One of the stalwarts of Melbourne public radio has been axed, with the last episode of Film Buff's Forecast to be broadcast on 3RRR on March 25, after 36 years on air.
Host Paul Harris posted the news to his friends and followers on Facebook on Thursday afternoon, under the heading "Death in Brunswick!" (a reference to an Australian cinema classic and the station's physical location).
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Harris wrote that he had been called into a meeting a week ago and "informed that the station was taking away my 12-2pm slot, which had been a constant in my life for so long".
The decision was, he said, made by the station's content and program manager "with the unanimous approval of the program advisory group of 3RRR".
![Paul Harris, host of Film Buff's Forecast, in 2013.](/web/20170312170818im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/u/p/u/t/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.guuq5v.png/1489047062264.jpg)
The rationale was that the station wished to move to an all-music line-up on Saturdays.
"We would like to offer you the new timeslot of Sunday, 1-2pm, starting in April," wrote program manager Bec Hornsby in an email seen by Fairfax. "This will bring your program in line with the rest of our specialist talks programming on Sundays."
Harris said he could not do the show on that day "due to family and work reasons, and would never agree to anyway on principle".
Harris, who is the director of the St Kilda Film Festival and is a former columnist for The Age, is a hugely respected member of and contributor to the local film community. His show presented a mix of reviews, interviews with directors, actors, writers and producers, and film score music. It has long been compulsory listening for lovers of film in this city.
![Triple R has offered Paul Harris a one-hour timeslot on Sundays.](/web/20170312170818im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/u/q/a/f/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.guuq5v.png/1489047062264.jpg)
A clearly distressed Harris wrote that he had spoken to station manager Dave Houchin to discuss the fact he felt he had been treated "shabbily and disrespectfully".
"I told him … the station has been part of my life for nearly 40 years and I would have taken a bullet gladly for a station whose values I so greatly respected. Now I have been effectively given the bullet."
Late on Thursday, Triple R confirmed the news that the program would come to an end with a statement on its website.
"Paul's enthusiasm, dedication, hard work and enormous film knowledge will be greatly missed and Triple R would like to thank Paul for his massive contribution to the station over the last 30+ years.
"Triple R realises that change can be hard, but the station needs to continue to evolve and to create opportunities for new presenters and new ideas on the grid."
Karl Quinn is on facebook at karlquinnjournalist and on twitter @karlkwin
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