SHOCK JOCKS

While shock jocks continue to make news overseas, New Zealand radio prefers to shun the term. And with Michael Laws’ departure from the airwaves earlier this year, perhaps our last best candidate for the title has gone (The Edge’s Dom Harvey appears to be in line for the title after his comments on Twitter about female comedians and an X Factor NZ contestant were met with condemnation). “Shock jocks is a sensationalist descriptor,” says The Radio Network’s chief executive Jane Hastings. “Bland personalities would never work on radio. We do want people with opinion, points of view and humour, but we’re not out to create shock jocks.” In fact, when TRN sought a new host to hold down Radio Hauraki’s relaunched breakfast show, they went for Martin Devlin, whom Hastings describes as “sports nut, but not a shock jock”. Belinda Mulgrew, MediaWorks radio’s chief executive agrees. “Hosts are employed to be real, engaging and entertaining. While that may mean they occasionally say things that can be controversial on air and online, it’s not what they are focused on doing.”