Seven’s silence on Sandilands is deafening
Seven's stellar year is about to finish on a sour note if it does not distance itself from the remarks of Kyle Sandilands.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
Kyle Sandilands’ broadside at News Limited journalist Alison Stephenson could not have come at a worse time.
Tomorrow is White Ribbon Day – the UN sanctioned day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
His remarks against Stephenson were insulting, abusive and threatening.
But it also comes at a time when it threatens to spoil Seven’s party.
On Saturday Seven will wrap up an astounding success of 40 weeks in Total People. It now risks finishing on an appalling footnote to the year.
Seven prides itself on being a family network that pitches to a broad Australian audience but it is seemingly burying its head in the sand.
On Monday it entertained Sandilands’ ambitions for his own primetime show.
But you can’t get into bed with an outspoken personality and then duck for cover when it goes awry.
Radio sponsors and Seven’s own personalities are doing a better PR job than Seven management.
“Obviously Kyle’s remarks showed an intolerable level of disrespect to Alison, and indeed disrespect for women, and a frightening undercurrent of hostility,” said Andrew O’Keefe.
“Victims of violence know well that verbal abuse can be just as harmful as physical abuse, and when the words are overlain with an aggressive sexism they are an attack on the dignity of all women.”
The Daily Telegraph reports retailer The Good Guys said, “The Good Guys does not condone the recent actions of Kyle Sandilands and has withdrawn breakfast sponsorship.”
Telstra was reviewing their association with 2DAYFM, saying “Obviously we want to align ourselves with certain values and behaviours.”
But Seven has so far stayed silent. Is this because the remarks were made on radio and not television?
By comparison, in 2009 when the radio duo hosted their infamous lie-detector stunt, TEN dropped him from Australian Idol.
In a statement it said, “Idol has remained a family-focused show, even more so this year with the 6.30pm Sunday timeslot. His radio persona has taken on a more controversial position … which is not in the interest of the show.”
Australia’s Got Talent has enjoyed exceptional success with a huge family audience.
Yet its judge is able to call a journalist “a piece of shit” in the public arena and the network has no comment?
Does. Not. Make. Sense.
65 Responses
There has been an ongoing war of words between Kyle and the Telegraph. This is the latest battle.
Kyle has every right to respond to what this “journalist” wrote.
Hopefully when all the sponsors have dropped his show, Austereo and Channel 7 will let him go. @mark is right – he doesn’t just verbally abuse women, men cop it too. Firing back in a similar vein isn’t necessary either, but it is heartening to see so many people (celebrities and journalists included, who garner more coverage) standing up to say that derogatory, sexist language and verbal abuse is Not acceptable, and condoning it (as his co-host, employers and remaining sponsors are doing by their silence) is equally unacceptable.
More fallout:
news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/youre-a-fat-slag-i-will-hunt-you-down-kyle-sandilands-radio-rant-at-female-journalist-over-review-of-his-show/story-e6frfmqi-1226204281827
I can’t believe there are people out there who are defending this d***head. He’s an embarrassment to Australia and a real nutter.
@BarryDBag, Kyle has most definitely not apologised. He attempted to justify why he went verbally postal on Ms Stephenson, but the word sorry has not passed his lips. Even if it did, it would be fake as he is not the slightest bit remorseful as he is a legend in his own mind who can do no wrong. Nice try at being his apologist, but people are repulsed by this moron and are venting their displeasure, as they should.
No one needs to get over it Andrew.
For years this vile man and his co-host have made a fortune from degrading listeners and others.
Their party is over.
Australia has had enough.
I agree it’s time to let this drop. Keeping up the pressure – or firing KS – will only turn the bozo into some kind of martyr. Far better to let the market speak. The loss of high profile sponsors will have seriously damaged his program, and his commercial viability on both radio and TV. Now it’s simply a matter of waiting for his natural boorishness to shine through again, which it inevitably will. He’ll eventually self-destruct – nothing is surer.
Funny how the media is allowed to have a go at Kyle and call him a money hungry d***head but Kyle isnt allowed to return serve – give the guy a break – anyone ever heard of free speech
The white ribbon? Are you serious?
This is beyond the joke now.
Kyle mouthed off, he apologised – what more do you guys want? His head on a stick?
Congrats to the media, and yourself David, for blowing things Way out of proportion. Bravo!
Sandilands abuse to Rove was really low too..Rove had just finished a pleasant interview with he and Jackie O when Sandilands slammed Rove and said similar things about him that he said about Stephenson..Rove didn’t reply to the press about the remarks as he didn’t want Sandilands to get more publicity
Holden and Telstra have a lot of spending power, there will have to be some fall out from this for Kyle.,
Well said Andrew O’Keefe. This man is not funny and the less we see and hear of him, the better.
He is a lesson in what not to be as a person.
News.com.au online editor just called Kyle a pig on Sunrise. It seems anyone can call Kyle anything and get away with it. I do think Kyle went too far but how the media being a bit more balanced in their reporting. Was there an outcry when Hughesy salled Kyle a joke on the Logies a few years ago when millions were watching. It must of been very embarrissing for Kyle.
David – please stop reporting on this. I normally agree completely with your editorials, but this has been blown way out of proportion. The fact is the News Ltd journalist wrote a piece that was obviously slantered against Kyle. It was not simply a report on how poorly the ratings were. She raised the previous radio instances when he was suspended etc.
He should be entitled to respond to the pot shots that were made by the journalist, irrespective of whether the writer was male or female. Sure, his remarks may have been over the top, but he is a shock jock everyone. That is what he gets paid for. I don’t understand how Kyle is always taken to task about these sort of things, but the likes of Ray Hadley and other AM shock jocks get to say the same if not worse and they do not get the media hype.
Of course Ch 7 should stay silent. There is no news to report. And as for everyone now linking this to ‘White Ribbon Day’, what a load of nonsense. There has to be better stories to report.
Everyone needs to get over it..
I would hope ACMA would do more than give him a wet bus ticket over his comments, but that would be wishful thinking.
While I agree with your sentiments, Southern Cross Austereo should also be taken to task over their sounds of silence.
But those in their ivory towers love it when they become the centre of attention… for whatever the reason.
Mich, Kyle abused the Journo and focussed on her gender, that’s not having your say. That’s verbal abuse. The Journo based her observations about Kyle & Jackie O’s show; the independant ratings breakdown, that’s how the media works: varciously, but legitimate. However Kyle went balistic at work. In any other work place that would be unacceptable and in the entertainment world his “performance” was unprofessional. I hope she takes him for defamation or libel or both, but someone needs to do something, Kyle is like the mad uncle at the wedding: embarassing.
Fire him, let the bogans have a cry but it’s the right thing to do.
Totally agree with you. Kudos to Ten for acting so swiftly in 2009 and dumping this sorry idiot’s butt from Idol. Seven is showing a remarkable lack of gumption, but the Sydney paper reports this morning that Seven are reviewing his position with them. He would be no great loss from the AGT panel, there are a zillion people who could take his place on the panel and the show wouldn’t miss a beat.
Well done to those sponsors for dumping the Kylie and Jackie O show. It’s only bogans that listen to that rubbish anyway. There’s better places to put your ad bucks.
the journalist was free to have her say, kyle is just having his.
Good on Andrew O’keefe! I’ve never had much time for him, but he has definitely gone up in my estimation with that comment.
Kyle, on the other hand, has once again lived down to my expectations of him…
Why would they do anything. They picked him up when TEN dropped him. They basically endorsed his actions. And it looks that, unless they do something, they will continue that endorsement.
He deserves no air if he thinks he can say these things about anyone in a public arena. Keep it in your head.