NBN Co has removed some of its advertising from Macquarie Radio Network's 2GB after presenters including Ray Hadley lambasted the government's broadband initiative just before reading an ad for it.
NBN Co had paid for five days of “live read” commercials around the country from multiple announcers, but has since pulled advertising from Hadley's show, as well as Andrew Moore's show. Moore is filling in for Alan Jones.
Before reading out the advertisement for NBN Co, Hadley criticised the project as a cost to the Australian taxpayer.
Meanwhile, Moore said he was reading an announcement on behalf of the NBN Co and that neither he nor Alan Jones supported the project.
Macquarie Radio Network sales director Mark Noakes told AdNews, “These presenters both have a clear and well known position on the national broadband network. Advertising and editorial are two separate things.”
A spokesperson for NBN Co said Hadley and Moore were the only two presenters who presented any difficulties.
He said: "We removed the ads from those slots because GB could not guarantee that they would be read without being subject to editorialising or misinformation. As recompense, GB has given us make-goods, with live reads and pre-records in other slots."
The radio campaign will continue to roll out throughout the week.
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