Nine Radio removes 13 deals held by nine hosts as paid partnership saga deepens

Nine Entertainment’s trouble-plagued radio arm has removed numerous lucrative deals from its website that are held by its hosts amid the ongoing Jacqui Felgate sponsorships debacle.

Nine Entertainment’s radio arm has stripped 13 lucrative commercial deals held by nine radio hosts across its network in the past week as it continues to deal with the fallout engulfing its major stations.

Nine Radio, headed up by managing director Tom Malone, recently uploaded numerous deals held by broadcasters onto its radio websites but has now removed many of them.

Nine’s four major stations, 2GB, 3AW, 4BC and 6PR, remain under investigation by the media regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Last week Nine Radio removed the 13 deals which included three commercial partnerships held by 3AW’s nights’ host Denis Walter.

Walter’s deals included Tobin Brothers, Prestige Jayco and Tempur Australia with the Tempur deal only posted last month.

All deals held by 2GB hosts Bill Woods, Murray Olds, Murray Wilton and Michael McLaren were also removed last week.

At Nine’s Brisbane station, 4BC, all deals held by Mark Hine, Bill Crews and Mark Levy were stripped from its website, while at 6PR in Perth a deal held by breakfast host Karl Langdon was deleted.

Nine Radio managing director Tom Malone. Photo: Supplied

His paid partnership with Parkside Towers was only recently uploaded to 6PR’s website but has now gone.

Under ACMA’s standards, presenters must provide licensees with details of a commercial agreement that meets its disclosure requirements within seven days of entering into the deal.

A Nine spokeswoman told the Australian that commercial partnerships that must be declared under ACMA’s commercial disclosure standard were now all up to date.

“Nine Radio has confirmed to the ACMA that the commercial registers of 4BC, 2GB, 3AW and 6PR are up to date with respect to all relevant commercial agreements,” she said.

“The commercial registers are updated on a regular basis to ensure continuous compliance with the Standard.

“Compliance with the disclosure standard requires continuous review and update of the registers, which Nine will continue to do as appropriate.”

3AW’s newly-appointed drive host, Jacqui Felgate, has 15 deals, some worth a minimum of $25,000.

The deals, including arrangements with National Australia Bank, Melbourne Airport, AFL, Villawood Management, Smile Solutions, Chadstone shopping centre and Racing Victoria, were only disclosed by the Melbourne station after The Australian probed Nine about why they had not been declared.

In the past week Felgate, who has been filling in as afternoons host before she takes up the station’s drive slot in 2024, has posted plugs of Melbourne Airport, Villawood Homes and Melbourne Racing Club on her Instagram account – which has 270,000 followers.

In the MRC Club post she urged followers to buy tickets to the Caulfield Cup and she featured a link to the club’s website on her social media account to do so.

In a video featuring Felgate last week she spruiked Melbourne Airport and encouraged her followers to make purchases at Lotte Duty Free, telling them: “Shoppers can click, collect and fly. Did you know you can buy your duty free between 60 days and 24 hours before you travel, or pick it up when you return.

“It’s so easy.”

Last week The Australian revealed Felgate had given a glowing on-air review about a luxury BMW electric iX3 she has been driving, but had failed to tell listeners of a longstanding commercial deal with BMW Berwick that began in early 2022.

3AW presenter Jacqui Felgate in an Instagram post promoting BMW.

An ACMA spokesman said the commercial deals held by Nine Radio remain under close scrutiny.

“The ACMA is actively engaged with Nine Radio about its compliance with the Broadcasting Services (Commercial Radio Current Affairs Disclosure) Standard 2022,” she said.

“The ACMA will not be commenting further on these matters until our inquiries and investigations are concluded.”

2GB host Ben Fordham also remains under investigation by ACMA after he said in a segment in August that he had begun driving an Uber to earn extra money but he failed to tell listeners he was in a paid deal with Uber.

Fordham won best current affairs presenter at the Australia Commercial Radio & Audio awards on the weekend.