Take a hike, not a bike
Beam me outta here | Jan Power tribute | Sofie's diary note | Nine News is No. 1
You may have read elsewhere about Beam losing its licence to run e-scooters in Brisbane because it allegedly exceeded the cap on the number of units it can operate.
Brisbane City Council transport chair Cr Ryan Murphy said in a statement: “Beam devices will progressively be removed, and [the] council will now seek to replace Beam with a new e-mobility operator as soon as practical.”
As somebody who’s almost been skittled by one of these things, I welcome any moves to enforce the rules.
I’d be even happier if they could police the manner in which for-hire scooters and e-bicycles are “parked”. Whoever left the Lime bike where it was in the picture, above, taken in Ann Street on Tuesday morning, deserves to be fined for obstructing the footpath. Lime’s records and CCTV footage should help identify them.
Farewell, Jan Power
Jan Power, who died last weekend at the age of 85, was a vital part of the Brisbane arts and food scene from the 1970s well into the current century.
I was constantly running into Jan in the 1980s and 90s, often at QPAC, where she served as a board member for many years.
With her sharp mind and a piercing wit that kept you guessing, she was always fun to be around on opening night.
As former top-rating ABC announcer Spencer Howson wrote on social media on Monday, she was: “Terrifyingly unpredictable to make radio with. Exciting to listen to.”
Jan was also a visionary who was the first to see the potential of setting up markets where farmers and other small producers could sell direct to the public. Her farmers’ markets, now run by her daughter Astrid Gates and grandchildren, are part of her enduring legacy.
Jan’s other daughter, Sammy Power, who co-hosted the breakfast show at Triple M in Brisbane, and also worked on radio in Sydney before joining the family business, died in 2019.
You can read the Brisbane Times tribute to Jan here.
Messages from the media
The Courier-Mail has caught up with last week’s radio ratings survey and noted that, as I’ve already reported over many missives, 4BC is not doing terribly well and that its current breakfast lineup of Laurel Edwards, Gary Clare and Mark Hine is likely to be replaced.
The latest is that the trio will not return after the upcoming “non-ratings” period later this month. Edwards is already on holiday, being replaced by Sofie Formica, who is among the growing list of people being tipped to take over the brekkie gig either solo or as part of a double act.
The Courier scored more than 150 reader comments for its initial story online on Monday. On Tuesday, it tried to make something out of a “cryptic” social-media message in which Formica posted a photo of a diary, with a comment saying, “Only thing I know for sure about 2025 is that this will be my diary.”
I wouldn’t be reading too much into that, because it’s a popular gag in the media that you never know when (or how) the “don’t come Monday” message will arrive. Indeed, she posted a similar photo when she received her 2024 diary. (See below.)
As for what will happen at 4BC, it’s still just a guessing game — at the time of writing, that is. Things can change quickly.
If 4BC’s Sydney-based bosses are wise, they won’t rush to make a permanent decision about next year’s line-up — or even the station format — yet. They should do a heck of a lot of genuine audience research (if they haven’t already done so) and be prepared to go down a track that doesn’t necessarily fit their preconceptions about what a Brisbane radio station should sound like.
I think they’ll find (if they haven’t already) that it’s a very different market to Sydney and it’s not just a matter of finding “Brisbane’s Ben Fordham”, as much as some people are trying to present themselves as such.
The decision-makers should cast their net widely and be very sure about the person or people they put in the breakfast gig. That includes close scrutiny into the character and after-hours habits of some of the possible contenders.
I’ve written more about Brisbane radio here and here.
This week’s television rumour comes from Channel 7, where the big question is whether Max Futcher will continue to read the 6pm News solo or will be joined by another staff member.
Whatever transition plans Seven may have had were thrown into disarray when Sharyn Ghidella left as soon as she heard she was being made redundant. I think it’s fair to say that Ghidella, who made a classy debut on Channel 10 on Monday, did not go quietly.
Meanwhile, Nine News Queensland with Andrew Lofthouse and Melissa Downes has been confirmed winner of the local news derby, by topping the 40-week OzTAM ratings for 24 weeks. The survey continues until the end of November, but it’s now past the tipping point* at which Seven News can win the chase*. Read about it at TV Blackbox here.
*See what I did there?
Footnote
Thank you to the continued kind reaction to my decision to ramp up the production of this newsletter — especially those people who appreciate my non-conforming views on some hot topics. The aim now is to publish at least twice a week. Suggestions are welcome.
Disclaimer: Brett Debritz* has nothing to declare except his genius.
* Correction: That should read Oscar Wilde. Brett Debritz needs to declare that he has worked for 4BC and, in the more distant past, for NewsCorp, publishers of the Courier-Mail and Australian.