Talkback

Your comments on TV and radio

SMARTER MOVES

What do we have to do to engender intelligent television? I now waste little time on television, getting my information from RNZ. But I’m worried about my grandchildren and their peers having rubbish served up to them ad nauseam. Will they stop looking for intelligent news and information and end up with a world of Kardashians? I might add that the only magazine worth reading is the Listener. June Hughes (Cockle Bay, Auckland)

TALK THE WALK

Tonight’s TVNZ 1 news had the usual 20 minutes of sport, dominated by rugby union and soccer. Aren’t they supposed to be winter sports? In any case, according to a 2015 Nielsen report, walking has overtaken rugby as our most popular outdoor activity. So, wouldn’t it be wonderful if each sporting slot included three minutes about a different and accessible walking track? Not everyone can play rugby, but most New Zealanders can walk, and an increasing number are doing just that, experiencing the physical, mental and spiritual well-being it brings. Bruce Stern (Feilding)

BOUQUET

Sky Sport’s look back at the remarkable New Zealand cricket team’s 1949 tour of England was well deserved and well constructed. The 15 players were away for eight months, lost only one game (to Oxford University on an impossible pitch) and drew all four tests.

But why did none of the players who fronted the programme or other commentators mention

Jack Cowie? Although in his thirties, he led the team’s sparse bowling resources, often for six days a week, and captured a vast haul of English wickets. Most modern speedsters would surely break down under half that incredible workload. Doug McGilvary (Richmond, Nelson)

BRICK BAT

Are other people as frustrated as I am by Sky Sports’ cricket coverage? I waited 25 minutes at the start of New Zealand’s first innings in the first test against South Africa to find out South Africa’s first innings total. In the one-day internationals, if you miss the start of the match, you have to wait forever to find out who won the toss. In each case, a permanent information panel could be displayed onscreen for those who can tune in only periodically.

Also, why are ODIs being reported as “winning by six wickets”? The point of the game is to score more runs than the opposition. Of interest is the number of deliveries left at the end, not wickets. There, feel better already. Peter Smith (Devonport, Auckland)

Send comments, queries or complaints about radio or television to: talkback@listener.co.nz, or Talkback, NZ Listener, Private Bag 92512, Wellesley St, Auckland 1141.