Despite an unresolved response to the Kyle and Jackie O rape scandal stunt on 2DAY-FM, the pair has been nominated for a radio award in October.
Today it was announced that Kyle and Jackie O will stand alongside Nova Melbourne’s Hughesy and Kate, Nova Sydney’s Merrick and Rosso and Fox-FM’s Hamish and Andy for the Best On-Air Team award in the Australian Commercial Radio awards in October.Should they stay nominated? Of course they should. The nomination is bona-fide for their work for one year up until April 2009.
What will be interesting here will be to see how the radio industry judges the pair.
Regardless of the distasteful and disgusting length the program went to to jolt its audience, I can’t wait to see if the radio industry endorses the show by giving it the award.
At the moment, Austereo is being held accountable for the stunt and although two weeks into the shame of the broadcast that humiliated a 14-year old rape victim the company has released only two non-apology statements.
If the radio industry gives Kyle and Jackie O the award, then there seriously needs to be an external investigation of the radio industry in Australia.
At some time in the past, Australian radio stations, once accountable to the independent Australian Broadcasting Tribunal, were granted the power to self-regulate. That is why a show like Kyle and Jackie O can exist today.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is a lame duck. When a train-wreck like Kyle and Jackie O comes along, it waits for the train driver to do his own investigation. If it is decided that they need to investigate further, we are talking months, maybe a year, down the track before a decision will be made.
And then ... all ACMA can do is slap their wrist. ACMA has no authority to issue a fine against an offending station.
Let’s leave Kyle and Jackie O on the ballot for Best On-Air Team. I’d like to see how the radio industry handles it.
