Dorrie Paradise, media franchise in The British Paradise Islands

from *The Essential Paradise*, series sourcebook

Doc. 5.29.01.

#### ***Dorrie Paradise*** is a Paradisian media series informing residents and visitors about popular places, activities and events within the Two Paradises fantasy/fiction realm, as devised by author Jonnie Comet.

A weekly print paper is begun in 1987, relying on the uniquely Paradisian term *dorrie*, meaning *acceptable* or *attractive*. A daily half-hour television programme begins airing on PTV One in 1995, ultimately featuring Lady Kimberley Cavaliere as a weekly presenter.

## *Dorrie Paradise* in print

The newspaper is brought about after a series of open discussions attended by hoteliers and restauranteurs seeking to further publicise the Paradisian tourist experience. Startup funding is provided by a core of thirteen hotels, resorts and casinos, each assured of a full-or half-page advertisement in each issue. The inaugural issue is distributed on Thursday, 31 March 1988, for £2.50 at newstands, and promptly became successful.

### Format

The periodical is printed in tabloid format, typically 32 pages, of which 8 are full-colour, and sells for £2.00 (1995- ). Each issue is deliberately lighthearted in tone, including (only positive) territorial news, society news, fine arts, themed crossword puzzles and word games, and personal adverts (of interest to tourists), such as announcements of jumble sales, garden concerts, market days and parish fetes. By 1989 the standard edition includes a ‘Visitors’ Guide’ listing subscribing restaurants, places of hospitality, and retailers catering to tourists, as well as schedules for buses and the Ferryfoil and giving hours of operation for public places of entertainment and exhibits such as museums and theatres. Initiated by executive editor Sandra Jennings, the ‘What’s On’ report becomes popular with gossips, social voyeurs and tourists who scan it to gain some clue about local goings-on.

One persistent rumour claims that the editors regularly apportion one full page to the Cavaliere family’s social and professional exploits. Whether it is true or not, the family’s public profile does receive much attention in each issue, probably because of their value as a territorial tourism draw.

## *Dorrie Paradise* on television

The television programme, deemed a logical addition to the informational series, is conceived-of early on, in part to make use of Paradise Television’s growing audience and in part to fill up much of the schedule, which at that time is made up mostly of British and American reruns. Starting on PTV One in early 1994, on Thursday evenings, 19.00-19.30, the *Dorrie Paradise* show is intentionally somewhat campy, part chat show, part documentary, part photographic fluff, with attractive 20-something presenters cheerily describing territorial destinations where tourists can spend money. The format changes for Festival 1995, when a second episode is added on Mondays, the better to interest tourists who typically arrive on weekends and stay for a fortnight.

Lady Susie Cavaliere interviews territorial music artistes Global Tree (whom, due to her father’s line of work, she knows personally) in November 1995; the segment airs during the regular episode on Monday, 4 December, being eagerly anticipated and setting ratings records for the series. Nevertheless by 1996 the series is well hated by most locals, who burdened with having to watch or avoid it twice a week, consider it irrelevant and trite.

## 'Kimby's World' feature

In 1997 Lady Kimberley is approached by programming executives eager to liven up the series. She is interviewed during the Monday instalment on 5 February 1998 and takes over as alternate presenter for the following Thursday-evening slot with what becomes a semi-regular feature called 'Kimby's World'.

### Content

Leaving the straight information and general-interest coverage to Mondays, 'Kimby's World' concentrates on active-lifestyle features, typically showing Kimberley participating personally and often narrating whilst wearing a swimsuit or exercise gear and in the midst of sportfishing, hillclimbing, cycling, sailing, playing Strategy games and other pursuits. She conducts two separate interviews with her friend Gwendolyn Dahl in mid-1998, one about ballet and one about gymnastics, effectively sharing the spotlight with her brother's girlfriend and boosting Dahl's already-skyrocketing popularity. Despite being only 14, Kimberley becomes known to active tourists in their 20s and 30s as an articulate, informative guide and as an appealing role model of youth-oriented Paradisian culture.

### Music

Due to Lady Kimberley’s influence, musical shows, artistes and topics become a near-weekly feature. She interviews numerous figures, usually during concert-tour stops in the islands or in advance of some new release. Over high season 1999 she previews her own music videos and clips of her concert performances on the programme, securing a youthful local audience. Though meant only as interesting entertainment, the clips so effectively boost sales of her album *Call Me Kimby* that Lady Kimberley returns a sizable proportion of her personal proceeds to various territorial charities and, during 2000, to the Territorial Ministry of Natural Resources, ostensibly earmarked for preservation of aquatic habitat and undeveloped lands.

### Culture

Lady Kimberley gains universal favour for her near-weekly segments on older residents of the territory, engaging them in charming repartee and posing thoughtful questions about their experiences and contributions during the 1939-1945 War and about their careers, offspring and current activities. In one memorably amusing segment she interviews the Rev. Percy Fields, rector of St Paul’s Church in Somerset, whilst playing (at Fr Fields’ insistence) a particularly contentious game of croquet on the church lawn.

In September 1998, a PTV One camera crew is despatched to Kuala Lumpur to provide coverage of the territory’s first attendance at the XVI Commonwealth Games. Aside from being a highly-ranked gymnastics competitor, Lady Kimberley takes the time to highlight some of the BPIOC team’s accomplishments and narrates a sightseeing tour of the city with her fellow female gymnasts. The edited segments air on 14 and 17 September; more detailed pieces will air throughout the balance of the year.

### End of regular feature

Kimberley films her final scheduled 'Kimby's World' appearance in May 1999, citing conflicts with both her musical career and the intensive gymnastics training with the BPIOC team at Paradise Inter-Sport Academy. She will not give over the project entirely and films half a dozen additional episodes before embarking on and during the BPIOC's touring bid to earn a place at the XXVII Olympic Games.

## Changes in the television series

Recognising the value of having energetic young (even teenaged) presenters, the Thursday-evening episodes’ production team engage the presenting talents of Astrid Halder, Chloe Jamison, Lord George Cavaliere, and Lisa Howe, all of whom are well-prepared and do credit to both the series and the territory.

### Change to five-day format

Due to both popular demand and available air time, the television show begins a five-day schedule in mid-1998, airing between 19.00 and 19.30 weekdays. The three additional times typically comprise prerecorded episodes and rebroadcasts of recent episodes as well as reruns of still-relevant ones (typically informative, such as about local tourism amenities).

## Appearances in the stories

In *The Fame of Gwendolyn Dahl*, Jenna Rose covers the 1997 Earl’s Cup gymnastics championship for *DP*, waxing effusively over Gwendolyn’s high-scoring finish, and pleads for an interview for the show. Gwendolyn nervously attends the prerecorded session, turning in a well-composed and charming performance which airs in February 1997. It is the first of numerous times the local media will seek or engage her for on-air chats.

In *A Global Awakening*, Lady Susie declines the opportunity to serve as a regular presenter, a situation her sister secures some 15 months later. She has lately begun seeing Chloe Jamison and so opts to seek a lower profile, being supported in both decisions by her father.

### Other mentions in stories

Effective with the 1997 Pan-Pacific Youth Summit, the newspaper and programme make coverage of the event, in which Paradisian teens are well-represented and well-presented, an annual feature. They also cover the BPIOC’s swimming, diving and gymnastics teams throughout the Pacific Rim and world competitions, including at the 2000 Olympics.

Lord Jonathan Cavaliere is interviewed on *DP* about his success in the Strategy mock-war roleplaying games in early 1996.

\* \* \*

Doc. 5.29.01. b. 2015.0802. ©Jonnie Comet Productions Ltd. All rights reserved