194 – Media and Mental Health with Mark Aiston

Mark Aiston began his career as a race caller, observing the punishing ordeal of horses and jockeys settling into the starting gates and then thundering around a track. He saw first hand the heartbreak and the triumphs and the bloody hard work and long hours behind the scenes that the punters don’t typically see. And then, decades later, Mark encountered some of his own hurdles, on one hand scratching himself from the Channel Ten lineup and on another, being scratched from FIVEaa. All through this, the punters were more than happy to share their two bobs’ worth but tonight, we will get him back in the saddle and give him the chance to trot out his memories and take us for a ride across the terrain of media and mental health.

Mark’s new show: The Mental Health Show

Is race calling 100% accurate? To me I think it either happens too fast and nobody notices OR it actually is much easier to follow from the box and you guys just make it sound hard.What makes a good commentator?Before we get to the drastic changes of the last few years, can you take us back to what it is like covering sport.It seems like the cushiest job in the world to so many. Here is a comment from the story about you leaving Channel 10:
Michael: where do i send my resume? not to sure it would be really stressfull talking & watching sport all day (although rhythmic gymnastics might be a stretch)You were channel ten’s head of AFL reporting, I believe. Can you explain to me why there is so much obsession with footy in particular and sport in general?Does media coverage fuel water cooler chat OR does water cooler chat about sport mean stations have to cover it?Shouldn’t it be something DONE rather than WATCHED?I saw you have a spray at the banal sports interviews recently. Will anything ever be done about the mindless tedium of post, pre and during game interviews. Credit to the boys, they worked hard. The key will be getting more points on the board than the opposition, etc. Does ANYBODY do interesting sports interviewsTake us through a sports guy’s day on televisionYou were doing FIVEaa breakfast at the time, was that a long day?

When did you notice the wheels getting wobbly? What led to your decision to bail out for survival in 2014.

The Advertiser story about your leaving Ten, has 45 comments online. I want to read a few of them and get your reactions.I hear you Mark, need to

I hear you Mark, need to reajust life’s demands sometimes and prioritise… if stuff needs to go then so be it!
 
No loss….very ordinary. How do these people get these so-called plumb jobs. Complete hack.
 
I quite like listening to Mark Aiston, he tells it as it is, no pretences….

@nik yep pro crow n anti port. Thankyou Mark we won’t miss you.
 
You have to respect the achievements Mark has made. He did the hard yards as a young man and did not have the benefit of influential parents or a toffy education. In fact the high school we both attended in the 70’s did nothing to encourage anybody to do anything other than play truant so everything he has achieved was earned. He didn’t play sport and parlay that into a cushy media career like so many others. Good luck.

Well, I do love the fact that I’ve heard of and watched Mark Aiston, while fortunately never having heard of his anonymous and tedious detractors on this page.
 
1 resignation down, 1 to go. no idea how no one could see through his sarcastic patronising tones for this long. 5AA can’t afford to keep him much longer on there either.

 Another one bites the dust. Enjoy your retirement Mark. Thanks for the memories.
 
 Big Deal!! who gives a rats! Mark you think of yourself as a funny person, but the fact is your jokes are as funny as funeral. You laugh like Herman Munster, and you on breakfast is an insult! The best think you had going for you was work on MIXFM with Snowy and Jodie. Then again, 5AA is just total crap! Bring back John Riddell 5AA! im sure they are breathing a sigh of relief. Do yourself a favour, and keep quite for good!
 
Great decision, Mark.  Your life is more valuable than mere work-for-money.  Enjoy your family and friends – well done.
 
Mark will go down in youtube history for his brilliant comment about the Ashes being such a small insignificant thing. All the best Mark.

Getting stressed means it’s not the job for you OR to much work.

What is it like to be the centre of this fury?

That Ashes joke. Talk us through it, please.

You mentioned about being unemployed after 5AA ended your weekend brekky shift, and unemployed people are not the favourites on talkback radio. Have you gained any insights into how “the other half” must feel in our society?

Prefer radio or tv?

 Nigel challenges the panel to pick the fake story from three stories from South Australia’s past.

Daily Herald February 1917
BEACH HORSE RACING.
Councillor Gïbb at Thursday night’s meeting of the Port Adelaide City Council asked whether the corporation was
entitled to an additional trooper in return for access to the beach. He stated that as the beach is regularly lent to the police for organising races at no tithe nor stipend perhaps extra constabulary could be provided in kind. The town clerk (Mr. E. Bradwell) informed the mayor that the service asked for was not included in the arrangements for the city. Councillor Gibb continuing stated that the racing of horses had been ongoing for many years as part of the police trooper endurance training at Fort Largs. As the council was responsible for tidying the beach after the police perhaps some benefit could be provided to the corporation for provision of such manure removal services. The motion was carried.

The Journal April 1923
RADIO RACING. Horses Without Riders.
There has been found a new and curious use for radiophoning. It consists of giving orders to a racehorse as he passes round the course jockeyless. The name in the first race ever run such conditions was Radio, and he been trained to circle the course at speed without a jockey, but carrying its radio receiving set attached to harness. The owner or trainer of horse sent his orders to the horse via radiophone. As the horse was approaching the finish, the trainer yelled in his transmitter in the grandstand, ”Come on Radio! Come on Radio! The horse responded nobly, just as if the trainer had been sitting on his back and was urging him on towards the winning post. Shortly, perhaps, we will be treated to a distinct novelty in the form of a radio horse race, in which all the animals participating will race
jockeyless, each horse being fitted with a radiophone receiving set, and either a loud talker or else a headset of
phones strapped over his ears.

News January 1940
Racing Skill Prize
HAVE you thought of entering for the “Radio Call” racing test of skill? It may be worth £110 to you. Write down on the special coupon the horses you think will win at Gawler on Saturday, and forward it to Radio Call. If you are the only one to select every winner, you will be engaged at a fee of £110 to forecast for a subsequent meeting. If more
than one chooses every winner, the fee will be divided.