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MEDIA NOTES

Crikey sold! Chaser folds!

Posted by Tim B. on 02/01/2005 at 08:54 PM
  1. But what killed The Chaser was reader apathy.[/I]

    The consumer votes with their wallet

    ROFLMFAO

    Posted by swassociates on 2005 02 01 at 10:33 PM • permalink

  2. Re: Crikey
    Oh well! As my old Mum used to say, “Bullshit baffles brains any day”. To which my old Dad used to say, “Don’t knock it, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Whereupon he would belch comfortably, crack another tube and wait for the next buyer who wanted a bit of swampland.

    Posted by Boss Hog on 2005 02 01 at 10:35 PM • permalink

  3. Does the sky seem just a bit bluer today?
    Life just gets better every day!

    Posted by Gibbo on 2005 02 01 at 10:41 PM • permalink

  4. Off topic, but, he’s baaaack!

    http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/sectionindex1/0,5442,dhs_andrewbolt^TEXT^heraldsun,00.html

    Posted by Boss Hog on 2005 02 01 at 10:42 PM • permalink

  5. But who will publish unfounded rumours and mock George Bush now?

    Posted by Cheesie on 2005 02 01 at 10:46 PM • permalink

  6. Andrew Bolt: the one thing this proud Sydney-sider is jealous of Melbourne for having.

    Posted by Cheesie on 2005 02 01 at 10:47 PM • permalink

  7. With that ownership Crikey can no longer pretend to be politically independent. Just what Australia needs, another outlet promoting a tired old chardonnay socialist view of matters. C’mon rationalist bloggers, there’s a vacuum to be abhorred.

    Posted by slatts on 2005 02 01 at 10:51 PM • permalink

  8. But who will publish unfounded rumours and mock George Bush now?

    Some cheesedick will step into the job.

    Posted by swassociates on 2005 02 01 at 10:52 PM • permalink

  9. Weren’t these the same guys who had a goos scratch at Tim, by accusing him of selling outt when he got a full time job? Aren’t these also the same guys who started as ‘independent’ media, selling to an ex Fairfax employee?

    Just one more reason not to pay to read them settling their own, private scores.

    Posted by Nic on 2005 02 02 at 12:06 AM • permalink

  10. They got Guy Rundle to comment on the “economics of publishing”? Oy.

    Posted by PW on 2005 02 02 at 01:16 AM • permalink

  11. And of course, Media Watch has a new host: Liz Jackson. Don’t know much about her, but she seems to be part of the usual ABC circle jerk.

    Posted by Jorge on 2005 02 02 at 02:14 AM • permalink

  12. So Liz jackson will be taking over media watch. Sounds like a more attractive version of david marr (easy I know).
    I remember my boss being interviewed by Liz Jackson for a 4 corners program on the kyoto protocol.
    The interview lasted over three hours and he was able to argue his case rather successfully.  However, he appeared on the program for about thirty seconds, and needless to say, did not come off well. 
    Basically, the Liz Jackson school of journalism goes somthing like:
    1)  write your story the way you want it;
    2) get dramatic file shots; then
    3) collect some sound bites.

    Posted by entropy on 2005 02 02 at 03:16 AM • permalink

  13. Come on. The death of the Chaser was just part of the scheme by the vast Murdoch Empire to run all of its competitors out of business, crush dissent, make war, destroy the third world, eat babies, etc, etc. Now where’s my tinfoil hat?

    Posted by TimT on 2005 02 02 at 03:34 AM • permalink

  14. The chaser’s audience wasnt getting smaller- it was getting ‘more selective’ (Ian Faith, Spinal Tap) 1984.

    Posted by Lucky Nutsacks on 2005 02 02 at 04:04 AM • permalink

  15. Love that Spinal Tap quote, Roscoe.

    What else did Faith say; “Boston is not a big college town” or something like that.

    Used to subscribe to The Chaser (indeed, part of the encouragement I got to keep annoying people with my work came after they published one of my pieces), however, somewhere along the line it just didn’t seem worth the subscription price.

    As for Crikey, as others have pointed out, political independence was supposed to be the name of its game. As a subscriber, I tend to just read bits and pieces; meaning I mainly just read Christian Kerr and Hugo Kelly.

    Interesting to see how the sale impacts on what we get in our inboxes.

    Posted by Major Anya on 2005 02 02 at 04:21 AM • permalink

  16. The Chaser - loved their piece in the paper about Kofi Annan being arrested for Stealing(eating) bicuits at a Darwin reception.
    Talented group. Leftist tendencies, but it has been good watching the struggle to be even handed (at least on TV) - they did not always succeed. If only they’d used their sarcastic talents for Good!
    Crikey - Well, what can I say? I have a little list, they’ll (none of them) be missed.

    Posted by blogstrop on 2005 02 02 at 06:07 AM • permalink

  17. aaaargh! biscuits! typing lessons!

    Posted by blogstrop on 2005 02 02 at 06:08 AM • permalink

  18. No doubt will be attributed to the crushing of dissent by the Howard Nazi Government.

    Posted by Tex on 2005 02 02 at 06:24 AM • permalink

  19. Never subscribed so I cannot comment on the paper, but I liked their TV shows such as CNNNN and The Chaser Decides.  I notice they still have a website (http://www.chaser.com.au/)

    My 14YO son also liked the TV shows, and they introduced him to politics through satire and silliness.  He wants me to take him to The Chaser show (http://www.biglaughcomedyfestival.com.au/chaser.html) at the Seymour Centre in Sydney next month, and I think I’ll just do that.

    You should be able to get a laugh out of all sides of politics ... well I do.

    Stevo

    Posted by Stevo on 2005 02 02 at 07:08 AM • permalink

  20. CNN&N had a few laughs, but it was just a young art students show, and they did well to go so far.

    Of course, it was the ABC who funded them…

    Posted by rog2 on 2005 02 02 at 07:21 AM • permalink

  21. Tim!! chill, yo is with thu bruthers man.

    You, me, coupla others,  the hood, whatever,  we’ll crank this site up to be Global   Mega,  hey   Disney,  Lets.Do.It   (15% commission OK)

    Posted by rog2 on 2005 02 02 at 07:30 AM • permalink

  22. Beat me to it re Lovely Liz, the Luvvie of Lessos, Leninists and the Lumen Proles (well maybe not the last so much); she makes David Marr seem like Bill O’Reilly in comparison. I’m starting to see a pattern emerge- John Howard is more evil and cunning than even the most strident lefty conspiracy theorist could imagine.

    Posted by Habib on 2005 02 02 at 07:52 AM • permalink

  23. I subscribed early to Crikey and admired Mayne for having a go at the mainstream media in the days before blogs ruled the Earth.  He invested an incalculable amount of energy every day - not only publishing, but flogging the enterprise on local radio several times a week.

    It all started going downhill when the Tampa hit the headlines.  Then Crikey became as shrill, obsessed and plain wrong as the ABC and Fairfax.  While still valuable as the lone example of full-immersion shareholder activism, Crikey quickly became just another lefty student-newsletter when it came to politics.

    I’m afraid that Crikey is obsolete in an era of blogging.  Good for Mayne for seeing the writing on the wall.  Take the money and run - it’s not the Google IPO, but it’s better than Argus shares.

    Posted by Craig Mc on 2005 02 02 at 09:07 AM • permalink

  24. “Independent” Crikey = biased as the day is long.

    Posted by David McBryde on 2005 02 02 at 09:24 AM • permalink

  25. Stephen Mayne got up the noses of many people.  He used to have a weekly spot with Sally Loane on ABC wireless in Sydney, I don’t know if still does.  A bit of gossip, opinion, muckracking and maybe something of interest.

    BTW, just been browsing The Chaser website.  I never noticed their motto: “Striving for mediocrity in a world of excellence”.  I’m sure they’ve stolen that from somewhere in the MSM.  I wonder which organisation?  :-)  Where have the smileys gone?

    Posted by Stevo on 2005 02 02 at 09:25 AM • permalink

  26. You know, at least the old National Lampoon threw in some good old-fashioned sexism and T&A once in awhile.  Did these guys even make the effort?

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 02 02 at 11:43 AM • permalink

  27. Chaser had its moments. The TV shows were better, although uneven.

    Richard, there was stuff for we girls to look at as more than one of The Chaser fellows was quite nice in the looks department.

    Should be able to laugh at all sides, I reckon.

    Stevo, that sounds like a bad sixties folk song, “where have all the smileys gone, short time passing”.

    Posted by Major Anya on 2005 02 02 at 04:19 PM • permalink

  28. Darlene — I’m sorry, but it just isn’t cutting edge political satire without “Son O’God Comics” and “Vinny Shinblind, the Invisible Sex Maniac”...

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 02 03 at 11:27 AM • permalink

  29. Bring back comix like Zippy ... does anyone share my fascination with Zippy the Pinhead? (http://www.zippythepinhead.com/)  Not one of my friends or colleagues do, what what would they know ... probably that there is something wrong with me.  I think he is grouse, as Zippy would say.  And Zippy makes more sense than Trudeau’s Doonesbury IMHO ... now that wouldn’t be hard, would it.  :-)

    Posted by Stevo on 2005 02 03 at 06:50 PM • permalink

  30. I get a daily Zippy in my email, and often post the more esoteric and obscure on my site. Are we having fun yet? Yow Hoo.

    Posted by Habib on 2005 02 03 at 08:22 PM • permalink

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