Sunday Morning for Sunday 4 February 2024

 

8:10 Russell Howard: British stand-up comedian drops by RNZ Auckland studio  

British stand-up comedian Russell Howard is currently on a nine-date Aotearoa tour.

He dropped into the RNZ Auckland studio to talk to Jim about performing on-stage, the art of interviewing celebrities which he is doing for his weekly podcast Wonderbox, and his three favourite things about New Zealand.  

 

8:45 Charlotte Ryan: Is music journalism dead?

With recent job losses at Pitchfork and an upcoming merger with GQ, plus layoffs at Universal Music and Bandcamp also in the news, we’ve got Music 101 host Charlotte Ryan on the line to talk about music journalism’s shifting sands.   

 

9:10 Mediawatch

Mediawatch looks at whether bad economic news makes more headlines than good news - and asks the owner of the NBR if being a local media baron is all it’s cracked up to be.  

Also: Green co-leader James Shaw announced his departure this week - but the press pack wasn't surprised. 

 

9:35 Calling Home: Sarah and Gavin Steiner (currently) in Morocco 

Intrepid travelers Sarah and Gavin Steiner filled two backpacks and left New Zealand in 2019 when their two boys Harry and Oscar were three and five years old.  

Four years later the boys are now eight and ten and along with their passionate parents, have been to some incredible places along the road less-travelled — including much of Asia and the Middle East and countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Syria, and Rarotonga.  

Last year the Steiners had their “biggest adventure yet” when they travelled with other New Zealand families across Rajasthan in India. Together, they rode camels into the desert, slept under the stars and shared meals with locals in their homes in the historic golden city of Jaisalmer. 

The Steiners run a travel blog Away with the Steiners and this morning the Steiners call home from Morocco and talk to Jim about their non-stop travels and the people they have met along the way. 

 

10:10 Daniel O’Donnell: My favourite Irish song 

Daniel O’Donnell returns to New Zealand in February for his first tour since 2017. He joins us to talk about his career, his fans and to pick his favourite Irish song. 

 

10:25 Jack Whaley-Cohen: The Sunday Quiz  

Quiz master Jack Waley-Cohen was such a hit over the summer that we’ve invited him back as our resident Sunday Morning question master.   

Jack is the mind behind the questions on BBC quiz show Only Connect which is known for being both difficult to crack and totally obvious.  

It’s Sunday morning, so wake up your brain and have a go! 

 

10:30 Lisa Cam: On her favourite Chinese New Year customs  

Lisa Cam is a journalist at the South China Morning Post based in Hong Kong who writes extensively about Chinese culture and hosts the publication’s own Eat Drink Asia video series. 

As the Year of the Dragon fast approaches Lisa joins Jim on Sunday morning to discuss some unique traditions and a light-hearted look at the year ahead. 

 

10:45 Karen Kasler: The latest from the US primaries 

Joining us again is our U.S. correspondent Karen Kasler, the Statehouse Bureau Chief for public radio and television in Ohio. She’s been on the road with the candidates and has the latest from campaign. 

 

11:10 Will Stone: Can the keto diet improve our mental health?   

Reports suggest the high-fat and low-carbohydrate ketogenic ‘keto’ diet helps patients relieve stress and improve mood.  

Will Stone is a health and science reporter at NPR – he joins Jim on Sunday Morning to discuss.  

 

11:25 Ali Hill: The Nutrition Edition 

Following a huge response to her chat last week, Dr Ali Hill from Otago University's Department of Human Nutrition joins us once again to answer your questions on the different cooking oils, their benefits and how to make the most of them.   

 

11:35 Ali Harper: Songstress on new Circa Theatre show The Supper Club  

Songstress Ali Harper is currently starring in production The Supper Club at Circa Theatre in Wellington – which is taking audiences back in time to the glitz of the 1920s.  

The production, directed by Ian Harman and soundtracked by bandleader Tom McLeod, features songs from the glamorous twenties through to the present day 

The star of the show Ali Harper joins Jim on Sunday Morning to tell us all about the production which runs until 17 February.