It's tempting to laugh out loud - guffaw, even - at the recent footy ratings disaster at 3AW, so I will. After years boasting about how magnificent they are, despite several years of serving up self-indulgent, egotistical rubbish, AW have been pantsed in the latest survey.
And haven't they taken it well.
Not that I mind they've scaped some goats. Hutchy's rude and abrasive persona is better suited to the kiddies at MMM - if they'll have him back. Ralphy Horowitz was probably a key player in AW's latest vaudeville broadcasts. Scott Cummings seems like a nice bloke, but on air he's a colourless wood duck, offering next to rock all in the way of insight. And Saturday morning's Glossing Over has been leaving any remaining elements of entertainment in a glass beside the bed for yonks now.
Hutchy could be right that its a bit of a knee jerk, given it's their first bad rating in ages. But reading between the lines it sounds like Graham Mott has been biding his time, waiting for a chance to kick arse.
Now all they need to do is get rid of Rex Hunt, Tony Shaw and Clunt Grybus.
Michael Horan pre-empted AW's reaction with a good piece on 3AW's recent form in yesterday's Hun. "In short, the AW format that has worked for so long is suddenly going to the scheissenhausen and things are looking as black as a dog's guts."
For the record, this season I've been listening mainly to ABC. I'd prefer someone with a little more zest and a little less dag than Drew Morphett, Mark McLure borders on boring and Stan Alves is too old school, but Gerard Whately is excellent and manages to maintain a cheery chemistry of entertainment balanced with footy insight.
Elsewhere, MMM could well be great to listen to, but I never listen. And SEN have their moments, most notably with Liam Pickering and Grant Thomas, but I can never stick with them for more than half an hour or so, and their match calling is lifeless.
Which all points at footy broadcasting's obvious flaw: lack of depth. Every station (bar the unheard MMM) have their moments, but there are too many boring interviews, mistakes in the call, egos, slanging matches, fake sincerity, cliches, boofheadedness and outright stupidity.
Were it up to me - out with footballers, in with journalists.
But lap it up while you can. They might be swine, but 3AW are possibly the most professional radio station in the country. Anyone who thinks they'll stay third for long is kidding themselves. They'll be popular again, probably as soon as this weekend.
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m0nty
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