The Macquarie-owned 2GB is in damage control today after one of its main on-air stars, Ray Hadley, was accused of more than a decade of bullying by a former employee.
This morning, however, Hadley responded to the allegations, saying he “never meant any harm”.
On air this morning, Hadley conceded there were times their relationship was volatile.
He said: “He was a young bloke, full cheek and full of ability, through our years together we became very close — probably more like a father and son relationship and given what he had to deal with personally.
“I tried to help him as much as I could. One of the saddest parts of my broadcasting life was the end of our relationship.”
He continued: “I’d like to think as part of his recovery we could catch up into the future and talk about all the good times we’ve had over the years, there were plenty of them.
“The bottom of the story he is a fairly decent person who is having some struggles and I wish him well.”
The apology follows former 2GB studio producer Chris Bowen’s (left in the main photo) Facebook post where he wrote about his years working with a “bully” who regularly berated and harassed him in the workplace.
Although Bowen never called-out Hadley directly in the post – “You don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to work it out,” he wrote – News Corps’ Daily Telegraph has this morning attributed Bowen’s comments to him.
Bowen wrote that he “suffered mental health problems” after the death of his parents and “16 years of intense bullying” by a work colleague at Radio 2GB.
In a statement to media, national executive producer, Michael Thompson, said of Bowen’s claims: “All staff at Macquarie Media are required to adhere to a workplace behaviour policy which includes a responsibility to maintain a safe working environment and report any matters of concern.
“Any matters reported are investigated on a confidential basis and the outcomes are discussed directly with the people involved. We are not aware of any complaints related to this matter and would once again invite those to be raised directly with the station.”
And it’s not the first time Hadley has been accused of workplace bullying.
In 2015, Hadley was accused of being a “psychotic bully” by Macquarie Radio’s chairman Russell Tate after the broadcaster was recorded launching a tirade at another of the network’s produces, Richard Palmer.
That time around Hadley was suspended and later paid Palmer an unnamed amount in damages.
It’s also been reported that Bowen first lodged a bullying complaint about Hadley as far back as 2018.
However, the two appeared to have patched up their differences, working together for a further eight years, Hadley even MC-ing at Bowen’s wedding.
In his Facebook post, Bowen says working at 2GB was a “dream come true” yet strangely says he was a victim of bullying for the entire 16 years he was with the broadcaster. He quit the role in 2016.
“Obviously I was a slow learner,” he posted. “I also took part to an extent in this behaviour. When you’re dealing with someone you’ve put on a pedestal since the age of eight, someone who can pick up the phone and ring the prime minister, opposition leader or police commissioner on a whim, someone that an entire company relies on for a significant part of its profit – well, you tend to just do what they say.
“I’ve heard this person blame their behaviour on a culture that was around in the ’80s. Which is just a load of crap.”
He then added: “I don’t expect this revelation will go down that well. I’m ready for some nasty blowback and the opening of a Pandora’s box.”
