Lose's job gone after spilling beans

Willie Lose. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

Sports broadcaster Willie Lose is on garden leave from his Newstalk ZB job. He was offered a new role at The Radio Network after news Tony Veitch would take over from him on Saturday afternoons on ZB. The weekly slot on Radio Sport was to have been Lose's from the end of March.

But following a story this week in the NZ Herald, in which Lose claimed he had received only a few minutes notice of the changes, the offer was withdrawn.

TRN boss Dallas Gurney says Lose was told the news in January.

This week Lose confirmed he no longer had a position at TRN. He had not been keen on the position anyway, he said. "I felt insulted by it to be honest."

He didn't want to be the "fill-in guy" and was already talking to other potential employers.

Veitch will also host a Sunday morning show on ZB and Radio Sport breakfast, Wednesdays-Fridays.

Asked about Lose's future, Gurney said it was best for both parties to move on. As for speculation that Veitch, who fell from grace after pleading guilty to abusing his former partner, might replace Murray Deaker, Gurney said: "Certainly not at the moment. We're very happy with Murray doing the Sunday programme and the two sports talk programmes during the week."