Radio host Thane Kirby ‘spoke up’ after suggesting that Covid tracer be used to contact women

The lost recordings have saved controversial radio host Thane Kirby from any punishment after he suggested, on the air, that Covid-19 contact tracing information could be used to contact “extremely attractive women.”

A formal complaint was filed against the Hauraki Drive host on May 18.

The whistleblower said that while Kirby “might be joking,” the comment was in bad taste and risked undermining the entire contact tracing system.

“Since Hauraki listeners are predominantly male, it can give people ideas. Even the idea of ​​using personal information to contact people is disgusting, ”the complaint alleges.

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On June 26, there was correspondence between the station, NZME, and the complainant, where the station reported that it had listened to the audio but could not locate the content reported.

It was then referred to the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA), which requested a copy of the program’s audio.

NZME reported that it could no longer access it in its programming records due to the time that had passed since the broadcast.

All broadcasters are expected to retain the recordings for 35 days.

A recently published BSA decision showed that NZME had reported that it was aware of its obligations and had “unreservedly apologized” for the “erroneous omission.”

The lost recording ultimately left BSA in the “very unsatisfactory position” of not being able to make any definitive findings.

However, NZME decided to keep the complaint and said it would “talk” to the host about the tone and nature of the remarks.

This is not the first time Kirby has gotten in trouble with the BSA.

In 2017, his then-employer MediaWorks was slapped with a hefty fine after an “exploitative” and “voyeuristic” on-air interview.

Kirby spoke to a man about his relationship with a partner. The relationship was revealed to be abusive, and in a second interview with him the next day, the presenters challenged the man and demanded that he apologize.

In another incident, Kirby and a George FM co-host, Kara Rickard, were suspended and fined $ 8,000 after they “named and shamed” two women, calling them “rank” and “whores.”

The BSA urged NZME to be aware of Kirby’s history with authority, adding that there was a “potential pattern of behavior and disregard for standards.”