A marriage of convenience

The merger between 2GB and Fairfax looks to be going ahead. So what does that mean for the shock jocks who have been vocal about their anti Fairfax stance?

And timing as we know can be everything.

Take this spray from Sydney shockjock Ray Hadley just over a year ago about the prospect of his beloved 2GB merging with those, well I can only call them nincompoops at Fairfax. 


RAY HADLEY: I wouldn’t let any of the Fairfax radio executives anywhere near Australia’s most successful radio station in 2GB ... 

RAY HADLEY: Their programming of Sydney radio station 2UE is at best the work of amateurs, at worst the work of nincompoops ...

— 2GB, The Ray Hadley Morning Show, 26th February, 2014

That was Hadley mouthing off last February as merger talks between the Macquarie and Fairfax radio networks fell apart. 

And he wasn’t the only one to let off steam.

Twenty four hours earlier, 2GB’s biggest shareholder John Singleton had also taken to the airwaves to give the chaps at Fairfax a free character reference, starting with the company’s chairman, Roger Corbett...


JOHN SINGLETON: If you’re a proper chairman, a decent human being, not a precocious pretentious prick ... 

— 2GB, The Alan Jones Breakfast Show, 25th February, 2014

And moving on rapidly to Fairfax CEO Greg Hywood, whom he also held in high regard.


JOHN SINGLETON: The guy, I thought, was a third-rater. He’s obviously an idiot.

— 2GB, The Alan Jones Breakfast Show, 25th February, 2014

Singleton also told The Australian that Fairfax’s bosses were and I quote:

Incompetent, weak, out of touch, duplicitous and third-rate wankers

But 12 months later, the radio marriage is on. 

Just over a week ago, Australia’s competition watchdog the ACCC, gave its consent and, if shareholders agree, the happy couple will soon be walking up the aisle.

So why the outbreak of love? 

Well, the answer of course is money.

As Macquarie Radio Network shareholder Mark Carnegie told Media Watch last year...


The deal remains one of the most compelling M & A transactions I’ve come across and the fact it hasn’t happened has cost shareholders of both companies 200 million over the last decade.

— Mark Carnegie, Shareholder, Macquarie Radio Network, 28th February, 2014

Most estimates of future savings are from six to 15 million dollars a year. 

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s4194239.htm

A senior Government backbencher who supported last month's failed motion for a leadership spill says the Prime Minister has changed his behaviour, but will still be judged on his future performance.

The motion to bring on a challenge to Tony Abbott's leadership gained significant momentum, when the former Assistant Treasurer, Arthur Sinodinos saidhis support for the Prime Minister was "not unconditional."

Senator Sinodinos made it clear before last month's motion to bring on a leadership spill that he would support it.

However, on Monday night Senator Sinodinos told Lateline backbenchers now feel more free to complain directly to the Prime Minister about the way his office is run.

"The mood of the backbench, as you can see by the fact that it was a 39-61 loss, was that the Prime Minister should be given the time, the clear air to change things that were of concern to the backbench and ministers, and we give him the time to do all of that and then we see how things go," he said.

However, Senator Sinodinos would not put a timeframe on the Prime Minister's leadership.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-10/arthur-sinodinos-says-abbott-has-changed-behaviour/6292402

Is this still okay that Sinodinos, the "Cash Diviner" for the AWH Waterworks where Obeid had a stake in, still in parliament?... Who knows... You be the judge...