Bill Francis: "Larry is, errrr, a fairly serious journalist." (Oct. 22, 2006)

"Well, errrrrr, Larry is, errrr, a fairly serious journalist."
Oct. 22, 2006
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/nz.general/fOMDAmCuQ48/dT8bnlIZIcQJ;context-place=msg/nz.general/vbLVW3GfWfs/ON34yleLGkAJ

Fans of the blitheringly ironic, the unintentionally funny and the unspeakably bad cannot help but appreciate the "manager" of NewstalkZB, one BILL FRANCIS. A few years ago, he wrote a cheapo soft-cover book called INSIDE TALK RADIO, in which he made the astonishing assertion that Martin Devlin was the best radio journalist in the country.

Francis is also the man who defiantly kept Paul Holmes on at the
station, following his extended racist tirade in 2003. Francis
organised, as part of Holmes's "rehabilitation", for Holmes to visit
and speak with the members of the Ghanaian Association. Holmes has
still not done this.

Fans will be glad to know that Francis has just published ANOTHER book,
this time chronicling (no doubt as shabbily as his first book) the
history of Newstalk ZB.

This morning, he was interviewed about this on National Radio's Colin
Peacocke, who was interested to hear Francis speak of the "fun" of talk
radio...

PEACOCKE: But anyone who has listened to Newstalk ZB might be surprised
to hear you talking of the "fun" of talkback. It seems a great many of
the callers, and especially the HOSTS, are negative and bitter. And
pretty much all day too, from Paul Holmes through Leighton Smith to
Larry Williams. 

FRANCIS: Well, we actually have a checklist and we go through it every
week, to see if we've had enough entertainment and humour on the show. 

PEACOCKE: I'd like to be in the room when you told Larry Williams that
he needed to inject more fun into his show. 

FRANCIS: Well, errrrrr, Larry is, errrr, a fairly serious journalist.

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BREEN COMMENTS: Hmmmmmm. Larry Williams is "serious"? Larry Williams is a "journalist"? Perhaps readers should check out the following....

http://tinyurl.com/yem9lt
http://tinyurl.com/ye5tye