I was briefly interviewed for Sunday Night Safran, with John Safran and Father Bob Maguire. It’ll be broadcast on Triple J radio at 9pm Sunday, and will be available as a download sometime the day after.
Don’t expect too much — it was a short interview. I think they’re just beginning to warm Australian audiences up for the big conference next month.
And so it begins…..
While Triple J is ok, the best mainstream radio channel in Melbourne is probably the ABC, I had emailed the producer of The Conversation Hour some time ago to let them know of the convention and presenters to interview, that would be a great forum to reach a large audience.
I’m still pretty mad at Safran for the whole exorcism thing.
Triple J is more than OK as it is the only true nationwide radio broadcaster in Australia ABC radio will get to the doily set and that’s about it. Add to that the fact that JJJ is also streamed on the web live (http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/listenpop/listen_live.htm)so in about 22 hours it will be streamed live all over the world, not just Melbourne and wouldn’t you agree that this presents a much larger audience.
well they are a good voice for humour and information. while safran has done some odd things he has exposed some interesting cultural traits on his speaking in tongues.
Father bob is quite a old cook but entertaining recommend you tubing them or pod cast!
I note that Triple J’s web address goes via abc.net.au…..
And the ABC streams pretty much all of their radio broadcasts live, what was your point again ??
We could have a pissing match if you want about who does what but the point I am making is that JJJ is still the ONLY nationally broadcast radio station in Australia, and regardless of where you think the sun shines from in regards to Melbourne, that’s still a much wider audience.
So your point about some local radio show that 28 million Australians have never even heard out reaching a “much larger audience” seems to be moot.
What we really need to agree on is that the message gets out regardless of the format.
This thread is now about whether Melbourne thinks it’s better than the rest of Australia. /popcorn.
Nah, its about PZ getting out to the widest audience possible.
I will find out what Melbourne thinks of itself next month, and hopefully get back in touch with a couple of friends I have down there :-)
Melbourne is better than the rest of Aus. Wish I were back there, and not here in Perth. But, alas, we have one of the best biological sciences universities here in Perth, trade-off for a Post Grad. lol
Oh, I’m so all for pissing matches !!
(Not really, can’t be bothered, but you’re wrong and being a dick, so why not lol)
As I pointed out above, the ABC streams pretty much all their content over the web to “the world and not just Melbourne”, and there are people calling in from everywhere on the globe everytime in fact lol.
.
Not really. More about it being Saturday night, with all that comes with that, it would seem..:-)
And I seem to have missed a recent population explosion too !
Uh, Chaplain?
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/
Anyway, Safran’s as good a spot as any for starters. Hopefully PZ gets on some of the more serious spots eventually as well.
OK :-)
I concede Radio National, and 28 million was a bit optimistic, maybe I’m channelling a politician tonight or maybe it was unwise to comment after a couple of bottles of red wine, Incidentally I will be bringing a few local wines down for the Dinner on the Saturday night of the Convention(Orange NSW being “local”)
As for being a dick, your entitled to your opinion.
Lets jut hope that those more serious spots PZ gets on are not what passes for Investigative Journalism in Australia today like “A Current Affair” and “Today Tonight”
MolBio #10
So Melbourne is not better than the rest of Oz if one considers biological sciences universities.
Melbourne, better than Perth? Lies, vicious lies. This is why PZ is not bothering to gracing our state with his presence.
or, you know grace
There aren’t even 28 million people in Oz…
Unfortunately, the ABC’s two national stations, Triple J (yoof) and Radio National (farmers, geriatrics and geriatric farmers) don’t rate all that highly. The total number of listeners each gets across the whole country wouldn’t be that much more than one high-rating station in Melbourne or Sydney. Safran does have quite a following, though.
Safran is funny. He did a whole doco series called Safran vs God, or something like that. He wound up getting crucified in the Philippines (I don’t recall whether it was with nails or not). No doubt there are clips on YouTube.
I’m led to believe that Richard Dawkins is booked in for The Conversation Hour with Jon Faine on 774 ABC Melbourne at some stage.
Funnily enough one of the Australian speakers at the conference, Phillip Adams, has a nightly show on Radio National (Late Night Live; it’s also available as a podcast).
Adams has been a fairly lonely atheist voice in the Australian media for decades. In 1982 the Roman Catholic church in Oz put out a rather hilarious fatwah on him – Catholics were told it was a venial sin to read any newspaper that published him or listen to any radio station that broadcast him.
I’ve just started reading his latest book, Adams vs God: The Rematch, which visitors to Melbourne will find in most bookshops.
You might want to pick up the Safran vs God DVDs too. His style is a bit like Ruby Wax or Louis Theroux, but darker, much more blunt and a fair way out there.
Oh wow. I just remembered something from Safran’s latest series, Race Relations.
He wound up going somewhere in the Palestinian territories and donated his Jewish sperm to a Palestinian sperm bank. As he was jerking off he was looking at a photo of Barack Obama and saying “Yes, we can!”
He really is a national treasure :)
A warm-up is always welcomed, I suppose!
..and you’re both wrong. Ipswich pisses all over anywhere else in Australia ( or should that be Ipswich is piss?). Where else can you find the scintilating mix of V8’s, mullets, teenage pregnancy and violent crime. There is a reason is is the epicentre for no less than 3 prisons and I treaure every precious moment of living here.
Warm up? I’ve been excited for weeks!
And Melbourne is coolest, but only because we’re getting the Athiest Convention!
Wagga Wagga.
Victoria is the most boring state in Australia. Melbourne only looks good by comparison. ;)
I haven’t been to Melbourne since 2005, I’m looking forward to it actually.
Just a reminder for those in Canberra and its surrounding areas, the first ever Canberra Skeptics In The Pub is on at 4pm today in the city.
Elizabeth, SA.
Well I’m a regular JJJ listener but I personally find the Sunday night Safran show pretty much unlistenable, it has a clear pro religion bias, father Bob is a bit smug and Safran is an irritating little snot, although he undeniably has a certain following. However I will try this Sunday out of curiosity (especially interested to hear Bobs reaction to the wafer stunt if it comes up).
Are any of the Chaser guys on radio right now? Seeing as Julian Morrow is going to be at the conference, I’m sure PZ would be a shoo-in for an interview.
Kwinana, Maddington, probably still Geelong, Newcastle, points west of Paramatta etc ;)
So much wrong in so few words, colour me speechless.
Hey BoSOM, we people in Mt Crosby look down on you lot in Ipswich. I think it is something to do with the altitude.
And being a non-geriatric (farmer or otherwise) I have to put my two cents in for Radio National. They have excellent shows and documentaries, although the ethereal voice of that woman who does “The Spirit of Things” makes me want to commit murder.
That is all.
Hey Akiwiinoz,
I wasn’t bagging Radio National, just pointing out that it doesn’t rate highly. Farmers listen to it because it’s the only decent AM station you can get in rural Oz.
With radio (as with so many other things) the size of the audience is ususally inversely proportional to the quality of the station.
Download of the program is 32.2mb mp3.
http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/triplej/safran/safran_2010_02_21.mp3
PZ’s interview can be found at 39:22
“what massaged you into this fury against ID creationists ?”
Didn’t like the question, didnt like that PZ let it pass without objecting to it !
Interesting tidbit about the “Sanitarium” company, have to look into that.
PZ : ” There doesnt have to be a starting point” (to life, the universe, and everything)
Interviewer: ” I can’t get my head around that”
Neither could I when I was 10 years old.
Duh.
The Maguire character is weird, tried to pretend to be light-hearted and funny, but sort of failed.
For those outside Oz, Father Bob (hardly anyone uses, or remembers, his surname, Maguire) is a priest more concerned with helping the homeless than sticking to the party line from Rome, has been in more than a bit of trouble with the Roman Catholic hierarchy, and is quite critical of the much-reviled Cardinal George Pell. Most people, of any or no faith, have a soft spot for Father Bob.
I’d be interested to know if PZ listened to the other interviews on the show, and how PZ would compare Father Bob to clerics in the US that are on radio or TV.