Wednesday, March 16, 2016

TELEVISION STATION SMASH HIT

It is an irrefutable medical fact  that television  can drive  you  bonkers . In  a growing number of  cases   viewers  are  described  as stark raving mad . It is surprising how many  people openly  admit   ranting at  their  TV sets . Just today a well balanced   woman  admitted she  gives her  TV stick   , then launched into an attack on the Federal Government  for greatly  reducing the  staff  at  the  National Library   of Australia   in Canberra ,  where she  makes  use of  the  reading room . 

We  supported her outrage  over  the library as  over the years Little Darwin has  supplied  it  with  a  range of ephemera  and  regards  it  as  one of  the great temples  of Australia , up there with  the  Opera House . 

Recently there has been angry  discussion about the  incredible  amount of  adverts on television . Promoted to the heavens , the two part commercial channel series about  Molly Meldrum , the  ABC  TV Countdown  king in a cowboy hat  ,  contained so many ads in the  first part  that  many  vowed not to watch the second . And  media commentators  have spoken about  the concern in free to air TV stations  about  viewers taking steps to eliminate  adverts   with  modern electronic  gadgets. Where  can  I  get one  ASAP ?

The way  TV stations  flood the  screens with  ads it is a case  almost of   killing the goose  which has  laid   golden eggs for so  long .  A Darwin insomniac  who  sits up watching  the  idiot box  way  past  the  witching hour  says  films  are bloated  with so  many  expletive  advertisements    that   you  lose  the  plot , end up  falling   asleep  and  develop  the   urge to  put your  boot  through the screen - especially during  the Mango Madness  season .

This brings    to mind  an unusual   moment  in  the history  of  Darwin television viewing . Back in the  days when  television was almost  steam driven in Darwin , a gentleman appeared at the  reception   counter  of   the  commercial station  and  asked    questions .  Taken  on  a  tour , he was  shown  the control room . Was  this, he asked, where television  is  sent out  to viewers . On  being informed in the affirmative , he  whipped out a  welder's hammer and began  smashing equipment , putting  the  station  off  air .

As  a result of  this outrageous act , a scurrilous  Darwin rag , Troppo  or Fannie  Bay Whisper (inspired by the notorious Kings Cross Whisper  )   ,  some  months  later   ran  a  story  drawing the attention of  the culprit  that  new  supplies of  hammers  had   just  arrived  in  town.