Kyle straddles the line with the spider baby
I may be going soft.
Today I’ve been served a news story about Kyle Sandilands on a plate, and I’ve decided not to go with it.
It’s relatively rare I find myself doubting my news sense, but this morning I have.
And I’m not sure whether I’ve become so jaded that Sandilands can say anything he likes and it no longer shocks, or whether his enemies are so keen to jump on any off colour comment that we’re in danger of having a collective sense of humour failure.
Today’s potential scandal came in this clip, emailed to me by the Sack Vile Kyle campaign:
For context, the news story being discussed is that of a baby born in Pakistan with additional limbs after the death of its conjoined twin in the womb. This “spider baby”, as Sandilands described it, would, he suggested, have something of an advantage in the Olympics.
Bad taste? Yes.
But widely offensive? It’s hard to work out who the victim of his comments would be. It’s not as if the baby would ever hear them.
Tasteless as his words were (and I’m no fan of Kyle’s), his comments were also kind of amusing. And I don’t remember mass outrage when UK comedy Father Ted mined similar spider baby territory.
Inevitably, there will be complaints. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has not yet begun its new regime for the station which would see it tackle complaints directly. So those complaints will go intially to radio station 2Day FM. And just as inevitably eventually be passed on to ACMA anyway.
If we didn’t have the context of Sandilands’ previous comments – this just wouldn’t be a story at all.
But there is extra scrutiny for him now. And questions like this are going to come up with increasing regularity.
I don’t envy the regulator working out where the line is, or the station keeping on the right side of it.
For today at least though, I think he straddled the line, but didn’t cross it. So we’re not writing a news story about it. But I’m genuinely unsure whether ACMA will see it the same way.
I guess when they report back in a few months, I’ll know whether my news sense deserted me.
5.35pm update: Turns out, much the same material featured on the Fitzy & Wippa show on Sydney’s Nova (and arguably went further) too:
Tim Burrowes
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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It really says everything that needs to be said about Australia’s media industry that Sandilands is still in a job, and everything about the mainstream population that he continues to have vast hordes of “fans”.
See also John Laws/Alan Jones: two corrupt figures whose popularity *grew* after and even as a result of their disgrace.
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A ‘Clayton’s Story’ – the story you write when you don’t write.
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Tim. you would hear more insenstive stuff at the Sydney COmedy Festival. Good article!!
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Thanks for ‘not writing’ the story Tim, Cheers. Austereo know they are under the spotlight and have assured advertisers that they can rein in Kyle’s behaviour. This story points to the fact that they obviously can’t. That was the motive for sending it on.
BTW 162 companies now confirmed their withdrawal and over 35,000 people have signed the petition.
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I’ll make it clear.. I’m no fan of Sandilands and I’m no saint, but Sandilands has crossed the line again.
His comments about this baby are offensive and disgusting!! Not that there’s much of a chance of him getting married, but if he were to have a baby at some point of his life I…. I….I….
Perhaps he should go and work for the Spastic Society for a while and face what he’s mocking!! He’s a F*&KING PIG!!!!
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http://sackvilekyle.blogspot.c.....sting.html
Any chance I’ll get away with this?
Cheers
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Does no one else see the potential of the spider baby?
We should be praising Kyle for picking up on this.
Pull the carrot out and have a bit of fun (or leave it in – still fun)
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So it’s ok for Male Parent and Kate for bringing this up. I was just wondering why the Sack Vile Kyle campaign organisers endorse language that is against the very principles they talk about Kyle with. This is from their twitter site and have been retweeted, thus confirming they endorse these statements:
a) Kyle is a disease
b) @RealTalkAU @2dayfmsydney @sackvilekylefb @kyleandjackieo #vileKyle in a coffin full of maggots -> judge-thing for @AGT_Official my-oh-my!
c) @stephenfry @chazzyb31 we, here in Australia have a euphemism for the “C” word : Kyle Sandilands. Everyone knows what you mean.
d) Kyle Sandilands Got No Talent Australia. What a piece of work that fuckin oil painting is.Reminds me of one of my brothers who’s a real arse
So it’s ok for these people who are endorsed by Sack Vile Kyle to use the same terminology as what Kyle has done. Since when has two wrongs made a right
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I inadvertantly stumbled across Kyle on the TV the other night where he is a judge on a talent (?!!) show which we have intentionally boycotted since he arrived. I took 30 seconds to observe how he had trouble speaking clearly and cohesively, had nothing meaningful to say and appeared quite obese.
How can this person be paid so much for having so little to contribute?
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Tim, you’ve missed the fact that Sandilands is also mocking the light that 2Day set up to warn him when he was crossing the line.
This is potentially a big issue for Austereo in its future dealings with ACMA. 2Day management made a big point of setting up a mechanism to “warn” Sandilands yet he has been allowed to disrespect it on air.
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This is a really odd piece, to say the least. To not run with a story would be to not run with it. This was not the case.
As for Kyle’s poor taste not being offensive, perhaps do your research and ask the parents of babies born with deformities what they think of this. Kyle’s juvenile remarks are exactly what teachers and carers everywhere are trying to stamp out in schools and classroom settings. Now not only do we have shock jocks spewing forth immature unnecessary tasteless commentary on heartbreaking plights of human life, but media sites admitting they find the comments kind of amusing. I guess it goes to show that society really is becoming desensitised to mutual support of one another and that empathy is a dying art form.
I recall a time when the deformed were found funny enough to be placed in freak shows, so that those who found it all kind of funny could have a cheap giggle. If this is the dark direction the world is headed again, then I nominate Kyle for poster boy.
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Hang on, who is endorsing these views? Personally you will find me on Kat4e4, check them out Paul. If I don’t like it, I wont RT it
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Kate I am assuming you are the organiser of Sack Vile Kyle thus going off the Sack Vile Kyle site. If not, please accept my apologies. If so then I’m afraid you are guilty by association, the same way Sack Vile Kyle assumes all Channel 7 and 2DAYFM advertisers have the same values as Kyle
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Nothing story. I listen to the show occasionally and hear Kyle helping people out. This morning he helped a poor mum who lost a baby and gave her so much love and gifts! Let’s get real and be fair people, the hate group has just crossed the line and no longer matter.
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A question:
Would the comments been made, and have been “fairly amusing”, if the baby had been born in Sydney? Or if the baby had died?
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How is this ‘not writing’ a story?
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The Nova Sydney DJs pretty much cracked exactly the jokes about the same baby – not one pick up. Also no fan of Sandilands but to Tim’s point – no one has complained about them!
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So you happy to stick the boot into the ‘haters’ who are actively motivated because they care about what goes out on the airwaves, care about how young people are being influenced, care about the current climate of bullying – that Kyle Sandilands engages in often! And yet again, you want Kyle to go on without consequences? I just find it absolutely astounding.
That blog was written in such a manner as to point out that the measures that Austereo had put in place were not working. We went to great lengths to try to ensure that we didn’t take advantage of Baby Umar and that he and his father were treated with respect. A lot of thought went into it. This happened last Friday and you are hearing about it today.
Yes Paul I am one of the campaign organisers. I am very new to twitter as you will see from my tweets. I guess I do have to wear the ‘by association’ tag much like employees will riks their jobs by association if and of course when Kyle acts out.
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*risk
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And Stacey this story was sent out last night, Rhys Holleran was advised around 11.30pm You bet Kyle was on his best behaviour this morning, doing his thing for the kids. BTW the 2Day FM Podcast was taken down this morning too.
They knew exactly what they would be faced with this morning and have been in considerable ‘damage control’.
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Tim you need Kyle. It may hurt to think so, which I imagine is the reason behind your angle of not writing about Kyle as you write about kyle, but you two are bedfellows. With him as bait the little fish bite. You get them every time – hook line and sinker.
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I belong to a group that finds Kyle Sandilands vile!, And I can also speak as an individual. When I find something abhorrent and and ‘beyond the pale’, I speak out as an individual. If others posting on a group I belong to happen to post unacceptable comments, (haven’t found that to be the case yet), I am hardly responsible for their views or language. We would all be in a lot if strife if this were the case. Come on!
Personally, as an individual, and as a member of a group, I find this abhorrent, As one of the Posters wrote above: would we find it hilarious if it were a baby born here in Australia? Therein lies your answer, folks!
I, and most people I know have a healthy sense of humour. But, sorry, I have never found it screamingly funny, to laugh at birth deformities, death of children etc. But then…I am a Mum who has suffered the death of a child. I wasn’t rolling around the floor laughing then, and I am still not finding anything particular humerous in this.
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Not much in it.
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Kate, you need to listen to Nova Sydney (as Anna has suggested). Just days before I heard Fitzy make far worse jokes re this baby than Sandilands. Be fair. Will you start a vile Fitzy group?
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Yep I am one of the 3 people that do have access to the SackVileKylefb twitter account. The majority of the time most of the tweets with the hash tag vilekyle are retweeted. However they are REtweets and not our original tweets.
The article that was sent to Mumbrella (and several other news outlets across Australia) was written as an example of how the process Austereo have Putin place to control Kyle, have not worked. Kyle laughs at and jokes that his traffic light system is going off…..
Many of the members of the Sackvilekyle campaign were horrified by his comments and felt that they breached the code section 1.1 e) A licensee must not broadcast a program which in all of the circumstances: “is likely to incite hatred against, or serious contempt for, or severe ridicule of, any person or group of persons because of age, ethnicity, nationality, race, gender, sexual preferences, religion, transgender status or disability.” Kyles comments severely ridicule a person with a disability.
At the same time this information was sent to Mumbrella it was sent to Southern Cross Austereo, 2dayfm and Rhys Holleran.
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I hope you don’t watch The Comedy Channel and did you protest when Seinfeld did the bubble boy episode?
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The PC brigade rides again.
There’s a sack Kyle campaign? Change the channel.. Really, who cares? What sad pathetic little lives some people have.
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I’m concerned about the line written in the article “But widely offensive? It’s hard to work out who the victim of his comments would be. It’s not as if the baby would ever hear them.”
Shouldn’t a comment be offensive to the wider public whether the specific individual that it pertains to hears it or not? Shouldn’t we be trying to remove any language that degrades people because of a disability, race, gender within the confines of our own homes, let alone on the public airwaves? Shouldn’t we fight for those who can’t fight for themselves?
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The Sack Kyle group need to check out the many many offensive comments that Fitzy made about the baby.
From what I can see they don’t really care about the comments just trying to find fault with Kyle.
You’re right Tim – this is a non story just a small group of people trying to get attention.
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As much as I find Kyle Dalton Sandilands offensive for his standards of conduct, I also find it offensive that we (the Radio, TV & other media audiences of Australia) give him the currency to continue being a “media personality” merely through our constant discussion of his latest antics.
Whether it be the P.T Barnum approach “Any Publicity is Good Publicity”* meets the Streisand Effect, or the strange thing that makes people gawk at car accidents, we really just should ignore the gormless and talentless oaf, and he will, eventually, disappear.
The more & longer you talk about him the longer he will be in a position to subject us to his ill conceived attempts at entertainment.
* most widely attributed but probably not actually uttered
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*Yawn
much better(or worse) stuff being served up on talkback, Kyle is a wanker, but if you don’t like him don’t listen. Pretty hard to get upset if you can’t hear what he is saying
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It really worries me when I read such naive comments of the ilk “if you don’t like it, turn it off”. Do these people live in a bubble? Are they not part of society? Believe me, I can’t turn it off fast enough…nothing would induce me to listen to such offensive stuff. But the kids I teach DO NOT! Yes,,,they are the kids who you are no doubt complaining about in society..the ones who hang outside shops causing grief to everyone, the ones who are bullying the ‘lesser and weaker’ in our society, the ones who are calling their parents, their teachers “Fat Slags” everytime they are reprimanded, the ones who are threatening to “Hunt you down” if you dare cross their path! If you see someone shoplifting…do you challenge them…or walk away. I guarantee the ones who say here ‘just turn it off’ will be the ones who walk away. No social fibre! And if you do challenge them, and they threaten to “Hunt You Down” …who will you blame? I’ll blame the Sandilands in this world, they provide the role models for the most impressionable and the vulnerable in our society. And these kids follow him, see him getting away with this foulness, and me turning the radio off isn’t going to change a damn thing! Why don’t some of you “Get a Life” and decide to do something with it? I continue to be appalled at the apathy of such people! I am sure they will be the first to complain when their own child is the victim of intimidation and threats in the classroom. “Oh why won’t someone do something about it?”…Well Hey…some of us are!
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Stacey…of COURSE Kyle was all lovely-dovey this morning…he is running scared! He knows he has crossed the line….again! You fell for that?
And what about Austereo removing the podcast..they were obviously ashamed that it hit the air, and people were responding. What hypocricy to allow it to go to air, and then remove it when things heated up. This should show anyone with any common sense what these people are capable of. Fancy trying to remove the evidence!
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89,000Plus likes on facebook vs 280 likes Sack Vile Kyle, 1.2m watching AGT plus 500,000 listening to kyle and jackie O vs 35,000 signed to change.org against Kyle. 95%of the 160 advertisers who have ‘cancelled’ are still on the today network plus the 3,000 advertisers nationally on today network dont seem to mind.
Why?
I guess the virtriol that the sack vile kyle crew is using is similar to how Kyle has behaved therefore seen just as damaging and hypocritical
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The Fitzy audio is much worse. So called ‘Vile Kyle’ group please answer the question. Will you start a ‘vile Fitzy’ group too? If you don’t, it shows you have something personal against the personality and it has nothing to do with the content or how appropriate it is or isnt. You have lost touch. Find something else to do to change the world.
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If the sack vile Kyle group actually used forceful language as opposed to vitriol in ALL comms and also applied it across all media not just Kyle then people will listen
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Roz, get a life.
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Here’s a thought since you are monitoring him so closely why not congratulate him when he helps families in need as an example and let him know that this is good and to motivate him to keep doing that. Isn’t it better to acknowledge the positives and you never know it might help
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If Austereo thought this incident was no big deal, why remove the podcast from their website this morning? This incident is, by no means the worse Kyle has dished up, but it just shows that he thinks the measures put in place to keep his commentary ‘decent’ are really just a joke (literally)… Austereo’s licence is on the line, and I think that’s why they think they removed the podcast today, so on one could write about it!!… ALL staff are having their jobs put at risk by this guy.
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I tend to agree with Roz. Most people who care enough to campaign on any issue have long since voted with the remote or a turn of the dial. It is a great first step, but first step only. I don’t read hatred into this campaign or complaint. Nor do I think that a group saying “no more” to an offender who has built a career around insults and put-downs has any less value, motive or sound reasoning because they are not going after every offender out there. Anyone suggesting that they should, for me, is coming across as motivated by a pressing need to deflect away from the current problem at hand. Sandilands being that problem. If you’re not part of the cure (in action) then you’re part of the problem (in apathy.)
Laughing at the misfortune of a majorly disfigured baby … Not cool at all. When the phrase “Pick on someone your own size” was coined, they must have had Kyle Sandilands in mind.
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So boring….. So how about those Eels ey?
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Kate – if you find Kyle’s remarks offensive why aren’t you outraged by Nova’s so called jokes?
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So you’re a recent convert? Some people turn to religion, when things don’t turn out well in their lives. Seems you’ve turned to Kyle and are liking his style. How else can one explain the lameness of your article, or the complacency of your attitude towards what can only be deemed by any decent human being, as another of the vile that only Kyle can spew out (and get away with EVERY TIME)!!! How sad!! 🙁
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Ive been bullyed and I think that wat this group is doin is really good to tell people that its not good. You cant do everything all at once. Poor baby
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the numbers don’t lie, more people like Kyle or don’t care about Kyle compared to the haters.
The time has come for this group to stop abusing clients and threatening them to stop advertising.
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Kyle reminds me of a very good saying “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
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I agree Paul that there are many more people who I wouldn’t say like but simply don’t care about Kyle’s behaviour. Or do care, for five minutes, and then forget all about it. I also agree he has his fans, particularly in the teenage and early twenties age bracket, before maturity sets in. I know one of his greatest fans actually. He’s seventeen and took a strike to my daughter’s face in a secondary school classroom for no other reason foremost than he didn’t like the way she looks (or so two years of Kyle-like taunting would indicate) and the fact that she stood up for a five year old whose leg had been broken when this bully decided to use it as a trampoline. He loves Kyle, as do his friends. They think he’s a “top bloke” and take pride in putting into action physical aggression they hear encouraged on the media. The types of comments laughed at by other media (who should know better) and ignored by others (until it happens to them of course, in which case they are usually the biggest complainers of all after years of social ignorance.)
‘Haters’ – lacks substance and purpose in an argument and is completely assumptive and sensationalist. I find it is a term used by those desperate to deflect away from positive social change. Why the desperation?
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Kate and Roz NEED Kyle so they dont have to face the fact that they have absolutely nothing else in their lives.
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I laugh at inappropriate stuff all the time and I am also capable of tenderness and kindness. I am human.
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Paul, right and wrong should never be defined purely by popularity. Impacts and consequences should also be considered.
That’s the only way civilisation works.
It is everyone’s right in a democracy to take a stand. Your stand is that ‘abusing clients’ should stop.
Fine, go create a Facebook page or propose changes in laws that prevent Australian citizens from protesting to companies and see how much support you can muster.
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Craig, I totally agree with you, my comment was one of frustration. The reason for this frustration is that the tone of people who comment on Advertisers is quite spiteful and a lot worse than what Kyle has done.
Further to this if the sack vile Kyle group are fair dinkum about the ‘baby comment’ then they should also speak to DMG regarding fitzy and wippas comments. Personally I think this is a Kyle vendetta vs a ‘moral’ crusade
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My previous comment is backed up by the fact that Kate doesnt even live in Sydney and therefore must be sitting at her computer in a dark corner of her house with pen and paper in hand waiting……just waiting for anything that isnt playschool appropriate content so she can jump up and down and get on the phone to ACMA.
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Michael, I believe Kyle Sandilands doesn’t live in Sydney either. Not even in Australia.
Geographic distance no longer is much of a factor in influence, so why should it be a factor for Kate? At least she lives in the same country and society as Kyle’s listeners!
Paul, the ‘all or nothing’ approach is flawed. Either we should give all our money to charity, or none of it, we should oppose all immorality or none of it. The world is too big a place for an individual or group to focus on the entire picture at once. Even the most powerful nation in the world admits it can’t be everything.
To change the game sometimes you only need to focus on one player – the one that sets the example that everyone else follows.
Every teacher knows that if they modify the behaviour of the lead bully in a classroom they will also influence the behaviour of other bullies who followed their lead.
Every advertising executive knows (or should know) that if you can influence the main influencers and role models that you have enormous and disproportionate impact on those who look up to them.
Even Hollywood used this tactic in taking iiNet to court over piracy. IiNet was large enough to matter, but small enough to be challenged. If iiNet had lost the court case, the entire ISP industry would have had to modify its behaviour. The game would have been changed.
Consider the campaign to blunt Sandiland’s influence in these lights. If the misbehaviour of the worst offender is held up to the light, questioned and found to be wanting, others cannot easily follow in their path.
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Blaming Kyle Sandilands for shitty kids is a bit of a stretch.
Box over the ears sorts most 17 year olds out pretty quickly. Didn’t do me any harm… though my hearing is a bit fuzzy in one ear
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As If the ACMA will do anything about it anyway. If the complaints procedure ends with finding the station guilty and then sentaces them to…….wait for it……absolutely no consequences whatsoever. What’s the bloody point?
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I guess highlighting the ACMA’s inability to act in accordance with people’s wishes is another reason to keep the complaints going. They too are under the spotlight at the moment. If people feel the need for a better system of regulation then it is up to people to be proactive about it. In the same way it is up to people to speak out when they feel there is a wrong or an injustice within our society. No?
To be quite honest, I really don’t understand the have no life comments? To be proactive equates to having no life? Why/how does this work? I was raised to care about the society that I live in (I was a child of the 60’s). There are many social issues that I have been involved with over the years and I have no intention of stopping. I want my son to learn that social participation is an important aspect of living within a community.
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I agree with you Kate on the no-life part. That’s a bit unfair and immature
Kate is standing up for what she believes in and even though i disagree with her and the tactics at least she is lead by the spirit of her convictions.
Let’s leave the petty insults aside and have a robust debate, it is so much more beneficial to have both sides in a debate rather than argument and that’s what this is about
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Thank you Paul. For anyone who has read recent press, yes I am a philosophy student. I love a discussion, I love to highlight ignorances in thinking and know that I am not imune to this. Healthy discussion is of benefit to us all. Yes?
That said, can I just stress again that whilst Kyle’s comments were offensive to many (and yes many people will be complaining), that was not the point of our blog/press release.
The point was that Austereo had been assuring potential advertisers that they had measures in hand – the flashing light system – that would ensure that Kyle could be tamed. I think it is quite apparent that those measures are not working and that Kyle is actively ridiculing them by saying ‘oh no the lights are flashing, babies will be writing complaints’ and so on.
Austereo are using this argument to appeal the ACMA findings (the new licensing conditions) that were handed down last month.
This morning during their 3 hour show there were very few ads played. In fact between 7.50am and 9.15am the only ads that went to air were two Boost Juice commercials. I understand that Austereo are still losing a lot of money through advertising revenue, I do also understand that many companies are still advertising on the network during other time slots. Can I also point out that often when their show has finished about 8-10 ads will play straight up. I wonder how the other broadcasters feel having so many ads playing whilst Austereo scramble in their game of catch up?
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KAte, sorry to do this but actually there were 52 ads played between 6 and 9 of which 21 were played during this time.
The ironic thing is that on nova there were more ads, for a station that prided itself sounding different now there are so many ads the content doesn’t get a chance to shine which means dismal ratings!!! So if nova for example are getting more advertisers as a result of the Kyle scandal they are destroying their content by playing them. This means that people are less likely to listen…ah the vicious circle
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And every other show plays a crap load of ads at the end of their shows, it’s that nature of the beast
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“Kony 2012: The biggest social media experiment in history ends in failure – so why is nobody talking about it? ..because they are all talking about KYLE 2012.”
Good grief you fools, if you don’t like what he says and does, then don’t listen or watch – it’s that simple! .. and don’t blame Kyle if a school kid calls you a ‘Fat Slag’.. blame his/her parents (but then again, if the hat fits!)
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Paul, you have stumped me there, well done! I do wonder though if you are including the Traffic Network ads? We don’t, as we are lead to understand that the revenue from these ads goes to the Traffic Network and not Austereo.
To be honest I did not listen this morning, I do have a life, last time I listened was 23/4 and I heard 12 individual companies advertising (I don’t include other media in my count – so that probably whittles some down, yes?)
Paul – I will ask you because you are very reasonable and I like it!! Any thoughts to add to the point of our blog? Do you think that the flashing lights, the 30 second delay, the dump button are working? Do you think Austereo can, in good faith, argue that these measures are enough?
Thanks again for pulling me up on the number count, as I say always willing to be corrected – within reason. Cheers.
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Paul. Your love for Kyle and hate for nova is nauseating. I’m sue SCA would prefer you to actually do some work rather than convince yourself Kyle is great and bag out your competition. It’s pathetic, arrogant and unintelligent
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Hi Kate, it doesn’t include australian traffic network ads. I believe the system is working, I think with the baby example it was a case of the people who work their not recognising this as bad taste. By bad taste I mean ‘based on what’s been said before such as with the 15 year old lie detector and the news ltd journalist. If the producers have been asked to keep a look on those sort of words and terminology then you don’t recognise some of those other thing such as the baby. For the record, the nova audio was a lot worse than what Kyle said.
This is why SCA in my opinion wants further clarity on what can and can’t be said. It might seem simple to us but in reality it’s quite tough.
And why should a station get penalised for saying something yet another station broadcasts more offensive content along the same lines and get’s a slap on the writst
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Also Kate, when you mentioned that you heard the show as mentioned in your comment at 2:09 it was stated that:
“This morning during their 3 hour show there were very few ads played. In fact between 7.50am and 9.15am the only ads that went to air were two Boost Juice commercials”
Yet on the next comment at 3:21pm you stated:
To be honest I did not listen this morning, I do have a life, last time I listened was 23/4 and I heard 12 individual companies advertising
Sorry for being a nark but in future please don’t lie to get a story across. We in the advertising industry don’t mind facts to back up an argument, just don’t lie. Everyone knows where you stand on this so don’t muddy the waters with incorrect facts especially when it is epoused as gospel (hope i used espoused in the right way)
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Sorry Paul I did not make my point clear because I didn’t think it mattered. But to clear up for you and show that I am not telling fibs. I did not listen to the show this morning, however one of the other group admin did and passed this information on. I hope that is okay.
Paul if as you say the broadcast was not offensive, why the need for the flashing lights, the bells and whistles etc why did they eventually cut away from this segment? Have you actually listened to the podcast? Also if it was not offensive, why was it removed when our blog hit the news stands?
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And there was me thinking that you were being reasonable Paul. Perhaps asking the question before accusing someone of something would be a better way to engage in a debate.
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Of course Paul is happy with good ol’ Kyle – reminds me of him with his superior and snide comments throughout this thread.
Well done Tim for your Clayton’s story to fire everyone up – mission accomplished! I can’t help but bite too… (it feels soooo good!)
I have a life and I don’t have a stick/carrot/whatever up my arse but I think Kyle Sandilands is a talentless joke. Sadly, he IS a role model (scary thought) and his comments are disgraceful. It’s one thing to have a laugh but at what price? Is it ok to laugh at someone because we don’t know them or because we can’t identify? Take some responsibility for the world we live in!
Advertisers supporting him should be frowned upon. I definitely wouldn’t advertise anywhere near such a loose cannon. And as for Nova – they have done the wrong thing too and reminds me why i dislike commerical radio so much. Don’t hate on Kate – i don’t know her but at least their group seems to be trying to do something other than post pissy comments. Sadly, it looks like we’re stuck with him on our screens and airwaves a while longer – lets just tackle one idiot at a time eh.
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Kate, I was being reasonable. If your team is putting Austereo under the microscope then surely it’s ok for the microscope to be placed on your commentary which is what i did.
Anyway moving on from this, just a quick one for Kate; Is the purpose of the Sack Vile Kyle group purely to get Kyle removed from his broadcasting job OR about the bigger picture of raising standards across broadcasting. I hope it is about the latter as I believe the issue isn’t just about Kyle and you could actually cause more good by helping raise standards across broadcasting
Here’s an idea that I think would work quite well for the SVK group;
a) Speak to ACMA and AANA and put together a proposal that ties ‘decent’ content in with advertising.
b) Put together an independent judiciary similar to the NRL / AFL where any disputes that occur get reviewed weekly. The judiciary would include a member from that relevant media (excluding the company in question), a QC, retired judge, a member of the general public (yourself), a member from ACMA (relevant media) and AANA and of course Tim from Mumbrella. It works on a point system with financial penalties. 100 points and that announcer / writer/personality is suspended without pay for 1 week. If 300 points are accumulated in 1 year then they receive 4 weeks off and a fine is payed.
c) The media owners could put into all their contracts that if an announcer breaches 300 points in a year that it is grounds for instant dismissal
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Is this an elaborate ploy to keep people busy in the comments instead of sending you emails, Tim?
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I think most people miss the point.
Like they did with the Chaser. Humour is funny because it sits outside societal norms and is unexpected, and therefore hilarious.
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Paul our group is called Sack Vile Kyle, work it out.
Kyle Sandilands has a history of behaviour that a large number of Australian’s have had enough of! We don’t want him on our radios, our televisions. Most of us have turned him off. Unfortunately so long as his boss refuses to rein him in then he remains on air doing that thing that he does – influencing impressionable minds and normalising behaviour that many Australian’s feel is not okay. Threatening to hunt a journalist down – not okay. Calling women ‘fat slags’ etc not okay.. The ACMA found him guilty of breeching the Code of Practice and implemented new licencing conditions.
SCA have appealed those proposed conditions with the argument that the measures they have put in place are enough to ensure that Kyle does not act inappropriately again. We do not believe that the meausures put in place work, hence our blog.
To date 162 advertisers have withdrawn their advertising from the Kyle and Jackie O show. That is 162 individual companies who have decided that they don’t want to be associated with the likes of Kyle Sandilands. If you wish to claim that self promotion counts as an ad then go for your life. I really do not feel that I have much else to offer in this space so I’m done. If you, Paul, wish to start up a group with the aim of changing existing broadcasting regulations, go for your life!!
Cheers
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KAte, you are being quite unreasonable which is why your mission will fail. You have a great opportunity to do something greater than Sack Kyle…the evidence is overwhelming. If he was to be sacked then it would have happened in November not May 2012. Both Seven and SCA are sticking with him, clients are still advertising on these networks
Why? They deliver an audience reach that your group can’t deliver. Your arguments are flawed and are incorrect and lies as evidenced by comments placed here. All your arguments are based on what’s happened in the past as opposed to predictive analysis. AGT goes down and it’s Kyles fault…it goes up and there is silence on your groups behalf
There is more to life than Kyle …like Kony 2012, people are angry at the start and then they move on
…ends
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Where is the 162 number coming from?
you do realise most clients can’t afford to be on air every week and have campaigns in bursts, just saying
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Does ‘Paul’ work for 2DayFM? One does protesteth much 😉 Lol Oh and AndrewL considering we are on a Mumbrella forum I dare say they are aware of short and long campaigns, just saying 🙂
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Not at all Melanie, and Tim can verify this through my IP.
Why is that if I put forward a view that is different to Anti Kyle and backs it up with robust data which cannot be disputed, I am tainted with working at 2DayFM.
As I’ve said all along, I support your right to do what the SVK group is doing as it is part of this wonderful democracy we are in. Freedom of speech is a great thing that we should never take for granted.
I just believe that if you are putting the microscope on someone and making statements to this forum, then it’s fine to do the same on the statements. It’s quite easy to say that there are 35,000 signatures to the SVK campaign, 162 advertisers have withdrawn their advertising and that there were only 2 ads played on a certain date. Therefore it should be fine for me to question this data by saying that there were 21 advertisers on air, the 162 advertisers which are no longer on Kyle and Jackie O also included online advertisers as evidence has shown which accounted for 45% of these 162 advertisers. The remaining 55% of the advertisers were actually on air and approx 95% are either still on air or their campaign has already ceased. This leads to only 8 advertisers that have completely withdrawn support. It’s amazing what happens when you look at competitive data. Finally on the 35,000 signatures, 32,000 of these had been signed before January 13 which means only 3,000 have signed on since that date…campaign is losing traction
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Verified…
Paul 1 – Kate 0
Kate, I think it’s fair to say your little crusade has amounted to nothing.
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Ok I was only teasing lol no need for verification 😉 Nobody was IMHO dissing your break down of the facts and figures and agree people get over things Eg. How many bleeding months has ‘Tricky business’ been advertised for on one of the commercial channels lol But I believe that public sentiments are changing in regards to shock jock antics etc just look at the popularity of ‘The Voice’ and we are in an age of transparency with the likes of Wikileaks and an Information / Social media era that is hurtling past us at great speeds. Now more then ever Companies can be held accountable for their ethics and morals by consumers voting with their $$$. Of course it’s an individual Companies choice if they want to comply with consumer requests or not. Freedom of speech IMHO is a gift and not something to be taken as lightly as it is these days. We all need to be accountable for our actions and words especially within social media! The way I see it is you can stand up for what you believe in and see it through or stick your head in the sand and hope someone else sorts it out.
* As an aside from this topic* The Kony campaign was an interesting one alright but in my opinion they stuffed up the timing of it all and waited too long (it started withe movie in early March and culminated in a massive overnight poster campaign on 20 April 2012) as mentioned people ‘get over’ things very quickly. It also shone a spotlight on the rise of armchair activism. But on a positive note it connected people from all over the world in a common cause and everyone felt good themselves by doing their part whether it be a tweet or facebook message etc in getting the word out there.
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Totally agree Melanie…
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What a gentleman 🙂 Have a nice day Paul!
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@ Melanie comment 75
I realise it is an industry blog, but by some of the comments that have been posted in this thread and others, you would be hard pressed to prove it.
another case of move along nothing to see here
* I do agree with your comment that the tide on negativity is turning and people want to see/hear/experience positive entertainment
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Since when has Paul displayed himself as a gentleman?!?
More like an overbearing overopinionated bully who has to have the last word…
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I tossed this story and the radio content around my head for quite a while…. unsure if I had a clear viewpoint. Funny or inappropriate?
You see, I live in Australia, I was born in Australia, I am anglo saxon, I am a healthy mother, and I have given birth to a child with limb malformation.
I’m not overly sensitive to my child’s disability. I think it’s healthy to have a laugh, a joke, a laugh at yourself and a good ribbing in our wonderful Aussie way. I myself have lightly made jokes, my child too, in various situations regarding limb difference. I did wonder if the radio comments were ok and maybe we were just over thinking them…
However, if these radio comments had been directed at my child and family shortly after birth, I imagine I would have felt immeasurable sorrow, pain, isolation, depression and grief. My child is now 8 years old and my heart still aches almost every day while counteracting the curiosity and questions from strangers in the community. But to have my child’s condition and situation publicly ridiculed with not just one but a variety of puns, comments and jokes, I can only imagine would bring my fragile world crashing down.
I wanted the best for my child when he was born, my world was devastated when faced with my child’s limb difference, knowing that my child would always be different in this world, knowing he would face cruel comments and jokes throughout his life from others.
If it’s ok for radio personalities to make fun of children with disability, does that make it ok for everyone else?
This baby and family may not hear the Australian radio comments, but other families of children with similar disabilities have. So the question is, is it really ok for someone on radio to make fun of a child’s disability? Would you be ok with it if this was your child?
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RIP the “Vile Kyle” campaign … achieved absolutely nothing
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Ya think? Ratings flatlining, revenue way down, Kyle’s on air behaviour improved beyond doubt. Think we’re doing okay :0) It’s not over yet…
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1Around 60 advertisers listed as pulling their ads from Kyle’s show is an amazing figure. Seems to me that the SVK Campaign has made social media history! No longer can we be complacent with our customers views…
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@87 where are your numbers coming from?
I was conveniently ignored earlier
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