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Nine bosses silent as AFL saga deepens, sponsor unhappy.

Four Nine personalities now embroiled in AFL comments, and a sponsor is unhappy, so why is Nine management so silent?

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The Nine Network is yet to comment on its own personalities feuding publicly in the world of AFL.

While Eddie McGuire’s comments saw the light of day on radio it was able to lay low (but happily pushed Footy Classified into an earlier timeslot and reap the ratings benefits).

On Wednesday it officially became a TV topic when Sam Newman weighed in with “victim-blaming” comments directed at his own Nine colleague, Caroline Wilson.

Together with James Brayshaw, there are now 4 Nine personalities embroiled in this saga along with topics including violence against women, misogyny, bullying and language.

Footy Show sponsor Nissan has now said via a spokesperson, ““Nissan does not support Sam Newman’s recent comments ­relating to Caroline Wilson and is raising this matter with Channel Nine.”

While Footy Show‘s Rebecca Maddern was eloquent in condemning the matter and reminding those involved about their choice of words, so far neither Nine CEO Hugh Marks, nor GTV9 Managing Director Ian Paterson have made public statements.

Meanwhile Caroline Wilson has responded to comments made by Sam Newman on The Footy Show, in which he described her as “becoming a joke.”

Wilson, who has previously been targeted by Newman on the Nine show, told Adelaide’s FIVEaa, “I’m not surprised … the guy’s just a bit of a Neanderthal isn’t he?

“He lives in the past, he’s missed the point completely with all of this as he has with so many big issues in footy in recent years.

“I don’t think he did Eddie any good at all with his comments … his lack of judgment as he’s got older has really baffled me.”

“I think what he said about me was completely wrong but referring to people who’ve taken offence to this and written about it … as excrement, that really made me cross,” Wilson continued.

“This is what he did last time with the mannequin stunt. If that wasn’t bad enough he compounded the damage by making disgusting comments about women board members.

“That ended up costing Sam and Channel Nine hundreds of thousands of dollars, so he should be careful.”

After mocking Wilson in 2008 with the now-infamous mannequin Newman was put on ACMA’s watchlist for 6 months with Nine required to advise every time the show received further complaint. He was also suspended for a number of weeks to undergo anti-discrimination training.

In 2010 after likening a Malaysian man to a “monkey” Nine managing director Jeffrey Browne gave an enforceable undertaking to the Australian Communications and Media Authority to the tune of $200,000 to be paid if Newman or The Footy Show was found to be in breach of the Code of Practice for a period of 2 years. Newman also underwent further training in anti-discrimination.

Yesterday ACMA confirmed it had received enquiries relating to Eddie McGuire’s radio remarks about Caroline Wilson and held preliminary discussions, but a formal investigation is not yet underway.

While it may yet receive enquiries regarding The Footy Show the show is neither under a formal investigation.

Via: News Corp

6 Responses

  1. The only way Nine will get the message is if you boycott the sponsors. Tell Nissan that you are disgusted with their ongoing sponsorship of the footy show. Nine management must be enjoying all this drama because it means more viewers tuning in. However if the sponsors take away their business then it will no longer be a laughing matter. Remember without sponsorship money they can’t pay Sam, James and the others the hefty 7 figure salaries.

  2. Another great example of weak management by channel 9 – who is in charge of Sport there now? Oh that’s right the same fella who handled the botched Beirut affair and damaged their news brand… Perhaps the rumours about his defecture to Seven are true? a real boss would look at replacing those recalcitrant dinosaurs or at least suspending them indefinitely instead of pandering to their inflated egos.

  3. I think the best way to show the Footy Show how the public feels is for the football clubs to stop supplying players for the panel.Members of footy clubs should be pressuring their boards to begin the player drought.

  4. Sam also compared how many times he has had to apologised over the years compare to James. Sam even joked that he only apologised due to management pressure. They even had graphics up so the shows producers were in on it. It was a laughing matter. Goes to show that it is no use making Sam Newman apologise over this. He must be stood down. If Channel 9 are really serious about their female audience they will act now.

    1. Hey, it’s not just their “female audience” – this Aussie Male finds their joking “oh c’mon mate, harden up, whatareya a sook or something, you’re just as bad, we were only muckin’ around, whya pickin’ on me just ‘cos you can’t take a joke?” everyone-else-blaming cop-out behavour pretty ^%#&ing disgusting.

      They don’t even have the proverbials to stand up, admit “yeah we did that – so what?”, and cop it fair. At least then you could maybe respect them for that…

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