The Day in Review Sept 27

- Leading all the way was the police shooting in Christchurch last night. Prime opened up with witnesses claiming the deceased was unarmed, and had the Police Association saying now was a good time for tasers, 3 went with the police defending the shooting, while One went with the account that the man was about to whack the officer with a hammer. 3 went on to the push for tasers, and yesterday's e-mail saga in Christchurch (although the man wasn't wielding a knife), whereas One went on to discuss the police's official gun policy. Steven Wallace's mother went on the wireless, and the parallels were easily made. Which letter will be added to this constable's name?
- One followed up this piece with the reopening of Mount Ruapehu, and had the lovely Sonya Wilson frolicking in the ski-fields. She reported on lahars too. Oh, and had a GNS scientist for credibility. 3 waited until after the break before returning to William Pike, preferring to note a head-on collision near Queenstown that was the site of a fatal unimog accident a few years back.
- The mystery body in the Bay of Plenty got some props, with Tokoroa police believing it to be Jimmy Slater; a man missing for 20 years.
- Darin Gardiner was found guilty of murder (surprise surprise).
- 3 let Garner Major loose on Tony Ryall, who was deeply apologetic for omitting the move to lose the GP fee cap from National's discussion paper. Earlier on NewstalkZB, Barry Soper pointed out that he had mentioned it once before... kind of.
- 3 also let us know that Pumpkin wanted to go to China with her nan.
- One did hide a nice little piece in its 6.30 ixposay, with Guyon Espiner grilling Mary Anne Thompson of the Department of Labour over the department report finding serious shortcomings at the border. Needless to say, Winston appeared on camera, armed with his crocodile smile and smooth coiffure.
- The Wireless was wrapped up in the shooting, as was Mark Sainsbury and John Campbell. Superintendent Sandra Manderson appeared live on Close Up, leaving John Boy to play one of those silly replay interviews where he asks the questions and she answers as though it were actually taking place for all the viewers to watch (much like an All Black replay). Reminiscent of the hey-day of Close Up when Susan Wood was hosting it, really.
- Insipid moment - One News. Melissa Stokes following in the footsteps of her predecessor, Lisa Owen (I had to get that in there). Read the summary:
French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj has turned the haka into a ballet performed by women in heels. Four All Blacks have watched the show in the South of France.
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 26

- It was all about Ruapheu this evening, with a ridiculous amount of time dedicated to how Mr. Pike had his leg cut off at the knee; how skiers were irate at not being warned about the impending lahar; about irate tourists who weren't told of the lahar so they could go see it; how scientists were irate because they couldn't figure out how the warning signals didn't go off until the minute before the eruption; and so on and so forth.
- In other disaster related news, a landslide has created a new lake in the South Island (One), while the earthquakes in Matata weren't caused by Ruapehu (3).
- The other biggie was the National Party's discussion document that saw Tony Ryall get under the party leaders' collective skin when he mentioned that a National Government would remove the fee cap for GPs. Aunty Helen rubbed her hands with glee, and, as Garner Major noted, summonsed the media to Level Nine to discuss how this was indicative of the evils of the Opposition. As usual, not too much substance was released.
- 3 bumped that story to the end of the the opening segment, following the country's first prosecution of a battery chicken farmer for mistreatment of his animals (is there any other way in a battery farm), the Glassie Four getting a criminal charge upgrade, and the death of a NZ movie man in the UK.
- One also did the Glassie Four, but ended its opening with a RWC piece on Tonga's pending clash with England. One's second segment now appears to be the realm of international news. I almost see a return to its old format coming on.
- 3 and Prime followed up on the formation of the Pumpkin Foundation (as did One in the second half), but One's Close Up preferred the Tana Umaga's new foundation, devoting a whopping 20 minutes to Tana and his gang of friends.
- Apparently Telecom was split in three and Air New Zealand's Eagle Air subsidiary was grounded, but most of that was hidden away in later segments on 3, and Neil Waka's 30 minutes of agony on One.
- The Wireless seemed besotted by the Ruapehu lahar. Me, I was fairly non-plussed.
- John Campbell + Human tragedy in the face of a cruel, but amazingly beautiful natural disaster = Campell Live.
- I suppose I could find an insipid moment, but it would just take too much effort on a slack night like this.
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 25

- Pumpkin was reunited with nan today, and this was universally the biggest story among the broadcasters. Warm fuzzies all round (until you take into account that the Family Court will decide on whether or not nan can look after Pumpkin). The ongoing investigation got a lot of coverage too. I suppose when a story leads the networks in the States, we can follow their lead.
- Story number two (for the talkies) was the investigation into the death of a ten-month-old in Manurewa.
- Jim Anderton's lowering of the fishing quota got a lot of coverage (especially on the wireless), although 3 waited until no-one was tuned in before going wtih that story. Understandable, as Jim's hardly in their demographic. Smarmy Eric Young (over on Prime) pointed out that this was going to lead to job-losses. Smart man.
- 3 (and Prime) took the news that New Zealanders now outstripped Britons as the number one immigrants to Oz. John Key was appalled, because something has to be done to stop this braindrain caused by over-taxation in a heavily regulated environment propped up by a strong union movement.
- The new election boundaries were well-covered on the Wireless, but no-one shared the glee of Barry Soper on Prime (and Newstalk) when pointing out that it took the shifting boundaries to get rid of renegade Nat MP Brian Connell (or O'Connell if you're former 3 Political Editor Stephen Parker). Actually, I tell a lie; Bill English had a gleeful look when commenting on that story. Unsure if he had the same glee when Kris Faafoi rang him up for comment on the allegations by GayNZ.com that his son had been posting anti-gay messages on his Bebo site. (Good ol' muckraking at its best.)
- There was more of the same on the All Black jersey debacle, so I won't elaborate.
- Oh, and the PM opened a new prison, which according to prison guards who spoke to the wunderkind Jessie Peach is the most comfortable gaol in the country. It's going to fill up pretty quick too. And it's going to focus on rehabilitation.
- Close Up opened with a never-ending piece on sunblocks that don't do what they claim (and followed that with the new revolutionary cure to smoking; then that dress in the Christchurch Casino). Campbell opened up with his defence of the beauty of the female body, chatting to the icon of feminism in New Zealand, Christine Rankin (not a self-serving spotlight-hungry shrew as some would have us believe), on the right of Heather Simpson (not H2) to wear an evening gown in Christchurch Casino without being asked to leave. Christine mused on her own experience at the hands of the phallocentric bureacracy, wondering out loud if State Services Commissioner Dr. Mark Prebble had moved into the gaming business, along with his mysogyny. John followed this up with a shameless comparison to Nicky Watson, who readily admitted that she had never been turned away for wearing low-cut dresses. (Sorry, one of the afore-mentioned people gets my goat.)
- I was going to award TV One for an insipid half-hour today (I finally watched the entirety of Neil Waka's news at 4.30pm), but I gotta hand it to 3. A tweens' story AND Christine Rankin pontificating. Beautiful.
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 24

- Or a tale of two murders. The deaths of a 74-year-old engineer in Kenya and a Year 13 boy in London were the hot topics on our big broadcasters and the Wireless today. (There is no depression in New Zealand or We don't know how lucky we are - your pick.)
- The ongoing saga of Nai Yin Xue and Anan Liu saw more coverage with Superintendent Neville Matthews arriving in LA to help with the investigation. Kate Lynch was on location for 3 (who killed Laura Palmer?), while Tim Wilson was our man in the States for One. Lisa Owen was also on location, at Auckland International Airport (note for those who don't know Auckland too well, that's quite a distance from the Death Star on Hobson St).
- The other big story our broadcasters felt it important enough to make the top of the bulletin was the Prime Minister's displeasure with the Parliamentary Rugby Team (despite it rollicking success), as the players receive commercial sponsorship (as opposed to tax-payer funded). I just don't know anymore.
- A story that got traction on 3 (and the Wireless with Jim Mora) was proposed legislation to ban driving under the influence of drugs (pharmaceuticals included). Boy there's a big row about to break out, as Mini-Duncan (Scott Campbell) pointed out to us. Metiria Turei was the voice of reason on this one. (Irony included at your own discretion.)
- The other big story hidden in the second Act, was given much better depth by our man Garner Major. After a review, it has been decided that Landcorp will not be selling Whenuakite land, nor will it sell other farms without first consulting the iwi involved. Perhaps the Guvmint should have contacted John McInteer of the Hauraki Maori Trust Board before Duncan did, at 4pm. One soon followed suit with a snippet (I'll be waiting for Hirini Henare to cover it on Te Karere personally).
- Oh, and Doug Howlett managed to eclipse Christian Cullen's try-scoring record for the All Blacks (of course it made the first Act), along with the confusion over the colour of the jerseys (Only on One).
- The Wireless didn't really have too much to say, although it did give us some nice coverage on National's attempt to sneak in partial privatisation on a Sunday/Monday morning. Smooth Bill, smooth.
- The insipid moment of the night could have gone to One News for changing its format (ever so slightly), and its awful AWFUL re-introduction of Jim Hickey (Wendy should be seen and not heard), but 3's effort to stick to the hard news wins with a piece that would not end on Shane Warne's ongoing fidelity issues. (I refuse to go into further detail.)
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 21

- Tonight we were given two major stories to dwell on that our major broadcasters alternated on. One led with the ongoing saga of Anan Liu, and how the police admitted (not their first mistake, but perhaps one that any politician tries to avoid) that they could have opened the boot earlier, while 3 gave it to us in position number two. We were given more details on the investigation, told that the courts would decide on who would gain custody of Pumpkin, and that the police were considering sending over officers to the States to hunt down Xue. It was nice to One News strategist Lisa Owen taking over this story and giving us her two cents worth.
- 3 led with the rescue of some school students in a cave who were trapped by floodwaters, and how they had to hold their collective breath and duck their heads underwater to escape. One gave it to us second.
- Fires in Wanaka, the Iranian President's visit to the States, the McCanns, and the fact that Nightline would have the Supreme Award Winner at WOW on followed up. 3 ended their first opening segment with the cat fight at Fashion Week (Aja Rock and Nicky Watson).
- One gave us bits on how a crane had to be taken down to let Queenstown Airport continue operating, and followed this up with Taupo Motorsport Park looking to a public float to earn a bit of cash (what's $3m between investors?).
- The Wireless bored me so I ignored it. Sorry.
- Close Up (Henry) continued their exclusives on Anan Liu with more of her family, while Campbell had a lovely chat with Rachel Hunter. 'Nuff said.
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 20

- A more indepth review would be a bonus today, but alas, there were only two stories according to our broadcasters, and one required much more coverage on the other. That of course would be the body in the boot, or the ongoing saga of Pumpkin. Every conceivable (to a journo) angle was covered, from how slowly the police took to open said boot (everyone), to how many journos did stories in front of the boot (Amanda Gillies on 3), to the police conference in Wellington defending their actions (everyone), to Lisa Owen pontificating (One), to Simon Dallow's exclusive interview with friends of Anan Liu (One), to Clayton Cosgrove making sure that Pumpkin's gran can come to NZ (everyone). Oh, and Sainsbury had an exclusive with Qian Xun's sister.
- The other biggie was the Government's climate change/carbon trading story. Again, our broadcasters broke it down to how it was going to impact on you (One had a grumpy old pensioner, 3 had optimistic youths (demographically speaking of course)), followed by their respective political editors explaining the actual policy away, because only Guyon and Duncan can do that for you (and are interested enough to do that for you), backed up by a story on how the Government was finally giving the forestry sector a break by allowing them to keep their carbon credits pre-1990. I thought agriculture got the biggest break myself, but hey, I don't have a farmer's moan to back me up. Oh, and Campbell had an exclusive with an Antarctic chap who swears that in eight years, the world will know climate change.
- These two aside, not much else happened. The murdered Auckland kid's accused was named; Gordon Copeland walked from his Christian Party; OJ was granted bail.
- The Wireless wasn't much better.
- Insipid and unnecessary (excluding Lisa Owen): Britney has to undergo alcohol tests in the hours preceeding her custody of the kids as her custody battle with K-Fed heats up.
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 19

- Pumpkin and her mum led the way, with the discovery of the body of an Asian woman taking hold of every anchors' lips. So much so, that TV3 devoted its entire opening segment to Pumpkin, her family, the investigation, and how Chinese New Zealanders like to use Skykiwi to talk to the authorities as it's less daunting than anything else. 'Nuff said I say.
- John Key's call to give Clint Rickards a nice Golden Handshake got considerable coverage, with 3 focusing on Key wanting the matter dealt with (and Peter Dunne sidling up to John Boy), while One took the Prime Minister's dismissal of Mr. Key's political naiveity and complete disregard for legal process. Odd seeing the State broadcaster backing the State on this one.
- One also had the only coverage previewing tomorrow's big climate change/carbon trading announcement, with Guyon Espiner waxing lyrically about how the agricultural sector was going to be given (another) break. They followed that up with a piece on Qantas accepting that NZers liked the idea of carbon neutrality.
- 3 jumped on the opportunity to stick it to Sky following its victory in the High Court, banning Sky from using RWC coverage on its lifestyle programmes. There's nothing like a good winner I say.
- The Fed Reserve's decisison to lower interest rates in the States saw some traction, as did the fall-out from the new Christian party. But all-in-all, it was a fairly quiet night (again).
- Campbell gushed over a poor woman who had to stay indoors because she developed an intolerance to sunlight, poor old gal. While Sainsbury had us feel sorry for the family of a special needs kid who drowned on a school outing.
- Not much else to say, other than Go OJ Go.
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 18

- The little Pumpkin girl dominated proceedings tonight, with further details released, such as the police investigation into the disappearance of the girl's mother (on everyone) and the Unitec film about the father's missing daughter from a prior marriage (exclusively on 3), and the Australian response (with Garth Bray on One), and the CYF revelation that they had previously investigated the family (on the Wireless). My money goes to Tze Ming Mok and her patch.
- 3 followed up this mega-story with further probing into ACC's decision to pay for the victim of a gang-shooting who was on AFFCO property. Unfortunately, Mini-Garner (Scott Campbell) was covering it as Garner Major (Duncan Garner) was at the Destiny NZ disestablishment. While Minister Ruth Dyson claimed in the House that AFFCO took some responsibility in return for discounted levies, AFFCO stated it did no such thing. One gave the piece a 40-second slot later on regarding Anne Tolley's question in the Chamber.
- Our second big story of the night was the official announcement of the disestablishment of Destiny NZ as a political party, and its alignment with Gordon Copeland's new and improved Christian Coalition. The highlight was when Gordon admitted he didn't know he would be a co-leader with Richard Lewis (formerly of Destiny NZ).
- One had a nice little number on the Government hinting it was going to ask property developers to build low-cost housing. Colin Dallas of Kingdom Residential Housing believes it will be effective. I just can't seem to wipe the sneer off my face.
- 3 combatted this with a story on the investigation into a Burnham Army Camp fire truck that fell into a Canterbury Creek en route to a fire when a farm bridge collapsed... it failed to take the twelve tonne truck. No apiarists were harmed.
- Other big story of the night. Becks. Stadium. Big bucks forked out. Big bucks to be made.
- John Boy and Mark were smitten with Pumpkin, and continued along that railway line. Me, I switched off. Sorry.
- Moment of the evening: OJ. It's nice to know that there are people out who are ignorant enough to try and mess with The Juice.
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 17

- Leading our bulletins tonight was the lost little pumpkin girl at the Melbourne railway station and the plane going down in Phuket. I'll avoid all cynical comments - it's too early in the week.
- 3 followed this up with some good ol' self-promotion by covering its rescue mission for the two Kiwis chasing the All Blacks in France who had been ripped off. Good PR all round for the three sponsors (Heineken, BNZ, and Telecom) who came to the rescue. And the good hearted All Blacks who are going to let the couple into one of their training sessions.
- One preferred a Climate Change survey which found 36% of New Zealanders (read respondents) wanted the Government to consider nuclear power in addressing this global phenomenon. The PM had a raft of reasons to decline their plea.
- OJ's ongoing criminal career got a bit of coverage, as did Sir Richard Branson's support for the McCanns, and the Emmy Awards too.
- 3 snuck in a piece on Destiny New Zealand's pending announcement, which Duncan Garner tips to be a disestablishment of the political powerhouse to allow a new coalition of the Christian kind. Somehow, I just can't see moderate Christianity cuddling up to Destiny, but that's just me.
- The Wireless didn't give much respite, with another slow news night seeing both Close Up and Campbell gushing over Pumpkin in Melbourne and the cruel heartless father who abandoned her. I suppose Campbell's gushing over Clive James was always going to happen, but that doesn't make it less passe.
- Sorry folks; the news was the loser.
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 14

- Following the Zaoui hangover, today was a slow news night for our broadcasters. Prime kept up its Zaoui routine, focusing on Winston Peters' accusations that New Zealand is a soft touch followed by Barry Soper dismissing all of Winston's laments. Prime also managed to give Ced Simpson from Amnesty a say. When our big two got into their Zaoui routines, One pointed out that Ahmed had to go into Ramadan, and 3 stated that his family will have to wait to get into NZ. MP reaction remained the same. Guyon Espiner noted that the Winie was not a happy chap when it came to the SIS, but our PM dismissed his bawling.
- One opened with an exclusive on a research grant of $150k to test the voices of patients to determine whether or not they had quit smoking. Needless to say, the Opposition's spokesman Tony Ryall was none too impressed, and even the Health Research Council was concerned that it only had novelty value.
- 3 led with Madeleine McCann. Then followed that up by hoisting its own petard by reporting on the dispute between itself and Sky regarding Sky's coverage of the RWC. Lawyers Julian Miles QC (the good guy ie 3) and Graeme Hall (the bad guy ie Sky) had their say. The judgement was reserved until next week, keeping the injunction going over the weekend.
- One followed up its first exclusive with another (I know, they're working overtime) on Fonterra raising the cost of wholesale butter and cheese. Bakeries around the country are livid.
- 3 continued its run on yesterday, with police conceding that a Wellington hunter who died had to wait too long for an ambulance. Inquiries are underway.
- The rest of the news was doom and gloom, with murder trials, funerals, minimal troop withdrawals from Iraq, and Gordon from the first Australian Big Brother dying in unusual circumstances in China. Wowee.
- The wireless didn't add too much tonight, although Newstalk ran with the Sky-TV3 debacle for a while. RNZ didn't have too much on offer, although RadioLive did have Pamela Stirling explain the methodology behind The Listener's 50 most powerful people. Way over my head.
- Close Up ran with a parolee murderer, while Campbell had a heart-rending story about a long-married couple who were separated in their twilight years by an uncaring bureacracy. Is this how we treat our elderly people; our forebears, who put their lives on the line for us in their youth? Paul Henry did manage to celebrate the second anniversary of the Skyhawk (non-)sale in an oh-so-amusing piece.
- Comeback of the day had to got to Damien O'Connor who helped NZ receive an award for its efforts in combatting tobacco by with his tireless work to introduce pictorial warnings on cigarette packets.
-Silliest hairdo goes to Hannah Hodson (I know I'm picking on her, but she makes it too easy) with her headband pulling her hair up in a style reminiscent of a caricature.
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 13

- Prime bucked the trend by leading with Damien O'Connor's humble return to Parliament where he offered his most sincere apologies for being rather dim. No-one else was too interested by DO'C anymore.
- Because the SIS decided Ahmed Zaoui wasn't that much of a risk anymore, and decided to leave him be. We got Zaoui's history, the background of the case, a few more tidbits that hadn't been released to the public, and an assertion that he had put any dodgy dealings behind him, swearing on the Qur'an. The PM wasn't saying too much, aside from the fact that she was confident in Warren Tucker's ability as the Director of the SIS. Winston was none too pleased, as he, unlike many other MPs, hadn't read the memo that circulated last night. As our wonderful networks tend to do, the story went into overkill, with Deborah Manning having much to say, but Amnesty was strangely silent (despite them issuing a press release and attending the hoopla).
- 3 threw in a couple of Asian P convictions and an earthquake in Indonesia into its opening segment before moving on to the RWC. One waited until it had lauded Leighton Smith (an effort in itself) for talking to a woman in the midst of a suicide attempt; reported on an inquiry into a parolee who committed a little violent crime (what's murder between friends); and ran a piece on a police pursuit, before getting into Portugal's chances against the All Blacks.
- The depositions hearing for the Edgeware Road hit and run got a little coverage, and 3 went on about Professor Keith Woodford's book on the evils A1 milk while One talked about the 1080 protesters threatening to unleash the dogs on poor unsuspecting kiwi, otherwise it was more on the McCanns.
-Apparently the Reserve Bank held the OCR as is, but you wouldn't really know.
- The wireless ran with Zaoui. Nat Radio for (sorry, RNZ). NewstalkZB against. David Farrar probably had the most sensible thing to say about it on his blog (I see the irony).
- Campbell and Close Up played milk and Zaoui tag, with John having a wonderul conversation with Ahmed and his fesity, yet lovely and attractive, lawyer Deb before talking hard and fast about the dangers of milk with Professor Woodford. Sainsbury did it in reverse.
- I'm sure I had an insipid moment, but really, the saddest thing I saw today was on the New Zealand Herald's web-site (usually a fine place to find news, despite the typos) where Simon Cowell's comment that Britney's career was over made today's top ten stories. Lamentations abound.
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 12

- Again, the case of the adolescent fingered as a murderer on the social networking web-site Bebo led our broadcaters' news bulletins. This aside, everything was fairly higgledy-piggledy.
- The on-going scalp of Damien O'Connor blighted our screens, with Hannah Hodson putting on her best impression of a hard-hitting political journlist on One. Our man Duncan over on 3 was bemused that the Minister was refusing to answer any questions at his tourism conference in Auckland. Gee.
- New regulation for finance companies managed to get an airing on Prime with Dr. Cullen dictating to the reoprters that things were going to get better. Not so our beloved big two, who thought the ongoing sagas of Osama and the McCanns was a good example of hard-hitting international news that would inform AND entertain the average viewer, who doesn't want to know about... y'know, financial stuff, like what a secured debenture is when a finance company's offering 11%. It's secured. It's gotta be safe.
- 3 trumped One with its piece on the police and St. John's Ambluance under fire for failing to send out a chopper to pick up a hunter out of Wellington last night quick enough. The chap died, and despite the Westpc Lifeflight Trust pilot Dave Greenberg telling us it would have been a difficult lift, 40 minutes was too long and questions are being asked.
- Rugby got a good beating in the opening segments. The best of which was 3's coverage of its successful temporary injunction against Sky broadcasting any RWC coverage. I have never heard a more contented cat that got its milk.
- One aired another sycophantic piece on Peter Jackson, who saved a chapel owned by the Sisters of Mercy. Nice to see our Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast use it for all it's worth in the lead-up to her election campaign. It's a shame Rexy didn't finish all of his projects; then she wouldn't have to serve another term.
- The Wireless gave good coverage to the nurses' pay-rise with the DHBs. Still underpaid and overworked. Poor wee things.
- Close Up devoted its first segment to a South African woman who was jilted by her husband, had lost residency, and failed to get a visa. Thanks to Close Up's involvement (late in the piece after the Taranaki Daily News had been an advocate for her for some time), Immigration relented and she was allowed to stay. Sainsbury followed that up with a nice little piece with Roger Moses, the venerable headmaster of Wellington College, and Steve Tew of the NZRU on the dwindling numbers playing rugby. Campbell on the other hand, did the hard yards, investigating the rise of Melanotan 2, the cure-all jab to give you a tan, suppress your appetite, and increase your libido, all in one. Nice one John.
- No insipid moment tonight (they're all above). The feel-good story of the evening was the Nobel Peace Prize Nomination for the Spirit of Adventure Trust. I never set foot on the boat, but I know a lot of people who have.
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 11

- Leading our bulletins was the ongoing saga of the Auckland teen murder, with breaking news that a chap was arrested and charged. Bebo played an all-important role in tracking down the alleged culprit.
- 3 ran the disestablishment of the Serious Fraud office second, while One held it back a little. The Police Association welcomed the changes, and while 3 ran the Government's line, One went to Simon Power, who hoped its new incarnation worked better than its predecessor.
- Damien O'Connor's offer to resign received the appropriate coverage, with John Key taking every opportunity to accuse the PM of being opportunisitic in holding back until her reshuffle. 3 seemed to be more interested in the fact that D.O'C tried to quit via text message.
- Hackers in the system got a reasonable level of reporting, and while H1 knows who tried their luck, she's not saying anything.
- 3 covered REINZ's housing report on how we had finally become slothful. Nothing surprising.
- Rounding out our opening segments were reports on the US commander on Iraq and the police alert in Germany over a US airport on 3, and the deaths of the the Body Shop founder and actress Jane Wyman kept us on One.
- The wireless gave us a bit more info on the NZRU's decision to pump some more cash into community rugby, with Steve Tew talking to Willie Lose, and Murray Deaker pontificating with Larry Williams.
- Close Up opened with the evils of youth and how the world was coming to an end, while Campbell continued with the Opotiki exhumation before having a heated discussion between Associate Minister of Health Jim Anderton and that wonderfully kooky Health Spokesman Nandor Tanczos on banning BZP.
- The worst story ever has to go to TV3 for its piece on whether Paris Hilton was going to find a nice Kiwi lad, as her friend is coming to NZ as a celebrity judge at the World Cocktail Champs. I don't know why I bother sometimes.
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 10

- The top story of the day according to our favourite television executives was the investigation into the murder of an Auckland teen. Most interesting was the make of car implicated... a Mercedes.
- The accident in Christchurch that claimed the lives of three teens also received a lot of coverage, with all the usual suspects calling for an end to youth driving.
- The hit and run trial rounded out our trio of terror at the top of the hour.
- New Zealand's working holiday agreement with the US got a lot of coverage, although the broadcasters all had to institute that wonderful NZ xenophobia and include the protests to such a heinous agreement.
- The fate of Damien O'Connor didn't get quite the coverage expected, with it seeming likely that everyone will have to wait until the reshuffle to see the good Minister go.
- Pharmac's investigation into the the high number of children on antidepressants got a bit of a spread, with Dr. Peter Moodie doing all he can to ensure he and his are not to blame.
- Throw in the McCann investigation for a bit of an international mix, and that's the major bulletins rounded out (excluding 3's RWC package which was missing from One's opening segment (sigh of relief)).
- Close Up ran with an expert on the dangers of cruise liner living, while Campbell had Geeks on Wheels talking about how they had benefited so much in the wake of Telecom's Bubble being burst, proving that he won't bow to sponsors by pointing out that Telecom refused to be interviewed tonight, and sending his great journalistic off-sider, the lovely Carol, out on to the streets of Mangere to see how a small budgeting service that helped those less privileged people in the greater Auckland area struggled to get anywhere with the heartless beast that is Telecom NZ.
-And 60 Minutes had a piece on NZ's drinking culture (but that's still in the future so I don't know exactly how we stack up).
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 7

- Leading all bulletins was the man with the mad eyes, Antonie Dixon, having his murder conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal. Most of the ruling's findings were suppressed, but the judge's direction appears to be the cause. Defence lawyer Barry Hart was upset that he had not been able to talk to Antonie (personally, I think that would be a good thing), while Crown Prosecutor Simon Moore was upset for other reasons. One and 3 ran their stories side by side, and until the summing up, were virtual replicas.
- One ran an exclusive on the man from Cromwell whose car may or may not have been bugged by police. 3 caught up with a bit piece later on in the day.
- APEC got a good going over, with most of the focus on the mad lads who have become the toast of the town withe their antics getting international coverage. There was also a little bit on Helen Clark's stance on nuclear power, with 3 focusing on how she was trying not to alienate anyone. Guyon Espiner ran with the push for an FTA on One, hinting that the deal was getting closer.
- 3 also ran the announcement that we've got an Osama video on the way in time for the sixth anniversary of 9/11.
- Rounding out the first segment were pieces on the RWC. Zinzan's return and comment on the All Blacks founds its place on 3, along with Mike McRoberts showing his ability as a foreign correspondent by giving us a brief preview of the opening ceremony (how can his Iraq pieces compare to that?). One went with Dan Carter's meeting with Zidane. The comparison will not be commented on. They followed it up with a feel good piece on a blind grandmother's preparation for the Warriors' play-off match.
- Close Up and Campbell had a great head-to-head - Steve Price with Sainsbury vs. a RWC preview with Carol Hirschfeld (and Wynne Grey). Classic.
- Too quiet for an insipid moment. Maybe 'Mister Pip' being the favourite to win the Booker. I just don't know.
Good night.

Life in the fast lane

Again I find myself apologising to the netherworld where no-one really resides.
I'm no longer subjected to the insane rantings of talkback radio, but I suppose I've sold my soul by going into the sales aspect of this crazy community.
This aside, what I shall endeavour to do is provide you with a brief review of the evening's news. In fact, it's not even that; rather it's a summary of the opening segments on the big two, with a few other things thrown in if I feel the need. Here we go again.