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Whatever happened to that other vile radio presenter?

David M Green

by David M Green

09 Oct 05:40am

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Filed under: Alan Jones, Entertainment, Kyle Sandilands, Radio

88 comments

Two weeks ago, there was a line of advertisers leading out of 2GB and around the block wanting to advertise on the station’s flagship Alan Jones Breakfast Program. Now, 2GB have done two better than Nova: No more than zero ads in a row!

Still the king? Pic: News.com.au

It all started last week, when Alan Jones made an appalling – albeit off-air comment – about the Prime Minister’s late father. The backlash has been unprecedented.

Big sponsors of the shock jock’s Sydney breakfast radio program quickly took their advertising dollars elsewhere, including major brands: Woolworths, Freedom Furniture, ING Direct and Dilmah Tea. Mercedes-Benz even demanded Alan Jones return his company car, or it would be repossessed.

Major affiliate stations, including Albury’s 2AY and 2QN Deniliquin in the Riverina region of New South Wales, have also stopped their syndicated broadcasts of Alan Jones in the wake of the controversy.

2GB and the companies who continued to advertise with the highly rating shock jock were met with remorseless social media attacks from passionate opponents, leading the radio station to take the unprecedented decision to remove all advertising from the breakfast slot.

Perhaps a better solution would be to replace the Alan Jones parts of the show with more ads?

The negative circus is now hitting Alan Jones headquarters hard in the purse, with daily advertising revenue losses now in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. And 2GB can’t ignore it forever, because money is ultimately the deciding factor in all commercial radio station decisions.

But the Alan Jones fiasco has shifted the spotlight away from another controversial Sydney breakfast radio presenter. Kyle Sandilands. Remember him?

Kyle of “Kyle & Jackie O” on 2Day FM has made far worse comments. On-air. From calling a female journalist a “fat slag”, to calling a pregnant Daily Telegraph columnist a “fat toad” to taunting a refugee from Pol Pot’s Cambodia.

Further, in the space of six weeks in 2009, Kyle said comedian Magda Szubanski should be put in a concentration camp to lose more weight. And in a stunt that is surely the pinnacle of poor taste, a 14-year-old girl was hooked up to a lie detector live on air and questioned by Kyle and the girl’s mother about her sexual experiences. The girl unexpectedly revealed she was raped at age 12.

This is entertainment? They could almost be forgiven for being satirical. But this wasn’t an ironic sketch about a dystopian future where commercial radio is taken to extreme new places. This is just 2Day FM.

If Alan Jones hooked a 14-year-old girl up to a lie detector on his program, that would be the end of his career. The worst Kyle ever gets is a slap on the wrist. Why is this?

It’s fashionable to hate Kyle Sandilands. That’s because you’re supposed to hate him. It’s his schtick. That’s why people keep listening to 2Day FM. In fact, after the lie detector incident, their ratings went up 0.6 percentage points!

The Kyle & Jackie O Show occasionally loses a few sponsors over these controversies, but there’s plenty more lining up to take their place.

Radio advertising is not just about reaching the biggest audience. It’s about reaching the right audience. In Sydney’s latest radio survey, Alan Jones rated at 16.8 per cent of the audience. Kyle & Jackie O are on 12.7. But though 2GB has more listeners, the majority of them are aged over 40. On the other hand, 2Day FM’s core demographic is women aged 25 to 35.

This is the golden demographic for advertisers because despite feminists fighting the stereotypes, the fact is women in this age group still make the majority of domestic household purchases. And as long as 2Day FM keeps rating strong with this group, they’ll still have advertisers banging the door down wanting to advertise with them.

I’d say most people under 40, especially outside of Sydney, have probably never listened to Alan Jones in their life, aside from the odd television sketch or secret radio recording.

Now in his 70s, he’s surely approaching the inevitable end of his broadcasting career. So advertisers are more willing to abandon him for the next generation.

But now Alan Jones is broadcasting without ads, it could actually result in an increase in listeners for the station. After all, no one is listening to commercial radio for the commercials.

Comments on this post will close at 8pm AEST.

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88 comments

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    • TimB says:

      05:29am | 09/10/12

      “Kyle of “Kyle & Jackie O” on 2Day FM has made far worse comments.”

      And

      “If Alan Jones hooked a 14-year-old girl up to a lie detector on his program, that would be the end of his career. The worst Kyle ever gets is a slap on the wrist. Why is this?”

      Because Alan Jones dares to attack the ALP and the PM. Verboten!

      Let’s be honest here. What Jones said was appalling. But lets pretend someone else said it. Rinehart perhaps. The same scenario plays out, massive uproar, followed by an apology. Most of us move on to the next news item, the haters on the left maintain their impotent outrage, life continues as normal. What are they going to do, demand she fire herself?

      But Jones represents a special case. He has a voice that reaches millions. All of a sudden the left have a golden excuse to demand his head. Here’s the thing though. They always wanted his head. They always wanted him off the airwaves. That’s what this entire campaign is designed to do. The only reason they haven’t launched it before is because they didn’t have a reason to make it stick. Now they’ve got one and they’re milking the opportunity for all it’s worth.

      It’s no longer about what Jones said. It’s about deliberately trying to reduce his contribution on the political discussion. A slippery slope if there ever was one. Say something the left doesn’t agree with and they’ll do everything in their power to bring you down.

      And that’s why you’ll never see the Left wage a similar campaign against Kyle Sandilands despite Kyle’s comments being far more offensive by any reasonable measure. They don’t really care who Kyle offends. As long as it’s not someone from their side of politics.

      Reply

    • craig2 says:

      06:50am | 09/10/12

      Thats why you’ll never see the left apologise for the personal attacks on Campbell at the recent QLD election. Stupid mistake from the lefties thou, Alan Jones will impose the mother of all paybacks come the next election and it will be a bloodbath for any labor politician who wants to cross swords with him. Labor have put themselves in a lose-lose situation with Alan, if they refuse to go his show to explain their policies, he’ll chew them up and if they boycott his show, he’ll chew them up and a million listeners cheering him on!

    • Nilbog says:

      07:01am | 09/10/12

      Everyone loves a bit of good old fashioned lynch mob justice every now and then…

    • Tim says:

      07:06am | 09/10/12

      And?

      I completely disagree with anyone calling for someone to be taken off the air but surely these protesters are simply using the exact same tools that Alan Jones has used for years to build his power base and force politicians to bend to his views.

      And its not like these types of protesters are uniquely of the left. Alan Jones himself led hundreds of protesters to Canberra trying to get a new election and get rid of the Carbon tax. You would never see them attack a conservative politician the way they’ve gone at Julia Gillard.

      It’s hilarious that he’s copping his own medicine, I love it when hypocrites get some back.

    • dovif says:

      07:47am | 09/10/12

      Tim

      There were massive protest at the start of the GST, organised by Unions and Beasley spoke ay many of those protests

      What happened to Gillard also happened to Howard, so I cannot see how any of these people are treating Gillard differently

      The only distinction you can make is that Howard went to an election on the GST, while Gillard promise no carbon tax, but will see if Australians want Carbon pricing. Gillard told us that there will be a citizen’s assembly to decide whether Australian wanted carbon pricing, and Australians will get a vote before carbon price happened, which did not happen

    • AdamC says:

      08:16am | 09/10/12

      Anyone who thinks the ‘take Alan Jones off air’ campaign is still just an apolitical, grassroots action must still believe in the Easter Bunny.

      The whole thing has gone so far beyond merely disproportionate that it is clearly driven by ulterior motives.

    • Rosie says:

      08:38am | 09/10/12

      Well said TimB, the aftermath of the Jones saga, cruel, offensive etc etc is nothing more than political mileage for a Govt that is struggling in the Polls. They had a bounce and we were too afraid to say it was because of the eulogy delivered in our Parliament by the Labor Leader, the nation’s PM. Sorry but some of us did think that after the emotional way in which Gillard delivered the eulogy. Today the Polls are bad for Labor when it should have been good considering the Tony Abbott bashing by the Govt and aligning Tony Abbott to Allan Jones, the bully. The Coalition fared much better than Labor in today’s Newspoll, according to the media it is because Margie Abbott’s entered the public arena to defend her husband. Such confusion!

      Yet again bad judgement on Gillard’s part. If the Govt really wanted to shut Jones up, which is something the majority want, don’t give him any oxygen. Gillard should have accepted his apology as the leader of this country and ask the public to understand why she refuses to talk to him. She would have got my sympathy and it would have done more for her party than delivering an eulogy in our Parliament which meant nothing to me because I didn’t know her father.

      The difference and the reason we are still talking about Jones is the gaining of political mileage by the Labor Party and their supporters. Sandilands outbursts on the other hand - no political mileage by a bad Govt to be gained.

    • PsychoHyena says:

      08:45am | 09/10/12

      @dovif and the general reaction to the citizens assembly? “Oh gees not another focus group/committee/citizens assembly. Why don’t they just do it instead of playing politics like a popularity contest?”

      So you see, we the people told them to get on with the job of governing rather than holding all this committees (which cost money), we had our say and the Government made their choice.

    • There is a reason he is number 1 says:

      09:22am | 09/10/12

      Just out of interest - Mercedes Benz pulled their ads 2 weeks before Alan Jones gave his speech so all the faux outrage has been shown for what it is - a blatant attempt to silence Alan for highlighting the inadequacies of the Labor government.  If what he said was so terrible why has it been repeated so often since his original gaffe.  Personally I hope his show continues without ads because it enables him to have additional time to hammer home why this government should be “shoved in a chaff bag and thrown out to sea”  - (metaphorically speaking for all of those who choose the literal definition).

    • dovif says:

      09:26am | 09/10/12

      Gobsmack trying to defend the lies I see

      No Australians. as Gillard says, will get a vote on the carbon tax, but unlike her promise, we will get a vote to recind her lies

    • dovif says:

      09:43am | 09/10/12

      Psychohyena

      “Why don’t they just do it instead of playing politics like a popularity contest?”

      We have been told many times by Brown, Milne Brand and the other Greens that it was the Green’s carbon tax that Julia was forced into. As a condition to form a coalition where Julia remained Prime Minister

      Julia could have said no, and tell the Green to go to Abbott (as if), she choose to have a Carbon tax and call it a carbon tax to remain Prime Minister

      So lets not pretend that Julia is “getting on the role of Government” She sold out her Carbon policy to the “extremist Greens” (Julia’s words) so she can remain prime minister.

      How do we know? Bob Brown said that was a condition of his support for a Gillard Government, and Milne told us it was their blueprint and brag that they were the only ones who took a carbon tax to the last election and get it legislated

    • Bear says:

      09:47am | 09/10/12

      @tim you have no right to criticize a Tory love child. It’s ONLY the left who are wrong, ever! Fear not, looks like they’ve set you straight.

    • TimB says:

      09:59am | 09/10/12

      “@dovif and the general reaction to the citizens assembly? “Oh gees not another focus group/committee/citizens assembly. Why don’t they just do it instead of playing politics like a popularity contest?””

      Half right. ‘Gees not another focus group’ was probably a widespread reaction. ‘Just do it’, was not.

      Indeed that was why the assembly idea was floated in the first place, because there was so much public opinion against carbon pricing in general. The assembly was (supposedly) meant to convince people and win them over.

      The majority of people were and still are against any form of carbon pricing. ETS, tax, you name it. Gillard did NOT take a carbon pricing policy to the election for people to vote on.

    • Bear says:

      10:00am | 09/10/12

      Speaking of lies, you’re all full of shit! You somehow seem to not notice Abbotts almost daily lies but never stop bitching about one so called lie from Gillard.

    • Tim says:

      10:04am | 09/10/12

      Dovif,
      can you point me to where people protested that there should be an election now because they didn’t like John Howard?
      The Carbon tax protesters completely misunderstood how our democracy works. Governments get to govern and you get to vote them out if you don’t like them at the next election and not before.

      And my point wasn’t that Howard was never attacked, it was in response to TimB’s comment that the Lefty protesters don’t care:
      “As long as it’s not someone from their side of politics.”

      This is not a Left or Right thing, most political protesters are blind to their own side’s failures and hypocrisy.

    • Tim says:

      10:15am | 09/10/12

      TimB,
      what was the % of people for and against Carbon pricing at the last election?

      I think it was still around the 50% mark at that stage and Julia Gillard had said that victory in the election would be a mandate to introduce Carbon pricing. She ruled out a Carbon tax but said a ETS was likely.
      This article says the support was 46% after the election:
      http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/onceburnt-public-goes-cold-on-price-for-carbon-20110421-1dqks.html

      The fact that a majority of people now reject carbon pricing is irrelevant. You can have a go at her for the Carbon tax but not for introducing Carbon pricing which is what she said she would do.

    • dovif says:

      10:27am | 09/10/12

      Tim

      Strawmen, I never said there should be an election on the GST

      As for the people pushing for an election,
      a it was a hung parliament,
      b it was Julia who said that Australians will get a vote before the start of carbon pricing

      Since Julia promised a vote and a citizen’s assembly to see if Australia wanted carbon pricing, people were only holding her to her own promise, which is within their rights

    • Liberal lover says:

      10:55am | 09/10/12

      Oh no, I’m so concerned about “free speech”, because we’re on the losing side. When we’re on the winning side we’ll demand Labor shut the fuck up of course!

    • nihonin says:

      11:02am | 09/10/12

      Nilbog says:

            07:01am | 09/10/12

            Everyone loves a bit of good old fashioned lynch mob justice every now and then…

      I’d hang around for that.

    • Tim says:

      11:12am | 09/10/12

      Dovif,
      what Strawman? Where did I say that you thought there should be an election on the GST?

      And the protesters got an election in which to vote. The Liberals lost. They couldn’t handle it, hence their call for a new election. As I said, that’s not how our democracy works.

    • TimB says:

      11:27am | 09/10/12

      ” Julia Gillard had said that victory in the election would be a mandate to introduce Carbon pricing. “

      And what were the details of this pricing policy Tim? How was this process going to work?

      “You can have a go at her for the Carbon tax but not for introducing Carbon pricing which is what she said she would do. “

      No. She said that she was going to get a community consensus via the assembly, come up with a detailed plan, then take that to the electorate in 2013.

      What you are refering to is merely an election eve quote that came after weeks of repeated denials about their intentions, and a stated policy of the electoral assembly.

      The ALP ran with a ‘wait and see stance’ before the election in order to pacify the electorate, and then ‘changed their minds’ and went full speed ahead the minute they got back in.

      Had the ALP released a detailed carbon pricing policy before the election, the Coalition would have ripped it apart and romped home. The ALP kew that, hence the deliberate deception.

      Anyone claiming that the ALP was totally above board with its intentions on this matter during the election is either lying, or incredibly naive.

      BTW Tim:

      “it was in response to TimB’s comment that the Lefty protesters don’t care:
      “As long as it’s not someone from their side of politics.””
      This is not a Left or Right thing, most political protesters are blind to their own side’s failures and hypocrisy.”

      I’d be interested to know where a massive campaign of conservative voters has demanded the head of one of the myriad of nasty Lefty commentators who spew offensive garbage on a daily basis. The usual response to such commentary should be counter-argument and ridicule. That should have been the response to Jones too.

      I’m reminded of this sentiment: left-wingers want conservatives to shut up while conservatives want left- wingers to keep talking.

    • gobsmack says:

      11:42am | 09/10/12

      @dovif

      “Gobsmack trying to defend the lies I see”.

      Are you referring to my post below?

      If so, I suggest you read the post before you make comments about it.

    • Petery says:

      12:22pm | 09/10/12

      @Tim b

      Millions of listeners Alan Jones, I really truly doubt that. I don’t know any statistics but radio audiences are becoming more and more fragmented, and there are quite a few who no doubt listen to 2GB because like me they can’t be bothered changing stations, or they have far more important things concerning them at breakfast than the waffle being preached at them by disc jockeys. A lot of them are elderly and have listened to him for years.

      last week a politician called Abbot deplored what Jones said, but said that he could not afford to ignore half a million radio listeners. Maybe that is a more accurate figure, coming as it does from a supposedly unimpeachable source.

      the only people who care about what Jones thinks really are Jones himself and a handful of politicians who want to exploit the ignorance of his audience. most of the little old ladies who listen to him because of his musical tastes, are unaware that he is gay. Alan may not be vocal on the subject but surely his views on gay rights must be more left wing than the
      Views of his allegedly right wing audience, who would prefer all homos to be put into a chaff…( I will leave the rest of you to complete this)

      I don’t like being preached at during breakfast time partiicularly by someone whose view of the world is often ignorant, narrow minded and wrong, as Alan Jones often is. Whether his views are right wing or left wing are irrelevant.I make my choice and listen to another station .

    • AdamC says:

      12:29pm | 09/10/12

      TimB, I cannot believe there are still people who manage to convince themselves that Gillard actually went to the last election proposing to implement an ETS in this Parliament. It is absolute rubbish.

    • TimB says:

      01:30pm | 09/10/12

      @ Petery, yes, not much thought went into my use of the word ‘millions’. I was simply commenting on Jones’s potential widespread reach. Anyone with a working radio could tune in. Actual audience is probably smaller, as you point out.

      “I don’t like being preached at during breakfast time partiicularly by someone whose view of the world is often ignorant, narrow minded and wrong, as Alan Jones often is. Whether his views are right wing or left wing are irrelevant.I make my choice and listen to another station . “

      Excellent. This is the attitude that really should be taken when confronted with things you disagree with/don’t like. I don’t like Big Brother on TV. You know what I do? I watch something else. What I don’t do is jump up and down in faux outrage and launch boycotts against Channel 9’s advertisers until it’s taken off air.

    • Tim says:

      02:29pm | 09/10/12

      TimB,
      “I’d be interested to know where a massive campaign of conservative voters has demanded the head of one of the myriad of nasty Lefty commentators who spew offensive garbage on a daily basis”.

      Firstly, can you link some of this offensive stuff that was said by Lefty commentators at official Labor party functions? I don’t read much left wing commentary other than a bit of Crikey so I’m not sure who you’re referring to.

      And my original example was that the conservative voters didn’t go for a lefty commentator, they went straight for the PM, claiming that she was illegitimate and we HAD to have another election. All because of one apparent LIE (shock horror, a politician that lies). There was plenty of bile going around about Gillard as well.
      Who was one of the leaders of that campaign? None other than Alan Jones, which was my original point that he’s simply tasting some of his own medicine.

      AdamC,
      ” I cannot believe there are still people who manage to convince themselves that Gillard actually went to the last election proposing to implement an ETS in this Parliament”

      And I can’t believe there’s still people who think that the Labor party’s policy wasn’t to enact some form of Carbon pricing (most likely to be an ETS). The level of vitriol over the Carbon tax has been way over the top considering the effects and previously stated policies. Sure, she backflipped due to the circumstances of the election results but the response has way over the top. 

      I won’t be holding my breath for the same level of whinging from certain people after Tony Abbott PM starts breaking promises. I’m sure that will be completely different.

    • PsychoHyena says:

      03:17pm | 09/10/12

      @Tim of course it will be different, Abbott will use the same tactics Howard used “Oh sorry we can’t dismantle this project now, the previous Government hasn’t left us enough money” or “I said we’d get rid of that? Oh, that’s a non-core promise”.

      Here’s the question though, did Abbott get caught up in the heat of the moment over the promise to remove the CPS and hold a double-dissolution if needed?

    • AdamC says:

      03:34pm | 09/10/12

      Tim says:

      “And I can’t believe there’s still people who think that the Labor party’s policy wasn’t to enact some form of Carbon pricing (most likely to be an ETS).”

      Because it wasn’t, at least not in Labor’s first term of government. TimB has already explained that in detail. This is a classic case of being entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.

    • Tim says:

      04:07pm | 09/10/12

      AdamC,
      no it’s not.
      They had a policy for Carbon pricing. They said they would go to a citizens assembly but changed their minds after the results of the election left them in a minority government.

      Are you honestly saying the level of complaints about this issue is reflective of cancelling a citizens assembly and enacting a policy that was always part of their platform? Julia Gillard said if she was elected, she would see it as a mandate for carbon pricing.

      PsychoHyena,
      I think there’s no way Abbott will go to a double dissolution on the issue. He has the perfect excuse because the Greens will hold the balance of power in the Senate and they won’t give him what he wants.

    • Super D says:

      05:34am | 09/10/12

      The Alan Jones show will be back to a full advertising rota by christmas. It may well be different advertisers but the Jones brand will be as strong as ever and the social media outrage will have moved on.

      Jones will suffer as Kony did. ie not at all.

      Reply

    • Tell It Like It Is says:

      06:31am | 09/10/12

      Could not believe my eyes when I read your attempt @SuperD to equate what Jones did to Kony. Just shows how out of touch with reality the ALP is.

    • Markus says:

      07:32am | 09/10/12

      @Tell It Like It Is, I do not think he was comparing Jones’ actions to Kony, more that D was comparing the social media campaign set up against Jones by a mob of professionally outraged Twits to the one that saw a bunch of naive ideallists think they could take down an African warlord with a bunch of ‘Likes’ on Facebook.

      The media will play it up to all proportions, then get bored, then the whole thing will fade away and we’ll be left with a few jokes about some guy with his pants down (preferably not Jones).

    • Super D says:

      03:20pm | 09/10/12

      Well played Markus

    • nihonin says:

      05:34am | 09/10/12

      Kyle is ok and won’t be touched, as he is the broadcast ‘favourite’ to many of the same people who have it in for Alan Jones.

      Reply

    • Rose says:

      08:33am | 09/10/12

      Wow, so Kyle’s a broadcast favourite? I think you’re kidding yourself there. I think you’ll find that people are just becoming more and more aware of the power of social media and are showing that they are not afraid to use it. Kyle would be watching all of this and making a mental note to stay just inside the boundaries from here on in, knowing full well that all this could be turned on him in a heartbeat.
      As for Jones, as Malcolm Turnbull said, he is just getting a taste of his own medicine!

    • Mic says:

      09:22am | 09/10/12

      Have you got proof for this accusation, nihonin? Considering Destroy the Joint, a feminist organisation, is at the forefront of the campaign to remove advertisers from Alan Jones’ show, I very much doubt Sandilands’ history of misogyny has made him a ‘favourite’ of the anti-Jones campaigners.

    • Bear says:

      10:48am | 09/10/12

      @mic. That was just a lie. Liberals don’t get outraged about lies when they lie.

    • nihonin says:

      11:06am | 09/10/12

      oh I’m (faux) offended by the replies.  lol

      ‘Kyle would be watching all of this and making a mental note to stay just inside the boundaries from here on in’.  You know this..how Rose?

      ‘I very much doubt Sandilands’ history of misogyny has made him a ‘favourite’ of the anti-Jones campaigners.’

      Most of them would be young people in it for the group think, Mic.

      Bear, it’s all as usual just blah blah blah from you, that’s why your ‘special’.

    • Jokular says:

      11:08am | 09/10/12

      Hey there Bear, you still giving Alan Jones air he needs, keep up the good work, sycophant.

    • Rose says:

      03:22pm | 09/10/12

      Oh nihonin, you caught me, I should have said that Kyle would probably be ........, because that would be the logical thing for anybody who makes their living offending people to do, find where the boundary is and stay within it, just.

    • craig2 says:

      06:01am | 09/10/12

      David: Mercedes pulled their sponsorship two weeks BEFORE he made those comments, he is now driving a Lexus, get the facts right. I see Kyle to be the Howard Stern of America, am I offended, no, I just choose not listen.

      Reply

    • Tell It Like It Is says:

      06:02am | 09/10/12

      Who cares!

      Reply

    • Gary Cox says:

      06:10am | 09/10/12

      Mercedes Benz had already given notice that they were ending their contract with the Alan Jones program before Jones made the remarks. By pretending it’s because of the comments is just a sick marketing stunt.

      Reply

    • Graham says:

      06:57am | 09/10/12

      I noted this info did not make the ABC 24 News presenter comments this morning, only what Turnbull said about Jones and Windsor about Turnbull (plus his usual anti Abbott comment)
      Seems to me Mercedes should be looking closely at the actions and comments of their representative, seemingly ‘a proven liar’. Don’t let facts get in the way of a good leftie story.

    • Blind Freddy says:

      08:56am | 09/10/12

      Jones loud mouth disparaging of Mercedes yesterday and linking them to the “boycott” is interesting then.

      It appears Jones knows less about what is going on his own life than his fanboys.

    • gobsmack says:

      06:36am | 09/10/12

      I would dispute that Kyle’s comments were worse than AJ’s, let alone “far worse”.

      There is a big difference between calling a person “fat” and making the “died of shame” comment just weeks after the death of JG’s father and while she was obviously still grieving his loss.

      I don’t think Kyle ever suggested Magda “should be put in a concentration camp”.  My recollection is that the comment was made in the context of some suggestion that it was almost impossible to lose weight and Kyle posited, very stupidly and insensitively, that, if she were in a concentration camp, she would have no difficulty losing weight.

      Most of Kyle’s blunders can be attributed to stupidity or moments of nastiness resorting to name calling in response to a critical article about him.

      Alan Jones’s public attacks on the PM have been both calculated and sustained.  He thought that at a function attended largely by sniggering young Liberals that he could throw out any sense of decency and he made the worse form of attack - getting at the PM through her father’s death.

      Jones’s outrage is centred on the fact that he was caught out.  The man does not have an apologetic bone in his body.

      Reply

    • SydneyGirl says:

      09:33am | 09/10/12

      I agree with you gobsmack.

      Simply because they are both “shock jocks” doesn’t make all things equal. Even Kyle’s fat slag jibe etc. - idiotic as they are- are to do with a grown woman who can defend herself.  And Kyle operates purely within the entertainment industry - even if its not art, in a way its not different from “provocative” works we see from time to time.

      Mike Carlton had a long list of Jones’  insults over the years as well as the Young Liberals various “dos” in the SMH.  They all speak of a mindset you don’t want in elected representatives, directly or indirectly.  The fallout has been extreme for a reason.  Jones is simply paying for a long history of vacuous viciousness by making the cardinal mistake of laying into Julia via a dead parent.  Its hard for either side to defend him really.  And his reaction has worsened things for himself.

    • AdamC says:

      10:04am | 09/10/12

      Gobsmack and SydneyGirl, do I take these comments as a concession that the ‘died of shame’ remarks are merely being used as an excuse for a poitically-motivated campaign against Alan Jones?

      Gobsmack, you claim that Jones’ attacks on the PM have been ‘calculated’. I am not sure if his others have (his ‘chaff bag’ remark, for example, hardly seemed premeditated) but this latest one that caused great offence was clearly off-the-cuff. As I have noted, there is a significant degree of dishonesty about this whole thing. In reality, this is about political score-settling by exploiting understandable public disgust at Jones’ act of extraordinary insensitivity.

      Alan Jones has apologised for his remarks. Demands that he be taken off air are clearly disproportionate to the offence. Even the latest polls suggest Labor’s nasty politics of personal attack are not working and may even be a turn-off to voters. All of which seem to me to be very good reason why seemingly perpetually outraged Jones detractors should just move on.

    • SydneyGirl says:

      10:38am | 09/10/12

      AdamC I don’t listen to Kyle or Alan Jones.

      However if you are playing with the big boys (or girls) -which Kyle is not - you have to learn to take it. Jones by all accounts is deep in with the Libs and has a history of maligning folk.  What the hell are these accusations of a “politically motivated campaign” when said man has been making politcally motivated rants forever and is only facing a backlash when he overstepped the mark even for those inured to this kind of thing? Obviously the reaction to Jones is not a knee-jerk reaction to one statement but a history of it -  there is nothing questionable about this, it is precisely why one shouldn’t move along. Please, Jones is not the innocent here.

      From what I have read that is the whole problem with the Jones affair.  A piss weak “apology” only because your sponsors are deserting followed by claims of victimisation and witch hunt make this affair completely laughable. Jones just looks like a red-faced bully who in classic bully style can’t take it when the tables are turned. I think anyone neutral would have both eyebrows raised that anyone is even bothering to defend Jones.

    • gobsmack says:

      10:59am | 09/10/12

      @AdamC

      The thrust of my post is to refute the assertion by the author that Sandiland’s comments were far worse than those of Jones’.

      “do I take these comments as a concession that the ‘died of shame’ remarks are merely being used as an excuse for a poitically-motivated campaign against Alan Jones?”

      You can take them how you like.  You’re not suggesting that Jones is an apolitical commentator are you?

    • AdamC says:

      12:01pm | 09/10/12

      SydneyGirl, well, the furore was, at first, concerned with the particular remarks about Gillard’s father. After an initially ham-fisted attempt at saying sorry, Jones made a fairly sincere, reasonable apology on air. It is after that latter apology that this seems to have become a concerted campaign against Jones based on what is being spun as a pattern of behaviour.

      I guess my point is, if you simply don’t like Alan Jones because he is too shrill, too right-wing, too male or all of the above, you should just come out and say so. You shouldn’t dishonestly try to hijack fairly apolitical public shock and anger at specific comments for which Jones has apologised.

      Gobsmack, of course I am not suggesting Jones is apolitical. But I am suggesting this campaign has become a political witch-hunt, rather than a spontaneous reaction to offensive remarks. I suppose I object to cynicism and dishonesty of the approach being taken, rather than the campaign against Jones itself. Nobody says you have to like Alan Jones, or even suffer his on-air existence. However, you should be honest and up-front about your reasons.

    • SydneyGirl says:

      12:40pm | 09/10/12

      “being spun as a pattern of behaviour. ”  Hullo if you are going to use terms like vermin or ditch the witch, there is a definite pattern.

      “I guess my point is, if you simply don’t like Alan Jones because he is too shrill, too right-wing, too male or all of the above, you should just come out and say so.”

      Come on AdamC that is silly as. Its like me saying you are too right wing, gay and male and therefore prone to defending Jones. None of us can have an infomed, reasonable opinion by that logic.

      You are defending the indefensible.  I fail to see why people who thrive on controversy, jibes and name calling suddely start saying enough is enough with this name calling.  Its hardly a witch hunt by any means, not any more than anyone in politics faces and certainly less than folks at the receiving end of Jones. In fact your agitation over it suggests more at play so I would tone it down. 

      Gobsmack’s point remains.  Kyle is not on par with Alan Jones.

    • gobsmack says:

      12:46pm | 09/10/12

      @AdamC

      Quite apart from Jones’ record as a constant and trenchant critic of the Labor government and his ties with the conservative politicians, his comment was made at a Liberal Party function and at the end of a tirade in which he labelled the Labor Prime Minister as a liar.

      Of course there is a political motivation in bringing down a major figure on the opposite side of politics.

      I would guess also that the LNP would haveno more than a passing interest in the shennanigans at the HSU except for the fact that the former secretary was elected as a Labor member in a minority government.  You might as well say that the “persecution” of Craig Thomson is politically motivated.

      Unfortunately, it has become the nature of politics in this country that most of the focus of reporting and debate is about character assasination rather than policy.  Which is why a lot of people are turned off by politics.

      But as a frequent contributor to the political debate, you should know that both sides play it hard and you can hardly complain about the “cynicism and dishonesty” of the approach by one side of politics towards the other.

    • AdamC says:

      02:17pm | 09/10/12

      SydneyGirl, Sandilands’ pre-planned 12 year-old sex lie detector test segment was far more egregious than Jones’ ill-judged, unpleasant, off-the-cuff remarks. You are applying different standards to Jones because you object to him politically. There is nothing wrong with that; it is not at all illegitimate.

      Why not just admit the obvious?

      Gobsmack, there is nothing offensive about calling Julia Gillard a liar. That is what she is. (And, yes, we could have some silly, semantic discussion about whether she lied or merely went back on her word or whatever, but that is beneath both of us.)

      As for the idea of political witch-hunts more generally, I suppose I like to think I apply the same standards to everyone. By and large, I have no problem with people on the left or the right being pretty robust in their commentary. Where people take it too far, as Jones did with the ‘died of shame’ comments (though not, I would argue, with his previous ones) they should apologise. Then we should all move on.

      I even used to quite like reading Catherine Deveny’s commie-pinko rants, just to be offended. It was almsot a shame she had to basically sack herself with her, what I assume were drunk, tweets.

      The Craig Thomson saga is a different matter entirely, as that concerns corruption, not merely bitchy speeches. You have to apply some standards when it comes to conduct in office, whether it be in parliament or in other positions of trust.

    • SydneyGirl says:

      03:40pm | 09/10/12

      AdamC your takeaway from this is a whole lot of poppycock.  I knew you would trot out that underage girl thing as an example, but it is not comparable, it is nothing other than the usual sordid over the top thing that constitutes commerical radio, Big Brother and the kind, a simple circus of the tawdry in chase of ratings.

      In the context of the things that Jones has said which are intended to “other” people, rile up fear and include plenty of incitement to hate from Cronulla to Gillard, Kyle is nothing. All of this is to address Jones’ political agenda or at least that of his Lib party friends. At most I can only feel synpathy for what seems a case of closeting and self-loathing.  I still fail to see your original point of a witchhunt gone too far or the whole gotcha you are writing this because you hate Jones.

      I think you wear your Lib partisanship on your sleeve a bit too much ( I don’t know about gobsmack but on these pages I have offered a defence on Tony A at times and I try and have an adult, unbiased response).  I hope you do realise that a defence of this sounds like young liberals shenanigans which comes across as a lot of uncouth, privileged toffs mouthing off and turns off folk like me from the Libs.  I don’t think it is only the left at work too -  Mr Turnbull had an article on this - but I forget he is a “socialist, queer-loving traitor”.

    • Scotchfinger says:

      04:22pm | 09/10/12

      SydneyGirl just owned AdamC grin

    • AdamC says:

      04:47pm | 09/10/12

      SydneyGirl, you are clearly applying different standards to Jones than you are to Sandilands. You practically acknowledge this. Why do this, except for partisan reasons? (Kyle Sandilands being an apolitical douchebag.)

      I should stress, I have not defended Alan Jones. He is not a great spokesperson for cause, to say the least.

    • SydneyGirl says:

      05:22pm | 09/10/12

      AdamC I give up.

      I am not applying different standards. The two cases are different and should not be conflated. One might as well drag in anyone who trades in abuse to say but A did this so condemn him/her equally.

      My dislike of Jones has nothing to do with his politics. I don’t like Deveny for that matter and I won’t be rushing around claiming people dislike her because of partisanship.  What is that all about?

      But Jones is a political animal and that sets the context of the discussion. He has to take the heat and it can be spun out for days. And it will go on for awhile - look at his reaction to Mercedes.

    • Rolls Canrdly says:

      06:38am | 09/10/12

      Yet another free kick with errors buy some numpty with an agenda that aligns itself with the sanctimony set. Yeah, we get it. The Punch doesn’t now, never has, and never will like Alan Jones. And er, while we’re at it, Kyle Sandilands is a dickhead, too.
       
      This is starting to get a bit tedious.

      Reply

    • notworldlyelly says:

      06:47am | 09/10/12

      Where’s Nic Lochner when you need him….....perhaps being selective with his targets? What Alan Jones said was deplorable, insulting and offensive. But there isn’t a person in Australia who hasn’t said something derogatory about a public figure in the privacy of their own home or that of their friends. I certainly have….think watching the footy or Parliament or reading the latest soft sentence handed down to a serial offender.  The difference between Alan Jones and Joe Worker is the public profile. Alan Jones uses his public profile to push his views and that’s what I find equally offensive. I’m sick of “celebrities” telling me what’s good for me, from skin care you know they don’t use, to which bank to use, to the carbon tax being good for me !!! Having said that, I’ll never join a “pack mentality” group which is what’s formed against Alan Jones, his radio station & his advertisers, mostly because half of the protesters don’t know what they’re protesting about, given they’ve never listened to the radio station. Joining a group of protesters just because its on Facebook isn’t real for me. I prefer to vote with my feet, my way. I’d love to boycott Woolworths because they control the price of petrol, groceries and they’re freezing out Australian producers, not because they advertise on Alan Jones radio station !! And if what the author of this story says about the great demographic of women listening to Kyle Sandilands is true, do you really think this is a protest or a witch hunt to promote someone’s own agenda? Because anyone who was offended by Alan Jones pathetic comment, surely has to be offended by Kyle Sandilands ?

      Reply

    • nihonin says:

      07:15am | 09/10/12

      ‘What Alan Jones said was deplorable, insulting and offensive.  But there isn’t a person in Australia who hasn’t said something derogatory about a public figure in the privacy of their own home or that of their friends.’

      You’re no fun.  wink

    • Bear says:

      07:17am | 09/10/12

      Hey sycophants, you don’t think maybe Jones himself is keeping this in the news? Being such a professional narcisist you can bet he’s loving the attention. Then he gets on his show, has his next “woe is me” rant and it keeps it alive. Until he shuts up about it, it will keep going.

    • Jokular says:

      07:27am | 09/10/12

      Hey sycophants, you don’t think maybe Jones himself is keeping this in the news?

      Good point Bear, but for that he’d need the ‘sycophants’ on all sides, such as you (who made this comment) to keep giving it air.

    • Rolls Canardly says:

      07:42am | 09/10/12

      Sorry, Bear.
       
      If you think Jones is somehow manipulating every media outlet in the land, including The Punch, to keep running stories about how much of a tool he is, I fear you may be beyond help.

    • PsychoHyena says:

      09:37am | 09/10/12

      @Rolls, he doesn’t need to obviously manipulate. For instance his latest claim of cyber-bullying and cyber-terrorism gives news outlets more fodder for discussion. Jones then reacts to the information in the media, the media reacts to Jones’ new comments and so it continues until one side decides to stop reacting. If Jones didn’t want this to continue, he would have made his apology (sincere or not) and continued on his way. This is how Kyle does things, he makes an outrageous statement and then lies low for several months and then makes another one, he doesn’t appear to keep banging on about how hard done by he is.

    • petery says:

      07:00am | 09/10/12

      I cant feel sorry for either Kyle Sandiliands or Alan Jones. They are both millionaires or at the very least richer than the vast majority of their listeners, and their obnoxious behaviour on radio is surely an adopted persona,and not what they are really like as people.Presumably the small minority of the population who even listen to both of them would turn them off if they suddenly adopted nice guy personas, and this would suggest there is something deficent in the mentality of their regular audience. I am glad that I dont really give a damn about either of them, and can only marvel that an such an easy job of being an announcer or disc jockey as they used to be called,  can generate so much money, and feel superior that I have a real job, that might not be as well paid but does not involve me in promoting bigotry or entertaining idiots every morning. Maybe people with giant egos automatically deserve bigger pay checks anyway, and that is where I am obviously deficent.

      Neither of these guys need worry about their future as far as I can see.In the case of Jones he appears to have a substantial interest in owning the station, and unlikely to lose his job unless he really wants to leave.

      However, it is amusing to consider under these circumstances it would seem to be possible that station management might actually tell Jones to go sack himself.

      Reply

    • Tubesteak says:

      07:06am | 09/10/12

      If I were King Kyle I’d be spending a lot of time behind closed doors with that hot little piece on the left in that photo. She’s almost perfect.

      Reply

    • John says:

      08:08am | 09/10/12

      Is that comment even legal? Creep.

    • Tim says:

      08:31am | 09/10/12

      John,
      why would making a comment like that be illegal?

    • FINK says:

      08:57am | 09/10/12

      @John,
      You’re right to be offended, it would be so hard to choose which one to do first, how could Tubesteak possibly single one out. If KK was a true gentleman he would take them 2 at a time so no one felt left out.

    • jaki says:

      09:40am | 09/10/12

      @John

      Maybe you could start a Facebook hate-page to name and shame men who fancy beautiful girls.

    • Scotchfinger says:

      09:50am | 09/10/12

      All four girls are seriously considering getting out of modelling; the beauty on the left is struggling with her gorge. She should be at home studying for her HSC. Kyle is looking grumpy because he knows these girls wouldn’t even look up from their iphones, if he wasn’t a b-grade media star. He remembers the old days, pre-radio, when the pretty girls looked straight through him. Sick man… sick world… sick, sick, sick.

    • Tubesteak says:

      10:18am | 09/10/12

      John
      The day they outlaw looking at and appreciating beautiful women is the day I go Ted Kaczynski on all governments.

      FINK
      The blonde on the right is also doable.

    • Alfie says:

      07:27am | 09/10/12

      Kyle Sandilands denegrates all women, but just hasn’t been specific about Gillard. Besides, he doesn’t have the brains for politics.

      Reply

    • True Blue Ozzie says:

      07:45am | 09/10/12

      Double Standards! The wider community ( the young) support “Vile Kyle” who insults everyone no end on Air. But AJ was at a dinner “not on Air” when he made his comments, just as well this reporter does not here what every day Australians say about our political leaders. Yes AJ’s a saint compared to KS, oh and my self, who has been very critical of this Labor Government! Not just with AJ, but we have seen other public faces, bullied by people through Face Book!
      Face Book is fast becoming the breading grounds for bullies, and needs to be regulated fast!

      Reply

    • Achmed says:

      08:03am | 09/10/12

      I thought Jones’ comment was nasty, deliberate and intended to hurt.

      His disingenuinous apology only made the whole thing worse.  he did not apologise for saying it, he was just sorry he got outed.

      Like Howard and Abbott he was unable to use the Sorry word. Is it a Liberal thing…never say sorry?

      Reply

    • Zaan says:

      08:32am | 09/10/12

      Why should Abbott apologise, he didn’t make the comments.
      He actually made a nice speech in parliament on how Mr Gillard would of been proud of his daughter, but hey that doesn’t it with your view of the world.

    • Paul says:

      09:25am | 09/10/12

      Uh… yes he did.  He apologised in a press conference, he called the PMs office but she wouldn’t take his call and he apologised on air.

      “Is it a Liberal thing…never say sorry?”

      And this is the point that people are making - This whole controversy is about politics.  Nobody ever copped this type of thing for joking about Michael Jackson and kiddies (And there were any number of presenters who made those comments).

      The comment about “intended to hurt” is just rubbish.  Nasty & deliberate sure, but you can’t say that comment was ever expected to make it into the public arena (or indeed back to the PM).

    • Seamus says:

      08:17am | 09/10/12

      Kyle Sandilands, Yumi Stynes, George Negus, Alan Jones.  All have reached their Use By Date and cloying for another 15 minutes, whatever the cost and whatever the hurt.  Jones and Negus should know better - Sandilands and Stynes are just lightweight fly-by-nighters.

      Reply

    • petery says:

      02:36pm | 09/10/12

      @ Paul

      No one copped this type of thing for joking about Michael Jackson and kids.

      Ummm maybe. But where exactly was the joke in Jones comments?  It was just a nasty untrue remark, or simply a lie. Apparently it is deplorable in Jones terms when politicians who he dislikes lie,but it is ok when overpaid disc jockeys like himself say them,or in some cases are paid to say them. It was hardly a private remark when stated in a speech at a public function. Maybe Jones should remember about the pot calling the kettle black in future.

      Ok,so explain the joke and why it was such a bust -a- gut- funny joke that young Liberals were laughing so hard at it. Maybe it was not funny at all. I presume we are to shrug it off with some lame, well. you had to be there,
      comment.

    • Lizzie2 says:

      08:22am | 09/10/12

      Strange that one indiviudual’s personal, negative opinion about one politician (the union and Greens preferred PM) get so much publicity while the person who holds the highest office in the Australian parliament is not held to account for his reported humiliating, degrading, vile description of women’s body parts?  Effectively the Slipper character has insulted ALL women.  If private citizens want to say stupid things that’s their choice but the Speaker of the House, for God’s sake where are the government’s standards. 

      Slipper’s disgusting description of us means he is unfit to serve (and spend all that perk money).  Where is Gillard on this disgraceful conduct?  Someone tried to raise the issue on Q & A but was quickly shut down.

      If Gillard doesn’t immediately excise her chosen Speaker from his high parliamentary office, she is condoning conduct clearly unacceptable to millions of decent women and girls.

      Reply

    • Rose says:

      08:43am | 09/10/12

      It’s going through court now, just wait for the outcome of that and then expect Gillard to act. A few days until the judge rules I think, not too long to wait to ensure due process.

    • Joan says:

      08:54am | 09/10/12

      Lizzie: If Kyle, or Jones had texted Slipper disgusting bottled mussel comment it would be like petrol on a fire outrage and rightly so.. Meanwhile Gillard and Roxon stand by disgusting Slipper comments while Australian women filled with utter disgust.. Gillard and Roxon are a disgrace

    • petery says:

      08:22am | 09/10/12

      I am amazed at how many people here take Jones seriously as a spokesman for the political right, when in one sense he does not know much about anything,to be a credible spokesman for most causes. He is only a radio announcer, an entertainer,and a disc jockey, not a philosopher.

      He seems to get his facts from what he reads in the tabloids, and boldly extrapolates his opinions from what he sees there. When these facts are wrong or biassed, then so is he. His regular listeners get the same supposed facts from the same papers, and marvel at his supposed genius at interpreting what they should be thinking.Like Jones, they are often wrong in one sense,even if they consider themselves as always right in another. Like him, they dont seem to consume enough intelligent informed reading material.

      One would hope that the right wing as well as the left wing in Australia are influenced by better informed commentators on the world than Jones. Not the left wing or right wing but only the dingaling take him seriously. No sane political party on the left or right should be seeking the support of the dingaling.

      Reply

    • HC says:

      09:47am | 09/10/12

      I find it mildly amusing that Mercedes was ok with profiting from the Nazi regime in the 30’s and 40’s but Alan Jones is too extreme?  He may be a rabid nutjob but he can’t be that far rightwing can he?

      I think the reason why Kyle’s ok but Jones isn’t (apart from the obvious money motive) is that Kyle’s just an idiot, whereas Jones is an angry little (Napoleonic?) old man with few excuses for being so.  People generally hate angry little old people with a hell of a lot more passion than they have contempt for idiots and hatred fuels people a lot longer than contempt, which is all people feel for the likes of Kyle Sandilands.

      Reply

    • Scotchfinger says:

      10:30am | 09/10/12

      too much hatin’ all round. Give the common people a voice, and all they can express is a sort of vicious glee that they have at last joined the party. Like a gang of gatecrashers at a Mosman estate, they are unlikely to be grateful that they are mixing with the elite at last; instead they come with iron rods and premixed drinks. Yet we marvel at the thuggish misanthropy of their vile rants! How stupid we are!

    • Babylon says:

      03:17pm | 09/10/12

      Its now 11 days of the Governments pursuit of the lone, apologetic Alan Jones.

      Its now 11 days that the Government has pursued its objective for revenge against the lone figure of Alan Jones.

      Its now 11 days that the Government has been unleashing its media attack Dogs in an attempted to get the lone Radio presenter sacked for supporting the Liberals.

      Its been 11 days that this Government has been trying to deprive this man of his means to earn money to feed his family.

      Its now been 11 days that the Australian Prime Minister has been so ungracious as to not accepting Alan Joneses apology.

      Seeking revenge against a single individual for so long is an act of cruelty, not being gracious and accepting the mans apology and ceasing the attacks is an indictment of Julia Gillard now, much more than it is of alan Jones.

      Reply

    • gobsmack says:

      03:53pm | 09/10/12

      Putting down a rabid dog is an act of kindness.

 
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