Voodoo Child was used in the worldwide hit, but the singer says she didn’t receive any royalties.
In this edition of Media McKnight:
- Nat Bass reveals pay dispute with the BBC
- The mystery behind an ABC presenter having to literally run to work
- New details about the upcoming revival of Australian Ninja Warrior
- Radio exec gone after groping incident
- The bizarre claim the Oz made about Channel 9
- False advertising from the Queensland Government
- Popular comedian needs your help as he fights medical issues
You can watch the video version of Media McKnight in the player below:
DOCTOR WHO NOT PAYING THE BILLS?
Imagine your song is used in one of the biggest shows in the world.
A show distributed to more than 200 territories globally.
You might expect a bit of coin to come your way, right?
Well, not so according to Nat Bassingthwaighte from the Rogue Traders.
When I spoke to her recently on McKnight Tonight, I asked about her song Voodoo Child being used in an episode of Doctor Who.
Not only was it an iconic episode, but it was also an iconic scene, with the episode named after the song’s lyrics.
So, imagine my surprise when Nat revealed she has never received any royalties from the BBC for the use of the song.
“You know what, we don’t get anything” Nat exclaimed during the interview.
“We’d probably be gazillionaires by now because that’s the way the law works, right?
“(but) there’s just a loophole. We got nothing. Nothing.”
It’s a strange one, for sure.
I can only imagine the BBC has a blanket license for music used in its productions. Why that money hasn’t filtered through to the Rogue Traders is a really interesting question though.
Did the BBC not distribute the funds properly or did the record label not pass the money on?
Media McKnight has reached out to the BBC and will keep you updated.
Meanwhile, Nat is currently starring in Waitress The Musical. The show is currently play9ing Melbourne before it moves to Sydney in August.
I haven’t seen the Aussie production but the Broadway version is fabulous and I can see Nat playing the lead role perfectly.
But it seems not everyone shares my opinion.
When the cast was first announced for the local run, there was instant backlash. Producers were accused of stunt casting.
“I auditioned with everybody else,” Nat explained to me.
“It’s hard to take, you know. You put yourself on the line to go for these things,”
“There was ageism in there. I’ve done many lead roles in many shows, so that was kind of bizarre to me. I played Roxy in Chicago. I had the lead role in Jackie Health. I played Sandy and Greece, the lead role in Footloose. I’ve done a lot of shows over the course of my career,”
“There’s probably about 20 people that have to sign off on who the cast is. And so when that backlash happened, I definitely took it on, but I thought, “You know what? You’re also kind of, you’re not just bagging me, but you’re bagging the creatives that made the choice.””
Look, it’s a great show. It’s well worth the price of admission and Nat always gives a good chat. If you’d like to see more, just go to my YouTube page at youtube.com/McKnightTonight.
ABC MYSTERY
What to make of the curious case of the ABC presenter who literally had to run to work?
ABC Classic presenter Doctor Megan Burslem certainly sounded like she’d had a big weekend when she fronted up for her breakfast shift on Monday.
Sounding horse, the good Doctor explained she had been talking all weekend, presenting The Classic 100 Of All Time.
Ok, fair enough.
But then came this nugget:
“It didn’t help that I had to run to work this morning, um, because yeah. Anyway, that’s a long story. I had to run to work this morning. Uh, and then on top of the weekend, it was like a, a real shock. So if you’re having one of those, uh, mornings where, where you’ve woken up going, where am I? What is going on? Then, um, I feel you.”
That sounds like a story I’d like to hear!
What happened to her car?
Come on, Megan, listeners live for stories like this!
NINJA WARRIOR BACK & BB’S NEW HOME
An update on some local Channel 10 productions.
Last week, I reported that Big Brother will be moving to Brisbane, but now the location has been confirmed.
As widely speculated, filming will take place at the Screen Queensland Studios in the suburb of Hemmant,
Sources say Channel 10 was keen to stay in the Sunshine State even though the Dreamworld location wasn’t available due to an existing booking.
Queensland provides financial incentives, and 10 is keen to keep that money.
The location is perfect for Big Brother with two massive sound stages, production offices, eight green rooms and 200 parking spaces.
They’ll never want to leave!
Then, work will start on Australian Ninja Warrior – which is coming to 10 in 2027.
My sources are telling me filming will likely commence early next year and the production is also set to be based in Queensland.
10 is bringing back the former Channel 9 show after axing I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.
GROPER GONE
In news that should surprise no one, Guy Ashford is no longer the Manager of 2HD and New FM.
His sudden departure comes after an incident at the recent radio awards where he allegedly groped an employee.
The incident happened during the acceptance speech of Cheralyn Darcey for the best Newcomer award.
Darcey hosts The Nightline on 2HD.
It really was just a matter of time before Ashford no longer had that job.
Radio Info reports Super Radio Network CEO Graham Mott broke sent a short note to staff saying Ashford is “no longer employed by the Super Radio Network.”
It’s the right decision.
I CALL BS!
Sometimes you read an article, and you just think: this is a load of BS.
The Australian suggested this week there are concerns Nine wouldn’t be able to stump up the cash it has put in for its bid for the NRL, because it is set to pay $600m or more to extend its English Premier League broadcast deal.
The article claims the EPL deal has cast doubts on Nine’s ability to pay the expected 4 billion dollars for all of the NRL rights.
It’s a ridiculous claim.
I can’t even get my head around it.
Nine is not on the verge of bankruptcy; it’s not a going concern, so if the company makes a bid for sporting rights – it’s disingenuous to suggest it wouldn’t be able to pay the bills.
What is the agenda of this article?
News Corp no longer owns Foxtel, so I assume it’s not a stunt to bolster the Foxtel bid… so what on Earth is going on here?
Maybe it’s just old habits?
I don’t know… I just don’t get it, and I’m calling bullsh*t.
FALSE ADVERTISING
I’ve noticed a term being used in all of the commercials made by The Queensland Government.
“The new Queensland Government”
It’s a simple message to remind Queenslanders that Labor is no longer in charge, the Liberals are in power.
It’s not a bad message to distinguish from Labor’s 30 out of 35 year reign, but the problem is the last state election was in October 2024.
That’s almost 18 months ago.
It’s time for a new message – you’re not a new Government any more.
BELOVED COMEDIAN NEEDS YOUR HELP
Darren Sanders is an Aussie comedian well known around the traps.
He has toured just about everywhere and he even had a talk show on Nine’s digital channel, where he spoke to just about everyone.
Not only is he funny, he’s a bloody great guy.
And he even slow-danced next to Whitney Houston in a scene in The Bodyguard!
Unfortunately, he’s doing it tough at the moment, having been diagnosed with acute leukemia.
Darren and his wife are trying to raise funds for their medical bills and have launched a GoFund me page that you might be able to help with.
If you’d like to contribute, please CLICK THIS LINK
THANK YOU
Finally, a big thank you to everyone who reached out to help me with that DV CAM player issue.
I was genuinely overwhelmed by the generosity shown.
Honestly, in an industry where people generally treat you like crap, it was nice to be reminded there are a lot of good people out there.
Did songwriters of Voodoo Child get paid ? Elvis Costello