Howard Sattler Is Part Of A Long And Proud Tradition

Another week, another shock jock being a total douche.

Perth radio host Howard Sattler was initially suspended for the interview, which took place on Radio 6PR in Perth this morning. And late this afternoon, he was sacked.

“During an interview on the Drive program yesterday presenter Howard Sattler pursued a line of questioning with Prime Minister Julia Gillard that was disrespectful to the office and the person of the Prime Minister and was entirely inappropriate,” reads the station’s official statement. “Radio 6PR apologises unreservedly to Ms Gillard and Mr Mathieson, for allowing these matters to be raised  on the Drive program … The station has now decided to terminate Mr Sattler’s engagement.”

The big question isn’t why Perth talkback host Howard Sattler thought he could get away with that line of questioning. The big question is why Gillard went on his show in the first place.

We  already knew where it would lead. We’ve done this dance before.

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That Time Kyle Sandilands And Jackie O Pressured A 14-Year-Old Into Admitting She Was Raped

In 2009, a teenage girl went on 2Day FM to take part in a live lie detector test, to quash her mother’s fears of sexual experience and drug use. Instead, she revealed on air that she had been raped when she was 12. The mother had already known about it.

“Right,” Sandilands said after a pause. “Is that the only experience you’ve had?”

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That Time Justin ‘Drex’ Wilcomes Called The British Colombia Premier A MILF

In January this year, an Australian presenter on Canadian station JetFM asked the B.C. Premier Christy Clark a listener-submitted question: “What it’s like being a MILF?”.

The politician’s office didn’t complain (“Better a MILF than a cougar,” she answered), nor did it seek his sacking. The radio station made that decision all of their own accord.

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That Time John Laws Asked A Victim Of Paedophilia If The Molestation Was Perhaps Her Own Fault

In March this year, 77-year-old John Laws — bewilderingly both still alive and on radio — received a phone call to his Super Radio Network show from an anonymous woman, who detailed a history of abuse she had received at the hands of five male family members while growing up. She said the abuse had begun when she was six.

“My God they were having a good time with you,” he said. “Was it in any way your fault? … You weren’t provocative?” As she broke down on air, Laws asked, “Are you unattractive?”

“I don’t think so. I think I’m alright,” she answered.

“You sound alright,” he replied.

“I was just trying to keep it light,” Laws said in an interview with Channel 7 after the incident. “Maybe I could have phrased it better.”

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That Time Rush Limbaugh Called Sandra Fluke A Slut

In February 2012, 30-year-old graduate law student Sandra Fluke appeared in a Washington court to explain why U.S. employers and universities should cover contraception under their health insurance plans.

Rush Limbaugh berated her over two days of his talkback show, calling her “a slut” and “a prostitute”. “She’s having so much sex she can’t afford the contraception. She wants you and me – the tax payers – to pay her to have sex. What does that make us? We’re the pimps.”

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That Time Alan Jones Called Lebanese Muslims “Vermins”

In 2005, Alan “died of shame” Jones read out a story about young men taunting police officers. “If ever there was a clear example that Lebanese males in their vast numbers not only hate our country and our heritage, this was it,” he proclaimed. “They have no connection to us: they simply rape, pillage and plunder a nation that’s taken them in … What did we do as a nation to have this vermin infest our shores?”

He finally apologised in December of last year, after losing a lengthy bid to overturn the 2009 decision that he’d “incided hatred, serious contempt and severe ridicule of Lebanese Muslims.”

“I apologise for making those comments which I recognise were unlawful,” he said.
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That Time An ESPN Reporter Condemned Jason Collins To Hell

In a Sports Illustrated article published in April this year, NBA star player Jason Collins became the first male athlete in America’s four major sports to come out. ESPN reporter Chris Broussard called him a sinner. “Personally I don’t believe that you can live an openly homosexual lifestyle or an openly premarital sex between heterosexuals,” Broussard said. “If you’re openly living that type of lifestyle, the Bible says you know them by their fruits, it says that’s a sin. If you’re openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be, not just homosexuality, adultery, fornication, premarital sex between heterosexuals, whatever it may be. I think that’s walking in open rebellion to God and to Jesus Christ.”

ESPN said that they regretted the “distraction” caused by the comments.

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That Time Kyle Sandilands Called An Entertainment Reporter A “Fat Slag”, claimed she had “too much titty to be having that low cut a blouse”

In January last year, entertainment editor of news.com.au, Alison Stephenson, reported on the low ratings that Kyle & Jackie O’s A Night With The Stars had enjoyed. Sandilands bit back:

“Some fat slag on news.com.au has already branded it a disaster. You can tell by reading the article that she just hates us and has always hated us,” Sandilands said. “What a fat, bitter thing you are. You’re deputy editor of an online thing. You’ve got a nothing job anyway. You’re a piece of shit.”

“This low thing, Alison Stephenson, deputy editor of news.com.au online. You’re supposed to be impartial, you little troll,” he continued. “You’re a bullshit artist, girl. You should be fired from your job. Your hair’s very ’90s. And your blouse. You haven’t got that much titty to be having that low cut a blouse. Watch your mouth or I’ll hunt you down.”

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That Time An ESPN Reporter Called An African American Quarterback A “Cornball Brother”

“My question, which is just a straight-up, honest question, is he a brother or a cornball brother?” Rob Parker asked of the Redskins’ Robert Griffin. “He’s not really … okay he’s black he kinda does his thing, but he’s not really down with the cause. He’s not really one of us. He’s kind of black, but he’s not really, like, the guy you want to hand out with … We all know he has a white fiancée.”

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ALL ALAN JONES EVERYTHING

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BONUS ROUND: That Time Howard Sattler Said “Good Riddance” To Three Aboriginal Children Who Were Killed In A Police Chase

Howard Sattler made his first appearance on the Perth radio show back in April of 1990, when it was hosted by Stuart Littlemore. Here’s a transcript from Media Watch:

STUART LITTLEMORE: … six Aboriginal children were joyriding in a stolen car which crashed when being chased by police. All were aged between twelve and fifteen. Three were killed.

SATTLER: Well, I say good riddance to bad rubbish. That’s three less car thieves. I think they’re dead and I think that’s good.

Apparently he still got the job?

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Feature image screenshot from YouTube.