RadioLIVE host slams axing move

RadioLIVE host Mitch Harris has slammed MediaWorks’ decision to axe most of the shows on the station, criticising his employer in a lengthy on-air discussion late at night.

MediaWorks on Thursday told staff that it planned to merge the RadioLive brand with its existing Magic network — axing most of RadioLIVE’s programming in the process.

During his Night Talk show on RadioLIVE on Thursday night, Harris told a listener calling in that his show “could have been successful”.

“If I was still managing it, it would have been rating well and making a lot of money now,” he said, referring to his past as head of RadioLIVE.

Harris — whose show is facing the axe under a radical restructure — made the comments after 11pm during his 8pm to midnight radio show.

“Remember when we brought Paul Henry back to Breakfast? I’d already hired Paul twice before. He always leaves. He gets bored, he has a lot of money so he always leaves,” he said, adding that Henry is “a good guy to work with”.

“He came on and he did great on ratings in the morning, he really put it on the map.” Harris said that, while everyone was celebrating the ratings Henry was bringing in the morning, he could tell the overall results were “not great”.

According to Harris, the older, 50 plus, radio audience did not want to hear about issues such as the problems faced by the transgender community.

“It’s not hate, they’re just not interested,” he said.

“We’re not talking to the people that actually listen to talk radio. Radio is about relatability. That’s where we failed.”