Bailey boost for ‘hot’ Bhoyrul
Sunday Express media correspondent ‘Frank Bailey’ reached dazzling new heights of audacity this week in his story about showbiz hack Matthew Wright’s new radio show on LBC.
“The show has been given a boost by the revelation that former City Slicker Anil Bhoyrul will be joining Wright for the next month,” gushed ‘Bailey’ before adding a quote from an unnamed source.
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“Bhoyrul is one of the hottest talents on radio. It’s a real coup.”
‘Frank Bailey’, of course, doesn’t actually exist.
He’s the nom de plume of that fearless scoop merchant and, er, hot radio talent…Anil Bhoyrul.
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I’m not broken…just yet!
In last Sunday’s Observer, BBC presenter Jeremy Vine was one of the media types asked to name the song that had influenced him most.
He chose Lipstick Vogue by Elvis Costello from which he picked out the line: “You wanna throw me away, well I’m not broken…”
Funny, that’s just what Vine’s Radio 2 predecessor Jimmy Young was saying when he was given the boot from the station.
Don confused by doc’s deaf interest
Freelance Andrew Don wrote a piece for Press Gazette last year about deaf journalists and the problems they face going about their work. As part of his research, he posted some questions to a number of internet bulletin boards and was somewhat taken aback to find the following response pop into his inbox recently.
Hello, I looking for good deaf lady as my life partner… I can hear… I’m normal man… I love deaf word. I want to help deaf world so I wish to meet deaf lady… kindly help me for the same.
Dr Emmanuel PATRAS Ph D
RAJASTHAN
INDIA
“The mind boggles as to why he wants a deaf wife,” says Don. “Perhaps he talks too much crap.”
‘Doorstepping’ isn’t what it used to be
That august body, the Scottish Rugby Union, has decreed that ‘doorstepping’ is an acceptable part of the journalistic trade and should be given succour.
Prior to a major disciplinary meeting at the SRU’s stadium, Murrayfield, a press release was issued to the media.
It read: “A number of media have indicated their intention to ‘doorstep’ the meeting. Should that be your intention, you may park your car via Gate B and either wait in the car park or in the press conference room in the tunnel where there will be tea and coffee available from 7pm.”
Let’s hope such progressive thinking multiplies forth.
Famous five relive the good old days
It is surely not often that five journalists with 170 years’ experience working for the same newspaper meet in one room. But there they were in the Cittie of York pub, High Holborn – five past-and-present London journalists for Glasgow’s The Herald meeting for a belated festive drink with industry correspondent Roy Rogers.
The former inmates were City editors Chris Stone (1972 to 1997) and Christopher Sims (1971 to 2002), as well as London editor William Russell (1959 to 2000). Rogers (1977 to present) and deputy London editor James McKillop (1966 to present), made up the quintet.
The five were joined by the Herald’s current City team, Christopher Hope and Karl West, who have just two years’ experience at The Herald between them. “We felt a bit crushed by all that history,” admitted Hope.
Interview certainly is a one-woman job
It can be tricky getting hold of interview subjects over the holiday period – so full marks to the Skegness Standard’s Becky Gunn, who was evidently short of someone to fill in her regular questionnaire, Becky’s Burning Questions. Unperturbed, the chief reporter found a simple solution. She answered the questions herself.
And she was brave enough to answer the question “What is your dream job?” with the response “Editor of the Skegness Standard”.
Dog has a word to the wise, Becky. Such naked ambition rarely gets rewarded.
Any questions?
A heartwarming sign of the times at last week’s Oxford media convention. The first two questions from the floor happened to be asked by women. Having fielded them, Matthew Taylor, director of the Institute of Public Policy and Research, chipped in: “Are there any men in here who want to ask a question?” Another woman’s hand went up and pointed out that no one had asked for female contributors to come forward when the grey suits held the floor. Shame on you, Mr Taylor.
Whitbread’s invitation to the whole of Surrey
Here’s one from the ‘you can guess what happened next’ files. John Whitbread’s post-Christmas knees-up has become a bit of a fixture on the calendar for his colleagues at the Surrey Herald, where he’s sports editor. This year, to make things slightly more formal, he left invitations on desks around the newsroom for the party – The Hot & Beany Night – at his house on 9 January.
One of the invites was picked up by an, er, enterprising freelance sub who didn’t quite realise what it was… and who just happened to be putting together the paper’s listings page.
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