GT & SEN - Today's Crikey

[stinger]

well not hard to work out mm.....every time sen has someone criticise the afl...they immediately receive an e-mail from the afl telling them to stop it and get the perpetrator off air.....they have blood on their hands......just look at the fiasco involving kennett...the pricks don't like criticism.....anyone who doesn't believe that the afl was behind thomas'sacking is flowering naive......imhfo that is....

[asiu]

He continually seems to get sacked without any inkling that he is in trouble.
I'm struggling to think of another example of anybody who has had such similar bad luck.

most ex husbands?

[saint66au]

We're 7 games into the 2009 season and we've seen countless examples of opposition players 'turning over the footy' or 'stuffing up' due to implied pressure they've felt from us.

We will probably never know truly if the AFL did/didn't 'heavy' SEN. It may well be that the management of SEN, heavily involved in trying to secure the rights to broadcast AFL Footy from 2010, may have felt that their negotiating position would be better served by severing ties with GT?
Maybe they too suffered 'implied pressure' from the AFL in their negotiations?

If that was the case then they could well claim it was a 'financial decision' as they might have believed that if they lose the footy rights they will suffer a huge financial loss?
The reality is that if they do lose the footy rights there is every likeliehood they will go 'belly-up'. AFL football is their single most important product and without it they will be in diabolical financial trouble.

Their management would be, IMO, making 1o0% sure they are doing everything right in trying to negotiate an ongoing agreement for access to the footy. To do anything else would be a severe dereliction of duty to their shareholders, personalities and staff.
If that means jettisoning on-air personalities who they felt were 'hurting' their negotiating position even 1%, then they probably had no alternative than to act the way they did.



But another thing is clear.

GT is one of the unluckiest guys going around.
He continually seems to get sacked without any inkling that he is in trouble.
I'm struggling to think of another example of anybody who has had such similar bad luck.

Well said.

"Free speech" is one of the most misunderstood phrases in the English language imo. I wish I had a dollar for every person on here who thought they had the right to it

GT isnt some sort of maverick broadcaster on a ship moored in the English Channel. Hes a paid employee of a radio station who. without the aid of AFlL games to call, would go belly up in 3 months. Any SEN exectutive who endangered that would be utterly irresponsible. Its nothing to do with "silencing the truth" like an X-Files conspiracy.

[BakesFan]

Thomas was contracted to SEN.
SEN has terminated his service for financial reasons; yet they still have to pay him out in full.
SEN are now paying for a 'service' they are no longer receiving.

That doesn't make alot of financial sense unless SEN can show that listeners were tuning out as a direct result of Thomas' commentary.

Why wouldn't they continue to use the services of Thomas until his contract has expired?......unless of course they are trying to please a third party with Thomas' removal?

[plugger66]

Thomas was contracted to SEN.
SEN has terminated his service for financial reasons; yet they still have to pay him out in full.
SEN are now paying for a 'service' they are no longer receiving.

That doesn't make alot of financial sense unless SEN can show that listeners were tuning out as a direct result of Thomas' commentary.

Why wouldn't they continue to use the services of Thomas until his contract has expired?......unless of course they are trying to please a third party with Thomas' removal?

I think GT is great but maybe they just decided if negativity doesnt help anyone including a station that will again want the rights to footy next season. Was he warned who knows. maybe he was and that is why he is now gone. I must say though I wish he was still there. He made great listening.

[BakesFan]

Thomas was contracted to SEN.
SEN has terminated his service for financial reasons; yet they still have to pay him out in full.
SEN are now paying for a 'service' they are no longer receiving.

That doesn't make alot of financial sense unless SEN can show that listeners were tuning out as a direct result of Thomas' commentary.

Why wouldn't they continue to use the services of Thomas until his contract has expired?......unless of course they are trying to please a third party with Thomas' removal?

I think GT is great but maybe they just decided if negativity doesnt help anyone including a station that will again want the rights to footy next season. Was he warned who knows. maybe he was and that is why he is now gone. I must say though I wish he was still there. He made great listening.

There you go, plugger66. Yourself, joffaboy (and how many other listeners) admit to enjoying GT's commentaries.
So given the fact that he actually attracted and kept listeners tuned in to SEN; how could the reason be 'financial'(as stated by SEN)?..... His ability to hold listeners made him a financial benefit to SEN in it's pursuit of advertising revenue.

It could only be a financial reason if (as has been suggested) his presence on air threatened SEN's chances at winning the next broadcast rights... and SEN Management would only be aware of that fact if someone from the AFL had voiced their displeasure at GT's broadcasts.

[battye]

For what ever reason, this is a perfect example of how big companies control what the masses think and discuss, thru control of the media.

No different to GE owing and controlling CNBC.

Don't get confused between CNBC and NBC. CNBC is worth very little to General Electric comparatively as it is just a bits-and-pieces cable business news station.

NBC Universal on the other hand is owned 80% by GE, and they control NBC (the television network) which does get a high degree of penetration into the US market (and world market, through the shows they develop).

But to be quite honest, I don't have a problem with GE's stake in NBC. NBC is very underrated and they don't deserve to be in the position (4th) that they are currently in. Their prime time schedule, with the exception of Tuesday, is quite solid and they have rolled the dice on a few new series (Southland and Parks & Recreation). Since their flagship Thursday night lineup has changed guard (Friends, Frasier, Seinfeld, etc) they have had falling ratings - a real shame, NBC is America's most decorated network. More Americans should be getting behind them.

[plugger66]

Thomas was contracted to SEN.
SEN has terminated his service for financial reasons; yet they still have to pay him out in full.
SEN are now paying for a 'service' they are no longer receiving.

That doesn't make alot of financial sense unless SEN can show that listeners were tuning out as a direct result of Thomas' commentary.

Why wouldn't they continue to use the services of Thomas until his contract has expired?......unless of course they are trying to please a third party with Thomas' removal?

I think GT is great but maybe they just decided if negativity doesnt help anyone including a station that will again want the rights to footy next season. Was he warned who knows. maybe he was and that is why he is now gone. I must say though I wish he was still there. He made great listening.

There you go, plugger66. Yourself, joffaboy (and how many other listeners) admit to enjoying GT's commentaries.
So given the fact that he actually attracted and kept listeners tuned in to SEN; how could the reason be 'financial'?..... His ability to hold listeners made him a financial benefit to SEN in it's pursuit of advertising revenue.

It could only be a financial reason if (as has been suggested) his presence on air threatened SEN's chances at winning the next broadcast rights... and SEN Management would only be aware of that fact if someone from the AFL had voiced their displeasure at GT's broadcasts.

I have never said it was financial. SEN said that but no one believes that surely. He was sacked because of what he was saying but no one but SEN and GT now if he was warned. We are likely never to find out unless we know GT personally.

[aussierules0k]

[Mr Magic]

I believe SEN when they said it was 'financial'.

I just don't believe the reason everybody assumed 'financial' meant - that he was costing too much in salary.

Without any inside knowledge I believe that they termionated him because they felt he was causing/potentially causing them damage in their negotiations with teh AFL over broadcast rights.

I believe that's the 'financial' reason they spoke of.

[BakesFan]

Thomas was contracted to SEN.
SEN has terminated his service for financial reasons; yet they still have to pay him out in full.
SEN are now paying for a 'service' they are no longer receiving.

That doesn't make alot of financial sense unless SEN can show that listeners were tuning out as a direct result of Thomas' commentary.

Why wouldn't they continue to use the services of Thomas until his contract has expired?......unless of course they are trying to please a third party with Thomas' removal?

I think GT is great but maybe they just decided if negativity doesnt help anyone including a station that will again want the rights to footy next season. Was he warned who knows. maybe he was and that is why he is now gone. I must say though I wish he was still there. He made great listening.

There you go, plugger66. Yourself, joffaboy (and how many other listeners) admit to enjoying GT's commentaries.
So given the fact that he actually attracted and kept listeners tuned in to SEN; how could the reason be 'financial'(as stated by SEN)?..... His ability to hold listeners made him a financial benefit to SEN in it's pursuit of advertising revenue.

It could only be a financial reason if (as has been suggested) his presence on air threatened SEN's chances at winning the next broadcast rights... and SEN Management would only be aware of that fact if someone from the AFL had voiced their displeasure at GT's broadcasts.

I have never said it was financial. SEN said that but no one believes that surely. He was sacked because of what he was saying but no one but SEN and GT now if he was warned. We are likely never to find out unless we know GT personally.

Apologies, plugger66... Never meant to suggest that you personally had said the reasoning was financial.
I've edited the post for clarity.

[joffaboy]

I believe SEN when they said it was 'financial'.

I just don't believe the reason everybody assumed 'financial' meant - that he was costing too much in salary.

Without any inside knowledge I believe that they termionated him because they felt he was causing/potentially causing them damage in their negotiations with teh AFL over broadcast rights.

I believe that's the 'financial' reason they spoke of.

No it wasn't. they tried to sugar coat it by inferring that it was the GFC and that Thomas was "let go" because of Financial difficulties. Maher and Watson had their GM to snow job and he was hopeless.

Later it was "inferred" that the financial issues was in reference to the AFL rights.

It is known that all SEN on air staff were given a directive to not carp on about umpires while they were negotiating with the AFL over the rights.

According to GT's mate Mark Robinson - Gt found out this directive 15 minutes before last Saturday's Crunch Time show. The first thing Thomas did was a mock and derisive "congratulations" to Demetriou and Anderson and sarcastically applauded Geischen and the umpires on the "great job" they were doing.

This was surely known by Thomas to be a go at SEN management and their directive.

Regardless of whether the AFL "lent" on SEN or the station jumped at shadows - one thing you dont do in almost any line of work is

a) disrespect your manager
b) go against an organisational directive
c) publicly deride your companies management - especially if it is a radio station and you are on air.

To feign suprise at another sacking is a bit rich when you flagrantly disregard what you boss directs you to do.

Mabye GT is too big to be told what to do - or thinks so. Well first Pagan and then Butterss and then Caro Wilson from the Age and now SEN have proven otherwise.

[plugger66]

I believe SEN when they said it was 'financial'.

I just don't believe the reason everybody assumed 'financial' meant - that he was costing too much in salary.

Without any inside knowledge I believe that they termionated him because they felt he was causing/potentially causing them damage in their negotiations with teh AFL over broadcast rights.

I believe that's the 'financial' reason they spoke of.

No it wasn't. they tried to sugar coat it by inferring that it was the GFC and that Thomas was "let go" because of Financial difficulties. Maher and Watson had their GM to snow job and he was hopeless.

Later it was "inferred" that the financial issues was in reference to the AFL rights.

It is known that all SEN on air staff were given a directive to not carp on about umpires while they were negotiating with the AFL over the rights.

According to GT's mate Mark Robinson - Gt found out this directive 15 minutes before last Saturday's Crunch Time show. The first thing Thomas did was a mock and derisive "congratulations" to Demetriou and Anderson and sarcastically applauded Geischen and the umpires on the "great job" they were doing.

This was surely known by Thomas to be a go at SEN management and their directive.

Regardless of whether the AFL "lent" on SEN or the station jumped at shadows - one thing you dont do in almost any line of work is

a) disrespect your manager
b) go against an organisational directive
c) publicly deride your companies management - especially if it is a radio station and you are on air.

To feign suprise at another sacking is a bit rich when you flagrantly disregard what you boss directs you to do.

Mabye GT is too big to be told what to do - or thinks so. Well first Pagan and then Butterss and then Caro Wilson from the Age and now SEN have proven otherwise.

In his defence I think he was gone before he made a little bit of fun about the AFL and umpires on the show. I actually heard what he said and that wouldnt have got him the sack even before a warning. He was gone before that show.

[saintspremiers]

In defence of GT, he was unfairly stung over umpire-gate ($20,000 fine) when he was with us, not to mention the draw shafting the AFL gave us as a result of umpire comments.

My point is - when talking about GT/umpires/AFL - never forget history, as I reckon it plays a big part in it........GT simply couldn't hold back!

[stinger]

"Free speech" is one of the most misunderstood phrases in the English language imo. I wish I had a dollar for every person on here who thought they had the right to it

hope you are not including me in that.......but in reality i know you are......think i would have more idea of that concept than most.......

[stinger]

thomas was shafted...end of story.....the thomas haters will lay the blame at his feet..whilst his supporters will blame sen and the afl......

[SteveStevens66]

"Free speech" is one of the most misunderstood phrases in the English language imo. I wish I had a dollar for every person on here who thought they had the right to it

hope you are not including me in that.......but in reality i know you are......think i would have more idea of that concept than most.......

me too. I am fully aware of what "Free speech" is and what it isn't, including the fact that it is not absolute. All that said, GT was shafted and the AFL will not brook any criticism.

[sankilda]

Its easy to love the saints AND hate the afl (rip off merchants par excelence) go jeff kennett and gt

[mbogo]

I saw Demetriou on the TV discussing this during the week and he seemed believable that he had nothing directly to do with the sacking. More likely is Joffa's explanation above ... and GT simply cannot hold back. Bull at a gate .. all his life.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

The main thing that's kept me glued to this saga is seeing the reaction of the mass market when those who generally don't concern themselves with it get a taste of corporate communications strategy.

Secondary interest - this is the kind of thing that happens when a major industry ends up controlled by an insiders type "boys club".

Personally, I'm gobsmacked that there can be concern at SEN that their bid for broadcast rights (where their primary ratings and $$$ come from) could be in trouble because of a couple of broadcasters not being on message. I liked Thomas on SEN - except when he talked about umpires. By and large, I think the AFL has their head in the sand on the subject, and owes it's umpires better (full time jobs, real PR protecting their reputations, and a lot more money) - but I found Thomas (much like Newman a few years ago on MMM) incredibly over the top, and delivering the kind of malcontent rubbish that simply inspired whinging, not solutions.

However, if there's truly a concern about SEN losing broadcast rights, I'd suggest the AFL needs to look at the incredible amount of marketing it recieves by having a station that lives and breathes their product non-stop for half the year, and more than that, engages it's customers.

Lately, on not just this, but for a number of other reasons, I've found myself harking back to a document called the "ClueTrain Manifesto". It was written in '99 by a couple of engineers about how the internet was going to change the world. Half of it (probably more) was garbage, half of it was a very insightful synopsis of how the internet changed the nature of on-to-many marketing from a flyer into a conversation.

SEN is that conversation, in AFL terms. So is bigfooty, so is Saintsational, but SEN is where the consumer interacts with the media who interact with the AFL. It both creates and ignites passion, and then retains the listener. It raises the end user from faceless demographic to a consumer with a voice. When B4E rang SEN with his anti-GT tirades, while not in any whit more useful than here, it would have carried a certain credibility, to certain people... "Andrew from Hawthorn" is a character most Saintsationalites have familiarity with above and beyond his SS username.

Now from a corporate communications standpoint, that all you need. 99.99% of the call-ins to SEN can be ignored, it's the media whose self interest will help continue drive this growth - the only reason Andy D need listen is because he's a fan, not to control the message.

SEN is the best marketing tool the AFL could ask for. If they can't work out broadcast rights because they can't see the value, I think they're making a huge mistake. If it's because they don't always like the conversation, they're missing the point entirely.