Australian radio, as a general rule, doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to how they treat international guests.
Kyle and Jackie O, the most popular FM breakfast show in the country, has been boycotted by a number of celebrities, including Glee star Lea Michele, Cameron Diaz and Harry Styles, after asking questions they deemed inappropriate.
The trope of ‘Australia radio hosts behaving badly’ is a tired one, and Brisbane’s Hit105 announcer Matty Acton was this week eager to join the ever-growing list.
On Tuesday morning the breakfast show host embarked on an angry rant about producer and television personality Rove McManus, who apparently hasn’t been returning their calls.
You see, the HIT105 breakfast show has been campaigning to try and get Pink, who is currently touring Australia, to come and play handball with them at the Ekka (The Royal Queensland Show) in Brisbane.
For reasons that are ENTIRELY OBVIOUS AND UNDERSTANDABLE the singer who was likely busy, you know, doing her job and what not, did not get back to them.
But the hosts, Acton along with Stav Davidson and Abby Coleman decided to reach out to Rove McManus – a friend of Alecia Beth Moore, better known as Pink.
McManus, who once hosted Rove Live and is co-owner of Roving Enterprises which produces programs such as The Project, is among the 454 Pink follows on Twitter – and one of the only Aussies.
But McManus chose not to sell out his friend by supporting a radio gag.
When Acton discovered, however, that 44-year-old McManus and his wife Tasma Walton, had met up with Pink over the weekend, he decided to have a dig at the television personality live on radio.
“What a d*ck,” Acton said.
“We have had him on this show talking about his boring shows, his stupid non-rating television shows. He declines our calls when we ring him for a favour and then he’s toddled off hanging out with Pink. Hasn’t answered any of our tweets or phone calls ever.”
Goodness.
“It’s not how it works, mate,” Acton continued. “We talk about your boring stuff so then you talk about our boring stuff. That’s how a friendship works.”
Is it though?
“Oh well, no more boring Rove chat on our show anymore,” he said.
Something tells us Rove isn’t all that keen on appearing on HIT105 as a special guest – especially after this whole debacle – anyway.
The rant has spectacularly backfired, with many siding with McManus for not putting pressure on Pink to play a handball game for a bit of publicity.
If only more Australian radio hosts knew how to treat our international guests like human beings – rather than objects that can be passed around, poked and prodded, for a quick ratings hit.
No wonder Rove is one of the few people Pink follows on Twitter.
He treats her with respect and dignity – and in the face of industry pressure – managed to maintain his integrity.
Top Comments
Last I checked the project does pretty well in the ratings. I doubt rove will lose sleep because some stupid guy has issue with him and who he is friends with. It’s a bit schoolyard pretty really
The Project will rate as long as Rove stays behind the camera and not in front. He seems like a genuinely lovely guy, but he really isn't funny.
Each to their own but I always found him funny
Yes, I'm sure Rove will be *heartbroken* that he's no longer welcome on your show. Good on him for not exploiting his famous friends - he'll probably end up with a lot more of them than this other bloke.
My thought too Rush - it shows that he has some integrity and is not willing to sell-out a friend for a few minutes of air time.