Q&A: on the return of Martin Devlin

Martin Devlin says he is out to offer seriously entertaining sport. Photo / Paul Estcourt.

He's back, doing what he does best.

Martin Devlin returns fulltime to the airwaves on June 6 when he kicks off a new sports show that goes head-to-head with the biggest name in this particular game.

The 45-year-old Devlin will spearhead Radio Live's afternoon show on Saturdays and Sundays.

That pits him against the media sports king Murray Deaker who rules the roost with his Sunday Scoreboard on Radio Sport-Newstalk ZB, and the Saturday version hosted by former Tongan rugby forward Willie Lose.

It's been more than 10 years since Devlin blew in from Wellington and gave the fledgling Auckland-based Radio Sport a flying start with a brekkie show full of snap, crackle and pop.

Devlin was an unknown to most of us when he followed in Paul Holmes' Wellington-to-Auckland footsteps.

Devlin's calling card: A reverence for sport laced with irreverence.

This took a bit of getting used to, but he won a significant following, had a major influence on how we looked at sport, and grabbed a stack of awards.

His previous claim to fame was as the man who had helped pull the plug on tradition at the Basin Reserve by inserting music into cricket.

No one was safe. Adam Parore walked to the wicket to the sound of You're So Vain while an out-of-form Mark Greatbatch was given the theme music to Mission Impossible.

The former alternative radio music DJ brought a similar style to his radio show.

Devlin was a comparatively young man in an older bloke's game, who cut through the air with wit and generated a few stories in the process.

Within two years, Devlin had edged Radio Sport's breakfast show over its target of gaining 5 per cent of the Auckland market, nestling among the talk-music mob who were duking it out in Holmes' dust.

For the many among us who have never even seen one of those tracking diaries, the radio ratings game is a mysterious and not entirely credible business.

How do they really know who is listening to what?

And it is fair to say that Devlin's influence reached well beyond the 5 per cent mark - no morning sports jock has come close to matching his quality, profile and ratings since.

Four years ago, he quit for a strained couple of years as a breakfast news host on CanWest newcomer Radio Live.

Since early 2007, Devlin has played as an all rounder, freelancing across the media and doing bits and bobs including bobbing a bit on Dancing With The Stars.

Devlin and his "beloved" Andi Brotherston, the former TV3 journalist turned TV One publicist, and their kids Charlie, 8, and Paddy, 6, also had a spell living in remote Awhitu (on the southwest shores of the Manukau Harbour) following the death of Devlin's father.

They are back in the city now, and Devlin is raring to go on the new show.

Here, he takes a few questions before grabbing the studio microphone again.

Will a focus of your return be a toe-to-toe battle with Murray Deaker?

You've got to concentrate on your own show but it's always about competition in this business. We are very different. I don't sell BioMags. I suppose Deaker opened a lot of doors for people like me but about the only thing we have in common are our initials. Sport has a big chunk of the radio market on the weekends ... the one thing we will do is offer an alternative.

Sounds as if "Dekes" might not sleep so easy ... will you be looking to include live commentaries of, say, Warriors matches?

We don't have the rights for that but we are certainly looking at having commentaries.

Did poor ratings end your morning news stint at Radio Live?

Honestly, the fit just wasn't there. Covering sport is an absolute joy. You can be a big kid and I never really considered it a job. Suddenly I was doing something a lot more serious. It was hard to get any joy dealing with a subject such as twins who've been battered to death. There were so many truly horrible stories to cover at that time. I didn't really realise that if it bleeds it leads in news. You've got to try these things - if you don't you'll never know.

What's your sports broadcasting philosophy?

It's like a music station. If you don't like a particular song you want to feel you will hear one you will like within a few minutes. We had the same philosophy about items on the show. We didn't do long and overly involved stuff. Our philosophy on this show will be seriously entertaining sport.

Who were your childhood heroes?

I was brought up with Wellington rugby in the late 1970s ... Stu (Wilson) and Bernie (Fraser) I suppose. And there was English football and Manchester United. They had just come back up from the second division and I was hooked. Here's one for you ... my mother just sent me my old scrapbook full of Manchester United stuff and it includes the signatures of every squad member from the 1976-77 season. I had a pen pal in England - I wrote to the club and they put me on to her. I can't even remember her name. She must have collected the signatures over a number of trainings. Every player is there. There is a personally signed message from the captain Martin Buchan to me. To Martin Devlin, from Martin Buchan. Amazing. Can you imagine getting all those signatures now? That was the birth of the train spotter in me. I'd forgotten about the scrapbook - it's got every possible stat from every game. Where do parents get those things? When does your mother actually lift that from your bedroom?

What's been your best interview?

Alex Ferguson - it was done via satellite as part of a charity thing arranged by Steve Sumner and we were able to use some of it on the show. We were allowed 12 minutes but spoke to him for 26. What I remember is what he said about dealing with all the egos and personalities in the Manchester United side at the time. He never disses his players in public - only behind closed doors. He gets incredible loyalty from them. I have a very privileged job. I've met a lot of people who have been heroes to me ... I get to talk to these legends and they treat it like it is normal. It amazes me.

Worst moments?

No one thing in particular but the debate around whether Soulan Pownceby should go to the Commonwealth Games was really ugly. There was the loss of the World Cup rugby hosting rights and the America's Cup that divided people. And there was the controversy involving Mark Todd when the media met Glenda Hughes at her obstructive best.

Ouch ... sport isn't always joyful. Has the break done you good?

Sometimes in this business you lose perspective. I think I've been able to get a fresh perspective now. When the rugby union has bullied you for a few years you can lose the natural joy of things ... the public doesn't deal with that and they can have a different perspective from you.

What are the hard questions for the media?

Sometimes the hardest questions don't get asked by the media. It's in the mind ... if I ask that question what response will I get the next time I want to talk to that person. It's a tricky one.

Here's my hard question then ... regrets?

The death of my father Rodney. He had prostate cancer. He was only 63. I don't have any other regrets from the past couple of years.

What's your big hope for the year?

I want my kids to hear their old man working on the radio so that's going to happen which is great. I'm also hoping that Twenty20 cricket falls on its arse.

And the big one - will Manchester United beat Barcelona in the Champions' League final next week?

Absolutely. Barcelona play nice pretty football but Alex Ferguson will pick a side that swamps them in the midfield.