It just wouldn't do for jetset playboy and Wimbledon champion Grant Dexter to pull…

That would explain the drop in circulation. A lot of folk would only read his column. He cunningly wrote about several different sports in one column and always had a mix of anecdote and insight. Sorely missed.

plus he seemed on the money with his opinions.…

Facilitated his viewpoint

Tee hee, whatever the truth of the matter is, it is indeed managementspeak.

My father, bless him, prints out web pages, sticks them in an envelope and posts them to me.

This is the cutest thing I have read all week.

Back to reading the abortion thread…

I'm loving this quote! Facilitated them right out of the building.

Well, I can think of one Sunday newspaper editor who would go up sharply in my estimation (to zero from a large negative number) if she "facilitated" all of her columnists out the nearest open window. The only thing…

I'm loving this quote!

Me too. It has managementspeak written all over it.

In fact, we facilitated his viewpoint by helping ensure his columns were in publishable form without errors.

I'm loving this quote! Facilitated them right out of the building. Without any of the errors those climate experts pointed out!

I see in the postings on your blog that someone mentions that Steve Braunias was sacked from the Listener. That's not correct. Nor is it correct, as the Critic article claims, that he won a constructive dismissal case. ( It…

Funnily enough when I read the comments threads on here, you're probably the person I agree with most often – guess we have a few things in common…

ultimately we still need to know what's happening, and what's on the telly.

It has got less satisfying, I agree, but I just can't bring myself to buy the TV Guide

But ... despite all that, I still read the Listener almost cover to cover every week, I rely on…

I don't know why anyone would pay to get their TV listings on paper these days. There's several online.

Not that I've actively subscribed to the Listener for some years (I found reading a few of the columns from multiple back issues at parents & grandparents places satisfactory), but there is…

It has got less satisfying, I agree, but I just can't bring myself to buy the TV Guide.

I don't know why anyone would pay to get their TV listings on paper these days. There's several online.

The Sports columns of Joseph Romanos were always worth a read

Hear hear.…

Um, actually, I think you'll find Matt Nippert's been doing the Films on TV reviews and Fiona's still on TV week duties.

I knew that!!

:)

I never check anything.

Gotta say that I'm enjoying Matt Nippert's TV highlights. Nice turn of phrase.
...
Oh yes – I only mentioned Matt because I noticed only in the last few weeks he's been doing it I've long enjoyed Fiona's turns of phrase too.

Um, actually, I think you'll find Matt Nippert's…

We talk and talk until my head explodes
I turn on the news and my body froze
These braying sheep on my TV screen
Make this boy shout, make this boy scream
Going underground, I'm going underground
I'm going underground, I'm going underground

Oooh the beer swilling socialism of it…

(along with Chris Slane's cartoons)

Agreed!

I enjoyed Tom Scott's writing/cartoon in the Listener – but now I'm showing my age.

The Sports columns of Joseph Romanos were always worth a read, whereas Paul Lewis never really seems to say anything.

They generally can't write headlines, standfirsts or captions either. It's basically a mess.

When I'm perusing the Stuff and Herald websites of a morning, my fiance is often subject to loud mutters about the quality of the editing. I mean, apostrophe misuse is present in headlines on a weekly basis.…

"Blogvertising"

It's where somebody tries to sell something in their blog posts.

;)

I'll just stick to selling my soul in mine.

$1.79 per gram

Sub-editors are often a print publication's institutional memory. They know how to spell the unusual names, and the particular quirks of individual writers. Great subs are the soul of the publication. Outsourcing that duty to a sausage factory loses you so much.

Oh yes. When I worked at WNL it…

Booker Prize-Winner Keri Hulme in Cancelling Listener Subscription Shockah!

I'd love to know why Steve Braunias was sacked – some of my fondest memories of the Listener are of his column.

Indeed. The despair induced by picking up the Sunday Star Times on returning to NZ this summer was only alleviated by his sharp wit.

Offer less substance, less analysis, less local news, and outsource the perception of accuracy and due diligence in their reporting for the sake of short term…

(Wouldn't it be grand if he ran for…

The idea was that it would be brilliant and efficient. The idea was stupid.

Sub-editors are often a print publication's institutional memory. They know how to spell the unusual names...

I had this happen just today. An article quoting me in yesterday's Herald had my name spelt correctly. An article…

BUT !! Would you please have a word with the psycho who designed the animated, distracting background behind the members taking part. Turn off the flashing lights. Please.

Then again the sheer rate of foreign ownership and how they've outsourced important roles like subediting is pretty interesting, in a horrible way. Is there any truth to the rumour that the NZ Herald has "outsourced"…

Well, to be clear I did demand and get a $50 pw increase

Uh, that's per week, not per word, right?

But the deeper story, as I said, is what's happened to freelance pay rates in general in the last 15 years, while largely foreign print media owners have pocketed…

“It's just wonderful how people embrace the magazine. There is this whole community of brilliant people who all read it and often communicate through talking about the magazine … it's why we will always have a reporter based in the South Island.”

I'm afraid this is what she said, word…

Sad to see RB go from it – horrified at -26% pay from start of tenure till end. You'd think with good growth figures, the pay rates would follow suit??

Well, to be clear I did demand and get a $50 pw increase in about March. But that still left…

And yes, bravo to Matt and Fiona for their artful TV and film reviews in 50 words or less.

Oh yes – I only mentioned Matt because I noticed only in the last few weeks he's been doing it I've long enjoyed Fiona's turns of phrase too.

Good on you for keeping the fee steady, at least!

I mean in raw dollar-and-cents terms, at least.

Though I do usually scan the books section to see if Jolisa has anything in it.

Thanks, Deborah! I do the same, looking for my favourites. I should have one in the week after next, I hope (a delayed…

'Do House Prices Make You Look Fat?'

Get the South Island Team onto it right away!

Finlay Macdonald confesses: “I was talking to a friend the other night about the ultimate Listener cover. We decided it would be 'Do House Prices Make You Look Fat?' We would have to put something about NCEA in the by-line too – just…

Sad to see RB go from it – horrified at -26% pay from start of tenure till end. You'd…

“It's just wonderful how people embrace the magazine. There is this whole community of brilliant people who all read it and often communicate through talking about the magazine … it's why we will always have a reporter based in…

Picked and bottled by union labour.

Funny – I read this as "pickled and bottled", and I thought "wrong order, surely?"

And the public wants what the public gets
But I dont get what this society wants
Im going underground, (going underground)
Well the brass bands play and feet start to pound
Going underground, (going underground)
[so]…

The Critic story on the Listener is excellent. It takes a very measured, intelligent look at the sorry state of the magazine, without merely slagging it off.

So, they'll be sicing the lawyers on them then?

Very tellingly, Findlay Macdonald declines to comment on the current state of the magazine and his…

Patronising or what?

Don't worry Rich, we're used to it. :)

I liked the bit about how they always put Helen Clark at the top of the 'power list' , so they can't possibly be biased. 'Some of my best friends are Labour voters!'

I agree Mediawatch just isn't the same without RB.

The University of Otago's student magazine, Critic, recently featured a very good article on the issue

Indeed it is good. If I may comment:

people don't want the diatribes of the left or the right. New Zealand does not have any room for a Spectator or New Statesman; we're shooting…

I’d have thought Riesling was more of a United Future kind of drink. I’ve never understood the Chardonnay bit either though; shouldn’t it be a red wine?

I agree about Nippert; he’s good.

I can do you a nice deal on Venezuelan Merlot. Picked and bottled by union labour.

Generally I prefer to buy NZ with wine. It's not like we're short of the stuff.

True, actually. I remember Jenny Wheeler telling me she'd had feedback asking why I banged on about this internet thing all the time, and why didn't I write more…

It's always struck me as one of socialism's great problems is the association with Chardonnay. If Riesling had an ideology, that would be something to fight for.

i've always considered myself something of a Grappa Anarchist. Whenever I drink the stuff, anarchy ensues.

Perhaps it's too early for this, but has anyone written a sustained account of what's been happening at the Listener under the most recent editor, and why? I mean, it's not just about cost-cutting, is it?

It's funny you say that. It feels like everyone talks about the standards of…

http://www.critic.co.nz/about/features/129

Diana Wichtel?

Genius. So funny.

One less reason to bother reading the Listener in the supermarket then. Now its basically down to Brian Easton...

Plus stinky Jim Pinckney's music reviews. as irregular as they are.

It's always struck me as one of socialism's great problems is the association with Chardonnay. If Riesling had an ideology, that would be something to fight for.

I agree, although I think socialism should dissociate itself entirely from the white varietals, just to be sure. What we need instead is…

It's always struck me as one of socialism's great problems is the association with Chardonnay. If Riesling had an ideology, that would be something to fight for.

Most of the wine-drinking socialist types I know go for a nice sav blanc, come to think of it.

Sorry to hear you'll be departing the Listener – you've done a great job of making tech subject matter interesting and accessible to a wider audience.

Can we assume that the Listener's loss won't be the Sunday Star Times' gain?

Rich, we're going balls-out for the chardonnay socialist niche.

It's always struck me as one of socialism's great problems is the association with Chardonnay. If Riesling had an ideology, that would be something to fight for.

BTW, it's an indication of what's happened to freelance pay rates that my fee in 1993 was about the same as my fee at the beginning of 2008.

Which means your years of experience and loyal service have been rewarded with an effective pay cut of ~26%. Lovely.

They recently deciphered some of the cave paintings at Lescaux and it turns out it was somebody bitching about the slipping standards at the Listener.

That's my quote for the week, right there.

Rich, we're going balls-out for the chardonnay socialist niche.

And ovaries-out too, right?

Who needs Russell Brown when you've got Joanne Black as the ace in your pack?

They recently deciphered some of the cave paintings at Lescaux and it turns out it was somebody bitching about the slipping standards at the Listener.

Big blow this, though, there's no denying it. We need…

Then you could sell targeted advertising to political parties based on this – so if I'm wavering Labour/Green…

Now its basically down to Brian Easton...

What, no love for Diana Wichtel?

Re: Ads,

Is it possible to get them so they are just served on the hard news page...

Tricky with the banners, no problem with the small display ads.

Is it possible to get them so they are just served on the hard news page...

Your column and the politics were often my first reads of an issue.

That's a bit of a blow. And if Bradford's Hollywood disappears (where does Max get the time?) then it's all over.

There's usually a laugh or two to be found in the section near the front with the misprints, accidental puns, and funny signs from the week's print media. And…

Oh, I see the lights are already dimming. Best of luck to those that are left.