[00:00:00] Hi, I'm Chrissy Mack from Radio Northern Beaches and you've just tuned in to the Listen and Chat with Chrissy Mack Podcast. This is the space where we pull no punches, sometimes a little controversial, sometimes downright outrageous, and sometimes just packed full of information that is interesting to know. Well, I don't know how many more times I'm going to have to use this phrase, but oh my god,
[00:00:26] has the world gone completely mad? That is the exact question I found myself asking this week. Because if you have been paying attention to the Australian media landscape, you've witnessed something truly baffling. I want to talk about Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O. Specifically, I want to talk about the corporate culture that enables them, the astronomical money
[00:00:54] being thrown around, and what it says about the state of our society. Let's look at the baseline facts. A couple of years ago, Radio Network ARN locked these two into a landmark 10-year contract reportedly worth a staggering $200 million. 10 years? Who in their right mind puts a 10-year contract in this modern media landscape?
[00:01:20] Who knows where any of us will be in 12 months, let alone a decade? Yet corporate executives actively lined up to sign away hundreds of millions of dollars to a man widely known for being aggressive, opinionated, and downright arrogant. And now, following their massive public fallout and axing, Sanderlands has walked away with a $12 million cash settlement, with Jackie O.'s massive legal claim still pending.
[00:01:50] And how does the parent company react? They boast about a lean operating model, while taking a cut of his upcoming independent podcast venture. It is infuriating, it is irritating, and frankly, it is deeply dysfunctional. If you want to understand why this matters, you have to look at the track record. It isn't just about shock jock entertainment. It's a pattern of behaviour that has repeatedly
[00:02:18] crossed the line. Let's do a quick reality check on the history of bad behaviour we've been forced to tolerate on our airwaves over the years. The lie detector incident. Never forget the infamous 2009 incident, where a 14-year-old girl was hooked up to a live lie detector on air and pressured into revealing that she had been raped. The public outcry was massive and triggered a major federal investigation. The Magna Savinsky comment.
[00:02:47] Kyle took a horrific personal swipe at a beloved Australian actress, Magna Savinsky, mocking her weight and making offensive remarks comparing her to a concentration camp victim. Attacking journalists. When journalists do their job and report on his behaviour, Kyle has routinely used his massive platform to bully them, even threatening a female reporter
[00:03:13] that he would hunt her down. The disrespect of community standards, from mocking religious figures to airing deeply crude segments that recently cost the network millions in fleeing advertising and contempt for decency, is constant. And what is the ultimate reward for years of this behaviour? A multi-million dollar golden
[00:03:38] parachute. But here is the final, most infuriating straw. Look at what is happening outside the radio booth. Look at the real world. Right now, across Australia, regular people are fundamentally struggling. We are living through a brutal cost of living crisis. We have families going without hot meals. We have elderly pensioners sitting in freezing houses, terrified to turn on the heat because they
[00:04:04] can't afford a power bill. Our food banks are completely overwhelmed, facing desperate, unprecedented demand just to hand out basic groceries. Our healthcare system and hospitals are under massive strain. And in the middle of this widespread hardship, a media company hands over a $12 million payout to a man who has built a career on arrogance and hostility. Let's ask the obvious
[00:04:30] question. Will Mr Sandilands be contributing a single cent of this massive payout to the food banks in desperate need? Will he be donating to hospital care for those most vulnerable? I very much doubt it. This is what breeds my anger and frustration. When media companies reward shock value with generational
[00:04:52] wealth while everyday citizens are drowning, they send a toxic message to the public. They are telling us that treating people with contempt isn't just acceptable, it's highly profitable. These sorts of media personalities poison the well of our social standards. They teach people that the loudest, rudest person in the room wins. We're told by the executives that it's just show business. But at what cost?
[00:05:21] We are trading our collective decency for corporate ad revenue and the people pulling the strings are laughing all the way to the bank. I, for one, am tired of it. I am tired of the arrogance. I'm tired of the payouts. I'm tired of the media environment that breeds dysfunctional behaviour within our society. It's time to start demanding better from the voices we let into our cars, our homes and our minds.
[00:05:50] This is Chrissy Mack and as usual, these are my opinions and not necessarily anybody else's and thanks for listening. Alright, I hope I've given you a lot to think about and talk about and debate and maybe disagree with. Don't forget to follow, like and share. Stay safe and I'll catch you next time.