puff April 20

Big Ups to Peter Wheeler!

Wheeler’s Corner Ó
Connecting Citizens Who Care
“Broadcast every Thursday at 11.45am on Access Manawatu 999AM” Contact Peter at wheeler@inspire.net.nz Or phone 06 359-2030
Wheeler’s Corner can now be read or listened to on www.accessmanawatu.co.nz. ‘Peters’ column in the Guardian also makes interesting reading.

If you would like to share community or individual ideas with a wider audience go to http://www.reader.co.nz/

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016 14th April 2011



This Week: 1. Success brings redundancy: 2. Emails: 3. Where have all the Councillors gone: 4: Eavesdropper: 5. My God.



The Manawatu Guardian has taken a massive step backward. After getting the balance of the paper to 60% advertising 40% editorial / local news content and getting the community involved its managers have done an complete about-face and made their key and top performer, editor Richard Mays redundant.

It seems as if they know the cost of everything but the value of nothing, especially regarding staff.

It’s a strange way to reward success. It is suggested that Management have or are planning to set new targets of between 70 to 80% advertising and 20% editorial or news content. This makes a real mockery of their front page headline of being the Manawatu’s leading community news provider.

Just as Fairfax [Owners of the Dominion, Manawatu Standard] dropping the taking of news via the NZPA [New Zealand Press Association] has led to the loss of 40 jobs thereby reducing valuable local input into the national news mix.

Like Fairfax APN an Australian outfit that owns a massive amount of our daily, weekly and community papers including the NZ Herald and the Manawatu Guardian are really feeling the pinch and it would seem that the bean counters have taken over the controlling of the news. Ads are in and news is out. Here in Palmerston North we are not unaffected by the running battle between Fairfax and APN both are Australian owned companies which have or had a stake in NZPA but who are now seemingly only interested in making money at the expense of professional reporting.

Every day that local advertisers use papers owned by Fairfax and APN the profits are sent off shore. In many respects they have little or no choice because these overseas corporate owners have brought out almost all of our once independent national or community media. Corporates have gained almost complete control and now are rapidly down grading the quality of their publications to that of in some cases scandal rags.

The loss of quality professional editors like Richard Mays is just another step in the down grading of our local media. Richards years of effort in lifting the quality and standard of a give away local newspaper will be missed and especially by those who believe in honesty and integrity.

TVNZ’s TV 7 the only public service TV channel has also been given the chop and will shut down in the New Year should the Nats win the election.

With John Key’s backroom bail-out of MediaWorks which owns TV3 via a 43.3 million dollar loan the selling off of NZTV looks likely, this would mean that all news coverage will be in sixty second sound bites and our so-called current affairs programmes will give little or no in depth analyst of what is happening. Political reporting and content will be by press-release only, a massive step backward by any standard or measurement of journalism. Does professional journalism still exist? The government has claimed that the bale out loan was to help radio across NZ, that is just tripe; the money loaned was 43.6 million dollars, MediaWorks led by MD Sussan Turner [pictured] after lobbying the Prime Minister John Key got 43.3 million the rest got just 300 thousand dollars, across the board…yeah right.. [Treasury advised against the loan] And he did this to save jobs and that is if you’ll excuse the word crap…he did it because he was lobbied and simply can’t say no to his mates.

Weak editors or untrained editorial staff leads to weak and politically inept newspapers, radio and TV.

It would seem that most editors have lost editorial independence and are now governed by accountants and political hacks like Steven Joyce the Nats leading spin doctor.

The woeful Fox News Network in the US is now the clear model being followed by newspapers, TV and private radio and the present government supports them through what could be called direct funding via the back door. We should be concerned for while there is no funding for pre-school education it is available to overseas media companies and its time we asked why!



2.

Peter

There have been reports in the past that the police, in certain crimes, don't turn up for a day or two after, so people don't bother to report the offence. I believe this has been reported in the paper, though not recently. I just wonder how many petty crimes don't get reported, and as you say, if the crime rate is dropping - why are there so many people in prison? Wendy

Thanks Wendy but you will need to speak to the Sensible Sentencing Trust, but don’t speak to the guy who stole the dead child’s passport.


Peter, have you noted ID 491 in the list of possible things to add to your list of City Council possible submissions for the Annual Plan. Electronic voting published on the web site would mean we would know who voted for or against the motions we care about Ethel

Good heavens Ethel that would make the councillors open and transparent and would stop the double standards of saying one thing but doing another…still one can always hope.

3.

Where have all the councillors gone? Do we actually have any active councillors? They certainly don’t have any media presence. Well Nikki Guy [pictured] made it when she put her name forward as the Nats candidate to replace outgoing Simon Power (National, Rangitikei). She has also been in the news for other reasons but alas not ones that have anything to do with Hokowhitu. No councillor has made any real comment about the big unauthorised spend up regarding local energy generation. The new and massively expensive Velodrome project that so favours Massey University Inc has received no comment maybe in their heart of hearts most councillors are hoping Palmerston North won’t be successful. Maybe they also hope that it won’t go the way of the Rugby Academy at Massey Inc which is a hugely expensive white elephant. None of the new candidates seemed to have commented on any civic activity that I know of. Are they all asleep under a bush in the Square?

4.

Eavesdropper



‘The Coffee on the Terrace’ café has tables outside that catch the early morning sun. The traffic noise can make eavesdropping difficult at times but my Sally Whites separate the sounds to an amazing degree. My flat white tasted superb, but the conversation tasted even better so I’ll share it with you…

“Mom is something worrying you”, said a young woman who was wearing jeans and a black tank top.

An older woman…obviously her Mum, replied. “I’m just tired dear, that’s all”.

“Are you ill, should I ring the doctor? I’ve got my cell-phone in my bag; I’ll do it now if you like”.

“No dear, I can promise you the doctor doesn’t have a remedy for my present problem”, said the mother.

“Well Mom I’m happy to talk about it, so why don’t you tell me what the problem is”, the daughter said, as she reached out and held her Mum’s hand.



I was thinking the same thing…come on Mum tell her and tell me at the same time…



“Its noise and the lack of sleep and it seems to get worse every bloody day”, said Mom loudly.

“Mom, I haven’t heard you swear since Dad ran over the cat when I was a teen”, said the daughter adding, it must be serious”.

“Yes it is and if your Dad was still with us he would have sorted the problem in a flash, anyway I rang the Council call centre about it, you know the Noise Control outfit”, said Mum sounding real grumpy”.

“The noise, what noise Mum? The daughter asked.

“You know that group of young people that moved in next door, well they’ve started up a band of sorts”, Mom said pausing to catch her breath.

“What sort of band is it Mom?

“Don’t ask me all I know that it’s loud and they practice at all hours last night they were still going and 2am”. Mom said.

“No wonder you are worn out, so what did the noise control guys say?

“I don’t know I was going to ring the council later today”.

“Well if you get no joy from the council ring the police, now drink your coffee before it gets cold” said the daughter.

“Thanks for listening to me dear you’ve always been a good listener’, Mom said smiling.

“Would you like me to call in and see the guys next door?

“What good would that do”, asked Mom.

“I could tell them about the ’Stomach’…

“The Stomach, what’s that dear”, Mom asked.

“It’s a place were bands can practice, they have sound proof rooms that keep the sounds in and it’s run by a really neat guy”, said the daughter.

“You do that dear”, said Mom, I hope they react quicker than the council…

“I’ll drop in tonight after my shift ends at the hospital, now finish your coffee and I’ll give you a ride home so you can ring the council and I’ll pop in and see you after I’ve spoken to the band members and you can tell me how you got on.

They departed the scene and I thought, that sometimes people are just so inconsiderate toward each other and that elderly people sometimes need special consideration because not all older people are like me, and can remove their Sally Whites and make the noise go away…

5.

My God asked: “Peter, why is current affairs disappearing from our TV screens, for example why is TV3’s The Nation shown at 10.30 Saturday mornings and then again at 8.30am on Sunday and why is TV One’s Q & A shown at 9am on a Sunday morning only? I told her I didn’t know. “Of course you do Peter” she said as she dunked a ginger nut biscuit in her coffee. “I’m sorry, I said, but it is beyond my comprehension”.

“Its money Peter, profit before knowledge…and that’s really sad, she added.

I agreed…



A reader has at last understood why my God is female and she sent me this:



Eve chats with God. “Lord, I have a problem.”
“What’s the problem, Eve?”
“I know that you created me and provided this beautiful garden and all of these wonderful animals, as well as that hilarious comedic snake, but I’m just not happy.”
“And why is that Eve?”
“Lord, I am lonely, and I’m sick to death of apples.”
“Well, Eve, in that case, I have a solution. I shall create a man for you.”
“Man? What is that Lord?”
“A flawed creature with many bad traits, he’ll lie, cheat and be vain; all in all, he’ll give you a hard time. But he’ll be bigger, faster and will like to hunt and kill things. I’ll create him in such a way that he will satisfy your physical needs. He will be witless and will revel in childish things like fighting and kicking a ball about. He won’t be as smart as you, so he will also need your advice to think properly.”
“Sounds great,” says Eve, with ironically raised eyebrows, “but what’s the catch Lord?”
“Well, you can have him on one condition.”
“And what’s that Lord?”
“As I said, he’ll be proud, arrogant and self-admiring…so you’ll have to let him believe that I made him first. And it will have to be our little secret…you know, woman to woman.”



Peter J Wheeler
Wheeler@inspire.net.nz

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April 20 Wed
Te ao paho
Kaupapa korero mo te ra nei
Nga tino kaiwhakapaho ki Aotearoa
Rangahau
Ko wai nga tino kaiwhakapaho ki Aotearoa. He aha ai? No ehea teihana ratou?
Subject of the day
The best broadcasters in Aotearoa
Analysis
Who are the best broadcasters in Aotearoa. Why? What stations are they from?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_New_Zealand
Tuesday 19 April 2011
1930 - Presentation: Water quality in the Manawatu – How bad is it and what’s being done about it?
When: Tuesday 19 April 2011 at 1930 - Ends: Tuesday 19 April 2011 at 2130
Where: Te Manawa Main St P.N.
Details: Speaker: Dr Jon Roygard, Science Manager, Horizons Regional Council.
Much has been said about water quality in the Manawatu. This
presentation will move beyond the talk and present the latest findings
on water quality in the Manawatu alongside information on what’s being
done to improve water quality and where to next.