Why on earth do they call it talkBACK? (Jul. 17, 2009)

Why on earth do they call it talkBACK?

Many people have commented on NewstalkZB host Leighton Smith's lack of
any desire (or more probably, ability) to engage in debate. His method
has been consistent over the last twenty years: any caller who dares
to contradict him is met with a combination of outright disrespect,
condescension and then, after the caller has been cut off, a barrage
of abuse and defamation. This morning we have heard a perfect example
of his approach.  For the first two hours of his show, Smith had bored
on about "political correctness" and how "the do-gooders" in the
schools are "destroying the family".

His callers consisted entirely of the usual supportive types, like
THIS guy, who rang at 10.15..

CALLER: You’ll get no argument from me that there’s too much political
correctness in our society.
SMITH: Ummmm, ahhhh. You’ll agree with me that ahhhhhmmmm if we were
going to ummmmm, ahhhhhh, implement all the things we’ve been talking
about, it would ahhhhmmm mean the ahhhhmmmm end of the ahhhhmmmm
family,
CALLER: I’m gonna agree with you on that one.
SMITH: Good on ya. Thanks mate.

At 10.45, Smith took the opportunity to indulge in another spray at
Chief Justice Sian Elias: "I deal with reality," he intoned, "and the
Chief Justice lives in FANTASYLAND. To say that prohibition doesn’t
work: it is the most ABSURD statement."

A caller called Pat, a principal of a school, rang him up and
challenged his loose and hysterical use of language. Smith was utterly
incapable of arguing with him....

PAT: You've been sounding off about "do-gooders". What do you mean by
that?
SMITH: Ummmmm, ahhhhhh. LOOK. There's a common-sense understanding of
that.
PAT: What is it?
SMITH: Ummmmm, ahhhhhhh....

After failing to engage in argument with Pat, Smith saw him off, then
spent the next thirty minutes berating him, saying that he would not
want his children to be in Pat's class, and claiming he was "a
Marxist, like 90 per cent of teachers." This spray, of course, was a
signal to hsi regular supporters to endorse his comments....

CALLER RAY: If your teacher is looking for definitions, if he is
looking for a definition of a prat, he is one!
SMITH: You errrrr ahmmmm you think so?

The abuse and denigration continued, and is still going on as we post.
It's 11.55 a.m. and he's interviewing book reviewer Doris Mousdale...

DORIS MOUSDALE: This novel is a great read. It's about a grumpy
schoolteacher---
SMITH: He rang me this morning!

----------------------------------

NewstalkZB: Tune Your Mind.

BrentC: Why do you keep listening then? Masochist? I used like Sir Bob Jones parting shot when he cut off callers with "You are wrong of course" - from what I have heard on any talk back 70% of callers are wrong.

Radio Transcripts Ltd

7/17/09

> Why do you keep listening then?

We listen to this, ahhhhhmmmm, crap so you don't have to. A quick skim
of our transcripts obliviates the need to suffer through one of
Smith's interminable errrrr, aahhhhmmmm, sessions.

>
> Masochist?
No, but one of our friends is. Would you like an introduction?

>
>
> I used like Sir Bob Jones parting shot when he cut off callers with
> "You are wrong of course"

Bob Jones? That smug millionaire? Wasn't he busted for fraud in the '90s?

>
> - from what I have heard on any talk back 70% of callers are wrong.

On the Leighton Smith show, more than 90 per cent of them are
ignorant. But when there's an intelligent host, intelligent callers
ring in. Listen to Keith Stewart on Radio Live: he gets interesting
callers. NewstalkZB has one or two intelligent hosts too---Pat
Brittenden and Oliver Driver. So it's not all bad.