Media street: David Schwarz returning to SEN after healing wounds with Craig Hutchison

After one of the biggest blow-ups in footy media history, a former SEN stalwart has broken bread with Craig Hutchison and will make a return to the station. Details in Media street.

David Schwarz and Mark Allen

David Schwarz is returning to SEN. In a shock truce to what was one of the biggest blow-ups in footy media history, the former Melbourne champion and SEN boss Craig Hutchison have broken bread.

Schwarz has signed on to be a part of the station’s AFL coverage this season, sitting in the experts chair for one game each week.

While there will initially be no comeback of the cult favourite ‘Ox and Marko’ show, which Schwarz and former pro golfer Mark Allen did on SEN for over a decade, the door is open down the track.

Allen is remaining at 3AW where he has been a regular fill-in on the top-rating breakfast show.

David Schwarz is returning to SEN, while the door is open for Mark Allen to join him.

The return of the prodigal son Schwarz to the sports and entertainment network is stunning given he’s never held back about his outrage at Hutchison saying he’d “totally ruined SEN”.

Schwarz and Allen were spectacularly sacked from SEN minutes after signing off for the final show of 2017.

They later threatened legal action against the station after claiming they’d agreed to a two-year contract extension before abandoning the $1 million lawsuit because of Allen’s health battle as he successfully fought stage-four bowel cancer.

But time heals all wounds with Schwarz and Hutchison coming together over the past couple of months to discuss the unlikely reunion.

“We’ve had a lot of conversations and have worked things out,” Schwarz said. “Hutchy was good, he was like, ‘Let’s get going, what has happened in the past is gone, let’s just look forward’.

“I’ve always loved SEN and it feels like I’m going back home.”

Hutchison said he was excited to have one of the SEN’s all-time favourites back on the airwaves.

“The Ox is a big favourite of the SEN audience and a huge historical contributor to the 20 year success of SEN,” he said. “The timing and opportunity aligned and it is great to welcome him home in our 21st year, having only recently celebrated our 20th birthday of SEN 1116.”

The first signs that there was a thawing between the pair came during the station’s birthday celebration in January when Schwarz and Allen appeared on the breakfast show with Garry Lyon and Tim Watson for a journey down memory lane.

Craig Hutchison and Schwarz managed to put the past behind them. Picture: Getty Images

It was a very different story back in 2020 when Schwarz revealed he still hadn’t spoken to Hutchison since the sacking three years earlier.

“Hutchy came in and he bought into SEN or they merged (with Pacific Star Network) and we got our marching orders, which was devastating on many fronts, and then we went over to Macquarie Sport,” Schwarz told the Herald Sun’s Sacked podcast.

“We came off air at seven o’clock on the last day (of the year) and then we were told we had five minutes to get our stuff together and get out of the building, and that was by Cathy Thomas, who was the CEO at the time. She started crying and carrying on, but Hutchy had pulled the trigger. We were out.

“He has never spoken to us, never contacted us or had any sort of dialogue at all. I did see on a podcast where he said he was going to double the ratings, double the business and double the audience and double the revenue.

“He has lost 75 per cent of the audience, the business is stagnant, the share price hasn‘t changed, and I dare say he has absolutely ruined SEN. He has absolutely ruined it.”

Schwarz denied he had a grudge against Hutchison, saying he cared for the station and its staff.

“I haven’t got a grudge. Hutchy and I used to be really close mates, so whatever has happened has happened,” he said.

“He has made a bad decision. Not only has he lost the audience and the ratings, we walked out with $3 million of sponsors as well, which was satisfying for us.

“I hate the fact that I am talking about SEN because I love the place. I loved every aspect of it. I could still tell you every person I worked with by name. I think he has ruined it. I think he has totally ruined SEN.”

Schwarz and Allen moved to Macquarie Sports Radio in 2018 before they were axed when Nine took over the station. They were brought back under the network’s umbrella in 2020 to present 3AW’s Saturday evening football coverage.

Last year the pair branched out into the podcast world launching Couple of Blokes, Couple of Beers.