Media Monkey's Diary

02/07/2010 (8 h 59 m ago)

✒Being in prison is no bar to writing a column. At least, not if you are disgraced press baron Conrad Black, who is filling some time at a Florida jail writing for the Canadian paper he founded, the National Post. Black used a recent column to big up a columnist on another paper he once owned, Boris Johnson, "the most interesting politician in Europe". Black dismisses David Cameron as "an Obama emulator" who "cites only leftists as his intellectual inspiration for what he unpromisingly calls 'the Big Society' (please, not again)". The paper's lengthy blurb about its star columnist omits Black's six-and-a-half year jail sentence for fraud and obstructing justice. ✒Monkey is not big on racing tips, but we'd like to suggest Al Amaan in the Ladies' Charity race at the Cheltenham Festival on 18 March. We're not sure about the horse, but the jockey has shown plenty of form in media circles — it's Elisabeth Murdoch. The Shine Group chairman and chief executive has been riding since she was four and is a keen eventer. It's a flat race, so no jumps – or paywalls – to get over, and she is a 20-1 outsider. It's not often you get to say that about a Murdoch. ✒Get set this summer not only for the last series of Big Brother on Channel 4, but Big Sister, Big Nephew, and Big Great Grandmother. Monkey only mentions this after potential con­testants were quizzed about their favourite family members before auditions for the show, which were due to take place at London's Wembley Arena at the weekend. Along with all the usual questions (What are you most passionate about, what is your biggest achievement in life, tell us a secret …), wannabe housemates were asked: "If you could take a family member/s into the house, who would it be and why?" Following the success of its docusoap, The Family, C4 appears to be considering combining the two. Another winner! ✒Sky News presenter Kay Burley said she was "mortified" at having reduced Peter Andre to tears when quizzing him about his children on Sky News, prompting the singer to ask for the interview to be abandoned. It was a sentiment clearly shared by the news channel, given that the interview was made available to satellite viewers on the Sky Anytime catch-up service to watch again and again. Cry Anytime. ✒"Seaside towns see top house prices rise," reported the Financial Times. "Average prices in Wallsend, in Tyne and Wear, rose from £39,381 to £103,893." Wallsend is many things, but "seaside town" it most certainly is not. ✒ITV News did its best to keep up with the tabloid headline writers covering the John Terry story last week. Over to its reporter Geraint Jones. "England's lion heart has a cheating heart, and the England manager may decide that he will no longer be the beating heart of his team." Never let it be said that ITV News doesn't know it's heart from its elbow. Stay classy, ITN! ✒It's barely a week since BBC Radio 5 Live controller Adrian van Klaveren was bemoaning people who still get the name of his station wrong. Still, you can depend on the BBC's chief operating officer, Caroline Thomson, to get it right? Alas not. Thomson espoused the joys of "Radio 5 Extra" at the House of Lords communications committee's inquiry into digital TV and radio last week. We think she meant 5 Live's sister station, BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. Then Thomson waxed lyrical about "Radio 6". That would be BBC Radio 6Music then. ✒Mystery buzz phrase of the week: "Dances with the fishes." As in Vogue's publishing director Stephen Quinn's unusual take on its rival, Harper's Bazaar. "Fashion upstart Harper's Bazaar dances with the fishes by offering value packs at UK news stands to bolster sales … " Possibly Quinn is a Godfather fan (well, not that much of a fan) and meant "sleeps with the fishes". Possibly he meant something else entirely. SQ, it's over to you. ✒The bad news: Global Slag Mag­azine is being closed by Surrey-based Pro Publications International. The good news: "Slag will be more than adequately covered as a regular feature section in Global Cement Magazine." ✒To former Channel 4 chairman Luke Johnson and his wife Lisa, a baby boy, Ralph Milo. Or, to use the parlance of C4's digital channels, Luke Johnson + 1. Elisabeth Murdoch Channel 4 Big Brother Conrad Black Boris Johnson Sky News David Cameron Peter Andre Luke Johnson Financial Times ITV John Terry Radio 5 Live Radio industry BBC Digital media Digital radio Magazines Newspapers Monkey guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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