3 October 2013

Ross Solly moving to Thailand, departing The Beast

| johnboy
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The Age has the news that the ABC’s morning’s man Ross Solly is following his missus to Thailand:

Mr Solly said speculation on social media about his future had prompted confirmation he would move to Thailand with his family next year.

“I am looking forward though very, very much, to becoming a stay-at-home-Dad,” Mr Solly said.

“But yes, I am going to miss all of you very, very much.”

His wife, ABC political reporter Samantha Hawley, will take up a new posting as the ABC’s South East Asia correspondent from next year.

Mr Solly has presented the conversational, locally focused breakfast program since November 2004 after moving from Perth in 1997.

After last year’s shakeup at the ABC we await the replacement. But not so much as we tend to have news24 in the background these days rather than 666.

UPDATE: The ABC has made a statement:

After nine years as Breakfast presenter for 666 ABC Canberra and more than 20 years with the ABC, Ross Solly is leaving the station at the end of the broadcast year.

Ross has been a popular and trustworthy voice on breakfast radio, his deep connection with the ACT community and intelligent wit has kept him at the forefront of breakfast radio in the Capital.

Ross is leaving to accompany his partner Samantha Hawley and their young family to Bangkok as a result of Samantha’s recent appointment as ABC News South East Asia correspondent. She’ll take up her new position in the New Year.

It’s been thrilling and a real privilege to host 666 Breakfast,” said Ross.

“I think over nine years I’ve proven myself to be one of this community’s most adept early morning risers. I’m proud that in those nine years I’ve not once slept in, so I’m looking forward to that change,” he joked.

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Mate of mine managed to work for a while, here, while living in Thailand. Skilled IT, but radio should be equally possible. We may hear him sooner than some hope.

Anna Key said :

Robertson said :

switch said :

Baggy said :

It seems far fetched, sure, but hear me out at least. We only ‘see’ a fraction of light, and we use scientific equipment to see other wavelengths of light. Who is to say that there aren’t more wavelengths we simply can’t perceive?

Given we can “see” any wavelength from DC to gamma rays and beyond, any wavelength we can’t “perceive” would have more even energy than gamma rays and would make its presence felt by obliterating us when it interacted with us.

Classic magical thinking from Baggy. No understanding of science and its role in enabling us to perceive and understand our environment.

Despite years of people suffering from delusions involving ghosts, no detection of any such thing has ever happened (at any wavelength, lol).

I think the ABC is dipping well below the standards it should apply when it starts using the delusional for entertainment. Shame on them.

I agree. Instead of posting Samantha Hawley to Thailand and taking Ross away from us, send B2 and hopefully they will take B1 with them. What is the ABC thinking promoting talking bananas as entertainment

Your analogy is poorly thought out and inapt.

There is nothing exploitative about making bananas a source of entertainment. Exploiting crazy people who for the purpose of entertainment is quite another story.

Wonderful news! I wake to his drivel every day, but only because none of the others are any better. For far too many years we have had to endure his interrupting his guests, talking over them, asking inane questions and generally trying to big-note himself. While he does have some interesting guests, I find myself cringing as he pursues his surface-deep level of questioning. Admittedly, I long for the halcyon days with David Kilby and no-one has come close since his departure, but almost any of the replacement presenters has been better than Ross.

Bring on Adam Shirley, or persuade Julie Derrett to make a return.

Robertson said :

switch said :

Baggy said :

It seems far fetched, sure, but hear me out at least. We only ‘see’ a fraction of light, and we use scientific equipment to see other wavelengths of light. Who is to say that there aren’t more wavelengths we simply can’t perceive?

Given we can “see” any wavelength from DC to gamma rays and beyond, any wavelength we can’t “perceive” would have more even energy than gamma rays and would make its presence felt by obliterating us when it interacted with us.

Classic magical thinking from Baggy. No understanding of science and its role in enabling us to perceive and understand our environment.

Despite years of people suffering from delusions involving ghosts, no detection of any such thing has ever happened (at any wavelength, lol).

I think the ABC is dipping well below the standards it should apply when it starts using the delusional for entertainment. Shame on them.

I agree. Instead of posting Samantha Hawley to Thailand and taking Ross away from us, send B2 and hopefully they will take B1 with them. What is the ABC thinking promoting talking bananas as entertainment

Anna Key said :

Robertson said :

I didn’t mind Ross Solly until recently I notice he has started exploiting the mentally ill on his show, poking fun at lunatics who believe in ghosts by interviewing these loons about evenings spent at the air disaster memorial, imaginary “haunted” houses, and so forth.
This is very much beneath the behaviour I would expect of the ABC, and probably explains why he has been encouraged to leave.

I think the “mentally ill” you are referring to is Tim the Yowie Man

Tim is a mate of mine, he’s far from mentally ill. Very intelligent guy actually, and funny.

Sorry, poorly worded. I agree that Tim is usually quite quirky interesting and he is actually part of the show rather than being exploited by Ross. I’m not sure the ABC has appointed Samantha Hawley to Bangkok just to get rid of Ross

Did you know that whilst AM is being broadcast on ABC 666, Ross Solly is doing a sport segment on ABC 720 (Perth)?

switch said :

Baggy said :

It seems far fetched, sure, but hear me out at least. We only ‘see’ a fraction of light, and we use scientific equipment to see other wavelengths of light. Who is to say that there aren’t more wavelengths we simply can’t perceive?

Given we can “see” any wavelength from DC to gamma rays and beyond, any wavelength we can’t “perceive” would have more even energy than gamma rays and would make its presence felt by obliterating us when it interacted with us.

Classic magical thinking from Baggy. No understanding of science and its role in enabling us to perceive and understand our environment.

Despite years of people suffering from delusions involving ghosts, no detection of any such thing has ever happened (at any wavelength, lol).

I think the ABC is dipping well below the standards it should apply when it starts using the delusional for entertainment. Shame on them.

Baggy said :

It seems far fetched, sure, but hear me out at least. We only ‘see’ a fraction of light, and we use scientific equipment to see other wavelengths of light. Who is to say that there aren’t more wavelengths we simply can’t perceive?

Given we can “see” any wavelength from DC to gamma rays and beyond, any wavelength we can’t “perceive” would have more even energy than gamma rays and would make its presence felt by obliterating us when it interacted with us.

IrishPete said :

Believe what you wish.

In the meantime buy my book and add some more money to my despicable bank account.

http://the-riotact.com/book-review-a-case-for-ghosts-by-j-g-montgomery/82053

Robertson is trolling. Ignore him/her/it. People who believe in ghosts are no more mentally ill than people who believe in God, chiropractors, herbal medicine and so on. To be pitied perhaps, but not mentally ill.

IP

I don’t know…

Serious cap on for a moment, I hypothesise (if only I could test this..) that ghosts are nothing more than creatures, whether human-like or other, which exist – we’re just not normally capable of perceiving them normally.

It seems far fetched, sure, but hear me out at least. We only ‘see’ a fraction of light, and we use scientific equipment to see other wavelengths of light. Who is to say that there aren’t more wavelengths we simply can’t perceive?

At the end of the day, we know so little about our own planet much less the universe itself, who can say that ‘ghosts’ don’t exist? For now though, all we can go with is what empirical data tells us.

Believe what you wish.

In the meantime buy my book and add some more money to my despicable bank account.

http://the-riotact.com/book-review-a-case-for-ghosts-by-j-g-montgomery/82053

Robertson is trolling. Ignore him/her/it. People who believe in ghosts are no more mentally ill than people who believe in God, chiropractors, herbal medicine and so on. To be pitied perhaps, but not mentally ill.

IP

Robertson said :

Anna Key said :

Robertson said :

I didn’t mind Ross Solly until recently I notice he has started exploiting the mentally ill on his show, poking fun at lunatics who believe in ghosts by interviewing these loons about evenings spent at the air disaster memorial, imaginary “haunted” houses, and so forth.
This is very much beneath the behaviour I would expect of the ABC, and probably explains why he has been encouraged to leave.

I think the “mentally ill” you are referring to is Tim the Yowie Man

Tim is a mate of mine, he’s far from mentally ill. Very intelligent guy actually, and funny.

Exploiting mentally ill people who have delusions about having seen ghosts in ski lodges, or delusions about ghosts draining their car battery is neither clever nor funny – it’s despicable.

I suggest you actually familiarise yourself with what it is that Tim the Yowie Man does before you open your trap.

Anna Key said :

Robertson said :

I didn’t mind Ross Solly until recently I notice he has started exploiting the mentally ill on his show, poking fun at lunatics who believe in ghosts by interviewing these loons about evenings spent at the air disaster memorial, imaginary “haunted” houses, and so forth.
This is very much beneath the behaviour I would expect of the ABC, and probably explains why he has been encouraged to leave.

I think the “mentally ill” you are referring to is Tim the Yowie Man

Tim is a mate of mine, he’s far from mentally ill. Very intelligent guy actually, and funny.

Exploiting mentally ill people who have delusions about having seen ghosts in ski lodges, or delusions about ghosts draining their car battery is neither clever nor funny – it’s despicable.

Anna Key said :

Robertson said :

I didn’t mind Ross Solly until recently I notice he has started exploiting the mentally ill on his show, poking fun at lunatics who believe in ghosts by interviewing these loons about evenings spent at the air disaster memorial, imaginary “haunted” houses, and so forth.
This is very much beneath the behaviour I would expect of the ABC, and probably explains why he has been encouraged to leave.

I think the “mentally ill” you are referring to is Tim the Yowie Man

The reference is, therefore, even more relevant. Anyone who can make up a name for himself, and then have a red hot legal go at Cadbury for doing the same kinda thing, is in danger of sliding into the nutjob section of the bell curve.

Robertson said :

I didn’t mind Ross Solly until recently I notice he has started exploiting the mentally ill on his show, poking fun at lunatics who believe in ghosts by interviewing these loons about evenings spent at the air disaster memorial, imaginary “haunted” houses, and so forth.
This is very much beneath the behaviour I would expect of the ABC, and probably explains why he has been encouraged to leave.

I think the “mentally ill” you are referring to is Tim the Yowie Man

I like Ross; the right mix of serious coverage and levity. None of this temporary replacements over the years have done it for me.

HiddenDragon11:44 am 03 Oct 13

Not a radio listener, but I thought Ross’ interviews of Katy and Zed in last year’s election campaign did not hit the right note at all – he seemed to be trying far too hard to score gotchas.

I didn’t mind Ross Solly until recently I notice he has started exploiting the mentally ill on his show, poking fun at lunatics who believe in ghosts by interviewing these loons about evenings spent at the air disaster memorial, imaginary “haunted” houses, and so forth.
This is very much beneath the behaviour I would expect of the ABC, and probably explains why he has been encouraged to leave.

Holden Caulfield11:13 am 03 Oct 13

So far this is good news. But we need to see who’s replacing him first.

I can’t listen to 666 much during the daytime any more, the saccharine levels are way off the chart for me.

c_c™ said :

He turned the once strong 666 breakfast slot into an uninformed and lazy backwater. No wit, no insight, no apparent thought to the content.

c_c™ didn’t your Mum or Dad teach you the Thumperian principle?

“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

yeah, but he is a cats fan…

i actually don’t mind him, though tend usually only to get ‘am’ and a wee bit of him, so don’t get the whole shebang.

Absolutely fantastic news. He turned the once strong 666 breakfast slot into an uninformed and lazy backwater. No wit, no insight, no apparent thought to the content.

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