IS WILLIE A WALLY?

Broadcaster Willie Jackson is now using the resources of Mediaworks, namely Radio Live, to try and boost his flagging campaign against New Zealand's last outpost of public broadcasting.

YESTERDAY WILLIE JACKSON used his afternoon show on Radio Live as a platform to try to muster up some support for his flagging campaign against New Zealand's last outpost of public broadcasting. He wants another lucrative contract for his Waatea News to provide content for RNZ and he thinks the best way to achieve that is to demand that RNZ introduce a 15 percent minimum Maori quota. The big problem for Willie is that he has attracted little support for his misguided campaign.

Such is Jackson's lack of support for public broadcasting in this country, he doesn't care that his self-interested campaign has the potential to damage RNZ.

Unfortunately for Willie his call for support for his campaign fell flat. His small band of Radio Live listeners didn't seem  particularly interested in supporting his campaign to suck in more revenue for Waatea News.

Such was Jackson's desperation he tried to rope in his apparently unsuspecting co-host, Ali Mau, into supporting him.

'Your a de facto Maori aren't you, Ali?' he asked.

When we move beyond Jackson's cheery but fake 'bonhomie', what he meant was that she supported his campaign against RNZ. If you are Maori you apparently can't think for yourself and you automatically support Jackson's criticisms of RNZ, merely because you also happen to be Maori. This is the sort of nonsense we get from Willie Jackson and its no surprise he votes Maori Party.

And while Ali Mau didn't exactly declare her loyalty to the Jackson cause, she didn't exactly oppose him either.

Ali Mau is a 'de facto Maori', says Willie Jackson

While it would of been nice - and the media highlight of the week - if she had told Jackson to stick it up his bum, perhaps she decided it was best to say as little as possible, for the sake of an harmonious on air relationship. Anyway, don't expect her to be writing any blog posts supporting Jackson's campaign against RNZ anytime soon. He'll just have to make do with whatever tripe The Daily Blog Editor, Martyn Bradbury, serves up in the future.

Of course, it is ironic that Jackson is using Radio Live to publicise his campaign for a 15 percent Maori content quota on RNZ. There is also no such quota in place on Radio Live but Jackson seems entirely relaxed about this. In fact, he's so relaxed about it that even his own show doesn't adhere to his quota system. But, then again, Ali Mau is a 'de facto Maori' so everything's just dandy, eh?