The 2010s will go down in media history as the Take Decade. Hayden Donnell combed through every single take made in New Zealand in the last 10 years to compose this list of the worst ones. If there’s one overarching media trend from the 2010s, it’s our inexorable move toward a take economy. Look at … Read more
Spare a thought, please, for the commentators, battling desperately to string together coherent ideas as the mercury hits ridiculous. The weather was hot in New Zealand this week, as documented for posterity by our newspaper of record in cover lines such as “In for a scorcher”, “HEATWAVE”, “Keep your cool, the heat’s here all week” … Read more
Today one of the true veterans of NZ radio hangs up the headphones to complete three decades as the morning host at Newstalk ZB. To mark the occasion we asked a number of Leighton Smiths if they had a message for him. Leighton Smith on Leighton Smith Very grateful for this opportunity to provide my … Read more
Cycleways are under fire this week following an incredibly misleading Herald story. Hayden Donnell goes in search of some transport projects to actually get angry about. A peloton of bullshit rode forth from NZME headquarters this week. Its journey began with a story by the Herald’s supercity reporter Bernard Orsman on Monday, which claimed several … Read more
The calculus of supply and demand has driven WMBAD to abandon humour and focus instead on hot takes. Here Robbie Nicol, Finnius Teppett et al pitch their wares White Man Behind A Desk has given up comedy because it is a moral evil. Some people might think we gave up because of our inability to convert … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Winston Peters goes at it on the radio, nurses go back to the bargaining table, and Trump and Putin agree that the FBI is wrong. Acting PM Winston Peters went on Newstalk ZB for a long form interview with Leighton Smith yesterday, and there was no … Read more
New Zealand’s crankiest uncle, broadcaster Leighton Smith, hangs up his headphones at the end of this year. He’s been on the periphery of our lives for 34 years, but he remains a man of mystery to most of us. The Spinoff TV’s Angella Dravid investigates. The Spinoff TV, Fridays at 9.45pm on THREE
In a rant about media peddling nonsense, the Newstalk ZB host peddles nonsense about that Time border cover and we look forward to him saying sorry for peddling nonsense. The host of the Mike Hosking Breakfast, Mike Hosking, has left himself with no alternative but to issue an apology and correction over words spoken by … Read more
After more than 30 years, Newstalk ZB’s pause-loving, conspiracy peddling morning talk host is hanging up the headphones. Duncan Greive tunes in. Leighton Smith has delivered the bad news. Not as bad as it seemed for a second this morning when he told his loyal Newstalk ZB listeners, “We’ve come to a decision that I … Read more
New Zealand’s top talkback host has been listening to the new leader of the Labour Party. She calls herself a progressive. There is evidence of her having said ‘comrade’. And she speaks very quickly. Leighton Smith has been dispatching stone cold common sense to ZB listeners between breakfast and noon for three decades. Following this … Read more