Popular radio and TV personality James Valentine has signed on to host a new entertainment program for ABC News 24.
‘The Mix’ aims to focus on all things art, entertainment and show-biz, highlighting the best cultural events around the country on a weekly basis. Host James Valentine says the show’s design is to reflect the way Australians increasingly engage in a diverse range of entertainment.
“The shorthand is it’s an arts/show business show,” Valentine tells IF. “We’re attempting to cover everything that happens that is of broad artistic/cultural/show business/entertainment interest. Which is impossible! And way too broad, but I think most shows at some point end up just reflecting yourself and I just find now, as an audience member, in any one week I’m likely to go the theatre and Bruce Springsteen and a winery and read a Booker Prize novel. I don’t have much distinction between these things now.
“I think any of these any of these events we read and interpret in all sorts of ways, and what we’re going to try and do in The Mix is present a show about what’s been going on this week and what’s coming up for that sort of audience and people who think in that sort of way, which I think more and more people are doing.”
The half-hour program will air on 7.30pm on Saturdays, but will also be available on online and on iView.
“I’m hoping that will get a lot of use,” says Valentine. “I’d like to think almost that you broadcast these things at 7.30 but then, don’t forget, Sunday afternoon at 5 o’clock, you can flick it up on iView and check it out.
“I think that’s increasingly how people are using this sort of show.”
The Mix will pull content from ABC Arts reporters all over the country as well as generating its own, to provide a single ‘one-stop-shop’ program.
It kicks off this Saturday at 7.30pm.