The fallout from radio broadcaster Alan Jones' comments last week has started to gather pace.
The Macquarie Media announcer, who has been the most popular breakfast presenter for more than 100 consecutive rating surveys, told his listeners last week that New Zealand Prime Minister was a 'clown', a 'joke' and that our PM should 'shove a sock down her throat'.
Jones apologised for the comments, however it seems as though his words really struck a chord with some of his advertisers and they've hit back.
Koala Mattress has decided to pull their ads from Jones' programme, saying his comments don't reflect their ethos.
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"Koala has cut ties with Alan Jones. We're a significant buyer in the medium, and it's something we should have done earlier. Climate change is real, violence against women starts with words and the bloke has had too many chances. 2GB873 time to wake up," the company wrote on social media.
That's one hell of a statement.
In addition to Koala, Anytime Fitness, ME Bank, Bing Lee, RSL Art Union, Amart, Mercedes Benz, Snooze, Bunnings, Total Tools and Big W have all released statements slamming Jones.
ME Bank wrote on Twitter: "Thanks for your feedback - we take this very seriously and these types of comments don't reflect our values. We've expressed our concerns to 2GB and have pulled advertising."
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Snooze added: "We take the comments made by Alan Jones on the 15th of August regarding Jacinda Ardern very seriously. These comments do not reflect the values of Snooze. We have pulled all advertising from the show and we currently do not have any advertising planned for the 2GB station at this time."
Jones was given a lifeline by his employer however he's been told that one more slip up will cost his long-standing career at Macquarie Media.
Chairman Russell Tate said in a statement: "On Thursday on his 2GB and 4BC breakfast show, Alan Jones made certain comments in respect of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, which caused offence to many people.
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"Recognising the offence caused by his remarks, Alan on Friday publicly apologised for them.
"In his apology, Alan recognised that his comments were 'careless, unnecessary and wrong', and 'should have been more clearly thought out'.
"Notwithstanding his apologies, I have today discussed the matter with Alan and advised him that any recurrence of commentary of this nature will result in the termination of his contract."
It will be interesting to see whether other advertisers fall in the coming days and weeks and whether that will impact on Jones' future at the radio station.
Featured Image Credit: ABC
