Love it or hate it, talkback radio is here to stay

By BILL FRANCIS*

Talkback: A symbol of democracy and media responsiveness or an index of social alienation and media manipulation?

According to the rhetoric of longtime talkback host-bashers Diana Wichtel and Gordon McLauchlan, plus a new expert in the Herald ranks, Monique Devereux, it seems the second option applies.

Former Race Relations Conciliator Rajen Prasad has also had a whack, describing talkback as "a most sinister avenue for inciting racial disharmony".

Wichtel and McLauchlan have climbed on the bandwagon off the back of an aberration in the Auckland radio survey, hoping perhaps that talkback might finally be sliding into oblivion.

Forget it. Survey results on subsequent days from the Waikato, Wellington and Christchurch show the Newstalk ZB product is as vibrant as ever. Newstalk ZB in Auckland remains number one in every demographic from 18-plus onwards. The Auckland result is a blip and there is no evidence to support an assertion that this reversal is a trend.

While McLauchlan might pray for talkback's demise, the format he advocates (sold to him by Gordon Dryden, a sort of university of the air), is a recipe for real ratings disaster.

Dryden, an intelligent early talkbacker, made the fatal mistake of talking his audience into submission at both Radio Manukau (later Radio Pacific) and with a programme on the long-since-disappeared The Point radio station.

In this vast, deregulated radio market, these monopolistic newspaper critics are welcome to try their hands at something they clearly see as not being run along the right lines. Their continuing fascination with the subject indicates they are closet talkback junkies who think they know how to do it better.

But read Jon Gadsby in the Listener on Paul Holmes; he understands that real talent makes it look easy. Also, as McLauchlan would know, having advocated on a television commercial the sale of Telecom, talkback is also business and, therefore, its delivery in an acceptable commercial formula is essential.

Newstalk ZB, with its issues-driven format, has certainly done it better than anyone else for at least the past decade. The format is designed to set up the news and issues with Paul Holmes in Breakfast and Larry Williams in Drive.

This enables the audience to then participate and develop conversation about those issues in a robust, opinionated and entertaining arena.

In the era of media technological interactivity, talkback is the trendsetter. Newspapers may have long provided correspondence columns but nowhere have personal views had such a public vehicle to expression on such a consistent, immediate basis as talkback.

Unlike the newspaper letters to the editor pages, talkback provides instant feedback and reaction to personally expressed views. In essence, the view and opinion are immediately tested for all to sample.

This discussion is led by the host. In developing interesting and intelligent conversation, the host is always going to have as much to say as the caller, sometimes more. This should not surprise. The host has experience as a broadcaster, knows how to develop conversation, is researched and is in the job because of the ability to articulate on a wide range of subjects.

The Leighton Smiths and Kerre Woodhams are successful because they are practised at what they do, research their subjects and are respected by their audiences.

Of course they can sometimes be biased or prejudiced but they are there to stimulate and engage. Those qualities have made Leighton Smith number one against all-comers in Auckland, including Kim Hill (also very opinionated), for at least the past 10 years. And, as revealed in the latest survey, he is still on top.

What of the intelligence of callers? The other day a Radio New Zealand newsreader, Hewitt Humphrey, in a piece in the New Zealand Justices Quarterly, said: "There are some excellent talkback hosts, whose knowledge and common sense do much to assist the less educated in society." What elitist, pompous twaddle. What Humphrey was saying was that only his ilk should be expressing their views, the so-called educated.

And furthermore only Humphrey's educated elite should be able to express their prejudices. Callers are no more than representative of the demographic listening to the radio station - in Newstalk ZB's case, 25- to 59-year-olds, equal gender mix, upper socios 1, 2 and 3.

The events of September 11 proved talkback can play a variety of roles that are beneficial. As a residue for the outpouring of shock, talkback, within minutes of the jet airliners slamming into the twin towers, was overwhelmed with callers trying to make sense of the catastrophic events.

As the days and weeks progressed there was opportunity for callers and listeners to be involved in informed, often passionate and healthy debate.

I cannot recall a more concerted effort by hosts to read up, understand and grasp the issues. Naturally the views and verdicts of the hosts were varied but their industry in mastering the facts was laudable.

As the story unfolded, the hosts could begin to take up more definite positions. There is nothing wrong with that; they are purveyors of opinion.

In the end, radio management and producers have the means to direct and oversee, so that the aims and philosophy of intelligent conversation can be achieved.

The Wichtels and McLauchlans will always go searching for rubbish calls and they will find them. But what they choose to ignore, taking into account the hours and hours of talkback across any one week, is the enormous amount of stimulating, energising and intelligent conversation.

Talkback does not have to represent bland, boring, polite talk. It can still mean tough argument, robust debate, pricked prejudices and unwarranted put-downs. And, of course, it should entertain.

At its best, it continues to educate, inform and find solutions and allow the community at large to engage in conversation and test their views on all manner of topics. A vocal nation is a positive asset that rather supports the summation that talkback is a symbol of democracy.

And, anyway, what are the other available outlets? Letters to the editor? The chatroom? Graffiti? Talkback is here to stay.

* Bill Francis, a broadcaster for 37 years, has been the manager and programme director of Newstalk ZB for the past nine years.