O'Brien reiterated the on-air comment she made earlier this year regarding the sudden closure of Today FM while accepting an award for Broadcast Reporter of the Year at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards. Video / Supplied
Tova O’Brien has doubled down on her explosive comments about her former Today FM bosses, telling a room full of journalists last weekend, “they f***** us”.
The broadcaster was accepting an award for Broadcast Reporter of the Year - for her exclusive interview with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy - atthe Voyager Media Awards on Saturday evening in the Langham Ballroom at the Cordis Hotel in Auckland.
The Herald won the highly coveted Website of the Year award for the fourth year in a row.
Petra Bagust and Mike Puru co-hosted the evening’s festivities, which brought the industry together for the 50th birthday of the awards. Stomachs were not sustained at the black-tie affair with coleslaw as a starter, the main taking hours to arrive and guests fighting for bread rolls.
Duncan Garner, broadcaster and former Today FM host. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Later in the night when guests were well and truly merry, O’Brien got on stage and repeated her famous comment, “they f***** us,”. She said the line while on air in March with colleague Duncan Garner when it was becoming apparent it was over for the show. She added: “We’re all gonna lose our jobs, and the station is gonna go off the air.” The crew were told to cut the station off, and it started playing music.
Hosts including O’Brien, Garner, Rachel Smalley, Polly Gillespie, Mark Richardson, Lloyd Burr and Leah Panapa lost their jobs almost immediately. But the work of other newsroom staff, including newsreaders, journalists and sub-editors continued on MediaWorks’ music stations, such as The Breeze and The Rock. The Herald revealed in April they were to be taken through a separate employment process. Spy has sought comment on that process from MediaWorks.
Tova O'Brien at the Voyager Media Awards. Photo / Smoke Photo + Video
On Saturday, the room was full of applause and catcalls after O’Brien’s comment.
Since the station’'s closure, sources have said about 20 disgruntled Today FM employees are taking legal action against Mediaworks. Top employment lawyer Charlotte Parkhill is thought to be representing them. Parkhill had no comment to make.
Garner has remained with the company, starting a new podcast, Editor in Chief, early last month.
Former Today FM host Polly Gillespie.
His old colleague Paddy Gower has joined him and it seems Garner is keen for an audience and has been spicing up his show.
This week he had former Today FM colleague Polly Gillespie, who Garner calls a dear friend, for a chat.
“She has been through some tough times recently but she is back baby,” he said.
The pair addressed rumours of a fling between the two of them with Garner insisting they were both just friends and confessing he hasn’t been out with anyone in almost five years.
Gillespie asked Garner if he had slept with anyone in those five years.
He said if Gillespie got him on her podcast she could ask him who he has slept with.
Meanwhile, O’Brien has travelled to London this week and told Spy she was just taking a bit of time out for now. Perhaps the BBC or ITV beckon?
