Laws v Rogers: hits and memories unleashed

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Laws v Rogers: hits and memories unleashed
12:00 AEST Mon May 19 2008
20 days 19 hours 27 minutes ago
John Laws's attack on the AM band was pricked by Bob Rogers (AAP)
Wade O'Leary
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Sydney radio legend Bob Rogers has offered an easy-listening riposte
to John Laws's diatribe about AM radio presenters — it's full of hits
and memories.

Laws launched a bile-laden attack on AM-band commercial radio in
today's Sydney Morning Herald, describing today's talkback stars as "a
bunch of bullies and know-alls and also-rans", claiming they are
"totally devoid of a sense of humour" but possessed of "a sense of
self-importance that's bewildering".

"I'm surprised it's in the Op-Ed section, you'd think there'd be more
worthwhile things to report on — but I'm not surprised," Rogers told
ninemsn today.

"I'm surprised he's been out of the limelight this long, he obviously
needs an ego boost.

"I can't tell you whether he's had an ego boost or not but it's very
strange, particularly 'I don't choose to be critical of individuals
because I would be accused of dispensing sour grapes': he said the
same thing when he called Derryn Hinch and Bob Rogers a pair of
despicable c****!"

Hinch and Rogers were lunching at a restaurant on Sydney's finger
wharf when Laws wandered down from his regular table at neighbouring
Otto and unloaded with an expletive-ridden rant.

Hinch returned some of the fire but Rogers was happy to sit back and
save his ammunition for later.

"It's typical Laws — 'bullies and know-alls', I thought he might be
writing about himself," Rogers said.

The affable 2CH morning presenter, who has been on air for over 50
years and toured with the Beatles in 1964, also expressed surprise at
Laws's list of best broadcasters.

"Terry Dear and Dick Fair belong to a different era, I don't think
they were very creative," Rogers said.

"Jack Davey was the greatest but I am surprised he mentioned Alan
Toohey because I was a disc jockey and he inspired me more than any
other — but I never heard Laws mention him before."

Laws is known to differentiate himself from disc jockeys: he once gave
a Daily Telegraph cadet a roasting over the phone when the reporter
referred to him as a DJ.

Rogers, by comparison, is proud of his position as a pioneer disc
jockey but demonstrated to ninemsn that he's pretty handy in the talk
format too.

"But it's very interesting it's in the Fairfax press — maybe he wants
my job?" Rogers said.

"You can say I'm feeling incredibly insecure: when he finished I was
out-rating him, so maybe that's what he wants: the final twist of the
knife to get rid of me and take my job!

"That's a joke, by the way … I'm not surprised he wants to say more
but I'm surprised it's in the Herald.

"Fairfax now owns 2UE, don't they … I was told by Graham Mott that
they have a contract that said he couldn't come back until 2010, which
is interesting.

"I'm expecting there'll be a biography soon — maybe this is a warm-up
for that?"