Jones deal has nervous 2GB staffers waiting for axe to fall

The appearance of Nine’s head of sport Tom Malone at 2GB last week created mild panic in some quarters, with insiders fearing he was there to take a headcount.

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Days after 2GB locked Alan Jones into a new two-year $8 million contract, staff at the radio station are nervously anticipating a raft of end-of-financial-year cuts at the radio business.

The appearance of Nine’s head of sport Tom Malone at 2GB last week created mild panic in some quarters with insiders fearing he was there to take a headcount.

Yesterday Malone confirmed he had toured the station but denied he was there to recommend any staff cuts.

The former Today show executive producer — who got his start in media as a reporter for 2UE radio in 2000 — said he was at 2GB as a guest of radio CEO Adam Lang.

Lang offered Malone a tour of the radio HQ six months ago following Nine’s Fairfax merger and Malone was belatedly taking up the offer.

Nine head of sport Tom Malone (centre) with Peter Beattie and Todd Greenberg at the 2018 NRL launch.

“We’ve been talking about how we might go about getting some of Nine’s sports talent on radio — that’s all. My visit had nothing to do with the business,” Malone said.

Insiders at 2GB are hearing Malone’s boss, Nine CEO Hugh Marks, who was also sighted at 2GB in recent weeks, is proposing the removal of a “layer of fat” at the Macquarie Media radio network.

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That “fat”, claims sources, encompasses a tier of middle management recently installed by Lang but not well-regarded by breakfast star Jones.

“Nine want fat trimmed from everywhere,” said the source.

Alan Jones has just signed a new $8 million contract with 2GB.

“They are looking closely at merging their newsroom with 2GB’s — also their sales department.

“But Nine chair Peter Costello has been picking Alan Jones’s brain to save money and Jones has recommended he start with those who planned to install (morning show host) Ray Hadley at breakfast.”

This means four former Hadley staffers promoted into middle management roles in the past two years may be among those looking over their shoulders.

“You know how it’s said you only get one shot to take down an elephant before he charges you and kills you? Well, Jones is now that elephant at 2GB.”

CEO Lang refused to comment yesterday.