Sunday’s Telegraph reports “Radio bosses at Southern Cross Austereo are preparing to slash costs and dump staff in a desperate bid to raise at least $20 million to pay for a breakfast rescue package — Operation Get Kyle Back.”
Apparently SCA is now prepared to pay Kyle and Jackie O up to four times as much to bring them back to 2Day FM, than the duo had asked for to stay.
While that may seem far fetched, as I pointed out in my opinion piece last week (subscribers only), what beggars belief is that the details of such a plan, to lure back talent that KIIS will fight like Fenech to keep, could have been leaked to the media.
But if one needed a stronger clue that this whole thing is nothing more than a media beat up, one need look no further than Sunday’s publication of The Daily Mail which quoted the Telegraph (as it so often does) as reporting, “The code name for the project to rescue the ailing station (2Day) is called Operation Get Kyle Back.”
Seriously? Only Dumb and Dumber could dream up a code name that spells out exactly what the secret plan is.
Since the speculation about K & J coming back to 2Day has been doing the rounds, SCA sent media outlets the following statement: “SCA is strongly committed to its new breakfast show on 2DAY FM and we look forward to many great years ahead with Rove & Sam. They are a perfect fit for our positive culture and team environment. SCA is not in discussions with Kyle and Jackie O to return to 2DAY FM, or any other station in the Hit Network.” SCA Spokesperson, Friday 29th January 2016.”
Of course, if that turns out to be untrue then media will be entitled to have a field day. For the moment, though, why ruin a titillating bit of goss with a boring statement from the subject? Anyway, the old maxim, “they would say that, wouldn’t they?” easily deflates such statements.
No matter, it’s great publicity for radio and keeps the punters at the edge of their seats.
Note: To the Daily Mail’s credit, they later published the statement from SCA to balance their story.
Meanwhile, The Tele also reports the return of Bruno Bouchet to the bosom of the Kyle and Jack team on KIIS.
Four years ago Bouchet was ‘guest and talent producer’ on the Breakfast show on 2Day-FM before he was shown the door after a series of politically incorrect and tasteless gags. He was ordered to take down his personal website — brunolovesboobs.com – featuring images of domestic violence and petrol-sniffing.
At the time, 2Day’s website described Bouchet as “everything that’s wrong with society – French, arrogant and sometimes forgets to shower!”
Peter Saxon