Did Aunty pick the wrong man? Bob Murphy struggling with bruising world of brekkie radio

With sliding ratings, sleeping-in on a show and his strip club blunder, former Bulldogs skipper Bob Murphy appears to be struggling with the bruising world of brekkie radio.

With flagging ABC radio ratings, sleeping-in on a show and his “Spearmint Rhino” strip club gag out of bounds, Aunty may have picked the wrong man in Bob Murphy.

The former Bulldogs skipper is said to be struggling in the bruising format of around-the-clock brekkie radio.

While Murphy’s on-air partner, former Seven political reporter Sharnelle Vella, has more than 10 years’ experience on-air, not so Murphy.

While it’s not his first rodeo on radio, he previously worked on SEN, breakfast is a whole different beast and it’s understood Murphy is finding the five-day a week, sparrow call broadcasting gig tough.

On Wednesday morning’s program this was all too apparent when he made what an ABC spokesperson referred to in a statement as an “inappropriate comment” when he quipped to Vella about her working at strip club Spearmint Rhino.

The “quip” has raised eyebrows and was considered more at place in the footy locker room than at the ABC.

The statement said “Bob apologised to Sharnelle on air on Thursday morning, saying: I made a comment which insinuated my colleague and co-host Sharnelle worked at Spearmint Rhino, a well-known Melbourne strip club. It was not just a mistake, it was a gross and inaccurate offhand quip.

Bob Murphy and Sharnelle Vella have struggled to win over listeners. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

“I promised Sharnelle I would never disrespect her, and I broke that promise. Put simply, I’m really sorry,” the statement from the ABC read.

“Sharnelle has accepted Bob’s apology and wants to move on from the incident. The ABC has no further comment on the matter.”

Sources close to the Bulldogs legend have said he felt terrible about the comment and has been trying to work on his comedic timing, er, to not much avail.

Dubbed the “superwoke footballer,” he has made it known he is having trouble with the relentless nature of breakfast radio.

With ratings for the duo dipping from 6.3 to 5.6 in the latest radio survey, questions are starting to be asked.

Did they picked the right man for the job?

Whether Bob has the on-air longevity he had on the football field remains to be seen, or in this case, heard.

Originally published as Did Aunty pick the wrong man? Bob Murphy struggling with bruising world of brekkie radio