Former 2GB producer accuses heavyweight Ray Hadley of ‘intense bullying’ over his career

Ray Hadley has broken his silence about bullying claims after a second former producer described a “culture of abuse” at the radio station.

Ray Hadley has expressed regret over “intense bullying” claims after a second radio producer also described difficulties with working with the radio heavyweight.

Chris Bowen said he’d suffered psychiatric issues due to the death of his parents, but also attributed his suffering to over a decade of bullying from a colleague according to his lengthy Facebook post from Friday.

Bowen confirmed to news.com.au the post was referring to Hadley.

A Macquarie Radio spokesman said the company was “not aware of any complaints related to this matter”.

“All staff at Macquarie Media are required to adhere to a workplace behaviour policy which includes a responsibility to maintain a safe working environment and report any matters of concern,” the spokesman said in a statement.

“Any current or former staff are encouraged to register a complaint directly with the station, as is the appropriate process.

“In the interest of fairness to all parties, all matters reported will be investigated on a confidential basis and the outcomes are discussed directly with the people involved.

“Other than what has been published on social media, we are not aware of any complaints having been made in relation to the matters raised by Chris Bowen, and would once again invite any complaints or concerns to be raised directly with the station to ensure that they can be dealt with promptly and fairly.”

Hadley has since expressed regret for any harm caused to Mr Bowen in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.

“I won’t be saying anything about it out of respect for his mental health issues,” he said.

Hadley told The Daily Telegraph the relationship was difficult at times.

“He was a young bloke, full cheek and full of ability, through our years together we became very close — probably more like a father and son relationship and given what he had to deal with personally,” Hadley said today.

“I tried to help him as much as I could.

“One of the saddest parts of my broadcasting life was the end of our relationship. That came a couple of years after I was the master of ceremonies at his wedding, where he said some very generous and kind things about me, and our relationship.

“That was a very proud moment to see him get to that stage of his life despite the enormity of his battles.”

The broadcaster went on to express regret for any harm caused to Mr Bowen.

“I’d like to think as part of his recovery we could catch up into the future and talk about all the good times we’ve had over the years, there were plenty of them,” he said.

“The bottom of the story is he is a fairly decent person who is having some struggles and I wish him well.”

Since Mr Bowen went public with his claims, another former 2GB employee, Jesse Chard, made further claims about Hadley, this morning telling news.com.au, “it’s like he is filled with manic rage”.

Mr Chard worked as a multimedia producer for the station from 2007 to 2010, working on the 2GB website and an associated, now defunct site livenews.com.au. He said he worked with all the teams at the network during his tenure, and knew Hadley to be prone to explosive anger.

“Everything to do with the station is dealt with with rage” Mr Chard said, saying it was not unusual for Mr Hadley to begin his sentences with “you’re a f**king idiot” when discussing routine radio issues.

Ray Hadley has been accused of bullying by two former 2GB producers. Picture: Tim Hunter

“It’s a culture of abuse,” he said. “Everything to do with the station is dealt with with rage.”

“This is 10 years ago, I was there from 2007 to 2010. I know he may have softened his position” Mr Chard told news.com.au, saying Hadley may have been through workplace training.

Mr Chard said he developed panic disorder while working at the station.

“Mental health issues do arise from working in a place like that. There’s racism, bullying. The whole station is full of bullying and toxicity,” he said.

“All of the humour is always at the expense of someone else.”

Mr Chard said the worst abuse he received from Hadley was after writing a satirical news article under a pseudonym, something that had become a regular part of his role running the live news feed.

After one of Hadley’s listeners complained about one article, which mentions “heroin biscuits” and “satan role models”, Hadley requested to see Mr Chard at the end of his shift.

He claimed Hadley scalded him, screaming expletives at him for “about 10 minutes”.

Mr Chard described the incident as a “shrieking tirade” on Facebook. He posted his claims this morning saying he was coming out in support of Mr Bowen.

“If Chris Bowen is going public about his bullying, then I am too out of solidarity. Right now he will need all the support he can get,” Mr Chard wrote on Facebook this morning.

“I was screamed at … and threatened that I would lose my job — by a man that had nothing to do with my employment there.

“I was screamed at that I was a “f**king c*nt” at least 20 times.

“The content of the tirade in hindsight was absurdly comical, and I’ve told the story countless times at the pub, but what was not comical was the crippling panic attacks and panic disorder that followed.”

Chris Bowen (left) said he endured 16 years of ‘intense bullying’ at the hands of radio heavyweight Ray Hadley.

Mr Bowen said he got his job at 2GB straight out of school and called it “literally a dream come true”.

“But gradually as time passed I was subjected to vile and inexcusable behaviour,” he wrote. “I know many of you have witnessed what I’m talking about.

“I also took part to an extent in this behaviour.”

Mr Bowen described the bullying as “out of control sheer rage”.

“It was directed at me at least weekly,” he said. “At one point I think we went several months without talking to each other. This is a person that sat five metres away from me, six or seven days a week in a soundproof studio.

“Thank god there was double glazed glass between us,” he said.

“But it also meant a covert form of bullying could take place, far removed from a management that could barely contain this person themselves.”

Mr Bowen also claimed Hadley carried around an old football card with a picture of a former employee he disliked in his wallet, “kind of like a voodoo doll”.

Mr Bowen does not name Mr Hadley in the Facebook post.

“I can’t bring myself to name the person, because even with my new found clarity and insight I fear their unpredictability. This person is incredibly intelligent, a pure genius at getting out of a sticky spot,” Mr Bowen wrote.

“But then again you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to work it out.”

Bowen confirmed to news.com.au the post was referring to Hadley.

Mr Bowen claimed he was removed from his position for a short period in 2008 after voicing his concerns. He returned and continued working for Hadley for a further eight years.

Macquarie Radio’s chairman Russell Tate labelled Hadley a “psychotic bully” in 2013 after he launched into a tirade against another producer, Richard Palmer. Hadley was suspended for a short period over the incident and the matter was settled outside of court.

A number of former 2GB employees voiced their support in the comments of the post.

“Mate, we didn’t know it was this bad. I’m glad you have the family to look after you and you will recover,” one supporter wrote.

“Good on you for speaking out, mate. It could be such a toxic environment, and no one had the guts to say anything,” wrote Joel Labi, an ex-newsreader for 2GB. “You’ve done a brave thing confronting these demons.”

Chris Bowen and Macquarie Radio were contacted for this article.