AFL media 2022: Erin Phillips rejects Eddie McGuire Jam TV project, while ABC parts ways with Alister Nicholson

The ABC has lost highly regarded callers Gerard Whately and Adam White in recent years. And a similar issue forced a rising star to walk.

ABC listeners would have noticed something missing when they tuned in for the opening round.

The man who had led the national broadcaster’s AFL coverage was missing.

Popular commentator Alister Nicholson quietly parted ways with the ABC over the summer after a contract dispute.

Nicholson has been one of the rising stars of the media landscape over the past 12 months as he expanded his profile as a swingman with Channel 7.

The ABC has a history of not supporting its talent in other mediums rather than seeing it as an excellent publicity and career development opportunity.

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It’s understood Nicholson had been looking at changing his status at the ABC to become a contractor which would allow him to work elsewhere.

But the goalposts moved during negotiations and in the end Nicholson was forced to walk which has left a major hole in the ABC commentary team.

Ironically his profile has never been bigger with Nicholson a shining light of Channel 7’s Winter Olympics coverage and playing a significant role in the network’s summer of cricket.

Alister Nicholson is no longer calling footy for the ABC. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

He has also slotted into the station’s AFL commentary rotation and will call Sunday’s Richmond-GWS game.

It’s not the first time the ABC has lost its best talent because of its restrictive ways with highly regarded callers Gerard Whateley and Adam White forced to walk away because of the archaic rules.

The ABC has added Jess Webster, who has commentated AFLW games on Fox Footy, to its Saturday night call team.

WHY PHILLIPS SNUBBED EDDIE

A proposed documentary on the AFLW has hit a sizeable roadblock.

Eddie McGuire’s Jam TV have commissioned the project which will go behind-the-scenes with several clubs throughout the AFLW season.

But there is one major problem, the biggest star of all won’t be appearing.

Adelaide’s Erin Phillips has been the most dominant force in the AFLW since its inception in 2017 and the documentary makers were obviously pencilling her in to be the face of the venture.

This included being wired up for Crows training and games but the proposal was hit on the head when it came to talking about the folding stuff.

Phillips’ management understandably asked the question regarding a fee for services and received crickets.

Erin Phillips turned down an approach to appear on an AFLW documentary.

The Crows star does have a book in the works which will cover her extraordinary career in basketball — she was a two-time WNBA champion and Olympian — and football where she has won two MVP awards and played in two AFLW premierships.

Melbourne AFLW’s star Tayla Harris has completed her documentary with Amazon Prime Video called Kick Like Tayla which captured her daily physical and mental challenges. It is expected to be released this year.

Jam TV has recently released Show Me The Money, a behind-the-scenes look at the world of AFL player managers.

Gerard Healy has a show on 3AW that is owned and produced by SEN enterprise.

HEAL-ING OLD WOUNDS

IS a bridge being built between 3AW and one of its former favourite sons?

While Gerard Healy is still heard on the station on Sportsday, which he has co-hosted for the past 25 years, the program is produced by Craig Hutchison’s SEN enterprise.

This all came about in the radio rights shake-up in 2017 but that is all about to change again at the end of this year with 3AW, which is now run by Nine Entertainment, taking back ownership of the sports program.

Sportsday will become Wide World of Sports with management keen for Healy to stay in the chair.

This would require some significant breaking of bread given Healy was less than impressed with the previous management’s handling of the show.

Healy currently co-hosts with Sam McClure although it’s unclear whether having two hosting chairs are part of Nine’s long-term plans.

Originally published as AFL media 2022: Erin Phillips rejects Eddie McGuire Jam TV project, while ABC parts ways with Alister Nicholson