Popular New Zealand commentator, frontman and presenter John McBeth may have titled his highly-readable autobiography 'It's Over!', but within its pages, he has demonstrated it is not.
Sure, he may have decided to retire after an active career that may, or may not, have turned out as he wanted or expected. But it has been both fruitful and informative for the public that came to accept him as one of the consummate performers in this country's audio and visual media.
It was a journey that saw him introduced as a rugby commentator, initially filling the formidable shoes of Iain Gallaway in Dunedin but soon as the nation's No1 caller with the job of putting the deeds of the All Blacks on the airwaves for the public to be informed.
Television beckoned with more peaks and troughs than a Himalayan topographical map. Still, through it all, McBeth's class could not be contained even if administrators, who held power over their workers but tended to come and go quicker than they might have anticipated, tried to put their perceived favourites in his way.
In the end, his reputation was sufficient for the international powers who be to come calling upon his expertise, and when he called it quits, it was on his terms, even if it was Covid-19 induced.
For more recent generations, his involvement in America's Cup coverage was most responsible for his household name status, followed closely by his Olympic Games work. But for those a little older, it was a case of what might have been for one of the more eminent radio commentators to have graced the airwaves.
McBeth's experiences, his highs and lows, are not just a reflection of his career. He has provided a snapshot of life in a changing media world where turmoil is an apt description of what has transformed sport and life, as we know it, in the neoliberal world, which was so fashionable before it shuddered to a halt in the pandemic just past.
His book exemplifies the adaptability and patience required of media participants. It is a catalogue of the media executives confronted with change occurring where longer-term outcomes are unknown and where many decisions made boomeranged on their perpetrators, many of whom had already departed to commit their mayhem elsewhere.
When the great upheavals of the last 30 years: portable computers, the internet, mobile phones, streaming video, social media and the decline of markets, come to be assessed by the historians of the future, they will see that despite the exponential growth of change in the various media platforms, the ability to tell stories, present pictures and inform those news participants who pay for their information, was still crucial to getting the information across.
McBeth achieved that, and the understanding of his success is evident in his story. Historical relevance, observations of the moment, and background information were all part of his repertoire. His human touches are introduced dramatically, yet with a personal effect any reader could appreciate.
It may have been a labour of love to produce, but for this reader at least, it was an effort that has been appreciated, enjoyed and has a quality far more representative of his era than he might have thought.