Radio talk presenter ‘Sacked for Conservative Commentary’
8 September 2019 · News
Comment from Peter Saxon
Dean Mackin (pictured) had been with 2HD, Newcastle since 2013, first as a producer, and was later given his own on-air timeslot: 2 to 5 on Saturday afternoons.
For three...
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Tags: 2HD | Dean Mackin | Peter Saxon Comment
Regardless of who was right and who was wrong - for the spokesman to be telling Dean about his loss of airshift via the phone is pretty poor management form in my view!
So this is the same network that was prepared to hire Alan Jones if he wasn't signed by 2GB??
The author is correct that it's management's decision to remove Dean Mackin. It is also correct that management lives or dies by that decision. The problem with 2HD's weekend afternoon programming is that it is not constant. It's several weeks of sporting coverage and a sprinkling of Dean's programming. Irregularity in programming may not necessarily produce pleasing ratings for that timeslot.
If sport is to be a regular occurrence on Saturday afternoons, then Dean should have been allocated a more regular schedule. In fact he's competently handled other shifts including weekend breakfast or when he substituted for Carter Edwards during weekend nights. That was certainly a management decision.
I have also said elsewhere on this site that management is inconsistent in making decisions to get rid of someone. If management didn't like his narrative, why did it take three years to get rid of him? I've discussed the issue of a radio station taking a particular narrative such as 2GB and how intelligent presenters of a left-wing persuasion would not be employed.
I also mentioned that according to Mike Carlton's book "On Air" the then 2UE management asked him to take on a more right-wing narrative and he refused. Then about 30 years ago, during the days when 2GB was in the doldrums, evening presenter the high-rating Brian Wilshire, discussing car racing on air. It was reported that management called the switchboard (not on the air) and was dictating to Brian not to talk about car racing. On air and in an extremely angry tone, Brian expressed that he was "p*ssed off" at management's interference in his program. Brian continued to broadcast for the next 25 years plus.
Management may have the right to suggest to the presenter to take on guests of an opposite viewpoint to the presenter. Dean could have interviewed a member from the Greens or Labor party. Dean could have asserted his views without being rude as he is with callers disagreeing with him.
In a similar way, Dean always accepted anyone calling into his program, something that he has no control of. I have never heard him being rude or shouting down to callers if they disagreed with him.
Management cannot dictate what kind of view a presenter takes. That is political interference and is unnacceptable.
It follows that I agree with Peter Lewis that it was prepared to employ Alan Jones who had a particular narrative. I doubt that management would dictate to Alan Jones how and what to say. Similarly, if management was consistent, it would not have interfered with how Dean should say what he says.
It is speculation, in the spirit of the Broadcast Operations Group potentially employing Alan Jones, Dean's mistake was hinting of another station's presenter's sponsors withdrawing their sponsorship and that he supported that presenter remaining on that station. I suspect that was Alan Jones a competitor to 2HD and thus 2SM. And no, I am not talking about presenters interviewing other presenters from other stations and management inconsistency in dealing with this issue - I've discussed this elsewhere.
On balance, the Saturday afternoon shift should be sports or talk not this on/off sport for a few weeks and then talk for a few weeks. This is unstable programming. If you go for sports coverage, then when there are no matches, it should be sporting talk, not current affairs.
I hope that Dean returns to the air.
Thank you,
Anthony of exciting and dynamic Belfield
While no one should lose their job for free speech, there is a line that can only be crossed so many times. People should be respected, this was coming many months ago... [Edited for legal reasons, EDITOR]... There is shock jocks and just absolutely shocking. The boundary was broken, nothing to do with "free speech". Or being "right wing". To use that is very weak. [Your] outrageous views cumulated in your dismissal 3 years very late.