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Home / Entertainment

Alan Jones' radio show and station takes ratings hit after Jacinda Ardern scandal

NZ Herald
28 Aug, 2019 06:36 PM2 mins to read

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Fresh audio reveals new details of Alan Jones' tirade against Jacinda Ardern. Video / MediaWatch

Aussie shock jock Alan Jones' breakfast radio show has taken a major ratings hit after he suggested a politician "shove a sock down" PM Jacinda Ardern's throat.

Jones made the shocking statement to Aussie PM Scott Morrison live on air, in response to Ardern's statements on climate change.

Jones referred to Ardern as a "lightweight" and said, "I hope Scott Morrison gets tough here with a few backhanders" saying, Ardern "hasn't got a clue".

He also called her "a complete clown" and "a joke", and "a swallower" of the climate change "hoax".

He said: "I just wonder whether Scott Morrison is going to be fully briefed to shove a sock down her throat.''

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Now, not only have ratings for Jones' show dropped by 0.3 per cent, the radio station 2GB has also taken a hit, losing 0.6 per cent of the overall share in the latest Commercial Radio Australia survey released on Tuesday.

More than 60 advertisers including Anytime Fitness, Koala mattresses, Virgin Australia, Mercedes Benz Sydney and the Commonwealth Bank have since terminated their station spending in the wake of the saga.

Following widespread backlash, Jones publicly apologised for his comments and his employer Macquarie Radio issued a stern warning that he would be sacked if similar comments were made again.

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Jones said: "I was wrong, and I apologise. When these things happen, you've just got to man up, pivot, face it and apologise for it.

"She's both a politician and a mother. I am certainly wanting the very best for her family and I hope at some stage we are able to talk.

"In this game, you've got to choose your words carefully and I didn't do that."

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