Radio host ‘spoken to’ over Covid tracer joke
LOST recordings have saved controversial radio host Thane Kirby from any punishment after he suggested, on-air, that Covid-19 contact tracing information could be used to contact ‘‘extremely attractive women’’.
A formal complaint was lodged against the Hauraki
Drive host on May 18.
The complainant said that although Kirby ‘‘might be joking’’, the comment was one made in poor taste and risked undermining the entire contact tracing system.
‘‘Given that Hauraki listeners are predominantly male, it may give people ideas. Even the thought of using personal information to contact people is disgusting,’’ the complaint alleged.
On June 26, broadcaster NZME advised the complainant it had listened to the audio but was unable to locate the content complained about.
It was then referred to the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA), which requested a copy of the audio from the show.
NZME advised that it was no longer able to access the recording in its programming logs because of the time that had passed since the broadcast.
All broadcasters are expected to retain recordings for 35 days.
A recentlyreleased BSA decision showed NZME had advised it was aware of its obligations and had ‘‘unreservedly apologised’’ for the ‘‘mistaken omission’’.
The lost recording ultimately left the BSA in the ‘‘very unsatisfactory position’’ of being unable to make any definitive findings.
However, NZME decided to uphold the complaint, and said the host would be ‘‘spoken to’’ regarding the tone and nature of the statements.
It’s not the first time Kirby has landed himself in hot water with the BSA.
In 2017, his then-employer MediaWorks was slapped with a hefty fine after an ‘‘exploitative’’ and ‘‘voyeuristic’’ on-air interview about an abusive relationship.
In another incident, Kirby and a GeorgeFMco-host, Kara Rickard, were suspended and fined $8000 after they ‘‘named and shamed’’ two women, calling them ‘‘rank’’ and ‘‘hoes’’.
The BSA urged NZME to be mindful of Kirby’s history with the authority, adding there was a ‘‘potential pattern of behaviour and disregard for the standards’’.