Not-so-magical mystery tour
The bus with no number. Plus: Radio news, including further thoughts about Kyle Sandilands, and farewell to the OG electric trains, hello to a new hotel.
It’s a little difficult to read, but the display on the bus (pictured, above) says “Sorry, Bus Full”. What it doesn’t say is which bus it is.
This is the situation that confronted me and others at the Cultural Centre bus station at the beginning of peak hour on Tuesday afternoon.
The bus may have been full — it actually wasn’t, but it was standing room only — but there was no way of knowing whether it was the bus I needed to catch. There was no visible route number, so I had no idea.
Was it somebody else’s problem, or mine?
It turns out it was my bus, so I then had the dilemma of either getting on and standing — which I did; and it was not fun — or waiting in the hope that another bus would be along soon and it would have available seats.
The design flaw of not being able to display the route along with the “full” sign forced the driver to yell out the number, along with information about the lack of vacant seating, at every stop.
There has to be a better way.
In train news, EMU59, the last of the original 1979 fleet of electric multiple units, will be taking its final journeys on the Brisbane suburban rail network on Saturday, July 5.
Details of where you can catch a ride, or at least get a glimpse, are here
Mister Brisbane is free to read, but if you appreciate what I’m doing here, and/or
at The Wrinkle and Radio Bert, you can buy me a coffee.
Questions for Kyle
Despite saying he would be gone for a week after throwing a tantrum on air on Wednesday, Kyle Sandilands was back on his Sydney and Melbourne Breakfast show on Thursday morning.
The consensus among online commenters and people who have studied Sandilands far more closely than, surely, can be good for their health, is that it was all a stunt because he craves attention and hopes such nonsense will help bolster the show’s ratings.
So maybe I fell for a trap when I wrote this, but I still think there are some serious questions to be asked. Among them are:
+ Does Sandilands really not understand the laws of sub-judice and contempt? If not, why not? He’s been in the business for decades and that’s the kind of thing you should learn on day one. I’m also pretty sure that the watchdog, ACMA, has reiterated the need for him and his colleagues to be schooled in broadcasting law.
+ If a judge ever does find the Kyle and Jackie O Show to be in contempt, who pays the penalty? Is KIIS owner ARN the “publisher” of the material, even though — according to Sandilands — management has no control over content. (How they could cede that control is another story.)
+ Does neither Sandilands nor ARN understand the reasons behind contempt and sub-judice laws? They are there to protect both parties in a court case, so that loud and uninformed commentary in public doesn’t derail a fair trial. Loose opinion can lead to the guilty going free and the innocent being punished. There is plenty of time and space for commentary after the case is settled.
+ What exactly does the “censor” on the show do? How qualified is this person, and why is Sandilands allowed to bring them on air during the show, treat them contemptuously, and try to make them accountable to him?
More radio news
Earlier this week, Triple M posted on Facebook about its “Dash & Dine with Dobbo” promotion where the prize is a night out at the trots (sorry, harness racing) with local Drive star Ben Dobbin.
The post attracted some very unkind responses — many of them variations on the old joke about second prize being two dinners with Dobbo — some of which are no longer there.
Meanwhile, Deborah Knight, who hosts the night-time Money program on 4BC and 2GB, has announced she’s quitting radio in favour of a bigger role on Channel 9.
Apart from this meaning a loss to commercial talk radio, it has been seen in some quarters as evidence that the Nine network is selling off its radio assets.
New hotel in town
Three months ago, I wrote about the closure of the Brisbane Hilton and shared some of my very fond memories of the place. I even snuck in for a final drink there.
The hotel has reopened under the InterContinental Hotels & Resorts brand, and the owners have a two-year plan to transform it.
I’ll probably go and check it out…