Robert N EmersonThe Terri Irwin Interview - Ray Martin is bad enough, but it could be worse...
September 27th 2006 02:38
The interview with Terri Irwin will air tonight on Channel Nine at 8.30pm. I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of the Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, and I will no doubt watch the interview. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Terri to do, and I’m sure it will be highly emotional for both her and the viewers.
However, as I mentioned in the comments of yesterday’s entry, I cringed when I heard Ray Martin would be doing the interviewing. I actually didn’t think he did a particularly bad job as host of A Current Affair, but the man is just not a good interviewer. Cast your mind back to his interview with Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson, which was just painful to watch.
As you have probably guessed from my previous post, I would be much happier if Andrew Denton were interviewing Terri. Of course, this was not a very likely prospect considering Channel Nine has the rights to the interview. Still, the powers that be could have chosen someone with a bit more charisma. A 60 Minutes Reporter like Peter Overton, Tara Brown or Charles Wooley would have been a more appropriate choice. Even Tracey Grimshaw would have been preferable to Ray.
Still, I know that it could have been so much worse. If it were Channel Seven that were conducting the interview they might have put Naomi Robson at the helm. In my nightmares I see her arriving at the interview atop a six-foot saltwater croc, adorned in khaki with an entire menagerie on her shoulders. Half-way through the interview she invites Terri on an impromptu trip to Indonesia to kidnap WaWa and make him the property of Channel Seven. Before they depart though, she makes a stop at her gold-plated makeup truck so she can liaise with a seedy underworld figure.
It’s then that I wake up and realise that maybe Ray Martin isn’t so bad after all. Perhaps he'll prove me wrong tonight. I guess I'll just have to watch and see.
However, as I mentioned in the comments of yesterday’s entry, I cringed when I heard Ray Martin would be doing the interviewing. I actually didn’t think he did a particularly bad job as host of A Current Affair, but the man is just not a good interviewer. Cast your mind back to his interview with Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson, which was just painful to watch.
As you have probably guessed from my previous post, I would be much happier if Andrew Denton were interviewing Terri. Of course, this was not a very likely prospect considering Channel Nine has the rights to the interview. Still, the powers that be could have chosen someone with a bit more charisma. A 60 Minutes Reporter like Peter Overton, Tara Brown or Charles Wooley would have been a more appropriate choice. Even Tracey Grimshaw would have been preferable to Ray.
Still, I know that it could have been so much worse. If it were Channel Seven that were conducting the interview they might have put Naomi Robson at the helm. In my nightmares I see her arriving at the interview atop a six-foot saltwater croc, adorned in khaki with an entire menagerie on her shoulders. Half-way through the interview she invites Terri on an impromptu trip to Indonesia to kidnap WaWa and make him the property of Channel Seven. Before they depart though, she makes a stop at her gold-plated makeup truck so she can liaise with a seedy underworld figure.
It’s then that I wake up and realise that maybe Ray Martin isn’t so bad after all. Perhaps he'll prove me wrong tonight. I guess I'll just have to watch and see.
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Comment by Anonymous
The only reason Ray Martin was been appointed to host a current affair is to satisfy the large number of femal audience that are starting to watch these television programs, ever since large numbers of women started to join the work force. Ray Martin have a large number of favor amount female audience when he was first appointed.
I am not saying channel 9 is shallow, but they do tend to try find ways to make revenl the best way they can.
Another example can be find in their report on prince Charles and his wife. Instead of calling them charles and Cormalla like everybody else, channel nine says "Prince Charles and Cormalla" making reinforcement on the word "Prince". Other words include "The most beloved couple in Britian" and "First interview ever since Diana's death". In a report about Nichole Kidment's wedding. Channel nine once again refer to Charle's wedding with Cormilla and said "Wisdom do grow with age, just ask prince Charles"
These are all really words plays and selective representation trying to make us feel as if we should obey Charles unquestionaly and make us like him. Big advertisers do this all the time. They only say certain things and don't tell you about anything else, creating a false image of goodness as a result of that. An example of such is Cocopop, where the advertisers only talk about the certain good things within their product, but didn't mension the product's high level of suger. Channel nine is doing the exact same thing with Charles, through only selecting certain things to represent, word play and representing things only in a certain way.
By making Charles looks good, channel nine somehow (I am not sure how) gain their own financial advantage (maybe some founding or more access to royal family gossipe news)
Anyway, my point is that. Channel 9 is basically all about making revenue and quite friquently they choose the easy way out. Picking Ray Martin to do the interview, is much likely to be just another way try draw audiences. Not about who is best for the job, but who's face will sell.
Comment by Nina
Comment by The Stingray
You cringed when you heard that Ray Martin would be doing the Terri Irwin interview?
I cringed when I heard that there would be an interview!
Whatever happened to Rest In Peace?
Not likely while ever there is a buck to be wrung from the now deceased King of Tireless Self Promotion.
What I was surprized about was that Ray didn't interview little Barbie ... er, Bambi? ... er, Bindi, and Bob.
I bet he tried.
But that will come later, when Bob can talk, and when Bindi has her own chat show. It won't be long.
I bet Harry M. Miller and Channel 9 are already cooking up the deal.
Stay tuned. The Dianafication of Steve Irwin will be relentless.
Comment by Nina
I can certainly understand there being one interview - the public desperately wanted to hear what Terri had to say, and I can understand why she wanted to do the interview sooner rather than later.
I, like you, certainly hope that Steve Irwin is allowed to rest in peace. It was awful last night when A Current Affair showed us 'parts of the interview that we didn't see'. She did the interview - that should be it. Terri, Bindi and Bob should return to the screen if and when they want to, not when Channel Nine wants more ratings.