By 9News,Daniel Jeffrey
Copyright 9news
Kyle Sandilands and Jackie “O” Henderson “repeatedly and deliberately” aired content that fell foul of decency rules, and their owner is either unable or unwilling to rein in the controversial broadcasters, the media watchdog has found.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said today that The Kyle and Jackie O Show, which is aired on radio station KIIS in Sydney and Melbourne, breached the Commercial Radio Code of Practice on multiple occasions late last year.
The watchdog found the show violated the code nine times between August and December 2024 – seven times due to airing vulgar, sexually explicit or offensive content, plus one breach of complaint handling rules in both Melbourne and Sydney.
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Kyle and Jackie O had recently breached the code on three previous occasions, bringing the total number of breaches for the year to 12.
ACMA said its findings indicate there are “systemic issues with the program”.
It added that KIIS owner Australian Radio Network (ARN) could face further disciplinary action because it appears to either not care that its star presenters are breaching decency rules, or is incapable of doing anything about it.
“The Kyle and Jackie O Show has repeatedly and deliberately aired content that is vulgar, sexually explicit and deeply offensive,” ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin said.
“Even after previous breaches and the employment of additional censors required by the ACMA, the program continues to broadcast content that is unacceptable to the community.
“ARN, as the licensee of these stations, appears unwilling or unable to rein in these presenters.
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“As a result, the ACMA is currently considering enforcement actions so that ARN takes full responsibility for the content broadcast on their stations.”
The episodes that fell foul of decency rules included “lewd discussions about masturbation and pornography websites”, and an offensive of a sexual position.
ACMA also highlighted “two episodes of a guessing game where audio clips of male and female staff members urinating were aired, with hosts guessing which audio belonged to which staff member”.
“Both episodes included comments about the genitals of participants, and in the female staff member episode, graphic comments about menstruation and oral sex,” the watchdog added.
In a statement to 9news.com.au, ARN disputed the finding that it was not doing anything to change Kyle and Jackie O’s behaviour.
“ARN has reviewed the decision and ARN respects the role of ACMA,” a spokesperson said.
“The matters relate to content aired in 2024, and we have since taken steps to refine and improve processes.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with the ACMA to address its concerns.
“We acknowledge that The Kyle and Jackie O Show may not be to everyone’s taste, but with a loyal following of more than 1.6 million listeners each week, the show has built a strong and enduring connection with its audience for decades.”
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