User:WotherspoonSmith/jones media

Radio and the media

1985 saw Jones join Sydney radio station 2UE as the morning show host after John Laws left for 2GB. He moved to the 5.30am to 9.00am Breakfast slot in February 1988, and achieved the largest breakfast audience and also the largest radio audience in Australia.

His opening and closing theme music from both stations has been the hit Gloria by Laura Branigan, whom he met and was the inspiration for using the song.

For a time until 1990, Jones had been writing for The Sun-Herald but it announced that Jones' column would no longer appear following a petition by staff calling for his removal as a contributor. This followed Jones' publication of a column predicting an oil crisis, in which a large amount of material had been taken from Frederick Forsyth's novel The Negotiator without attribution or indication that their source was a work of fiction.[35] Following his dismissal, Jones was hired by the Sun-Herald's rival paper, The Sunday Telegraph.

In 1990–93 Jones was awarded the title Australian Radio Talk Personality of the Year.

In January 1993, Jones described the choice of Mandawuy Yunupingu (an Australian Aborigine) as Australian of the Year as an "insult" and said he'd been granted the award simply because he was black.[63] In June 1993, leading Australian Aborigine Charles Perkins and Jones clashed in a live TV and radio debate. Jones said Australians are "getting no say when [Aboriginal people] say this is [their] nation; it's not, it's Australia's nation"... "[Average Australians] are being asked to pay taxes to fund people who are seeking title to productive land to which they've made no contribution to its productivity". Perkins called Jones racist and a redneck and commented "You've sat on your white bum at 2UE in Sydney all your life so you wouldn't know what goes on out there".[36] In the late 1990s, Jones suffered public humiliation when unedited studio recordings of pre-recorded material he had taped at 2UE were leaked to the ABC radio station Triple J.[64]

In April 1994, after only 13 weeks, the Network Ten program Alan Jones Live was cancelled. It was intended to be similar in purpose and content to Larry King Live.

1995–97,Jones was again awarded the title Australian Radio Talk Personality of the Year.

In 2001, Jones was awarded both the Centenary Medal and the Australian Sports Medal. Both were awarded for his significant contributions to sport and the broadcasting industry.

In 2002, Jones joined 2GB as breakfast announcer, reportedly also taking a financial interest in the station. When passionate about a topic, he occasionally discusses it on air and during ad breaks with his panel operator Ross Geddes. Afternoon announcer, Philip Clark occasionally appears on Jones' show to show support to big news items. Jason Morrison is a daily contributor with two appearances to discuss news items and also filling in for Alan should he be on leave. Along with his radio show, he also did a segment making editorial comment on the Nine Network's Today.

In 2006, Australian journalist Chris Master published an unauthorised biography of Jones, called Jonestown Main article: Jonestown: The Power and the Myth of Alan Jones Jonestown: The Power and the Myth of Alan Jones (Allen & Unwin), is of Jones by Australian Extracts of the book published in The Sydney Morning Herald concentrated largely on Jones's sexuality, his questionable behaviour while Senior English Master at The King's School and the "cottaging" incident in a London public toilet. The book claims that Jones is a homosexual and that his denial of this is "a defining feature of the Jones persona".[73]

On 6 June 2007, Jones ended his 7.15am editorial on Nine Network's Today. His last editorial was on 15 June.

In 2008, Jones' audience numbers began to slip, with strong competition from ABC Radio 702, though he retains his number one position with a slim margin.

In 2011 Jones was the most listened to radio commentator in Sydney with an audience share of 19.2 per cent.

Alan Jones had his stage musical debut in 2012, playing the role of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the Lyric Theatre's production of Annie the Musical in Sydney.

Julia GillardThere were strong calls for 2GB to sack Jones in October 2012 following remarks he made at a Sydney University Liberal Club function a week earlier. The remarks concerned the death of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's father, John. Jones said that Mr Gillard had "died of shame to think that his daughter told lies every time she stood for parliament". Jones' speech was secretly recorded by a News Limited journalist.[67] After the remarks were condemned across social media and the Australian media, Jones held a press conference and apologised. Many labelled his apology as insincere and fake, with Jones using the press conference to criticise Gillard's performance as Prime Minister. Jones also attempted to contact the Prime Minister to offer a personal apology, but was told she would not be returning his call. Several sponsors pulled advertising from Jones' program. One academic linked the public reaction to the "bigger political and media context", citing the Leveson Inquiry in Britain, saying that it shows the "dark side of media power, including bullying by media owners and powerful media individuals who lobby politicians, demand favours, use their outlets as a bully pulpit and to seek revenge when they don't get their way."[68][69][70][71]

Following the controversy over the comments made by Jones, on October 7 his employer, Macquarie Radio Network, announced that it would suspend all advertising on the Alan Jones breakfast show on 2GB to protect it's advertisers from pressure being applied through social media activism. [72]

Political lobbying by issue

Alan Jones has been an active participant in national debates for some decades. A former candidate for Liberal Party of Australia preselection, and former adviser to Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, Jones is a noted supporter of conservative politics in Australia. He has nonetheless at different times criticised or joined forces with Australian politicians from across the party-political spectrum to lobby for political causes.

Recent criticisms of the Left in Australia

Alan Jones has been a longstanding critic of many of the policies and personalities of left-wing politics in Australia.

In recent years, a key point of interest for Jones has been climate change policy. Jones does not believe in significant Anthropogenic Climate Change and has been highly critical of moves to use the Australian taxation system as a means of reducing carbon emissions. Since the 2010 Australian Federal Election, Jones has been highly critical of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's decision to reverse her pre-election promise not to introduce a carbon tax under a government she led. As a Sydney-based broadcaster, Jones also expresses fervent opinions on the actions of the office of the Lord Mayor of Sydney. He has been highly critical of incumbent Lord Mayor Clover Moore's efforts to close many lane ways and parking areas in the city of Sydney to cars. Jones says that this unduly inconveniences long-distance commuters and adversely affects city based businesses. On 29 June 2011, Jones said of the Lord Mayor of Sydney ... "put her in the same chaff bag as Julia Gillard and throw them both out to sea" and about Greens leader Bob Brown ... "The woman's [Julia Gillard] off her tree and quite frankly they should shove her and Bob Brown in a chaff bag and take them as far out to sea as they can and tell them to swim home." Also in February 2011 Jones asked Julia Gillard how she felt about being called "Ju-liar" following her announcement of an intention to introduce a new carbon tax, despite her Party's express promises not to do so:

“ Do you understand, Julia, that you are the issue today, because there are people now saying your name is not Julia but Ju-liar and they are saying that we've got a liar running the country ”

He also criticised her for being 10 minutes late for his program. These comments were widely reported and attracted condemnation from his media critics, including ABC Television's Jonathan Holmes of Media Watch.

Infrastructure

Jones has often sought to focus national attention on infrastructure issues.

Jones has focused much attention on water issues - calling for consideration of expanding Australia's irrigation and dam systems. He stridently opposed the Iemma Labor Government's plan to privatise the Snowy Mountains Scheme in 2006 and broadcast from Mildura in 2011 to focus attention on the Gillard Government's Murray-Darling Basin Plan and criticise the government's approach, saying "we're seeing policy made without any consultation with people who are the stakeholders – the farmers".

Coal seam gas mining

Jones addressing a coal seam gas protest meeting in Bowral on 19 November 2011.

Jones has been an active campaigner against Coal seam gas mining in prime agricultural regions in Australia. Jones told ABC Television:

“ I think this is the biggest issue facing Australia today... our food-producing capacity in Queensland has been compromised by open cut coal mining and coal seam gas mining. I mean, when you think that 90 per cent of the Darling Downs, which is one of world's great food bowls, is under a mineral licence of some sort or another, when you think that they're going to have 20 to 30 open cut coal mines in the next 15 years, 40,000 coal seam gas wells, I mean, no-one can be serious when they talk about food security and the great opportunities for us in Asia when our prime agricultural land is being surrendered to mining. ”

In October 2011, Jones addressed the National Press Club on the issue.