10 hours ago
Lana LamSydney
Australia shock jock Kyle Sandilands sacked and top-rating show cancelled
It comes after an on-air spat between Sandilands and his co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson a month ago.
BBC News - Asia
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Supplied
It comes after an on-air spat between Sandilands and his co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson a month ago.
10 hours ago
Lana LamSydney
Supplied
Australian shock jock Kyle Sandilands has been sacked from his ten-year, A$100m ($71m; £53m) breakfast radio contract, and his top-rating show with co-host Jackie "O" Henderson cancelled.
Sandilands, 54, was suspended from KISS FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show two weeks ago after an on-air spat with Henderson. ARN Media - the station's owner - accused him of serious misconduct, giving him 14 days to fix the situation.
The radio duo have dominated commercial breakfast radio for decades, with their brand of crude humour attracting high ratings, notably in Sydney.
On Wednesday, ARN said Sandilands' behaviour was a breach of contract, while the star countered that he would fight the decision in court.
It is not known how ARN's decision on Sandilands will impact Henderson's own ten-year $100m contract which was tied to presenting the station's flagship programme. Both were expected to remain on air until at least 2034.
Moments before ARN's announcement on Wednesday, Sandilands released a statement saying: "I don't accept it".
"My lawyers told them last week this would be invalid. And guess what? It is."
He said the company "knew how I work, they knew the show and they were happy to pay for it - because I delivered".
The matter centres around a seven-minute tirade on 20 February, when Sandilands accused Henderson of being "off with the fairies" and not pulling her weight at work.
Sandilands said his co-host's recent interest in astrology and horoscopes had affected her ability to do the job, but refused to provide examples when Henderson asked through tears.
Henderson, who has worked with Sandilands for about 27 years, took a leave of absence during which time ARN announced she had told them she "cannot continue to work" with her on-air partner and the show was taken off air.
Days later, Henderson released a statement saying she "did not quit or resign" and that she was saddened and shocked by news of the show ending.
"At this stage, I am unable to say anything further, as I am addressing this through the appropriate legal channels," she said earlier this month.
On Wednesday, Sandilands said his "blue on air" with Henderson was the "kind of this we've done a hundred times in 25 years" but the company decided to "burn the place down".
Sandilands said he had apologised to Henderson hours after their tense exchange, but in the days and weeks after, he was banned from calling her or any of the show's staff, hampering his efforts to resolve the situation.
He added that he had offered to work with another presenter if Henderson didn't want to, but ARN "weren't interested".
"They thought they saw a chance to get out of the contract they signed with me a year ago and they ran with it," Sandilands said.
After the show was initially taken off air, local media reported staff at ARN celebrating the show's demise as the pricey contracts for its stars had led to other experienced staff being fired.
Observers also pointed to a failed attempt to expand the Sydney programme to Melbourne as a possible reason that ARN wanted to end the show.
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