Will Kyle Sandilands ever behave?
The radio watchdog is a slow, toothless tiger when it comes to enforcing decency rules
As we have been constantly reminded, Brisbane is under imminent threat of being subjected to the Kyle and Jackie O Show.
Thus, it is my duty to inform you of the latest news about Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson, who have once again been called out by the media watchdog, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), for breaking the rules of broadcasting.
In a judgment released a few days ago, the ACMA has found comments made during broadcasts of the Kyle & Jackie O Show breached decency rules under the Commercial Radio Code of Practice.
Their finding relates to material aired on KIIS stations in Sydney and Melbourne on June 7, 2024. Yes, 10 months ago.
The ACMA investigations found that the two segments referred to in the complaint “included explicit sexual content and content that included sustained and vulgar graphic sexualised descriptions”.
ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the segments would be considered offensive to any reasonable person listening to the broadcast and were not in line with broader community standards.
What punishment will they face? Well, that depends on the outcome of another two investigations launched on February 7 this year.
Bear in mind that the show is already required to employ censors, whose job is, presumably, to prevent further code breaches, after a judgement regarding a breach of decency standards in 2023.
It’s not difficult to deduce that the watchdog is not only ineffective, it is far too slow — partly due to the current requirement for complaints to be first directed to the broadcaster rather than directly to the watchdog.
Clearly the system is broken, and it needs to be fixed.
The argument made by KIIS’s parent company, ARN — that its audience is mature enough to handle the content — is nonsense. It might hold up if they were on a subscription service, but the KIIS stations are on the free-to-air airwaves and the Kyle and Jackie O Show is broadcast at a time when children are listening to the radio.
If we as a community have decided that the public airwaves need to be policed — and it’s my view that they should be — then we must empower the ACMA, or a new watchdog, to move swiftly and decisively in the case of breaches.
The current system is akin to punishing a pet now for something they did yesterday. They don’t remember or understand what they did, and it only makes them more contemptuous of the people trying to enforce the rules.
Mister Brisbane remains free to read, but if you appreciate what I’m doing here, and/or
at The Wrinkle, you can buy me a coffee. The choice to do so (or not) is yours.
Let’s celebrate music makers
Controversy over a speech made by one of the award winners, and an interpretation of the lyric-less song’s title, has overshadowed the good news story that is the Quensland Music Awards.
Winners in the major categories include Troy Cassar-Daley for album of the year, Young Franco for song of the year, Amy Shark, Christine Anu, Sycco, Beddy Rays, Denvah, Full Flower Moon Band, Asha Jeffries, Jem Cassar-Daley and Wildheart.
Congratulations to them and to all those bringing music into the lives of Brisbane, Queensland, Australian and international audiences.
I’m not going to weigh in on the controversy other than to say I hope the funding situation is sorted out so these very important awards can continue.
Half a memory
Browsing through The Sunday Mail, I noticed that The Way We Were, the long-running nostalgia column much loved by readers of a certain age (who are so ovften overlooked), has been relegated to less than half a page. That’s a shame.
Disclaimer: Brett Debritz used to work for The Sunday Mail and Radio 4BC.
My first job was in radio waaaay back in the 1980s and we did not mess around with the regulator. Swear words, smutty language just never entered a DJ's radar. It was only ever about the music. It saddens me to see attention-seeking people like Sandilands getting away with this kind of behaviour. But then TV has gone into decline too. If I remember right, the Howard government did away with an independent regulator and allowed TV networks to self-regulate. The first step on the downward slide was 'The Osbornes' and their inability to speak without constant expletives. Malcolm Turnbull was Communications Minister. Need I say any more.