Jones Bio Scrapped

What an interesting time it is in media land at the moment. Over at Channel 9, Eddie Macguire is demonstrating exactly why he's known as Eddie Everywhere, axing the long-running and influential business show, `Business Sunday', while the even more significant `Sunday' looks likely to be, at worst, cut altogether and at best, dumbed down to the level of the sort of punter who worries more about who will get voted out of `Dancing With The Stars' rather than Parliament. Much has been said in the past about the desire of previous Nine management to retain such shows as a sign of prestige - almost a public service, though always with an eye to the fact that airing an influential show automatically bestows a measure of power to the station that produces it. This doesn't seem a priority under the new management. As a veteran political nerd who looks forward to her weekly dose of political interviews, I've seen Nine's main rival - Channel 7 - turn its own flagship weekend political programme into just another day's worth of proto-Mel and Kochie. To lose a second would be a terrible shame.

Meanwhile on the other end of the dial, ABC Enterprises has pulled the plug on Chris Masters' long-awaited book on radio personality Alan Jones, citing the very silly notion that the book is unlikely to be a commercial success and, therefore, publication would be irresponsible. In both the media and political industries, the Jones book is the most long awaited insight into a public figure since `The Latham Diaries', and would have been a commercial bonanza.

The decision was reportedly influenced by the ABC Board, newly enervated by Keith `White Armband' Windschuttle. A coincidence? So much for the theory that the new composition of the said board will be non-political. This isn't my ABC. At the very least, ABC should come out and admit that Jones is likely to slap them with an almighty defamation suit should anything unfavorable be reported on him (or anything at all, apparently).

Why is someone who bases his career on such influence and such interrogation of public figures allowed to avoid similar scrutiny upon himself? The fact that Jones' life away from the mic is untouchable is a measure of Jones' influence, or more correctly, the fear he inspires in the politicians and public figures who jump every time he instructs them. Is this kowtowing based on actual influence? Does Jones set the agenda? I would argue a programme such as ABC's `Lateline' is far more influential in doing so, yet I'm not sure politicians drop everything to take a call from the other Mr Jones (the always powerful Tony Jones).

I find Alan Jones a fascinating figure, but until Masters' book finds a courageous publisher (and I very much hope it will), he remains a very shadowy figure for someone so prominently in the public eye.