Australian broadcaster Alan Jones' radio show has seen its ratings drop amid turmoil over his controversial comments about Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
The latest Commercial Radio Australia survey results were released on Tuesday and revealed that his show had dropped 0.3 percent in the Sydney breakfast market. 2GB - the station Jones is on - also dropped 0.6 percent in the overall Sydney share.
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The survey period ran from July 14 to August 17, capturing two days of controversy over Jones' comments about Ardern.
On August 15, Jones blasted Ardern, saying Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison should "shove a sock down her throat" after she called Morrison out over Australia's climate change stance.
His comments were widely criticised and in the days after companies withdrew adverts from his show and the wider 2GB radio station. Jones was also told if he makes similar comments again, his contract would be terminated.
But Jones has admitted his comments were "clumsily presented".
"I made some comments last week as you're well aware, and in the haste of what you say in radio they were most probably clumsily presented," Jones said on Sky News Australia.
"My old man used to talk about 'putting a sock in it' and so on. I thought that was actually what I said."
Despite the ratings drop, Jones' show remains the most popular breakfast radio programming in Sydney with a 17.1 percent share - far beyond ABC Sydney which has an 11.5 percent share. Similarly, 2GB has a 13.4 percent overall share ahead of ABC Sydney in second with a 9.4 percent overall share.
Newshub.
