‘It’s misogynistic, it’s racist, it’s sexist’: Watchdog blasted for inaction over Kyle and Jackie O show
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has slammed the communications watchdog for failing to investigate the “divisive and violent language about women and sex” on the Kyle and Jackie O show.
During a senate hearing on Tuesday, Hanson-Young asked the Australian Communications and Media Authority how the program’s content is able to be broadcast between 6am and 10am without an investigation.
Referring to a number of quotes from the show gathered since September, which she distributed on paper to members of parliament, Hanson-Young noted the show dealt in “jokes about people being gay, jokes about one of the producer’s Asian housemate, jokes about dating men who are not quote ‘white’, jokes about the sexual and racial profiles of other journalists from other stations, divisive and violent language about women and sex, vulgar detail about sex acts, comments on air that refer to fellow hosts as being ‘annoying bitch’ and ‘ho’, jokes about overweight women and mental health, and of course, the final point there about a competition where they got female staff to record themselves urinating, and then the boys had to figure out whose bits were contributing to that urine”.
Kyle & Jackie O
Following that diatribe, Hanson-Young said the show was “belittling of women, it’s misogynistic, it’s racist, it’s sexist”.
ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the show had received 59 complaints since July, which needed to be “dealt with by the broadcaster first and come to us for investigation after that” under the current framework.
Hanson-Young pushed back on the notion the ACMA needed to wait for specific complaints in order to launch an investigation into the show.
“Why haven’t you?”, she asked.
Sarah Hanson-Young
“This is revolting, sexist, racist, misogynistic, divisive stuff on free to air radio from 6am in the morning to 10am in the morning, and you haven’t investigated it?”
O’Loughlin agreed, saying: “It is possible for us to gather information and decide that we want to investigate a matter where there haven’t necessarily been complaints”, pointing to their actions over coverage of the Christchurch terrorist attack.
“We have not turned our mind to undertaking such a review,” she said of the Kyle and Jackie O show, “but I’m happy to take your concerns on notice and discuss that with the authority. “We will take those seriously, and we’ll have an internal conversation.”
Craig Bruce
It comes after audio expert and the former head of content at Southern Cross Austereo who worked with the duo during his time at the network, Craig Bruce, said he was “shocked” with the direction of the show following its launch in Melbourne in April during a recent episode of the Mumbrellacast.
“My initial reaction was, ‘Do we have codes in Australia anymore? Where is ACMA?’ The show was pornographic, explicit, and in all the wrong places,” Bruce said.
Mumbrella has reached out to ARN for comment.
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Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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as long as it makes money it wont stop
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Jacki O and Kyle are just plain weird. Do they realise that in their time slot they are influencing kids with their Trumpian values? And is ACMA, by its acquiesce just approving of those values?
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It’s like the irritating TV ads, put on mute or change the channel. Don’t listen to their station, turn the dial on the radio if you know what it offers.
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It’s funny, because the Regulator will happily investigate telcos on the basis of a handful of complaints and fine them massive amounts – and yet, no matter what Kyle and Jackio O do. Nothing.
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They played some of the comments on media watch “inappropriate” is an understatement.
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