Eating Media Lunch
Encyclopedia
Eating Media Lunch was a satirical
New Zealand
news show hosted by Jeremy Wells
. It aired on TV 2
and online on TVNZ ondemand from 2003 to 2008. The show was frequently controversial during its run.
). It frequently caused complaints to the Broadcasting Standards Authority
, ranging from complaints about the show's treatment of New Zealand celebrities to complaints about an episode which showed a cat
in a microwave oven
. Producer Paul Casserly noted that portrayals of violence against animals were certain to attract complaints, such as the show which claimed to feature famous sheep Shrek
being slaughtered, while the spoof Maori porn movie 'Anal Mana' saw no complaints.
titled Media Dog which was available online. Since 2004 the series had included an annual 'awards' show which "honour[s] the absurd and the unusual as seen on television, radio and newspapers" categories include: "Services to Scaremongering, Worst Moment on Reality TV, The Inappropriate Touching Award and the much coveted New Zealander of The Year trophy."
The 2006 season featured former Close Up
reporter Hugh Sundae as well as Matt Heath and Chris Stapp
from Back of the Y. According to TVNZ the 2006 season tackled "racism, reality TV and the country's best-known protesters". The 2008 season won best comedy at the Qantas Film and TV Awards.
and declining advertising revenue, the network made the decision not to commission a 2009 season of Eating Media Lunch.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
news show hosted by Jeremy Wells
Jeremy Wells
Jeremy "Newsboy" Wells is a New Zealand television personality, most famous as the host of TVNZ's satirical news show, Eating Media Lunch. He is also a co-host of The Saturday Special radio show with Steve Simpson on New Zealand radio station bFM.Wells was born in Auckland, New Zealand, the son of...
. It aired on TV 2
TV 2 (New Zealand)
TV2 is a national television network in New Zealand, which is owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster TVNZ. It targets a younger audience than its sister network, TV One...
and online on TVNZ ondemand from 2003 to 2008. The show was frequently controversial during its run.
Notable episodes
In 2005 it shocked some viewers when it depicted two newsreaders fornicating (a parody of Naked NewsNaked News
Naked News, billing itself as "the program with nothing to hide", is a subscription website featuring a real television newscast. The show is prepared in Toronto and runs daily, with 25-minute episodes 6 days per week. The female anchors read the news fully nude or strip as they present their news...
). It frequently caused complaints to the Broadcasting Standards Authority
Broadcasting Standards Authority
The Broadcasting Standards Authority is a New Zealand Crown Entity created by the Broadcasting Act 1989 to develop and uphold standards of broadcasting for radio, free-to-air and pay television.The main functions of the BSA are:...
, ranging from complaints about the show's treatment of New Zealand celebrities to complaints about an episode which showed a cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
in a microwave oven
Microwave oven
A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that heats food by dielectric heating, using microwave radiation to heat polarized molecules within the food...
. Producer Paul Casserly noted that portrayals of violence against animals were certain to attract complaints, such as the show which claimed to feature famous sheep Shrek
Shrek (sheep)
Shrek was a Merino wether belonging to Bendigo Station, a sheep station near Tarras, New Zealand, who gained international fame in 2004 after he avoided being caught and shorn for six years. Merinos are normally shorn annually, but Shrek apparently hid in caves, avoiding muster...
being slaughtered, while the spoof Maori porn movie 'Anal Mana' saw no complaints.
Innovations
The show features a regular animated segment by Anthony EllisonAnthony Ellison
Anthony Ellison is a New Zealand cartoonist and animator. He has been the political cartoonist for the Sunday Star Times since 1988 and was at one stage the youngest political cartoonist in New Zealand...
titled Media Dog which was available online. Since 2004 the series had included an annual 'awards' show which "honour[s] the absurd and the unusual as seen on television, radio and newspapers" categories include: "Services to Scaremongering, Worst Moment on Reality TV, The Inappropriate Touching Award and the much coveted New Zealander of The Year trophy."
The 2006 season featured former Close Up
Close Up
Close Up is a half-hour long New Zealand current affairs programme produced by Television New Zealand. The programme airs at 7.00pm weeknights on TV ONE and is presented by Mark Sainsbury with Paul Henry as the back up supporting host.The show remains the country's most watched night news and...
reporter Hugh Sundae as well as Matt Heath and Chris Stapp
Chris Stapp
Chris Stapp is a New Zealand actor/director/musician best known for his role of stuntman Randy Cambell in Back Of The Y Masterpiece Television. He and Back of the Y co-star Matt Heath appear in season 6 of Eating Media Lunch. In 2005 the pair also hosted a weekly radio show Thursday Drive on bFM...
from Back of the Y. According to TVNZ the 2006 season tackled "racism, reality TV and the country's best-known protesters". The 2008 season won best comedy at the Qantas Film and TV Awards.
Last season
In 2009 when TVNZ faced $25 million in budget cuts as a result of the recessionRecession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction, a general slowdown in economic activity. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way...
and declining advertising revenue, the network made the decision not to commission a 2009 season of Eating Media Lunch.
See also
- The Unauthorised History of New Zealand, satirical series also hosted by Wells