together on on our own channel and formed #brainstrust and helped each other.

Tones banned us and we even wrote a letter of protest to ABC and Delroy saying that helping each other online was no different to if we were a bunch of idiot drunks in one room. (or in AGB case a bunch of sober idiots)

Course that was before Google and broadband - jeez sometimes a text message on IRC would take 5 minutes to get through.

[Francis Xavier Holden]

http://www.ircquiz.net/index.html

http://www.usefultrivia.com/links/

[Tony]

You don't seem to get the rooms of idiot drunks anymore. Maybe the brains-trusts' brain-cells are all gone.

[Francis Xavier Holden]

I meant to say I don't think Tony really gets the net. That's why he doesn't twig as soon as Quinn. Rod is more of a genuine nerd so he can feel it in the ether when nincompoops are googling the answers.

Is it just me or has the standard of questions gone down in latter years? And I'm sure Tones was tougher with clues and cutting people off and moving on. ah the good old days just get better as I get older.

As my old dad used to say: A Good Game is a Fast Game - Shit or get off the can.

[Tony]

I think you're right: Tones is a bit old fashioned.

Also, while Tones lets the regulars twaddle on, AR-Q (geddit?) hasn't got the long term rapport and deals with all the contestants on a more business-like basis. Maybe AR-Q would settle into the same rapport after a few years. Maybe the ABC should turn over the host on a semi-regular basis. Just don't let the summertime fill-ins anywhere near the studio. (Although Libby Gorr went alright once she got used to the format.)

As to the easiness. Boynton and me got the full 25 one night last week, without too much trouble. But it all depends on the topics, and the topics that night were right up our strasser.

[boynton]

with respect to Libby Gorr, whom I like as an afternoon replacement for Lindy, she clearly didn't get the format! I liked Annette Shun Wah the best of the replacement crew - she was quirky and personable (like Tony D).
Rod Q - imho - goes a bit feral with the google-paranoia, to the point of guilty-until-proven-innocent. This inquisition doesn't always make for pleasant listening.

It is becoming more of an obvious problem. I think TD should do a routine spiel at the beginning about the inherent evil of cheating on a radio trivia quiz (which surely is one of the most pathetic misdemeanours around) and/or have a 'no googling' sound bite that could be played throughout the quiz.
Failing that - maybe registered callers. Who knows.

[Tony]

I raccoon LG got it eventually, mostly. (And I like her, too.) It's just that her early adventures were a complete fiasco, and often dragged out well past 1:00.

[Francis Xavier Holden]

Annette Shun Wah is simply great. Always loved her since that SBS program years ago.

I said: "Is it just me or has the standard of questions gone down in latter years?"

You said: "Boynton and me got the full 25 one night last week, without too much trouble."

I rest my case yr 'onour.

[Francis Xavier Holden]

As to Tones twaddling on with regulars- I think thats the essence of good radio if the regulars are entertaining. Not all good intelligent entertainers are paid to do radio.

There was a guy on 3AW years ago drive time - he used to do TV in Sydney and got sprung for smoking dope - name escapes me - english originally (not that theres anything wrong with that) but he ran a show basically composed of ring in regulars being as funny as buggery - worked a treat but he knew what he was doing and knew when to kill idiots - fast.

[Francis Xavier Holden]

In fact as I've said to you many times. And let me say it again.

I think Delroy is the best practitioner of talk back in Australia. His 1.00 am - to 2.00 am segment should be on the curriculum for all serious talk back hosts.

His the only Melbourne person who can deal with John of Brighton in any way.

[David]

Francis: I think Delroy is the best practitioner of talk back in Australia. His 1.00 am - to 2.00 am segment should be on the curriculum for all serious talk back hosts.

I wish that was a bigger call than it is, but there really isn't too much competition. One problem with Delroy is that when things get political (and therefore some of the lunatics come out of the shadows), he's not prepared to stick the boots in and lay waste to them. Not to say everyone should be like Hinch (ie go out blazing whether you have any idea of the facts, or even what the caller's actually saying, or not), but you need a bit of mongrel to deal with the listening public.

[Tony]

If the callers to talk-back were not drooling simpletons then talk-back would be better. As it is, few hosts, no matter how clever, entertaining or adroit, have much to work with.

My least enjoyable are the so-called top line slots: Hinch, Mitchell, Faine, etc. Their talk-back is all about them.

Suppose it says something about my personal tastes, but my preferred talk-back segment is SEN's Your Shout which is on after 5:00pm. Despite being oaf-heavy, it makes me laugh. Pity Sandy Roberts comes on to full-stop the segment with his tediously regular "What's on Seven's News at Six" promo.

I don't get much of a chance to hear the late-night segments, which are less formal, less tightly structured and less octane-charged. Talk-back, for me, is miles more interesting when it's chatty, casual and allows the better callers more time.

[fxh]

yes TT -you and david are both right - Delroy does good chatty informed talkback and lets the odd talent have a bit of leeway but as david said he should hit the button on some jerks a bit faster. Still he will have a decent conversation sometimes with a caller - more than you can say for Faine.

Some combination of Australia Talksback (the current guy not Sandy whatsisname) and Delroys intelligent chatty charm and a bit of judicious mongrel a la Faine would make for good radio - theres still life in talkback radio if done well.