The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found four broadcast licensees in breach of decency rules due to comments broadcast on the Marty Sheargold Show about women’s sport.
The ACMA investigation found that Triple M Sydney Pty Ltd, Triple M Brisbane Pty Ltd, Gold Coast FM Pty Ltd and Maryborough Broadcasting Company Pty Limited all contravened the Commercial Radio Code of Practice by allowing derogatory language and sexist themes to be broadcast on the program.
These included comments that the Australian women’s national football team, the Matildas, were behaving like “Year 10 girls”, with the host proceeding to mimic a Year 10 girl, perpetuating stereotypes of women’s behaviour.
The sexist comments, expressed in a demeaning and sarcastic tone, demonstrated a level of contempt and disdain for women’s sport, and more generally of women.
The offensive themes were then exacerbated by the host referring to his genitalia in a further degrading comment about women’s sport.
Authority Member Carolyn Lidgerwood said the demeaning and insulting language used by the host went beyond generally acceptable standards of decency.
“Sexist comments like this don’t belong in Australian broadcasting. Even if the comments were an extremely ill-judged attempt at humour, a reasonable listener would have found them offensive and to have crossed the line,” Ms Lidgerwood said.
The ACMA notes that following the broadcast, Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), the parent company of Triple M, made the decision to cancel the show and mutually parted ways with Mr Sheargold.
The ACMA is currently considering enforcement action against the licensees for breaching the code and will publicly announce the outcome once it is finalised.