EXCLUSIVE: Kyle Sandilands has expressed disappointment with the turmoil that Austereo’s advertising sales teams have faced over his pre-Christmas fiasco with a News Limited journalist and the exit of sponsors, but says advertisers are coming back.
He told AdNews he “understood” why sponsors had to quit the Kyle & Jackie O Show on 2DayFM but to his audience and the general public, “slagging off some journalist” wasn’t “that much of a big deal in their lives”.
Sandilands blamed much of the ongoing drama on a “News Limited agenda” and “five people dedicated 24 hours a day” on the online social platform, Change.org, which enables people to mobilise petitions and build public pressure around causes.
“I do understand why [sponsors] withdrew from the drama,” Sandilands told AdNews. “I probably would have as well.”
Asked to explain why he thought the prolonged media stoush and online protest campaign had made little effect on his ratings, Sandilands said: “I just don’t think people care. People are dying of cancer; they’ve got financial problems; they’re marrying off their kids or they’re getting divorced. They have bigger problems than one radio guy mouthing off at some journalist. It’s not that much of a big deal in their lives. So what? I have been slagged off every week for the last 10 years in [The Daily Telegraph].”
Sandilands said he “had no doubt” his audience would stick with the show through the drama. “I have got little spies in there [at News Limited] and I know the agenda is to crush, kill and destroy anything I do or say or am associated with. What the reason is, I’m not sure, but I don’t mind. They are free to do what they want but I’m free to do what I want, too.
“Advertisers are coming back already. When it really boils down to it, and I’ve looked into it, there are about four or five real haters out there that are bombarding everyone on Facebook and not every business owner is going to respond.”
Jenny Craig was one of the sponsors that pulled out of the show, in what was supposed to be a deal in which Mel B would tackle Kyle on air over his remarks. Sandilands said: “Mel and I are best friends but when we had her on air the other day because she had reached her target weight, she didn’t have any clue there was a drama. Which is good. They don’t have to tell her everything.”
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