After reading that Nine Entertainment and Karl Stefanovic had a good faith ‘understanding’ that Karl’s independent podcast was just be interviews of interesting people, politicians and celebrities, I realised over the weekend that, if that was the wording used, that is exactly what Karl did.
He interviewed Tommy Robinson. He did not use his journalistic nous to interrogate, question or hold Tommy’s actions and beliefs to account. It was just two blokes having a chat. Only, it didn’t land that way and Nine is now without a Today host for the rest of this year, and Karl without a job.
As the dust begins to settle it is worth noting that Karl still hasn’t re-uploaded the Tommy Robinson episode to his own platform, even though now he is apparently ‘free’ to do so. It does remain freely available on Pauline Hanson‘s Please Explain one. The reasoning to this must be to show the massive numbers the interview, reupload and the fall out it has garnered, nearing half a million now.
Would you have felt differently if Karl had taken Tommy to task and asked some hard questions? Would Tommy have let him? Via letting Tommy lead the dance, it read and sounded like Karl confirmed his views without question or challenge – and therein lay the issue for Nine.
Separately this morning The Australian (subscription required) is reporting that former ABC News boss Justin Stevens will receive a $300,000 payout and six months of gardening leave as part of a taxpayer funded payout deal.
This is an uncomfortable one for the public broadcaster with Managing Director Hugh Marks starting the recruitment process for Justin’s replacement before Justin had resigned and with a known difference of views on the direction ABC News was heading.
How do we know all of that?
Because Hugh came in for an interview with ABC Radio National Breakfast presenter Sally Sara and she asked him.
It was uncomfortable but compelling listening with Sally using all of her journalistic nous to present to her listeners a side of the story her boss and the employers would rather we didn’t know.
I wonder if today’s outcome for Justin would have been any different if Hugh just came in for a general chit chat that morning?
After the events of the last couple of weeks (and including Kyle Sandilands settling with ARN) contracts between media personalities and their networks, especially if they have a side hustle of any description, are going to be a lot more stringent. Never again will there be verbal agreements made in good faith – every t will be crossed and i dotted, and if you don’t pass go (or worse still end up in jail) there will be no $200 and the network will go on as if you never existed.
Nine, ARN and the ABC have learned the hard way.
But, on the other side of the coin, you will likely know how much of an impact on the US elections Donald Trump‘s interview with Joe Rogan had. I say with not by, because like the dance Karl and Tommy had, Donald led Joe too, and got the desired outcome.
At SXSW Sydney, the last one as it turned out, at the podcasting day the topic came up of interviewing politicians. Antoinette Lattouf talked about the hard yards she had put in towards getting a conversation with Anthony Albanese before the 2025 Federal Elections for the LiSTNR led The Briefing podcast.
Apparently the Prime Minister couldn’t find time in his schedule, and yet Antoinette was in the building, recording an episode, as the PM strode down the corridor to chat with Abbie Chatfield, who to her credit did ask some curly questions, and who has subsequently shifted to Acast.
The Prime Minister appeared to have decided that he wanted the Abbie style questions, not the Antoinette variety and those strategic decisions can make or break election results. Ask Peter Dutton. Just not on a podcast, he doesn’t much like them.
In a story I wrote last week I suggested that Karl and Kyle looked likely to fight for the same pieces of advertiser, sponsorship and guests pie. I’ve mildly revised this after the weekend. Kyle Sandilands will make people uncomfortable with his questioning. It will be an ‘are you game to match wits with Kyle’ scenario.
I’m not so sure now about Karl. If he continues his friendly long form interviews he will get divisive souls who appear because they don’t think they will be challenged. The Australian public don’t want to be spoon fed like a baby and they will respond accordingly.
But, the newest episode of The Karl Stefanovic Show does have Karl taking aim at ‘the political outrage over billionaire donations’ arguing alongside Barnaby Joyce that ‘Labor should be held to the same standard it demands of others.’
He was still in the UK for that one, something which irked me about The Long Weekend program on the GOLD Network he’d just launched alongside Eddie McGuire. ARN said that Karl ‘made the decision to stand aside’ for last Friday’s episode while they make their own on the show’s future. But, I don’t believe that Karl ever was going to appear when he was physically half a world away. His ‘decision’ just added fuel to a smouldering fire.
As it is mid year break for metro radio stations, the next two weeks of The Long Weekend aren’t measured anyway. That resolution might wait until Karl’s return, or his future podcast guest choices.
Maybe this week will be quiet then.
Or it could be Kyle’s turn to create his own tsunami of sensationalism.
Jen Seyderhelm is a writer, editor and podcaster for Radioinfo. Email: [email protected]. You can subscribe to this publication for just $199 per annum (less for community stations, students and pensioners) and support local media. Celebrate Radioinfo in its 30th year.