By Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
Kyle Sandilands doesn’t mind being in the headlines, particularly when they concern his gargantuan salary.
But even he might be less than impressed to learn that highly confidential pay details of radio’s biggest-earning stars (including his own) have been handed to lawyers representing the enemy.
That’s because the big radio networks were forced by order of the all-powerful Copyright Tribunal to divulge details of their biggest-earning stars to lawyers conducting a court case for the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia Ltd (PPCA), which is campaigning to get more moolah for Aussie record labels and local artists.
Sandilands at home in Vaucluse. Credit: Nic Walker
And its main target is the commercial FM radio networks, which PPCA reckon are not forking out enough in licence fees.
So it must have hurt the big radio networks – Nova, owned by Lachlan Murdoch; SCA, home of Triple M, Fox and 2Day; and Kyle and Jackie “O” Henderson’s shop ARN – to lose this skirmish.
The highly confidential payslips may help the tribunal determine what is fair to pay musos for playing their records on the radio.
Kyle Sandilands’ very lucrative payslips could soon be revealedCredit: John Shakespeare
Goodness knows how the radio stations are managing their notoriously competitive talent on this issue. But who are the top-paid stars? The industry guessing game is delicious.
At issue: the tribunal said PPCA lawyers could be told who were the three highest-paid radio presenters at ARN, Nova and SCA in the 2022-23 financial year. That is before Sandilands and Henderson inked a decade-long mega-deal in November worth up to $200 million.
Apart from Kyle and Jackie O, ARN is home to Amanda Keller and Brendan Jones on WSFM in Sydney, as well as Gold FM British import Christian O’Connell in Melbourne.
They can’t all be on the list.
Over at SCA, Fifi Box at Fox FM in Melbourne was top of the ratings pile along with co-hosts Brendan Fevola and Nick Cody. And funnyman Dave “Hughesy” Hughes at 2Day FM in Sydney must fancy himself as being a contender. We are not so sure about his Morning Crew mates Ed Kavalee and Erin Molan.
Senator David Pocock is fighting the good fight with a private member’s bill to give artists fair pay for play on radio, but even he didn’t want to be drawn on news of the salary disclosure. Wise man.
PPCA and Commercial Radio Australia declined to comment.
THE DORELET
We’ve given former The Australian editor Chris Dore a hard time of late over his rebirth at Seven West Media.
In truth, CBD loves a good comeback story, so we feel it is only fair to tell you Dore’s installation as editor of The West Australian and The Sunday Times isn’t his only piece of good news; he’s going to be a daddy!
Former editor-in-chief of The Australian Chris Dore.Credit: Jesse Marlow
The worst-kept secret in the media is that Dore and his partner Jenna Clarke, a columnist at The Australian, are expecting a baby in June.
Now that the happy news is social-media-official we couldn’t ignore the unmissable cast of characters that attended the couple’s recent baby shower. CBD’s spies spotted former Liberal speaker and chopper enthusiast Bronwyn Bishop hovering over the saveloys, while her party comrade Teena McQueen was also around.
Other guests included the Daily Mail’s new political editor Peter van Onselen, his corporate high-flyer wife Ainslie van Onselen, The Australian’s Caroline Overington, and defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou.
The affair was organised by News Corp’s Sharri Markson and took place at the home of Chrysanthou’s frequent collaborator, the defamation lawyer Rebekah Giles, who we were shocked to see hanging out with a bunch of journalists she wasn’t trying to help sue.
STOP THE STEAL!
In March, CBD brought word former NSW arts minister Don Harwin had triumphed in his quest to become NSW Liberal Party president by just a single vote.
Harwin’s pyrrhic victory over his rival, party treasurer Mark Bailie, had tongues wagging about the waning strength of the party elder’s moderate faction, while also launching a million conspiracy theories about the integrity of the election. Where have we heard that before?
But Bailie, who chairs the US Studies Centre, isn’t the sort to kick off a Capitol riot-style insurrection, and this week he conceded defeat once and for all.
Citing the “credible and substantiated issues” around some of the votes and close margin, Bailie said in an email to supporters that he’d sought a formal challenge, which the party’s secretariat rejected.
“Having carefully considered the reasons provided, further expert advice has made it clear that an appeal could be successful. However, I have decided not to proceed,” he said.
“The ensuing process in itself would take considerable time and, if successful, a new ballot for president would be required,” Bailie continued, adding that a year out from a federal election wasn’t the time for precious Liberal Party energy and resources to be distracted.
Good call. But we don’t expect that to mark the end of all the juicy internal squabbling.