Radio exec forced to choose sides as Kyle and Jackie head to court

Jackie O’s 25-year friendship with KIIS FM radio executive Derek Bargwanna is said to be the latest casualty of her $82 million compensation claim.

Bargwanna, the current Head of Network at KIIS, has a long and fruitful association with Henderson and her radio partner Kyle Sandilands.

There has been plenty of water under the bridge for the one-time producer of the duo’s Top 30 Countdown program on 2DAY FM from 2001, who became executive producer of the Kyle & Jackie O radio show in 2006.

Bargwanna’s star rose along with Sandilands and Henderson’s over two decades, however, it’s understood the radio executive dubbed the “Kyle and Jackie O whisperer” by radio colleagues is now on the outer with the pair due to their pending litigation.

Bargwanna, or “DB” as he is known, was named by Henderson in her recent wrongful termination suit against ARN’s parent company Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation.

In her statement of claim, the radio presenter alleged she informed Bargwanna in August and September 2025 of her distress concerning “offensive and degrading” comments Sandilands made about her.

She further claimed the radio station “did not attempt to intervene and did not otherwise stop Mr Sandilands engaging in the conduct” that had allegedly made the ARN workplace unsafe.

Though close to both Henderson and Sandilands, Bargwanna is said to be especially tight with Sandilands who, it’s claimed, played a key role in helping Bargwanna secure a job at KIIS FM in 2014.

That appointment came three months after Bargwanna, once described by Sandilands as the radio duo’s “handbrake”, was let go by 2DAYFM.

Rumours flew at the time regarding the reason for Bargwanna’s abrupt departure.

While the official line was that he left the company for “family reasons”, there were other theories being discussed at the time.

Among these was that he played a role in brokering Sandilands and Henderson’s new deal with rival KIIS; that he’d been on borrowed time since December 2012 when, as content director of 2DAY, he had oversight of the 2012 prank phone call by radio hosts Michael Christian and Mel Greig to a London hospital leading to the suicide death of a British nurse; and thirdly, that he was let go following an incident with a colleague who afterwards requested a transfer to another affiliated ARN station.

After being cut loose by 2DAY, Bargwanna was quickly reunited with Sandilands and Henderson at KIIS FM in 2014 after he was appointed that station’s content director.

In the role, he would once again be called upon to periodically help manage and soothe the duo through strife and challenges.

Nothing proved more challenging for the pair than their program launch in Melbourne in 2024, an exercise which saw Bargwanna, in his newly expanded role as head of KIIS network, put in charge of bolstering and sustaining network ratings.

As history shows, while the duo’s Sydney ratings held up, the Melbourne experiment failed dismally.

Radio insiders say Bargwanna, who could not be reached for comment, has met his match at KIIS FM in new group content director Dave Cameron, an old school radio boss who was appointed director of content metro radio and new broom at ARN in December.

ARN bosses meanwhile are keeping their powder dry as they prepare their response to Henderson’s $82 million Federal Court compensation claim, due to be filed next week.

The radio company disputes Henderson’s claims and will defend the matter.

Inside Georgie’s ‘awkward’ Nine farewell

Nine newsreader Georgie Gardner signs off from her weekend newsreading duties for the last time tonight.

After 24 years with the broadcaster, Gardner’s departure comes after she was let go by Nine news boss Fiona Dear as Nine searches for cost savings.

The contract termination will save Nine’s embattled TV division $600,000 a year.

Nine on Friday denied not renewing Gardner’s contract.

Gardner’s career at Nine has not been without its challenges and controversies.

In 2018, following the departure of Lisa Wilkinson the year before, Gardner – one of the nation’s finest newsreaders – was appointed co-host of Today alongside Karl Stefanovic.

The appointment proved a test of her character and fortitude.

Having previously, in 2014, requested a break from her long-running role as Today newsreader in part due to Stefanovic’s juvenile sense of humour, his undisciplined on-air japes and irritating schoolboy mannerisms, Gardner shocked management by initially rejecting the offer to sit alongside Stefanovic as his co-host.

MORE:Georgie’s $6m safety net after shock Ch9 exit

Nine’s then-CEO Hugh Marks managed to persuade Gardner with a sizeable pay rise that took her salary to $750,000 (still less than a third of Stefanovic’s) and an assurance that if Stefanovic did not behave, Nine would replace him.

Barely two months later, Stefanovic criticised Gardner and other colleagues to his brother Peter in the now infamous “Ubergate” scandal.

Media coverage of the debacle was swift and absolute and preceded Peter’s departure from Nine.

By the time Stefanovic was publicly flouting his relationship with his new fiancee Jasmine Yarbrough following a messy and public divorce, and throwing himself an OTT Mexican wedding, the writing was on the wall for the presenter.

Stefanovic was soon after punted from Today, though not from Nine.

Gardner was next paired with newsreader Deborah Knight however, after a year of continued soft ratings, Today’s first foray into all-female hosting partnerships was deemed a failure.

Stefanovic returned to the program with Ally Langdon in 2020 while Gardner did her best to maintain a stiff upper lip as she returned to newsreading.

Despite her chequered history with Stefanovic – and a sideline skirmish involving a Nine producer – Gardner appeared on Today on Thursday to farewell longtime fans of the breakfast show and the garrulous Stefanovic, who sat almost three metres away on the Today show couch.

The duo’s abysmal on-air chemistry was hard to ignore as Stefanovic, via a retrospective farewell video package, was seen trying to land one last gag at Gardner’s expense via some Sid James-esque sexual innuendo and a reference to Gardner’s “buns”.

The farewell only grew more awkward when Richard Wilkins belatedly joined Stefanovic, Sarah Abo and Gardner.

Wilkins was put on the spot by Stefanovic to say something nice about Gardner. The abundently coiffed Wilkins summed up Gardner’s gifts in quick succession – her voice and her hair.

The mother-of-two plans to “take time out” before exploring new projects.

Field of candidates in line to replace Gardner

A generational battle looms as Nine moves to appoint a weekend newsreader to replace Georgie Gardner.

In the race, we hear, are Baby Boomer representative and popular news veteran Mark Burrows.

Representing Gen X are Gardner’s longtime understudy Deborah Knight and Jayne Azzopardi.

Fist bumping for the millennials is 60 Minutes reporter Amelia Adams.

Given the trend across the board in media is to replace experienced talent with younger and cheaper models, one might assume Adams is favoured by execs for Gardner’s gig.

In an interesting twist, however, we hear the respected and authoritative Burrows is well liked for the job – an appointment, should it happen, likely to make often ailing weeknight news anchor Peter Overton anxious.

Departed Spotlight EP takes extended leave

Gemma Williams, the recently-replaced executive producer of Seven’s Spotlight program, is taking an extended break.

Two years after wet-behind-the-ears former Seven news boss Anthony De Ceglie plucked Williams from Nine’s A Current Affair where she had been cutting her teeth in blissful obscurity while working her way through the junior ranks at her father’s old stomping ground – her dad is ex-ACA EP, former cop and sometime blunt instrument Grant “Grunter” Williams, who most recently was seen infuriating Brisbane Broncos’ icon Gordon Tallis in his new role as a Broncos PR man – this column has learned Williams Jr is taking a three month break from Seven.

In March, Seven announced it was replacing Williams with experienced reporter/producer Rahni Sadler.

Williams would be moving to an “expanded role” in the news division, Seven said, where she would help shape Sydney’s news team’s editorial direction, strengthen broadcast and digital integration, and work alongside the national newsdesk on major coverage.

While that might be the path Seven news boss Ray Kuka has laid out for her, we hear Williams may have her own goals.

Between now and her scheduled return to work in June, we understand Williams is travelling and after a couple of tough years at Seven, sees the world as her oyster.

A role further afield, say, at the BBC in the UK, would suit her splendidly, we hear. A shame they’ve just announced widespread cuts.

That’s about as far from Seven as you might hope to find yourself.

No podcast silver lining for Nine execs

Based on the available evidence, it does seem likely Karl Stefanovic’s bosses at Nine are planning on punting him at year’s end when his current contract ends.

This week’s evidence comes via TV number crunchers, who confirmed that despite the ongoing hype about Stefanovic’s podcast and wild claims it has been downloaded by “millions”, in his bread-and-butter gig at Today, Stefanovic continues to be beaten, day in, day out, by Seven’s largely understated Sunrise crew.

Even with the Australian Open and the Winter Olympics boosting audiences across the day on Nine, Sunrise has still managed to beat Today every day this year and built on its lead over Today.

Nationally, (broadcast and BVOD combined) Sunrise is up 2 per cent on the previous year with 427,000 viewers compared to Today’s 317,000 (down marginally).

In the year to date, this figure represents a 35 per cent larger audience.