When Sydney’s Daily Telegraph (excellent journal that it is) put the boot into Mix 106.5’s Todd McKenney after he was allegedly found unconscious from a drug overdose in a Sydney park, station management stood by him. It was morally and ethically the right thing to do. Like all of us, McKenney is entitled to the presumption of innocence. But then ARN management went to water when Channel Nine reportedly pulled a $1 million ad schedule, citing a benign sketch that went to air lampooning their news reader Mark Ferguson as the reason. Ethics is one thing, cash is another.
As it turns out, the $1million is more like $100,000. Yet, it seems implausible that Nine would really cancel its ads due to a sketch so tame it would be unlikely to offend a Mufti if it’s subject were a certain prophet rather than a newsreader. Some say it’s more about the feud between Seven and Nine with McKenney a convenient pawn. Others say that with the current downturn, Nine is looking to cut costs and excuses to cancel ad schedules anywhere it can. Either way, ARN won’t allow a million bucks to walk out the door without a chase.
What to do? Grit teeth and invoke the “separation of Church and State” clause or order the Sales Alert level to “Suck-Up 5?” That’s the level at which heads must roll to demonstrate to the client that their complaint, no matter how trivial, will be taken seriously.
So in a less than courageous move it was decided that breakfast producer, Brenden Wood would be sacrificed to the revenue gods, hereby suspended until further notice. Wood is described by a PD at a rival station as “one of the best producers and enthusiastic blokes on the fm band”. The same PD described ARN management as, “spineless.”
Are they spineless or just prudent or realistic perhaps? What will suspending Wood achieve that a good dinner, a decent red and a heartfelt chat with Nine boss, David Gyngel, won’t?
What should ARN do now? Are they being fair to Wood? What do their actions say to the rest of the staff?
Well, in latest developments, the effect on one particular staff member, Sonia Kruger has been for her to threaten to resign if Wood isn’t reinstated. The effect on management is that as of now, Wood is back at his console.
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