‘Nightmoves’ Host Lee Simon On Why Music On Australian TV Has Lost Its Way

Australians were spoilt for choice when it came to music on television in the ‘70s, but it’s a golden age we won’t likely be revisiting anytime soon, according to former Nightmoves host and radio personality Lee Simon.

Next Monday, St Kilda Film Festival will cover that era of Australian television with Right There On My TV, looking at Nightmoves, Bandstand and more, before Simon and music icon John Paul Young take part in a Q&A.

In the lead up to the event, Simon told The Music why punters were unlikely to see the television landscape return to its former glory.

“There’s bugger-all there,” Simon said.

“I understand from a business point of view there’s not a lot of return on investment there – they’re expensive shows to make, especially if you’re doing more than just playing video clips, and it would be difficult to pull an audience.

“Also, there are so many genres and subgenres, how do you find a show that appeals to everyone without doing a show that’s trying to be all things to all people? We lived in simpler times in the ‘70s.”

The Nightmoves host said it began to splinter off into different directions in the ‘80s and “then seemed to completely lose its way, with the exception of Rage".

“There’s not really much on offer at the moment – MTV has forgotten what the ‘M’ stands for,” Simon said.

“Perhaps what underscores the demise of music on television in those traditional forms is we can access our music in a million different ways.

“We don’t really depend on television as much as we did to add the visual to the music we were discovering and enjoying.”

Right There On My TV follows on from a similar event the National Film And Sound Archive hosted at St Kilda Film Festival a couple of years ago, focusing on the recovery of lost ‘60s music television show The GO!! Show.

“Australia made the switch to colour television in March 1975 and who better to reflect the energy of this transition than all the pop and rock stars of the era, in all their colourful satin, tartan and denim,” NFSA curator Simon Smith told The Music.

“Unlike today, music and musicians appeared everywhere on our televisions, and not just in music programs but also on game shows, in telethons, on the news and in the numerous variety shows.

“There was significantly more live television on our screens then than now and every live show needed music.”

Monday night’s event at St Kilda Town Hall will showcase nearly an hour and a half of “lost and forgotten” music television moments, including an unseen 1977 music panel show pilot hosted by Greg Evans, excerpts from short-lived zoo-themed disco show on Ten and more.

Head over to the St Kilda Film Festival website for all the details.