Media watchdog mulls taking 2DayFM off air as law experts say ruling gives ACMA teeth
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is believed to be considering suspending the licence of Sydney radio station 2Day Hit 104.1 for several hours as punishment for breaching its licence conditions in the royal prank call broadcast in 2012.
Following yesterday’s High Court ruling that the ACMA does have the power to make adjudications as to criminal guilt in determining a breach of law it is thought the watchdog is set to temporarily suspend the broadcaster’s licence, in a move which could cost Southern Cross Austereo tens of thousands of dollars in ad revenues.
Agency sources have estimated the station brings in around $100,000 per day in ad revenue, based on Standard Media Index booking data, which does not cover ad sales made directly to clients.
The long-running case centred around a report from the ACMA which found 2DayFM broke NSW surveilance laws by recording two nurses and broadcasting their conversations without seeking their permission.
If ACMA take 2DayFM off the air will anyone notice?
Wow a whole lotta self-serving words and nothing on the actual human distress this caused. What a selfish lot we look like. Sad.
Any chance we can get OFCOM to punish the former 2DayFM…I mean “2 Day Hit 104.1” presents? We should allow the UK’s answer to ACMA punish those people. Also, would it be okay to have a copy of the OFCOM rulebook?
PS. BTW, Scandinavian radio rules, how would they have handled a similar case?
Several hours, ACMA??!!! You have to be joking.
Several hours off air is not even a slap on the wrist.
Already the commercial interests are getting together to challenge the rules by which these findings were made, so if ACMA seriously wants the holders of commercial broadcast licenses to take any that’s ANY) notice of the regulations which control this industry, it needs to shake a big stick.
Again, I say: 2DAY’s misbehaviour resulted in a needless death, which was caused by foolishness which represented a clear disregard of the regulations. I’d suggest that several weeks, or several months off air would put the industry on notice, not to mention the impact of rescinding the license altogether. It is after all a LICENSE to broadcast, and therefore subject to conditions.
Now, that would be ACMA giving the industry something to reckon with.