Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson have hinted at a future beyond commercial radio, after several clashes with KIIS FM management.
Sandilands, 49, made a throwaway remark on Monday’s Kyle and Jackie O Show about ‘leaving here’ and signing with a ‘censorship-free’ platform.
He spoke about a move away from traditional radio broadcasting after becoming frustrated with the legal and HR loopholes he had to jump through to get his Most Beautiful Penis Pageant over the line.
Tension: Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson have hinted at a future beyond commercial radio, after several clashes with KIIS FM management
After declaring the winner of the Penis Pageant, Sandilands complained about how difficult it had been getting the competition on the air.
He also bemoaned the fact the contest was only a sanitised version of the grand extravaganza he’d originally planned last year.
He and co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson said the much-hyped competition was ‘as good as we could get it’ given the restrictions imposed by the ‘fun police’ executives at the Australian Radio Network (ARN).
Making a move? Sandilands, 49, made a throwaway remark on Monday’s Kyle and Jackie O Show about ‘leaving here’ and signing with a ‘censorship-free’ platform
Sandilands then said: ‘Until we leave here and go commercial free and censorship free…’
While he didn’t say anything further, his comments hinted at a future ‘with a streaming or podcast giant less hamstrung by commercial broadcasting rules’, according to Radio Today.
If Sandilands and Henderson do end up leaving KIIS FM over the censorship issue, they will likely end up taking most of their audience with them.
When the duo quit 2Day FM in late 2013, they brought their listeners with them to KIIS, resulting in a sharp ratings decline for their old station that is still felt today.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted KIIS FM and Sandilands’ manager, Bruno Bouchet, for comment.
Issues: He spoke about a move away from traditional radio broadcasting after becoming frustrated with the legal and HR loopholes he had to jump through to get his Most Beautiful Penis Pageant over the line. Pictured: Sandilands’ co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson
It comes a week after Sandilands sensationally threatened to quit his top-rating breakfast show last Tuesday over a disagreement with KIIS FM management.
He started the broadcast at 6am in a filthy mood after discovering senior execs had removed the much-hyped Most Beautiful Penis Pageant from the podcast edition of his radio show.
Sandilands claimed he’d been ‘lied to by station management’ who allegedly told him the Most Beautiful Penis Pageant would be included uncensored on The Kyle and Jackie O podcast – which is one of the most popular in Australia.
When he woke up to discover the segment – which he’d been trying to get on air for months – had been edited out of the podcast, he was ropeable.
Valuable asset: If Sandilands and Henderson do end up leaving KIIS FM over the censorship issue, they will likely end up taking most of their audience with them
He offered a stern warning to station bosses and vowed to find out which executive was responsible for the decision.
‘You don’t go up against me or you’ll be finished,’ he said. ‘I wish I could name a name but I don’t know a name yet.’
Henderson, 46, was less outraged by the podcast snub but was nonetheless confused as to why it was edited out.
‘The Penis Pageant is happening on our show; we’ve just got to make sure it’s on our podcast. I don’t understand. If it can be heard here…’ she said.
‘[On other] podcasts people are saying so much worse. There’s a lot of freedom of speech on there. [On] podcasts they’re saying anything they want to.’
Sandilands added: ‘I don’t think our company understands audio. Get a grip. One more lie from this management and you’ll never see me again.’
He then backed down on his threat slightly by making a joke about having ‘to rob banks to survive’ without his radio salary.
But jokes aside, he seemed genuinely angry and upset that management had gone behind his back by removing his beloved Penis Pageant from the podcast.
He concluded: ‘Anyway, the witch hunt will continue behind the scenes, and when I find out the culprit, they will be exposed for the lying dog they are.
‘Tricking and lying and ducking and weaving. How embarrassing. It’s embarrassing.’
Ropeable: It comes a week after Sandilands sensationally threatened to quit his top-rating breakfast show last Tuesday over a disagreement with KIIS FM management
It’s not uncommon for content broadcast on live radio to be removed when a show is uploaded as a podcast on Apple, Spotify or other audio streaming platforms.
This is typically done to cover up gaffes, but sometimes it’s due to legal concerns.
Legally problematic content broadcast on live radio often doesn’t result in any consequences for stations because live radio is considered an ephemeral medium – in other words, it is aired once then ‘disappears’ and is forgotten.
But when the content is uploaded to the Internet, it becomes more permanent and searchable on Google, which can result in complaints down the track.
The radio duo announced earlier this month they would be holding their long-awaited Most Beautiful Penis Pageant on May 17, after months of negotiations with management and lawyers at KIIS FM.
Sandilands was particularly enthusiastic about the concept, which he first proposed on air last year, declaring: ‘This is the greatest day of my life.’
Network bosses had previously expressed concerns about the ethics and legality of such a contest, and were especially worried about minors sending in explicit photos.
As a result, the segment was the subject of much behind-the-scenes legal wrangling at KIIS FM.
On May 7, Sandilands read aloud a confidential legal letter that outlined some of the supposed risks associated with the Penis Pageant.
He said on air: ‘”Clause three states that you” – me, right? – “accept all risk associated with the Most Beautiful Penis Pageant. These risks include, but are not limited to, 1) Being exposed to full-frontal male nudity” – that’s fine – “2) Being exposed to unsolicited images of penises, scrotums and potentially anuses…” Imagine the poor person writing this letter! Some poor paralegal sitting there typing this up.’
Sandilands continued: ‘”We know that if you were to be traumatised through the exposure to nudity etc. or physically injured that you have no legal recourse in recouping any damages through the Australian Radio Network.”‘
Henderson added: ‘I don’t think we have to worry about that, do we?’
Where did it go? He started the broadcast in a filthy mood after discovering senior execs had removed the much-hyped Most Beautiful Penis Pageant from the podcast edition of his show
Sandilands went on, quoting the letter: ‘”It is important to acknowledge that any physical or psychological harm that would stem from being host, judge and creator of Most Beautiful Penis Pageant are solely your responsibility.
‘”While this type of activity may appear to be fun, there are real-life consequences with much to be considered from partaking in this type of activity.'”
KIIS FM newsreader Brooklyn Ross then asked: ‘So are you going to sign the waiver?’
Muzzled: On Monday, Sandilands bemoaned the fact the Most Beautiful Penis Pageant was only a sanitised version of the grand extravaganza he’d originally planned last year
‘Yeah, I’m going to sign the waiver,’ Sandilands responded. ‘It just means I can’t sue if someone comes in here and stabs me to death during it.’
Sandilands found it baffling that anybody could be traumatised by a penis pageant, and asked his producers if they’d already signed the waiver.
They all said they had signed except for Henderson, who admitted she hadn’t yet but intended to once her manager had read over it.
Trauma? The Kyle and Jackie O Show production team had to sign waivers before the Penis Pageant could go ahead in the studio – something Sandilands found ridiculous