Book Review from Peter Saxon.
If you’ve worked in a radio newsroom in Sydney anytime in the past 35 years you’re likely to have been mentioned in Glenn Daniel’s new book, News Time: A Life in Radio.
Even if you’ve fleetingly bumped into Glenn in the mens room – or the ladies, for that matter (since Glenn is nothing if not a champion of gender equality) – chances are you’ll find your name among the rich cast of characters drawn from his experiences in this industry he loves. CEOs, presenters, producers a cleaner and the odd sales type and even a PD/CD or two, have all found a spot in his memoir.
If you’re becoming somewhat nervous, as if your car had been urgently recalled because it could blow up at any moment, then here are the models and the years of manufacture which are affected:
2WS (1982–88)
2SM (1989–90)
2Day-FM (1990–97)
Triple M (1995–97)
WSFM (1998–2011)
ABC NewsRadio (2012)
smoothfm (2012–)
Needn’t worry too much. Unless you were one of the Clear Channel know-it-alls that hi-jacked ARN for the bulk of the 2000’s you are likely to have been treated with love or respect or both in the book.
In her Foreword Georgie Gardner wrote:
This book captures the essence of a man universally respected by the media industry. A man treasured by those whose careers he’s shaped, and those whose life he’s touched.
For a book with the gravitas of News Time: A Life in Radio, a Foreword isn’t enough. So, there’s and Introduction by Amanda Keller too. She says:
I feel the moral compass of a radio station is pretty much set by its newsroom, and when Glenn Daniel was around, you knew you were in safe hands.
In a world where bulletins are sandwiched between ads and could quite possibly wrap up with ‘Quilton Loves Your Bum’, you rely on the integrity and gravitas of the bulletin itself to stop the whole lot just oating away. Glenn was the most solid and reliable news anchor … in all senses of the word.
And then there’s a Prologue by Glenn himself for which the publishers have kindly granted us permission to reprint in full, below.
But wait there’s more… The Final Word from Nova Entertainment CEO Cathy O’Connor who writes:
I have always considered Glenn to be one of the industry’s most rare and talented operators who deserves recognition as one of the great Australian radio newsreaders of all time.
He has a wonderful vocal tone and strong news sensibility that are mandatories for such an accolade, but to me, it’s the way in which he conducts himself in the radio station environment that sets him apart.
In an industry that is fast paced, competitive and at times tough, Glenn has built a strong reputation as a man of integrity, both principled and adaptive, a generous leader and a supportive team player.
In between the Foreword, the Introduction, the Prologue and the Final Word are 279 pages of what can be accurately described as a Life in Radio.
As one would expect from a multi-awarded journalist of his stature, Glenn has kept meticulous notes as well as a vault-full of photographic evidence now exposed to the public.
As is popular amongst radio veterans, reunions abound where stories are retold, revisited and history’s revised, reinvented and embellished in the retelling. News Time: A Life in Radio is a handy reference for use at such functions by which to fact check and settle bets.
There’s one more compelling reason why you should buy this book: 100% of the profits will go to RPA’s cardiology department to fund research into transcatheter aortic valve implantation or TAVI as it is known in medical circles.
TAVI is what saved Glenn’s life, the second time. He was diagnosed with cancer in his mid 20’s and was saved by chemo therapy. But 25 years later doctors found his heart valves had been destroyed by the chemo. TAVI is a relatively new procedure that replaces diseased heart valves without the need for open heart surgery.
To order your copy now go to www.newstime.media
