Austereo in crisis over Kyle & Jackie O 2Day FM lie detector rape debacle

I am supposing that Kyle was “saddened” by the backlash, because he certainly didn’t show any remorse, compassion or understanding while the 14yr old was on the call.

Fancy responding with ““Right. Is that your only experience?”

I’m sorry – but that’s disgusting.

There really is no defence of this. The “crime” was committed long before the girl made the admission – subjecting a 14 year old girl to a lie detector test with the intent of quizzing her about her drug and sexual conduct all for the titillation of a radio audience is just beyond belief.

companies need to pull their ads, that’s probably the only true way to get their attention.

surly there’s some law protecting minors too?

the race to the bottom has been won.

and now australia officially has its own version of ‘Jerry Springer’. awesome.

Their show may be popular but does that make it right.

People being torn apart by lions used to be very popular apparently.

Maybe the odious Kyle Sandilands could try that next.

I dislike Sandilands at the best of times. I think he is an idiot and am amzed that he rates so well. However, I think it was an unnecessary comment that slipped out whilst he was in shock of the situation. After listening to it, I really think the mother has more explaining to do than Kyle Sandilands.

I’m sure their 350,000+ Twitter followers will leap to their defence…

The show is sponsored by Optus Broadband. I’ve just taken a hammer to my mobile internet dongle. I’m not giving them another cent while they’re sponsoring the show. It’s one thing to buy ads it’s another to endorse.

Is this the sort of thing ACMA is meant to police? Seriously I’m asking the question. If it is, they need to make a serious example of this utter, utter, utter disgrace.

On many levels and for so many reasons this is licence removal threatening W-R-O-N-G

Tom – do you not have an issue with him asking a 14yo old girl what her sexual activities are? I reckon I am as broad minded as the best of them. And pretty tolerant to boot. But if he asked my 14yo daughter what her sexual activites were I swear it would be the last thing he asked anyone for a long time.

It was actually the Mother who asked her daughter the question. When she already knew that the rape had occurred. That for me is completely irresponsible as a parent. I think that is as bigger issue as any. As far as the segment and the radio show go. I cannot comment because I have never listened to it.

What was the mother thinking?

Also I agree with Heather – it’s Springer. Not sure it’s good for the programs brand – what advertiser wants to be associated with that.

Apologies Tom – I assumed it was him.
What a grubby little episode.

Who calls a radio station and airs this kind of information. The mother has everything to answer for in my mind.

Sandilands’ exact quote immediately after the revelation was “Right, is that the only experience you have had?”

So Tom, Mr Corbett was correct – Sandilands did ask her about her sexual activities.

As for people defending Austero by blaming the mother, do any of those people think that having a mother grill her 14 year old girl about her sexual experiences on live radio is – even without the lie detector gimmick – a good idea? Producers would have known the question was coming, after all that was the intent of the segment, so what answer were they hoping for? A “no”? I’d doubt it.

Even without the rape revelation, it is still one of the grubbiest things to be broadcast on Australian radio and is simply not acceptable.

The Chaser boys scored a two week suspension and the head of ABC comedy demoted over their controversial sketch that was not a lot more than a media beat up.

In this case a young girl has been distressed and humiliated – I can only hope that Austereo has ensured she is under proper care and supervision this evening.

Even with the subsequent media frenzy that is currently being whipped up, the sackings of all those involved are the only reasonable response Austereo can make.

I blame both the station and the mother. How can grown adults think it is OK to pull a stunt like this? And how can a mother think its OK to question her daughter’s sexual activity live on national radio especially when she knew what the girl had been through. You really have to question her parenting ability. I can’t imagine being betrayed by a parent like that.

Also, I hope this sees the end of Kyle Sandiland’s career. He is a disgusting human being. The fact that he replied to the rape revelation with that question just goes to show what type of person he is. Its about time people spoke up about his shock-jock tactics. Thank god I don’t listen to this station.

Any current/previous listeners care to identify whom some of the show sponsors and advertisers are?

We get the radio we deserve – as such this is a sad indictment of the Sydney’s mindless radio audience. But why would anyone be surprised that this disgraceful, graceless buffoon has once again shown neither taste nor decency. It’s pretty consistent with past behaviour.

The mother is a complete fruit-loop and should be called in to question by the proper authorities. Everyone at Austereo involved with such an appalling radio segment as to interrogate a minor against her will about her sexual conduct should be shown the door. Advertisers should pull their spend and anyone with half a brain should stop tuning in.

Sadly it says more about our society when this radio program has the highest ratings and people are sending messages of support to the presenters (via Twitter) and a mother is so blinded by her 15 seconds of fame that she is willing to take pleasure (by smiling after asking the question) in exposing her daughter’s horrifying ordeal in a public domain. I thought Springer was staged. We’ve managed to get the real-deal going on over here.

That poor girl, as if she hasn’t been through enough.

Jacqui O (to the child’s mother) : “Do you think she’s a virgin?”

So let’s not forget her role in the whole schmozzle. As well as her yawn-worthy bit-part as the typical FM radio Band-aid chick. She’s there to tut tut and patch up the bastardy mess that Kyle makes (as usual).

And don’t get me started on the idiot producers and the stupid management. Grrr.

2DayFM – proudly humiliating young women and exposing dysfunction – join in and win Free Concert Tickets and a Trucker Cap… maybe a carton of chocolate milk too. Totally worth it. Sheesh.

I heard the piece on air and I have to say the mother has to wear a lot of the blame. She not only set her daughter willingly up for it but also admitted on air she knew about the rape….who does that to her child??

Has 2DayFM become the broadcast outfall for electronic effluent ?

I have been crying since I heard this broadcast. I don’t understand how a mother could possibly do this to her child. This is disgusting. Yes, Kyle Sandilands response was completely wrong. But the fact that the mother asked her if she’d had sex…….when she knew she’d been raped…..oh God. I don’t even know what to say. She hadn’t had any counselling. What the hell did this mother think she was doing?? If I could just talk this girl…I know how it feels to have a rape taken lightly., It is NOT something to be taken lightly. I am so shaken by this story.

Sack Kyle. He is a narcissistic brute. He should not be allowed to work in a public broadcasting capacity again, and never with children/teenagers.

His response was not sad – it was damn right sick. This pervert needs counselling and a long jail sentence. The misfortunes of the poor rape victim have been exponentially amplified by Kyle’s insensitive, crass, existential, disregardful, sadistic, and self-centric remark. Unfortunately the remark also echo’s his personality traits.

“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.” Winston Churchill. Especially apt when describing Kyle.

I didn’t hear the original comments – so the following only stands if how its reported above is correct.

This episode is upsetting. Not just for the pain of the girl involved, not just for the insensitivity (and grubby dollar chasing) of bogans Kyle and Jackie, but also becuase their behaviour is condoned by listeners. Everyday on their show people are exploited, human frailties exposed, and the most base aspects of society served up as radio fodder. It’s a shame that people decide to listen. They are pathetic.

These are people that we have chosen (in one way or another – via radio popularity / media feedback / votes etc) to entertain us. These are the people that represent our self indulgent personalities to be constantly gratified with sick humour.

YOU got what you wanted – now what? WE are the ones who endorse a gradual degradation of sensitivities. Surprised? Outraged? This is what we asked for a constant erosion of moral behaviour by clowns that push the boundaries of ethics. Everyday. This time Kyle stepped over the line. But this is merely a experience – an actualisation, of the real Kyle. The Kyle who’s heart is wicked, and his mind perverted. As i said – we elected a pig like him to represent our need for entertainment.

Wonder what Pink thinks?

Where is the girl’s father? Has the mother been questioned by the police yet? She publicly admitted to knowledge that her daughter was the victim of a horrific crime, yet neither reported it to the authorities nor sought medical help for her brutalized daughter. She should be prosecuted, and these idiotic radio hosts should be sacked.

It’s as if the moral ugliness of that shameful mother was drawn mothlike to one of the the grand shining lights of ugliness, this vacuous show. Have a look at the audience at the Geraldo show – these shows gather up the disenfranchised and the uninformed and feed their basest inclinations. One can only wonder at the sheer number of people that consume the lowest forms of media – and as I say, the Bile and Tacky O show is just one of may examples. If we get the ‘entertainment’ we deserve, we have some worries as a society. And media planners and their clients must share some of this blame for chasing audience numbers without adequately questioning context. What’s good about an issue like this is that it draws out the many voices of the reasonable, the usually unexpressed desire for standards and maybe, just maybe, programmers and marketers will pause for a moment and ask themselves whether there’s actually a bigger audience out there waiting for more discerning forms of entertainment.

Was disgusted by this. 2Day FM need to take a long hard look at themselves and I agree they should be removed. The scary thing is their ratings will go up because of this. Advertisers should boycott the station.

A number of concerns spring to mind:
The girl is 14!
The mother knew of the rape/sexual assault prior to the “inquisition”
Kyle & Jackie had a list of the questions that were to be asked prior to the event
The ‘child’ expressed her fear before the event
During the ‘questioning’ the child was obviously distressed…
The lie detector operator who was monitoring her physical responses must have noticed this, if not he is incompetent.
He must have also had the chance to stop the whole sorry affair.
The producer of the program was privvy to all of this information and should have seriously questioned the morality and/or wisdom of putting this ‘live to air’ or to air at all.
Conveniently, any comment to the radio station that is not blatantly supporting their ‘stars’ is relegated to the recycle bin.
Giving the child’s name and revealing a sexual assault of a minor is a criminal offence… other radio people have been sent to gaol for lesser offences… maybe this is time to set an example or at the very least a standard.
“Video killed the radio star” methinks not!

No matter what lame arsed excuses are put forward by the dribbling station execs and the two half wits on the show, this barbaric insensitive shite could not have occurred if the segment didn’t exist

Forced myself to listen to their show for a few minutes this morning, just to see if they were on. Quite surprised that they were still on air this morning, and from my colleagues, heard that they’d spent most of the show defending themselves and blaming the media for sensationalising the situation!

WTF?!

Does radio not have a delay before hitting air?

How does a radio station allow a 14 year old child to take a lie detector test?

Obviously the mother does not understand the severity of rape as a crime. What was she thinking embarrassing her daughter to a national audience about such a sensitive issue? Taking her to counseling would be the most logical step for me, even if the mother thought she was lying.

I agree dan.. I have this image of the Austereo team sitting around a table saying, “This is bad…. Well at least our ratings will go up…” its embarrassing. Austereo should be ashamed, their PR should get a fat bonus if they can draw attention away from this.

I agree with Allyn’s analysis. There must’ve been red flags waving everywhere. Not to diminish the presenters’ role & responsibilities, however a lot of people should be utterly ashamed of this, if not booked.

Like pigeons – you feed them, they hang around. Advertisers should be talking with their feet

Hmmm – just wondering if Ten will do something about this?

Or will they just continue to give Kyle more exposure on Australian Idle?

Has anyone bothered to consider the fact that since the girl was assaulted/molested, she has not had counseling, but now, because of this on air blunder (which i do not for one minute think was a setup), she is now able to get professional counseling?

Sure, Kyle’s response was a very poor judgment call, and yes, he is know for his big mouth – he will be the first to admit it – but i really believe they were all taken aback by this incident, and floundered somewhat whilst on air.

This is a complex issue, and hopefully the mother’s motivation was to help her daughter. Perhaps the only way she could think of to do that was to get some public attention, and now, what is happening? The young girl is receiving the counseling she should have received two years ago.

Putting aside the obviously disgraceful behaviour of all parties, I have two questions/concerns. Firstly, surely a 14 year old has some legal rights to their privacy? Or can radio stations broadcast anything they like about minors [as long as the radio personnel did not actually say it themselves which seems the defence Austereo are using]. Secondly, the radio station is asking this young girl to admit to a number of crimes [they asked via the mother whether she had had underage sex]. Did they inform the family of their legal rights? And should they have informed the police and docs they were about to air a story about underage sex and drugs. Shocking

Kyle Sandilands is a loathsome human being with absolutely no redeeming features that I can see. He is an arrogant, bullying, utterly detestable human being with all the charm of a dog turd adhered to the sole of one’s shoe. However, while mindless audiences tune in to enjoy the thrill of observing his grubby exploits we can’t blame him entirely for cashing in on his abhorrent personality, because I’m sure those traits that make him so well-suited to his role would make him unwelcome in most employment settings. .

In today’s media: “Jackie O says the team never intended the girl’s appearance to end the way it did.”

Let’s see… You stand a blindfolded man up against a wall, you give loaded rifles to a firing squad, you then tell them to aim and fire – and when the man falls down dead you say “gee, I didn’t want that to happen…”

So exactly how did they want it to end? The humiliation of the girl was the only possible outcome of the segment. She is a 14 year old girl – a child – and this is supposed to be the best radio show in Sydney?

Their excuses today were pathetic, laying blame at anyone and everyone but themselves.

ACMA are saying they can’t do anything about it and people should complain directly to the Austereo. Maybe it’s time broadcasters were governed by a watchdog that actually has teeth – their license should be torn up immediately.

I have refused to listen to 2Day around two years ago because of Kyle’s astonishing ignorance and stupidity. A perfect case of “unskilled and unaware of it”. And this effort is indicative of how desperate 2Day is to find listeners. Rather than rely on talent they rely on the most base, gutter techniques. Why would anyone bother advertising with them? Why would anyone bother listening?

Given the wealth of talent and quality I, as a consumer, can listen to in Sydney . . . 2Day is so “yesterday”.

If this happened in the UK, they would have been whisked off air immediately. When Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand made suggestive comments about actor Andrew Sachs’ granddaughter they were censured and fined.
When The Chaser sketch was aired Kyle and Jackie O were so quick to criticise them but now, they can’t level that sort of critisicsm at themselves.
A short and simple apology would have been the best way forward but all this justification leads me to think that in three months time they will be doing the same thing, collecting their huge pay cheques and laughing gleefully.

kind of funny video response from ‘keef the kat’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj2NIsq7sPo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsaynotorape%2Ecom%2F&feature=player_embedded

he is also twittering about bringing down kyle, and general cat things here:
https://twitter.com/keefthecat

Please write to Optus here and ask them to pull their sponsorship of these lowlife:

https://www.optus.com.au/portal/site/aboutoptus/menuitem.8ec78f21a99f2c66d0b61a108c8ac7a0/?vgnextoid=befcbab5610b1110VgnVCM10000029867c0aRCRD

People power. Believe.

Hi Jeannie – I agree of course, but didn’t russell brand then arrive in Australia and they gave him a tv show? does this not reveal something disturbing about the australian viewers/listeners habits, or those in the media that actively perpetuate this kind of crap-as-entertainment?

Absolutely Andy – the way to get this talentless imbecile off the air is for the sponsors to walk away.
And as corporate citizens they should be standing up for what is right and publicly withdrawing advertising dollars.
Right now an Optus banner sits proudly on the Kyle and Jackie O homepage. Who at Optus thinks aligning the brand with the public humiliation of a 14-year-old rape victim is a sensible way to advertise?
Now who thinks Optus would gain huge brand points for publicly disowning the disgraceful stunt and pulling all sponsorship of the program? Plenty of other great media properties out there.
A Facebook Group has begun – Boycott sponsors of Kyle and Jackie O.

Thanks for the link Andy.

I am a long standing mobile, home phone and cable customer of Optus. None of which are bundled and all of which are out of contract. I have made a formal complaint about their supporting this station with advertising.

Let’s hope we can make a difference.

While this stunt is an awful and possibly traumatic experience for the girl involved, I don’t believe Kyle and Jackie O should be sacked. The mother was aware of the rape and still asked her daughter about it on live radio. After listening to the audio the “was that the only experience you’ve had?” remark that Kyle made sounded a lot less obnoxious and more a remark made in shock and awkwardness. As for the critics asking what they were doing asking a 14 year old girl about her sexual and drug related activities: most 14 year olds have had sex or tried drugs by the time they were fourteen, and most are proud of it. I don’t believe it would have been controversial if the crime hadn’t surfaced. It’s the mother’s fault. Why should two people lose their jobs just because they are usually annoying?

I too have used Andy’s link to make a formal complaint to Optus. Let’s hope they get many more

Over at The Punch (see Mumbrella Opinion column) nearly 500 people think Kyle is a ratbag (or douchebag in current parlance).

Has Kyle finally become Australia’s most hated man?

@Grace – don’t you think it’s sad that most 14 year-olds have had sex and tried drugs? Do you not think that a major factor is because they’ve been brought up listening to crap like this all their lives?

If we forgive these clowns in this instance, we are telling the whole broadcasting industry that it’s okay to exploit and humiliate 14 year olds. In the never ending chase for ratings, they will soon tire of this and grilling 14 year olds on their sexual exploits will grow stale. Then where do they go – 12 year olds?

I remember a number of years ago being in a fruit & veg store that was playing Kyle & Jackie O’s previous evening show where two female contestants had to piss in a bucket live on air with the fuller bucket winning concert tickets. A quick look at 2-Day FM’s home page will see just how how far they are prepared to go to shock.

Enough is enough.

Austereo have shown no leadership in the matter – no doubt their desire to keep the profits rolling in would have something to do with it – and they should have their broadcasting license revoked.

Grace, I feel for you and the world you live in if you believe most girls aged 14 have sex and do drugs AND are proud of it. Certainly not my experience and definitely not something any girl needs to be subjected to on breakfast radio. No doubt the mother is the greatest offender here and has completely let her daughter down.
But, Kyle and Jackie O and @DayFM have to be accountable for the trauma they have inflicted upon a young girl. Right now there is zero accountability, not even a slap on the wrist – just the public outcry they’re well used to and feed off.
In my opinion, there are infinitely better entertainers out there and looking at it purely from a marketing standpoint, there’s more harm to be done in the association with Australia’s most hated man than there is with the fact the ratings are high. Time to look at some qualitative brand measurement rather than the TARPS the radio reps sell you.
This will harm the sponsor brands and it’s time they acted on it.

One of the best things to come out of this fiasco is that for a long, long time, the keywords: “Kyle+Jackie+rape” will deliver pages of results about this stunt. Maybe eventually they’ll get it, all of them, how incredibly irresponsible that segment was before the girl even mentioned being raped.

“Had we known ahead of time, this segment would never have gone to air” – ummmm, it NEVER should have gone to air anyway.

I’m a survivor of physical assault (not rape) and I know exactly how hard it is to deal with trauma that can bring to your life depression and PTSD and all kinds of other issues.

Kyle’s comment directly after the girl spoke of being raped is outrageous and offensive to anyone who’s ever been assaulted in any way.

But much, much worse is his denial of responsibility. Same goes for Jackie and Austereo. Saying how terrible it is, and organising counselling (hey, let’s avoid being sued) is NOT good enough.

Instead, try saying “we’re dreadfully sorry and will reflect on our plans for future segments, and we’re going to visit a rape counselling hotline to education ouselves properly about the issue…”, now that’s a position I could respect.

Until then, forget it. I can never look at either of them again without feeling totally disgusted.

Yes, Kyle, the show and the whole incident are disgusting. Why then do people listen? Perhaps the listeners are also to blame. Ignore them (Kyle, etc.) and they will go away.

Buy an iPod. never have to listen to Sydney radio again.

As for people wanting to contact austereo, their website is atrocious. Still can’t find complaints info on it, so I rang them. Complaints to:

Austereo Group
Att: General Manager
Level 2, 257 Clarendon Street,
South Melbourne, Victoria 3205

I have contacted Optus as well and notified them that unless they pull their advertising from Austereo, I will be taking my mobile and net business accounts elsewhere.

Optus and other sponsors DO need to pull advertising from Austereo until they sack Kyle and Jackie O. In addition the mother clearly needs advice on how to be a mother. I feel incredibly sorry for the 14 year old girl, who is actually helping her and looking after her best interests?

I’m 99.9999% sure that NONE of you had any issue with the segment until you turned on the evening news.

Kynan – I think you have bravely just opened yourself up to a barrage of abuse. Either way, it still doesn’t make what happened acceptable and this is the issue at hand.

i’m sure the thousands of people who were listening, were just as offended by the situation, otherwise it wouldn’t have made the evening news.

Tom – it would have made the news because there are only 3 things on the news; 1 is news stories “journos” can find on Google. 2 is stories found by listening to a police/ambo/fire radio scanner. and 3 is finding anything that will discredit anyone but the station reporting the news. If Channel Nine was under fire (for example), you wouldn’t hear about it on the Nine network. How is that considered as news if not all news outlets will report it?

Child rape is wrong. Bogan mothers with no clue on radio, also wrong. But we dont demand Sandra Sully get the sack because she’s showing us images of people jumping out of the world trade centre. It’s not her fault it happened – she was just in the middle of doing something she does every night and we accept that.

Also, the day the segment went live the studio had 3 complaints. The ratings board had 7 phone calls, no formal or written complaints.

The day after, once it hit the news, the ratings board had over 150 complaints. People only do what Mr. News tell them to do. It’s pathetic.

Oh dear Tynan you’ve rather missed the point. This wasn’t news, the situation was created by the station. Then it became news and it was reported. That’s how people found out about it and that’s when they very reasonably got upset. Not because ‘Mr News’ told them to but because it was a very upsetting situation. If Sandra Scully pressured a 14 year old to expose her sex life on live TV do you seriously suppose she would not get the sack?

Oh and if your’e correct that the station received very few complaints from its listeners on the day of the braodcast, that simply goes to show what immoral morons make up K and JO’s audience.

I too left a complaint to Optus and will stop using their services if they keep supporting these bozos. I also left a comment on the Austereo website.. not a complaints form in sight, but its close enough.
I didnt hear the actual segment, i stopped listening to kyle and jackie long ago after being offended one too many times by their particular brand of rubbish.. but subjecting this poor girl to that type of interrogation really pushes the limit.
i hope austero keeps their show off air for good.

“Right. Is that your only experience?”

I’m reminded of a much older classic joke in bad taste . . .

“Apart from that, Mrs Kennedy, what did you think of Dallas?”