Changes at SEN

[rjay 24,917]

As it's a sports station and carries a lot of AFL coverage and by extension coverage of our club I thought it was worth a post on the changes for the next year at SEN.

I'm happy to see Francis Leach back. I think he can be a bit of a smart a... at times and he can drive me to distraction but I also think the station needed some intellect back on air.

It has been pretty lightweight since Mark Allen came on board to replace Francis. I think KB can be ok but often plays up the contrarian view at the expense of the issue. Half is ok but can be limited when the big issues come up, Marko & the Ox....dumb & dumber (a bit unfair on the Ox I know but he needs someone stronger than Marko to work with). Andy Maher is a bit beige, Finey is Viney...or is Viney Finey...

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

I don't mind Maher when he is with Watson, I can't stand Gaze at all.

Harford is a good media performer but does need to get off the fence more.

I can understand why people don't like Allen, but I don't mind him and he complements Schwarz well.

I actually really like Fine, I don't know why but I often find myself agreeing with him and for the time of night he presents I think his style works well.

Leach was great on SEN but I have found him fairly insufferable on the ABC, will be interesting to see how he goes back on SEN.

The best person on SEN by far is Dr. Turf, he knows a lot about most sports is funny and seems like a sensible thinker.

[Mazer Rackham 14,971]

Leach in his first stint at SEN was a beacon of enlightenment shining out over a sea of meathead-ery. Hopefully that will continue.

Harf is pretty good, more across the issues than he lets on. I think he is reluctant to express views as he doesn't want the show to be "me me me". The reverse Alan Jones.

KB is just a stirrer and takes every opportunity to poke a stick. As rjay said, overdoes it and often screws up a good issue with his antics. Funnily enough I don't mind him. He's pretty funny but as stubborn as ten mules.

Dr Turf I like for his acid wit. I don't know how he manages to put up with KB.

Gaze is good for his insights into elite team sport, especially Olympics. But on other topics, might as well have Trout from Woodend or Snapper from Port Philip Bay. He has been good in straightening out (in his own mild way) the SEN fanbois who swallowed the EFC/Hird/ASADA propaganda wholesale.

Andy "I vehemently agree with the last caller and nothing can possibly make me change my mind except the next caller" Maher is useless. He cannot understand a single thing unless he can compare it to some aspect of the AFL and even then one wonders. Drinking game. Take a swig every time he says "absolutely" and you'll be under the table before breakfast.

Watson has been in the media for many years and shows "absolutely" no sign of it. Shows the same media skill and savvy that he did on his first day way back when as a weather girl. Although he sounds like a decent bloke, has a good sense of humour and could be very good company at a barbie.

Ox on the other hand has grown with the years and improved out of sight. But the combination of him and Allen increases the meathead-ery exponentially. Allen is better on his own than in a team. Good move to separate them.

But how about a bit more Stephen J. Peake? Reading the news or sports sentral perhaps?

[Sir Why You Little 37,032]

Waking up to Andy Maher and Gaze is not good for the health.

Nobody speaks on radio as badly as Maher

Gaze knows about Basketball and NOTHING ELSE!!

Francis Leach is a real radio man. Glad he is returning

Is KB still on at 9?

[rjay 24,917]

Waking up to Andy Maher and Gaze is not good for the health.

Nobody speaks on radio as badly as Maher

Gaze knows about Basketball and NOTHING ELSE!!

Francis Leach is a real radio man. Glad he is returning

Is KB still on at 9?

Yep...pretty hard to move Kev. Imagine the argument if they tried.

[mo64 5,874]

I don't mind Maher when he is with Watson, I can't stand Gaze at all.

Harford is a good media performer but does need to get off the fence more.

I can understand why people don't like Allen, but I don't mind him and he complements Schwarz well.

I actually really like Fine, I don't know why but I often find myself agreeing with him and for the time of night he presents I think his style works well.

Leach was great on SEN but I have found him fairly insufferable on the ABC, will be interesting to see how he goes back on SEN.

The best person on SEN by far is Dr. Turf, he knows a lot about most sports is funny and seems like a sensible thinker.

Agree with everything bar your first comment. Andy Maher's diction for radio is awful. He sounds like he's yelling at times. And he'll asks questions that could be phrased in a quarter of the words, and has long winded intros for guests he's about to interview. Then they have to cut to the news, and the interviewee hardly gets to speak or is cut-off. I've stopped listening to the morning program since Tim Watson became a part-time host.

Andrew Gaze is ok with any other host than Andy Maher. But he's too lightweight for morning radio.

Looking forward to Francis Leach, who has a broad knowledge of topics, and a good voice for morning radio.

[DeeSpencer 25,678]

I do think you need the combination of nerd and jock to have good sports talk radio. The guests are vital as well.

KB can be insufferable, as can Finey but I think both do a good job. I'm not surprised they've been left as is.

Ox and Francis worked well last time. Both stuck to their strong points and formed a nice combination. Will they work as a breakfast show?

Andy Maher is going to need a lot of good guests to get him through afternoons. He's not too bad with a good co host with some character, but was terrible with Gaze.

Then Mark Allen and Harf seem a bit too similar, I don't know if they'll work. I wonder if they considered giving either Allen or Maher the flick and chasing after JP Howcroft. He and Harf work great together and would've made a nice drive combination daily.

[H_T 3,043]

Not surprised they're changing things up. On the drive home I've been turning off the Allen/Ox combination. It's a flaky program that needs substance. On last listenings they consistently prefer talking about their recent rounds of golf and how beautiful the courses are in the mornings....I mean WGAF. It will be interesting to see how Ox copes with early mornings over time if he's moving to brekky. The travel/lifestyle may suit him better getting up very early at 3-4am though from BH and on the golf course by 10:30am.

I could listen to Francis Leach, I've never taken to A. Maher. The guy who takes 5 minutes to ask a question which includes his answer, what he thinks the interviewee will answer and by the time the question finishes, the one being interviewed inevitably misplaces half the question having fallen asleep.

Mark Fine is great at radio when in form and focussed. Most notably post games of AFL. Nights suit him. But I think the 9am-noon slot would also be very good for him and their station if KB would go.

Harf is a bit vanilla for me. Knowledgable but I agree with CB, he needs to get off the fence on occassions. JYB interviews are worth listening to now and then.

Gaze needs some help, the pairing with Maher hasn't worked IMO. Not sure about Gaze, but basketball needs a voice and he is front and centre in this town with his connections here and in the US.

[Hatchman 539]

I can't stand this station. Not so much for the presenters, well a lot of them I can't stand actually but Andrew Gaze is probably the worst. How someone can trade on this lovable goofball schtick that he constantly puts out is beyond me. Very irritating.

But the real problem is the gambling advertising and innuendo. It is so pervasive that you don't realise how much they do it. If you are a gambling addict, recovering or on the precipice this station is very bad for your situation. Save nothing for the amount of ads in general but the gambling stuff is really bad.

Which is a shame because during footy season it is a great source of information - I guess I'm glad for stereo controls on the steering wheel so I can mute it or switch back to 774 or PBS!

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

I can't stand this station. Not so much for the presenters, well a lot of them I can't stand actually but Andrew Gaze is probably the worst. How someone can trade on this lovable goofball schtick that he constantly puts out is beyond me. Very irritating.

But the real problem is the gambling advertising and innuendo. It is so pervasive that you don't realise how much they do it. If you are a gambling addict, recovering or on the precipice this station is very bad for your situation. Save nothing for the amount of ads in general but the gambling stuff is really bad.

Which is a shame because during footy season it is a great source of information - I guess I'm glad for stereo controls on the steering wheel so I can mute it or switch back to 774 or PBS!

For me it's SEN until the ads come on then I switch to triple j for about five minutes then back to SEN.

[hemingway 7,627]

For me it's SEN until the ads come on then I switch to triple j for about five minutes then back to SEN.

Clint not Radio National or ABC Classic FM?

[old dee 23,787]

I listen a lot to KB 9- 12 and bits of D H in the afternoon with Daniels show I find some segments good and others less so.

Don't listen to the Ox as the time finds me doing other things.

I have not listened to the morning show for some time.

When it was Maher and Watson they were just mouth pieces for the CFC and EFC respectively and I find both light weight. Andrew Gaze is a favourite son of the Tigers However a broadcaster he ain't IMO. As someone else mentioned Daniel Harford does not seem to be able to make to jump from player to commentator he gets stuck not wanting to upset a player. It probably does not help that he is a successful Coach in the Amos.

The reason the changes are taking place is dropping ratings. They are down 30% on this time last year. I am told breakfast is the big loser and KB is the only one to hold his ratings hence no change.

Overall I like SEN but like all Radio Stations they are only as good as their on air staff.

[Mazer Rackham 14,971]

But the real problem is the gambling advertising and innuendo. It is so pervasive that you don't realise how much they do it. If you are a gambling addict, recovering or on the precipice this station is very bad for your situation. Save nothing for the amount of ads in general but the gambling stuff is really bad.

Interesting comment.

Over the years the commentary has changed because of this. It used to be along the lines of "I think the Frankston Hoodlums will win this weekend because they have Smith back in the side, Jones is kicking goals and they're smarting from their upset loss last week."

Now it is "I think the Frankston Hoodlums will win because the bookies have them at $1.30"

The gambling has infested even the "expert analysis"!

[Gator 17,332]

Leach is an annoying ultra leftie, but the media is full of them, so no news there.

I've always loved KB.

Mark Allen is arguably the best and most compelling golf commentator in the country. He's also arguably the worst "shift" commentator in the country. He tries too hard to be blokey and funny. It just doesn't work. Relax and be yourself.

Schwarz is far better on radio than he ever was on tv and has a warmness and connection with the average bloke in the street. Put simply, he's likeable and works.

Fine is amusing, but can become a boor. His strength is his weakness. Although it can grate after a while. But overall he's value.

Harford is ok, but a bit boring. He thinks he's better than he is.

Gaze fascinates me. How can a fool make a living out of the media ? A complete lightweight, who cannot pronounce the letter "aitch".

Maher is a [censored]. He and Gaze keep the left-wing bias ticking along nicely. He also has the worst nasally voice I've ever heard on radio. How someone can make a living in that medium while butchering the English language is also beyond me.

I quite like Watson. He's likeable and quick witted. Although the Essendon bias was insufferable.

I can't stand Richo, the incessant giggling or the maniacal laugh.

Other than that, they're great.

Oh, and for some reason no-one on that station knows how to pronounce the word "urine". It's not pronounced "u-rhine". It's pronounced "urin". I even heard the newsreader on 3AW make this basic error. It's extraordinary really.

[DubDee 25,835]

As it's a sports station and carries a lot of AFL coverage and by extension coverage of our club I thought it was worth a post on the changes for the next year at SEN.

I'm happy to see Francis Leach back. I think he can be a bit of a smart a... at times and he can drive me to distraction but I also think the station needed some intellect back on air.

It has been pretty lightweight since Mark Allen came on board to replace Francis. I think KB can be ok but often plays up the contrarian view at the expense of the issue. Half is ok but can be limited when the big issues come up, Marko & the Ox....dumb & dumber (a bit unfair on the Ox I know but he needs someone stronger than Marko to work with). Andy Maher is a bit beige, Finey is Viney...or is Viney Finey...

what are the changes?

Just leach back?

[old55 23,546]

I switched off when Watson left. Maher and Gaze - FMD. Fran Kelly on 621 all the way for me!

I'm working in the day time sessions and don't think I'm missing a thing.

Allen should stick to golf only - he's authoritative on that and useless on the rest. Ox was a great footballer.

Fine is amusing in small doses.

[rjay 24,917]

I can't stand Richo, the incessant giggling or the maniacal laugh.

You had to mention Richo....forgot about him. Laughs at his own jokes, a total DH, I just turn it off if he's on air.

I'm probably banned from his SMS feed anyway for expressing something like this with a few extra words thrown in. No harm done there...

Edited December 1, 2015 by rjay

[Gator 17,332]

Fran Kelly on 621 all the way for me!

Yeah, you'll get balance there.

[Mach5 4,767]

Changes?

Leach & Ox in the morning is it?

[Mach5 4,767]

Oh jesus.

Drive shift with Mark Allen AND Daniel Harford.

Won't be listening to SEN anymore then.

[Gator 17,332]

Ox and Leach - breakfast

KB - mornings (same)

Maher - afternoons

Harford and Allen - drive time

Fine - evenings (same)

Gaze demoted to "contributor".

[Sir Why You Little 37,032]

Ox and Leach - breakfast

KB - mornings (same)

Maher - afternoons

Harford and Allen - drive time

Fine - evenings (same)

Gaze demoted to "contributor".

The only problem with Mark Fine remaining in the night slot is that Stephen J Peake will remain on air.

A more dodgy lawyer i doubt one could find. The Arthur Daley of Law.

His knowledge of sport is ok but his love of the Aints is of no interest to me.

SEN is infested with St. Kilda tragics. Thankfully in 09-10 the Grail alluded them again.

Had a few run ins with "Darren" overnight when he staunchly defended Stephen Milne

Made me very angry.

How they can all defend horse racing so much is beyond me

Barbaric Sport filled with the underworld...

[rjay 24,917]

The only problem with Mark Fine remaining in the night slot is that Stephen J Peake will remain on air.

A more dodgy lawyer i doubt one could find. The Arthur Daley of Law.

His knowledge of sport is ok but his love of the Aints is of no interest to me.

SEN is infested with St. Kilda tragics. Thankfully in 09-10 the Grail alluded them again.

Had a few run ins with "Darren" overnight when he staunchly defended Stephen Milne

Made me very angry.

How they can all defend horse racing so much is beyond me

Barbaric Sport filled with the underworld...

Wouldn't call it a sport myself...

[Mazer Rackham 14,971]

It's not a sport. It's a vehicle for gambling. The horse results should be in the comics section of the paper next to the Keno and Tattslotto results.

[Sir Why You Little 37,032]

Wouldn't call it a sport myself...

Agreed without betting large amounts it would not exist

Horse Racing makes Essendrug look like angels.

I worked with Greg Miles for about 5 years so got a lot of inside info...