oh, you sad sad man.

...yes this topic is idiotic..but at least I got something to say.........smart ass

apathetic - describes them perfectly

but that's their job. that's all it is, that's why they are given money, who gives a rat's labia what they really think, i don't give a fuck if toni marsh is into that cold front moving up the east cape, just do the job....

nix - im staunchly behind you 100%, top 40 is the ultimate sin and im sick of it being repeated - Laila dookie (sp) or whatever her name is should stop dictating to our kids whats cool, But thumbs up to C4 friday nights with the band new Metal show - excellent viewing assuming im not at work @ that time of night.

I'm not talking about the top 40 stuff on select - they have to play that stuff, I mean the shows later on. The problem is a lack of variety - Amped being a prime example, a show that's supposed to represent rock, they must have thousands of videos from three decades worth of mainstream rock to choose - yet how many times have they played 'Welcome to the Jungle' - by G&R - multiple times. It's inexcusable laziness and apathy, repeating videos on once or twice weekly shows, there's no excuse for that. It's as if they refuse to play anything that isn't total-cheese-middle-of-the-road-obviouse stuff cause there scared of looking like queers, talk about a Haurakei mentality.
Repeating videos is a problem on almost all the shows, even flashbacks, I really think it's because they cant' be bothered expanding their library. And don't get me started on the interviews, Jaque Brown had to be the worst interviewer ever, nobody wants them to kiss ass but at least show some genuine interest in what they have to say, ask some intelligent question, instead of me me me me me. It's awful, I'd even say it's a bad reflection on nz. And she called Hugh Sunday a dick on Space, at least he made some effort with the likes of Tom jones, Mike Patton, he didn't make me cringe. I'm glad she's going on to a real job, maybe they'll get someone who cares. And Clark Gayford and Jane Yee are so incredibly patronsing, it's like there talking at a 5 year olds birthday party, "and next we have an interview with *mock pause for effect* Fat Feddies Drop......". Arrgg it really does sound like they're taking the piss, and Jane Yee must be the one of the most repressed, unengaged personalities - if you could call it that - on TV.

It's not just that Nick D talks too fast, it's like he has to fill up the empty gaps with noise, about 80% of what he says is filler.

I agree that Jacqui Brown is the worst interviewer ever. Mind you, I never really warmed to her at all, she still reminds me of Margaret Thatcher, I really can't work out why.

I don't like James Colman just because it's like he's trying to ham up the attitude for effect. Some people could get away with it, he doesn't.

I don't mind Clark Gayford, and I like Jane Yee. The rest of the presenters I haven't seen much, but I reckon they're a pretty decent lot. I reckon if anything the reason they come across as stilted or dicky is that they're still a bit self-conscious, which I reckon is a kiwi thing. They're required to be these charismatic music presenter Personalities, but they get really aware of whenever they say something contrived or wanky or whatever, so they end up kind of taking the piss out of themselves. I've noticed it in a few people - even after a few years' worth of radio DJing or whatever, they still don't seem to know how to handle the exposure & make telling comments that show they're a little uncomfortable about the kind of impression they're projecting.

Well, I doubt the repeating videos have a whole lot to do with the presenters. And I also don't think they come across as particularly apathetic - rather, just trying not to look too gay.

//I reckon if anything the reason they come across as stilted or dicky is that they're still a bit self-conscious, which I reckon is a kiwi thing

ha ha. a kiwi thing....could be. or perhaps the folks they're employing are just not the right ones for the jobs. and in general, the media whores; while keen to get involved in the industry, and possessing the contacts to ensure they can, are not as good at their chosen careers as many of the people they're employed over.

See, I don't get aloof/apathetic from Jane Yee at all. Maybe you just don't like her because she's good looking.

have you actually seen her show any emotion about anything?

//not as good at their chosen careers as many of the people they're employed over.

Difficult to say, since 1) the number of talented unknowns is - well, unknown, and 2) anyone that doesn't want media whoredom isn't going to take a job just because they have the talent. Also experience counts for a lot in any industry, there's no way anyone would take on a natural born performer that's never performed. Hell, how would you even know?

//perhaps the folks they're employing are just not the right ones for the jobs.

Possible, that's the same in any industry. It's also possible that a few of the people being griped about are diamonds in the rough - suffering more from limited experience than genuine lack of skillz. Example: I reckon Hugh Sundae is tops, but from Space, to breakfast radio, to news reporting I've noticed he always took a while to really settle into each new position, regardless of the experience from his previous roles.

//Jane Yee is a friendly, well informed interviewer and truly interested in the music//

then she should let that come across on air, like Hugh

oh and I don't have any weird thing/obsession for Jane Yee......damn! it already sounds like that.....

heather, we don't need to give a number on the amount of talented unknowns, they are there, we all know them, you are possibly even friends with some people who we perhaps think are more entertaining than alot of established TV presenters. I'm sure most of us know one or two characters who would soundly whip the behind off most of those C4 wizards.

we are not talking about people who don't want the media whoredom, those people have no bearing or relevance in this conversation. i'm talking about people who do want but lack the guanxi to get anywhere.

// Also experience counts for a lot in any industry, there's no way anyone would take on a natural born performer that's never performed.

possibly because they have all types of varying experience be it performing theatre, hosting unpaid radio, or selling cars. but more importantly because they are right for the job, and they work .
basically that's an ill informed statement;
hundreds of greats in many industries have been taken on and kicked ass with no prior experience, take that hard motherfucker from those guy richie films for example, take sigue sigue sputnik for example, name almost any entertainment field and there are complete new comers who have performed swimmingly, so yeah, that's how i know....strangely

and even as you say these hosts may be;

//suffering more from limited experience than genuine lack of skillz

which could only be attributed to the fact that they are lacking the necessary experience.....and yet strangely anyone has taken them on, in new roles, just look at hugh sundae.

Sure, but my point is that the whole situations vacant process isn't about sweeping every street throughout the land for the starlet. Every single industry will opt for the safe choice - someone with solid relevant experience, someone's that's stood out in their relevant tertiary education, someone that's shown some tenacity and perseverance (Camilla for example, who's put in some serious grunt work at bFM for years), and/or someone that's such an obviously good catch that it'll shine right through even the briefest interview.

Also, charismatic salesmanship won't necessarily translate to standing in front of a camera. I'm sure there are plenty of videos in that C4 sweep a couple of years ago of people that can easily hold the attention of their enraptured mates who all say "man, you should be on tv", but just couldn't carry a two minute video sampler for one reason or another. You can't really blame the employers for that, maybe they've bottlenecked the criteria for good presenters, but the only way they'd find the time & resources to find the perfect all-rounder is probably a reality show talent quest.

//personally i blame the directors. i reckon this is pretty much a job anyone could do-interviews aside, and if the hosts look crap then it's cos the director's are making them look crap

well, that kind of negates your original proposal:

//perhaps the folks they're employing are just not the right ones for the jobs...
//and in general, the media whores.. are not as good at their chosen careers as many of the people they're employed over.

What I'm saying is just that employing the right person is always an imperfect process - one that's constrained by all manner of resource / technical / psychological issues on the part of the employers and the candidates. Stating that there are way better people that should've gotten the job is as obvious as it is irrelevant. If there is a //phenenomenon rdor is requring people to address//, which by many comments here still appears to have more to do with personal taste than anyone doing a genuinely shit job, then perhaps it's better addressed by allowing the presenters they've already got to continue to develop their experience, at least for a while.

so you are saying:

//They seem so unenthusiastic, with an underlying indifference, almost disdain, for what they are playing.

that this is not the case?

they are equallly indifferent to everything. It's as if they think music is childish, they are above this childish stuff, with no personal thoughts about this or that, cause it's all childish. And I find some of the interviewing acutally quite belittling to the musicians, I don;t like that, whether I'm a fan of their music or not. Surely I'm not the only one who gets this....

rope, I've already said that I like Jane & Clark and I don't think they or the rest of the presenters (what little I've seen of them) come across as apathetic or indifferent, except James Coleman (who rdor says he likes) who comes across as contriving a sullen, cool-man image. That'd suggest that it's personal preference; although judging by various opinions put forward by rdor, I personally think he's projecting criticisms that are more based on his own low self-image.

no, I don't know rdor, the times I've called him ugly have been a prod at his own representation of himself. The way he upholds consistently negative stereotypes - homosexuals are perverted, christians are fake, good-looking people are shallow, the C4 presenters are apathetic, it all ties in with this other stuff like how he says he's an idiot, and he's complained about how crap it is to be ugly just because the beautiful people are so shallow, same thing over and over again. I don't think it's that farfetched a judgement call.

Of course we all know that people's online representations of themselves are at their best incomplete, and at their worst wholly apocryphal, I'm sure a bunch of people prefer to keep it that way, so who knows, maybe he's a decent hardworking insurance salesman in capetown with a svelte girlfriend and two dogs. And maybe I don't really give a shit and just get a kick out of analysing the online personas anyway.

I guess that just depends on what you count as important

intellectual property used to be really good when it first started out, and camillas voice isnt so whiney anymore (that doesnt mean its stopped altogether). she has no stage presence, she cant conduct an interview, when she tries to do a "mmhmm, yes im listening, wow thats interesting" look, its so contrived like shes worried if she doesnt play it up more she'll get fired, so she uses the "little girl, im so cutesy and overbearing with my stupid giggling" mannerisms. and then theres the music it gets worse each week, as if she picks up an NME every week to see what the rest of the UK is listening to so she plays really crap "we all sound the same" bands. sometimes there's a gem...but not really.
im so sick of the kaiser chiefs, bloc party, the bravery and so on...they dont belong on that show, chuck em on to the teeny bopper select hours!
wow im in a bad mood today... sorry guys, i just needed a bit of a ramble!

Yeah, sorry, just getting carried away. The whole thing was actually just a veiled prod at rope.