Conflict of interest on Studio 10?

Studio 10‘s car expert Kurt McGuiness came under the microscope on Media Watch last night after it questioned whether his day job as Volkswagen’s PR and Brand Experience Manager should be declared on the show.

McGuiness has showcased VW cars and plugged podcast and social media and interviewed Volkswagen’s Australian brand manager on 10.

In a statement to ABC, he said VGA and 10 agreed to him doing segments on condition that he does not appear as a brand spokesman.

“No segment I do for 10, or any of the clips I regularly produce for Volkswagen channels, is a review
of a car,” he claimed.

“Mainly I do those segments for the sheer fun of working with Studio 10.”

He also pointed out other models which had featured in “brand ecumenical” segments included Jaguar and Mercedes.

But ABC was unmoved by his response with Paul Barry concluding, “…it is also a serious conflict of interest, even in the fluffy world of morning TV. Especially when it’s not declared. We are staggered that the program has so little regard for its viewers.”

A 10 spokesperson told ABC “From time to time we have unpaid industry experts on our show. There was no commercial arrangement associated with any of Kurt’s appearances on Studio 10. His expertise across many years in the industry is highly regarded and makes him a good fit to talk about cars on our show.”