In this edition of INSIDE MEDIA: Why Triple M was wrong to sack Marty Sheargold | Good news for Aussies wanting free access to the hottest new streaming service | And Kylie Minogue continues to wow as she tours Australia.
* See clips from the quotes in this story in the video player above
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TRIPLE M’S COWARDLY MOVE
It’s been a big 24 hours for former Triple M presenter Marty Sheargold who was axed, sorry, has “mutually agreed to part ways” with the radio station, effective immediately.
As reported on this website, Sheargold came under fire for his commentary about the Matildas.
Marty Sheargold has left Triple M after a backlash against controversial comments regarding the Matildas. Credit: SCA “There’s something wrong with the Matildas,” he said.
“They had that wonderful tournament out here where we all fell in love with them, even though they didn’t make the quarters.”
For the record, that was wrong — they made past the quarters and into the semis, where they lost to England.
“You know what they remind me of? Year 10 girls,” Sheargold went on, to the score of laughter from his co-hosts.
“All the infighting and all the friendship issues: ‘The coach hates me and I hate bloody training and Michelle’s being a b****’.
“Now I’m sorry to undermine the whole sport, but that’s what I think of it, so you can stick it up your arse.”
I don’t follow sport, so I have no idea if his comments are based on things that have happened with the team or if he was just attempting to make a joke. Either way, the comments were shared on social media and the outrage machine went into overdrive.
Which is fair enough.
High-profile Aussies also voiced their disgust at the comments.
Former Australian swimmer and Triple M commentator Leisel Jones took to the airwaves to condemn the remarks, almost in tears.
“The comments are so hurtful against women’s sport that The Marty Sheargold Show shared. And obviously I’ve been quite upset all morning, and I was upset when I came in. I’ve been on and off the show all morning” she told listeners.
Mel McLaughlin spoke about Marty Sheargold’s comments on 7NEWS Sydney on Wednesday night. Credit: 7NEWS “This is by no means a backward step on how far we’ve come and women’s football, and women’s sport in general, as we know guys, is awesome” she added before throwing back to Sydney presenters Mark Feguson and Angela Cox.
Again, totally fair enough.
What I find odd is Southern Cross Austereo’s decision sack Sheargold. SCA is the owner of Triple M.
If you want people to share their views and make jokes, you must accept that some of those views and jokes might not sit well with some sections of the public.
My biggest question is what did Marty Sheargold’s listeners think? If they disagreed with those comments, and the shocking (and factually incorrect) ones he made about endometriosis, were they going to stop listening or were they more likely to think “OK, whatever Marty”?
A democratic society means having to accept some people have different views to your own.
And I’m no fan of Sheargold. He once embarrassed me on the air by talking about how boring I was when we had a coffee once, but I do support his right to say things that people might find offensive.
Nothing should be off limits when it comes to comedy.
Whether people laugh or not is another thing but sacking someone because of a 24-hour backlash is weak. This issue would have died down and his ratings would have remained the same. Sheargold’s audience know what to expect from him and I’m sure they would be upset he is no longer on the air.
I even copped it for daring to post a poll on X asking whether he should have been sacked. “Ridiculous you’re even asking the question, Rob” one person said.
For the record, at the time of writing 54 per cent of those who responded believed he should be sacked.
Rob McKnight ran a poll on X on whether Marty Sheargold should be sacked. Credit: X So, they’ve won.
But I wonder how many of those calling for Sheargold’s sacking actually listen to his show. I would bet very few.
The swift action taken by SCA only reinforces the fact the executives running these companies don’t understand what their consumers want. Joe Rogan has become one of the biggest influencers in the world because he played by his own rules without a corporation telling him what to do.
I recently said that I believe people want to hear opinions. They might not always agree, but it helps them form their own views on topics. If legacy media want to engage audiences, it needs to hold its nerve when there’s outrage over comments made on one of its platforms.
Otherwise people will keep looking for alternatives and leave tradition media.
And isn’t that what we’re trying to stop?
FOXTEL THROWN A LIFELINE WITH LAUNCH OF MAX
We’ve been wondering for some time what will happen to FOXTEL with the launch of new streaming service MAX.
Warner Bros. Discovery announced the newest streamer in Australia will launch March 31. MAX brings together iconic brands such as HBO , Warner Bros., the DC Universe , Harry Potter, Discovery and more.
Up until now FOXTEL has had Australian rights to HBO content, but that will change once MAX launches.
The good news for FOXTEL subscribers (and FOXTEL itself), is that MAX will be available — free of charge — to all existing subscribers at launch.
It’s unclear how long this deal is in place but it means that executives at FOXTEL can breathe a sigh of relief — for the moment.
KYLIE’S STILL GOT IT
I am what you might call an OG Kylie Minogue fan. I was there when she started on Neighbours and then when she transitioned into a singer — even though it was very uncool to like Kylie.
There’s even a clip of me on the ABC’s Afternoon Show saying “hello’ to Kylie when I appeared on a Doctor Who quiz (nah, I wasn’t a dork).
A ‘very cool’ Rob McKnight saying hello to Kylie Minogue on the ABC’s Afternoon Show in the ‘80s Credit: ABC So, it was very special attending Kylie’s Tension tour in Brisbane last night.
While the show wasn’t as big as other tours, Kylie delivered with a mixture of new and old, delighting fans of all ages.
Kylie Minogue seemed to be enjoying herself during her Brisbane concert on Wednesday night. Credit: Rob McKnight As for the lady herself, she seemed genuinely happy to be there. She wasn’t phoning it in, she was enjoying the moment.
The biggest downfall is the price concert tickets are selling for now. I’m going to sound old saying this, but to get a half decent ticket to any concert or comedy show these days is outrageously expensive.
But I guess if people are paying, prices will continue to rise.
Rob McKnight is a television producer and the co-owner of TV Blackbox.
INSIDE MEDIA is published very Monday and Thursday on the 7NEWS website.