3AW host Jacqui Felgate breaks silence over 15 paid partnerships saga

3AW’s new drive host Jacqui Felgate has broken her silence about the sponsorships saga plaguing Nine Radio and said the Melbourne station did know about her lucrative paid deals.

Troubled 3AW radio host Jacqui Felgate has broken her silence on the sponsorships saga that has plagued Nine Radio and said the paid deals she spruiks on social media were known to the station and steps have been made to amend a “genuine oversight.”

Felgate’s 15 lucrative paid partnerships – which were only disclosed by 3AW after The Australian asked why they had not been declared on the station’s commercial disclosure register – has led to an investigation by the media regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, and resulted in Felgate addressing the matter 16 days later.

All four Nine Radio stations are being scrutinised by ACMA including 3AW, 2GB, 4BC and 6PR.

3AW host Neil Mitchell also said “it was a bit rough” that 2GB host Ray Hadley “had gone after her” after the Sydney host voiced his disgust to management over Felgate’s deals.

Felgate has been filling in on the station’s afternoons program this week following the sacking of Dee Dee Dunleavy in June, and said she only spruiks “products and services that I believe in.”

“3AW were aware of these arrangements but due to a genuine oversight by the station as part of me transitioning into the new role, the commercial disclosure register was not updated on its website and 3AW has now taken steps to fix that,” she said on Wednesday.

“When it comes to discussing news and current affairs on 3AW I say it as I see it and that is with integrity.

“My social media is a wonderful addition and I love the community.

“Just this weekend, it was the social media community that told me about the Collingwood ticketing story.

“I work for the AFL, and it didn’t stop me running that story, and it never will.”

Felgate has been filling in as a host at 3AW since June last year and has exceeded the threshold of being on air for more than 3 hours per week over a four-week period.

She has 266,000 Instagram followers and regularly plugs products and brands and even takes part in giveaways and promotions.

Among Felgate’s lucrative deals include partnerships with BMW, Chemist Warehouse, Chadstone shopping centre, Smile Solutions, Maybelline, NAB AFL Auskick, Melbourne Racing Club, Melbourne Airport and Ceres Life.

The deals include those worth $25,000 or more each a year.

3AW broadcaster Jacqui Felgate in a social media post promoting sunscreen for company La Roche-Posay. Picture: Instagram

Earlier this month, she was announced as the station’s new drive host in 2024.

Hadley told The Australian this week that he had spoken to Nine Radio, led by Tom Malone, and said the fallout from the Felgate saga was damaging for other hosts.

“I certainly don’t think it’s good for any of us, particularly as management have put in place these compliance training meetings at the request of ACMA,” he said.

“I can only assume she (Felgate) went to the meetings wearing ear muffs.”

Felgate defended her social media use and said it had helped her find “someone’s stolen caravan, we reunited another person with their lost keys at the footy, we find lost dogs and I helped someone with mobility issues get a ticket to the footy.

“I’m also in a fortunate position where I’m presented with commercial opportunities, I’ve always only promoted products and services that I believe in and have always disclosed when I’ve been paid to promote something.”

Initially, The Australian was told the lack of disclosure about Felgate’s deals was an “innocent oversight” but since then 15 deals have been disclosed and the 3AW’s register with her deals has been amended multiple times.

Felgate’s management, TLA Worldwide, has not responded to questions on the matter.

Felgate departed Channel 7 Melbourne in April last year, before later joining 3AW to do food reviews and football commentary.

In a statement Nine Radio said: “Following Jacqui Felgate’s appointment as the new Drive host, effective 15 January 2024, 3AW was in the process of preparing Ms Felgate’s commercial agreements for disclosure on the register in compliance with the disclosure standard obligations, as per 3AW’s practice with all current affairs presenters.”

2GB host Ben Fordham is also under investigation by the media regulator over a three-minute on-air segment where he revealed he had signed to become an Uber driver to earn extra money.

During the August 3 segment with business commentator Peter Switzer, he said he had taken up a “side hustle” and had his “first passenger in an Uber.”

Fordham did not disclose during the segment he was in a paid partnership with Uber, however on 2GB’s website it discloses that Ben Fordham is in a partnership with Uber which includes to “feature in, and assist in preparation of, video, radio and print advertisements for Uber Australia. To appear at and host events.”