Tue 21 Jul 2009 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Talkback host John Tamihere has been reigned in, his recent co-host, restaurateur Leo Molloy, forbidden from hosting any further Radio Live programmes and the station's owner has apologised for the pair's offensive broadcast about gay men. John Tamihere In a letter distributed today to people who formally complained about the pair's 16 June homophobic tirades, the Radio Standards Committee of Radio Live's corporate masters, MediaWorks, says it is "sufficiently concerned by the broadcast to have specifically counseled John Tamihere regarding the expression of his views on the gay community and to have directed that Leo Molloy [Tamihere's guest host on 16 June] will not be provided with any future opportunity to present his views to the Radio Live audience as a host." During the broadcast, the latest in a long history of anti-gay tirades broadcast by Tamihere, gay men were characterised as "bummers" and "homos" who "treat their bodies like fairgrounds". One caller said "All homosexual people should be given the bash". Tamihere cut that caller off, but Molloy then invited him to call right back and "have his say." Amongst other remarks, Molloy characterised his gay staff members as sexually promiscuous and heavy drug users. Tamihere continued his long-aired accusations that criticism of gays is somehow stifled by bureaucrats and others of influence in society, whilst straight men get short shrift. The NZ AIDS Foundation was criticised for being ineffective and Tamihere repeatedly and inaccurately claimed that Glenn Mills, the man recently charged with knowingly infecting other men with HIV, was out on bail and probably infecting more men. In fact Mills, whose alleged infection of younger men and one young woman was unmasked by the gay community, continued to be remanded in jail, a fact noted much later on air. In today's letter MediaWorks tells the complainants it "apologises for any offence [the broadcast] caused you." The nearest MediaWorks comes to upholding the formal complaints is under the Broadcasting Standards Authority's requirement that "programme information and content is socially responsible." However, MediaWorks says it does not believe the "broadcast as a whole" was socially irresponsible, as Radio Live "allows for a variety of views to be expressed by a variety of hosts." Complainants now have until 14 August to consider if MediaWorks has dealt with the matter appropriately or if they wish their concerns to be passed to the Broadcasting Standards Authority for investigation and review.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 21st July 2009 - 8:49pm