Betoota Talks

Latest Episodes:

Angertainment & Slopulism with Ed Coper May 17, 2026

Show notes

Ed Coper’s new book Angertainment is the starting point for this week’s conversation about algorithms, outrage media and what it’s all doing to society. The book makes a straightforward case: social media doesn’t just reflect our worst impulses, it monetises them. Algorithms reward anger because anger drives engagement. That creates an ecosystem where rage-bait thrives and serious journalism struggles to compete.
Outlets like The Betoota Advocate sit comfortably in that ecosystem. Their "conservative rural news" that looks like a duck and quanks, is often circulated by people who don’t always check before they share. Funny, maybe. Harmless, no. When "conservative rural news" content spreads at the same velocity as real reporting, public trust in the whole media landscape takes the hit.
The deeper issue is what this does to how people relate to each other. When your information diet is curated by an algorithm optimised for outrage, your perception of the world, and the people in it, gets distorted. That has consequences for communities, for political discourse, and for democracy.
We talk through Coper’s framework and ask what, if anything, can actually be done about it. He then puts us in our box.

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WEEKLY BULLETIN: Federal Budget, Iran Peace Talks, Lightsaber Nerds & Ivan Cleary May 15, 2026

Show notes

Wendell Hussey and Errol Parker wrap up all the biggest stories from the week - live from the Desert Rock FM studio in downtown Betoota thanks to our friends at Dan Murphy's!

Subscribe to the Betoota Newsletter HERE

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adelaide's pub rock cult heroes BAD//DREEMS discuss their band's swan song: ULTRA DUNDEE May 10, 2026

Show notes

Benny and Alex join BETOOTA TALKS to discuss their 5th and final album - what many critics are describing as a modern pub rock masterpiece, Ultra Dundee. After 15 years of gruelling tours, BAD//DREEMS have always been praised by the rest of Australia's long-suffering rock music scene for never mixing their words about the raw deal that artists receive from labels, streamers and venues. In this interview, the boys explain why they've kept at it. And how, while juggling families and real jobs, it has all been worth it when they pull together an album like this.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WEEKLY BULLETIN: Boomer Tax Loopholes, Torpedo The Cruise, Met Gala & Coconut Water May 08, 2026

Show notes

Wendell Hussey, Clancy Overell and Errol Parker wrap up all the biggest stories from the week - live from the Desert Rock FM studio in downtown Betoota thanks to our friends at Dan Murphy's!

Subscribe to the Betoota Newsletter HERE

Betoota on Instagram

Betoota on TikTok

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ALASTAIR CAMPBELL: Populism in Australian and the UK (The Rest Is Politics!) May 03, 2026

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One of the world's most renowned political commentators, Alastair Campbell, joins BETOOTA TALKS this week to discuss the similar paralells between One Nation and Reform UK. The former British Labour Press Secretary explains the roots, the enablers, and the masters of modern political populism. From Trump, to Scomo, to Boris, to Farage... What is it about these cowboy leaders that makes them so easy to vote for - even though you probably wouldn't take them fishing?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WEEKLY BULLETIN: Inflation Dumbies, Chemist Warehouse, 2 Up & Bathhouses May 01, 2026

Show notes

Wendell Hussey, Clancy Overell and Errol Parker wrap up all the biggest stories from the week - live from the Desert Rock FM studio in downtown Betoota thanks to our friends at Dan Murphy's!

Subscribe to the Betoota Newsletter HERE

Betoota on Instagram

Betoota on TikTok

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BETOOTA TALKS: Concetta Caristo on her career as an Australian comedy heavyweight (and Italy's World Cup Heartbreak) Apr 26, 2026

Show notes

Beloved friend of The Betoota Advocate, Concetta Caristo is an Australian radio presenter, comedian, and most recently a CELEBRITY. She joins Betoota Talks to discuss her whirlwind journey into becoming a household name. She's leaving Triple J and (The Betoota Advocate has decided) she's going to be an actor on Anne Edmonds and Kitty Flanagan's new TV series. She's also a very bad Italian because she's never been to Italy before... But that's about the change

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WEEKLY BULLETIN: 90s Albo, Silly Woman Tries Taxing Resources, Curved Balconies & Terrified Byron Hippie Apr 24, 2026

Show notes

Wendell Hussey, Clancy Overell and Errol Parker wrap up all the biggest stories from the week - live from the Desert Rock FM studio in downtown Betoota thanks to our friends at Dan Murphy's!

Subscribe to the Betoota Newsletter HERE

Betoota on Instagram

Betoota on TikTok

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BETOOTA TALKS: Greens Senator Nick McKim Apr 19, 2026

Show notes

It might be easy to forget about the apple isle at the bottom of our nation, but it’s important to check in with our Tasmanian brethren from time to time to see what they’ve been cooking up. This week’s guest, Federal Senator Nick McKim is spruiking a plan help everyday aussies ease their cost of living woes by, you guessed it, taxing rich people. Won’t these rich people just leave the country? What about all the good that billionaires bring to our lives? All these questions answered plus Pocock’s rig, Man United, Tassie Devils and many more important topics covered.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WEEKLY BULLETIN: Oil Refineries, Pauline Unravels, Eagle Boys Cheap Tuesdays & Noosa Parking Apr 17, 2026

Show notes

Wendell Hussey and Errol Parker wrap up all the biggest stories from the week - live from the Desert Rock FM studio in downtown Betoota thanks to our friends at Dan Murphy's!

Subscribe to the Betoota Newsletter HERE

Betoota on Instagram

Betoota on TikTok

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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