The Mercury - Monday 8th September 1997 Behind the Good News image By Sandra Mclean For a self-confessed Mr Grumpy, Paul McDermott was in a suprisingly goodmood. Chatty, witty, humourous and polite about Kate Fischer, it was hard to reconcile the voice with the acid-tounged McDermott who waxes satirical while keeping the troops in order each week on the ABC's Good News Week. Perhaps McDermott was relishing the avalanche of excellent Good New Week material breaking around the country. In Queensland, a federal politician had been caught visiting a prostitute, while the state government was facing a no-confidence motion in parliament, In Canberra, the Prime minister had vetoed the heroin trial. Each week the Good News Week team dissect the news and then ruthlessly kicks it around the studio like a bunch of naughty schoolkids. In an era ripe for satire, it's paradoxical this genre of comedy is increasingly hard to find in radio and TV. As one of the few satirical programs on TV, Good News Week is a beacon to those who prefer comedy spiked with a wicked intelligence. The show is loosely based on the original British version but there are differences. Executive producer Ted Robinson said the British show is aimed at the 50-plus age group and it's humour is rather genteel. Good News Week in Australia is most popular with the 18 to 39 age group and genteel isn't the equation. As Robinson said: "We are at the rabid mongrel end of the market." And in the dog-eat-dog world of television - particularly at the cash-strapped ABC - Good News Week may well have the last laugh. Last year when the ABC learnt its budjet was to be slashed, panic set in and it was rumoures the show was to be axed. Yet it hung on to become one of the ABC's success stories. Good News Week manages to traverse demographics - it's audienc can range from grunge to grannies - those who listen to McDermott and Mikey Robins on Triple J to 50-plus types who relish giving the establishment a serve. Ratings are also good, and sometimes the show beats commercial stations Seven and Ten to the No 2 spot on Friday night. Good News Week, ABC, Friday, 8pm