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‘He said / She said’ as Nine’s “pokies comments’ turn ugly

Ray Warren says the comments he made about Pokies reforms during an NRL match were a "directive from up top." But that's not what Nine reckons.

The heat is turning up over the on-air remarks about Pokies reforms, made by Nine sports commentators during a recent NRL game.

Ray Warren says the comments he made were a “directive from up top” -contradicting a statement from Nine to Media Watch that says they were the opinions of the commentators, Warren and Phil ‘Gus’ Gould.

Shelley Bates, Network Compliance Manager told Media Watch, “The comments relating to the Federal Government proposed poker machine tax were purely the opinions of the commentators regarding matters directly affecting the NRL community.”

On September 23rd when he was commentating an NRL match, Warren told viewers that Gillard’s Laws wouldn’t help problem gamblers.

“The Eagles are rocking. Not only has the Manly Football Club been doing great work on the field this season they have also been very busy working with the community off the field with significant funding from the Manly Leagues Club and Harbord Diggers …but they are under threat from the new untested technology the federal government plans to introduce.”

Gould said, “I’ve never seen a more stupid policy in all my life…”

A website which campaigns against the reforms was spruiked.

On a radio show the day after making the comments, Warren told his co-host, Dan Ginnane, “It was a directive from up top that it be read by at least somebody, so I read it.”

Yesterday Senator  Xenophon and fellow independent Andrew Wilkie sent a letter  to Nine’s chief executive, David Gyngell, making a formal complaint about the  comments. The letter stated that Nine may have been in breach of the television code, the Electoral Act and Broadcasting Services Act.

They may also escalate the matter to the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Source: The Age

Corrected.

34 Responses

  1. @Armchair Analyst

    Of course. The “directive from up top” wasn’t Nine management it was NRL management. They throw a TV campaign at us and it all makes a bit of sense…….maybe not.

    I actually hope Seven can steal 1 Friday night game to go with the AFL for Syd/Brs plus the State of Origin and even the Grand Final, TEN steal the rest of the FTA rights and Nine lose everything now that would be good. Probably not going to happen but then again it would be brilliant. They might not even be a business if they don’t pay that huge $3bn something debt. Now that would be hilarious.

  2. This must be the dumbest thing Ray Warren has said in years. why would he keel over and say that garbage, what did he think that he would have got the sack? come on he is the voice of Rugby League in this country he would haave been snapped up by 7 next year, I personally think the NIne Network did this so that they can keep the rights for another 5 years yet another suck up attempt to the NRL so that they dont take the rights of them, time will tell whether it is going to pay off.

  3. It sounded like a paid advertisement. For starters I do believe Ray Warren was directed to do this. When he was speaking it had the tone of reading from a script or prepared speech. When they displayed the logo for the website, it is similar to his ad reading for shows on nine like Underbelly and he suddenly changes tone and reads a short comment about the show. The fact that none of the comment when he started sounded spontaneous at all seems like he was forced to read it, as there was nothing that really prompted it. Gus did sound more opinionated on the issue.

    A real low Channel 9!

  4. Nine should apologise to Ray Warren. That’s a disgraceful way to treat your employees. Nine seem to be more interested in pushing a betting agenda than to present unbiased sport coverage. Many people are wondering just how much betting controls the outcome of footy matches.

  5. So these ‘commentators’ are either muppets .. or puppets? Geez great choice isn’t it.

    @Guy – Don’t worry… Nine will be punished. Just wait and see them lose the NRL rights soon.

    @Steven – Please, there is already a previous thread infected with the silly AFL vs NRL ratings debate. Leave it there. Thanks

  6. This has to have come from the top! Who are Nine kidding? Do you think Ray and Phil had the skill to display the website URL down the bottom of the screen after the made the comments? If I was Ray I would be offended by his employer.

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