Nine Radio stations 2GB and 3AW have been found to have breached broadcasting rules by failing to disclose commercial agreements between their presenters and companies featured in their programs after an investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
During Ben Fordham‘s program on 2GB on 3 August 2023 he spoke favourably about ride-share company Uber. The ACMA investigation found that the commercial agreement that was in place between Uber and Fordham at the time, was not disclosed on-air.
A separate investigation into 3AW Afternoons broadcasts that also aired in August 2023 found that favourable comments about automotive manufacturer BMW were made by the then program host without again disclosing that there was a commercial agreement in place between the two.
Both 2GB and 3AW also failed to publish details on their websites of such commercial agreements in place with their presenters, as is required by the commercial disclosure rules.
Authority Member Creina Chapman said:
“These kind of commercial disclosure breaches have the potential to erode the public’s trust in current affairs programming. Listeners deserve to know what commercial agreements are in place and how those deals might relate to what they are hearing on-air.”
Following the investigations, and the breach findings, the ACMA has issued 2GB and 3AW with remedial directions requiring the relevant presenters, producers and sales staff to undertake formal training on the commercial disclosure requirements. 2GB also must commission an external audit of the processes it has in place to comply with these rules because of previously breached disclosure rules in 2021.
First, I heard the dialog between Ben Fordham and Peter Switzer about Ben taking a second job moonlighting as an Uber driver.
Normally people take on "Ubering" for additional income to make ends meet. Thus it was odd for a person on a high income such as Ben to moonlight as an Uber driver.
Ben has never done a follow up story in whether he continues to moonlight.
The story reported in the SMH https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/nine-s-ben-fordham-breached-broadcast-rules-with-uber-deal-20240827-p5k5li.html made me think about content on radio being content or an advertorial or paid sponsored content.
It made me think about whether segments on radio such as technical, travel, medical or cooking even promotions for musical acts and shows are sponsored content and that the segment is not declared as being sponsored.
I started to think about this issue when talking to a medical practitioner a few weeks earlier.
The practitioner said that he wanted to give a radio program information on a particular type of medical device.
The practitioner had no financial interest in the medical devices on the market. That is he did not profit from the sales of these devices.
Furthermore the practitioner was not involved in the implantation of these devices.
The practitioner was "palmed" off to the radio station's sales department and advised of the rates for a specific lengths.
Thus the information never went to air.
The practitioner said that advice given on commercial radio may likely to be paid content.
In this article the purported conversation about moonlighting as an Uber driver giving the impression of a casual conversation was really pre-arranged and sponsored.
Thanks
Anthony, Strathfield South, in the land of the Wangal and Darug Peoples of the Eora Nation.