KEY POINTS:
New Zealand Idol judge Iain Stables has fallen foul of the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) for telling his radio show listeners to harass "the cat Hitler".
Christchurch man Ray Spring was awarded $1500 by the BSA, which found Stables, not named in the decision, had breached his privacy by broadcasting his personal details.
Stables, at the time working as a ZM radio presenter, railed against Mr Spring the morning after he spoke of his dislike for cats on TV3's Campbell Live last August.
On the show Mr Spring demonstrated how he trapped and drowned cats. Stables played excerpts, then told listeners where Mr Spring's personal details were in the phone book.
"We suggest that if you feel how we do ... that you send something to him to let him know that perhaps you're not very happy," Stables said.
"Ray Spring the cat Hitler, is a cruel, cowardly, disgusting, sickening, sh*t bag with bad shoes and I'd really love to see him in a cage and immersed too."
Mr Spring told the BSA people had made threatening phone calls to him after the broadcast and a brick was mistakenly thrown through his neighbour's window.
He had parked his car away from his house to hide it from potential vandals, and it was damaged when a neighbour reversed into it.
The Radio Network, which operates ZM, was ordered to pay Mr Spring $1500.
Stables left ZM in February, operations manager Christian Boston told NZPA. His departure was nothing to do with the "cat Hitler" incident.
Mr Boston was surprised with the BSA decision.
"This was a guy who went on Campbell Live and demonstrated twice how to kill cats - so what Stables did on the air was say you just might want to write to him," Mr Boston said.
"We got done for breach of privacy when (Mr Spring) chose to go on nationwide television to show how to kill cats, it's not really something we understand, but that's it."
The brick-throwing incident happened a couple of days after the broadcast, and might not have been "related to this at all", he said.
Mr Spring complained to ZM operator The Radio Network Ltd (TRN), which said it had no problem with the broadcast, then took his complaint to the BSA.
Mr Spring said the network should be banned from broadcasting for a week, pay $5000 to the Crown, $5000 compensation to himself and pay for the damage to his car and his neighbour's window.
The BSA found Stables had breached privacy and fairness principles because the sole purpose of disclosing Mr Spring's details was to "encourage listeners to harass him".
In awarding compensation, the BSA said it took into account the fact that Mr Spring had put himself in the public eye by appearing on TV, "espousing his provocative views on controlling the cat population".
"However, although his views may not have been popular, he was entitled to express them without a broadcaster using the airwaves to encourage the public to harass him."
The BSA said there was no evidence linking the damage to the car and window to the broadcast and it did not have jurisdiction to order TRN to pay for the repairs.
Stables was a judge on the 2006 New Zealand Idol show, with Frankie Stevens and former True Bliss singer Megan Alatini.
- NZPA
