Izzy Folau is getting a run for his money as the most unlikely, yet most necessary, champion of free speech in the culture wars in Australia. Alan Jones is a divisive figure, not just for the lefties who hate him with a passion, but even for many on the centre and the right, who find his confrontational, often bombastic style a bit of a challenge.
As the saying goes, though, if you’re don’t defend the free speech of people you despise, then you don’t really believe in free speech. I don’t despise Alan Jones, but I don’t particularly like him (or at least, his radio persona – an important distinction) much. But his free speech is just as inalienable as mine. This is something the left, who do despise Jones, have forgotten.
But despite their concerted efforts to silence him, Jones keeps coming up on top. The latest assault on Jones’s career, despite hyperbolic claims by his enemies, has been completely rebuffed by his loyal army of listeners.
Macquarie Media’s 2GB has been hit by audience decline after a takeover by Nine Entertainment and backlash sparked by breakfast host Alan Jones’s remarks about New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
But despite a 0.6 point fall across the station, 2GB remained Sydney’s leader, with 13.4 per cent of the audience.
theaustralian.com.au/business/media/ratings-slip-but-jones-still-sydneys-top-broadcaster
This is desperately over-egging the pudding by the Jones-haters, though. This survey period only just covered the Ardern nonsense, so its effect would surely have been limited. The next survey results will give a clearer picture of whether there really was a “backlash” against Jones, or whether this is merely part of a long-term decline in radio audiences.
Because the indisputable fact is that Jones remains the king of talk radio – and he’s not about to let his critics forget it.
Radio broadcaster Alan Jones has answered his critics on-air by celebrating his latest ratings win after a tumultuous week of controversy over his comments about New Zealand’s Prime Minister.
More than 50 advertisers have withdrawn from the 2GB radio program after Jones encouraged Prime Minister Scott Morrison to “shove a sock down” the throat of Jacinda Ardern.
But Jones responded to his critics this morning, with the number one breakfast radio host telling them 2GB rated number one in Sydney and has done so consecutively for 122 rating surveys.
It’s easy for deceitful online activists to spook scaredy-cat advertisers, much less so to deter the ordinary Australians who have for years voted with their ears. Jones is right to take the stick to his woke haters.
“I rarely talk about myself here … nor do we talk about ratings but there are plenty of people who report on radio ratings that don’t know a thing about it.
“I suppose given some of the headlines over the last few weeks, this may be worth mentioning,” Jones said on his program this morning.
“There are only eight radio ratings a year in Sydney and this breakfast program has now won 221, which is over 30 years.”
Like him or not, and the “Cash for Comment” scandal should never be forgotten, Jones is also an authentic champion of ordinary people. While “Cash for Comment” showed that Jones could be bought, nonetheless, his natural instinct seems to be to go to bat for his listeners – who respond with dogged loyalty.
“My thanks to listeners who are very loyal. They’ve been with me a long time,” Jones said.
“We must be doing something right. It appears as though we do it successfully.”
The 78-year-old then read out comments of praise from loyal listeners, describing him as “the voice of the people” and telling him to “keep up the fight against the lefties”.
theaustralian.com.au/business/media/i-must-be-doing-something-right-jones-hits-back-at-critics
It might have dismayed the holier-than-thou left, but when Jones told Ardern to shove a sock in it, he spoke for the vast majority of ordinary people who aren’t besotted by Socialist Barbie.