Radio boss reveals real reason Jane Bunn was fired

Looks like axed weather reporter Jane Bunn is a casualty of network rivalry after 3AW confirmed Jane’s shock firing earlier in the month came down to an issue between Channel Seven and the stations owner, Macquarie Radio.

Jane presented on both 3AW radio mornings and Seven News nightly, an arrangement that became an evident conflict of interest.

Jane caused consternation among fans last week when she announced she would no longer be appearing on the breakfast program, and now 3AW has confirmed the journalist was axed after the agreement with Seven, who hosted the spot, was dropped.

3AW owner Stephen Beers revealed to Women’s Day that the firing was not personal, just business.

“Jane's spot was a commercial agreement with Seven,” he told the magazine.

“Seven stopped paying so the spot ended.”

Jane is best known for presenting the weather on Seven News in Melbourne, and with rival network, Nine, now owning Macquarie Radio, and 3AW by extension, it was never going to be long before her spot was cut.

Shocking news

She dropped the news in a blunt tweet earlier in the month, the news hitting fans like a sack of bricks.

Jane has something of a cult following online, having won local hearts presenting for the WIN network earlier in her career, and now presenting on the country’s top news program nightly.

The presenter rattled those fans when she made the shock announcement on Twitter with a brief, eyebrow-raising tweet sparking speculation and despair among her dedicated fan base.

Most fans were onto the conflict of interest being behind the decision before the news was confirmed.

“A shame Jane. The 3AW - Nine link is biting hard. Move on to bigger and better things,” one astute observer wrote at the time.

“3AW owned by 9,” another wrote. “Hmm wonder why they don’t renew contract of someone from #7?(sic)”

"Hmm I wonder why?..... Here's a little obvious hint. 3AW owned by Nine Network and 7 network rival and AW news bulletins now called "9 news". Their loss,” seemed to be the consensus.

Jane continues to present the nightly weather on Seven News Melbourne.

Why the Fairfax-Nine merger is behind the cut

3AW is a station within Macquarie Media Radio.

The company merged with Fairfax in 2015, and was therefore rolled into the wider deal struck between Fairfax and the Nine Network in 2018.

The Nine Network has taken over Macquarie in the wake of the Fairfax merger, reportedly planning to phase out the name and house them under the Nine brand name.

Now under the Nine umbrella, presenters working across multiple mediums on multiple channels can find themselves caught between rival networks.

As a news presenter for Seven, and radio presenter for a station owned by Nine, Jane’s regular appearance on the station was never going to fly for too long.

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