What's New
BY Sarah Patterson June 12, 2026
What's New October 30, 2024
MFW’s Jennie Hill: “We’re not the bad guys.”
Reporter
The Mad F**king Witches don’t like being seen as a bunch of wowsers or party poopers. That’s not what they’re about, according to MFW founder Jennie Hill.
Hill says it’s just that they’ve been left with no choice but to wage a boycott campaign, targeting advertisers on KIIS FM’s Kyle & Jackie O Show.
In an interview with our sister publication RadioInfo, Hill says “I totally agree from the outside or from people who disagree with us, it looks a bit strange or ‘out there.’ But it’s really the only way that’s left open to people like us to take a stand.”
And Kyle Sandilands is copping it with both barrels.
In May, the grassroots activist group launched a community campaign targeting Sandilands, claiming the Kyle & Jackie O Show was normalising violent misogyny.
This coincided with the top-rating Sydney program being networked into Melbourne.
MFW previously played a role in mobilising community and advertiser backlash against former 2GB host Alan Jones, following controversial comments about then-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Hill says many of MFW’s followers are from Victoria.
“Even though we’d heard of Kyle Sandilands before, obviously we weren’t fully aware of the depths of how bad his commentary is until he decided that he was going national.”
At that point, they decided to listen. And Hill says that’s when the realisation dawned.
“What they do on radio every morning is that they legitimise, mostly men, who are physically violent. They give them credibility.”
“Those people (are given) credence for having those kinds of views in terms of the disgusting, demeaning, objectifying things that they say every day about women.”
And not just about women, says Hill.
“It’s about black people, about LGBT people, and about disabled people. And if you want to take it to the nth degree, there’s also a lot of stuff demeaning of older people.”
In a Radio Today article hot the heels of GfK Survey 6 – which saw K & J’s audience share plummet in Melbourne – ARN’s Chief Content Officer Duncan Campbell said “We’ve removed the graphic sexual content. But it’s not going to be a sanitised show.”
Hill says recent transcripts show there’s still an enormous amount of unacceptable content going to air.
“There has been a slight toning down, but nowhere near enough to solve the problem from our point of view,” she says.
Hill says Kyle basically runs the gamut of whoever he can insult.
“We’re very clear in that he does the same thing every day, that Jackie listens to it, backs it up, and sometimes even joins in.”
It’s MFW’s view that teenage boys – and boys even younger than that – are being indoctrinated by this content.
“We object to that, and we want it off the air.”
Hill says a lot of MFW’s 200,000 followers have complained to the radio station and to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (A.C.M.A) off their own bat.
“As I’m sure you know, you have to complain to the radio station first. Then when you get a response from them, you have to do it all, using very specific wording and all the rest of it, to make a complaint to the A.C.M.A.”
Hill makes it clear they’re fresh out of faith in the official process.
When asked whether their boycott campaign smacks of vigilantism, Hill says “That’s an interesting question. People talk to us about cancel culture. ‘Aren’t you trying to cancel Kyle and cancel men or people that you don’t agree with?’”
“The funny thing is, is that the people who’ve always been cancelled throughout history are the people who don’t have a voice. Women, black people, gay people, disabled people, very young people and very old people. They’re the people who’ve never had a say.”
“People like Sandilands with an enormous golden microphone, and Alan Jones and other people like them, they’re the ones who’ve traditionally cancelled everyone else.”
“So as soon as someone gains some power by using social media to effectively unionise a group of people – which is what we’ve done – and fights back, we’re suddenly labelled the bad guys.”
“We’re not the bad guys. We’re the people fighting the bad stuff.”
Ultimately, Hill says there’s a pretty simple solution to all this.
“All they have to do is stop. I mean, we’re not even calling for Kyle Sandilands to be sacked or Jackie. What we’re calling for is for the behaviour to change.”
Hill says if this happens, MFW will leave them alone.
“So, the ball’s really in their court.”
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What's New
BY Sarah Patterson June 12, 2026
like seriously…..people listen because they are different, because no other station dares to do the stuff that KJ do. if they had changed their behaviour years ago, we’d be seeing fitzy and wippa at number one
Have they heard other FM and AM shows and their views? Seems a little narrow in target of just one. Kyle could possibly look at a lawsuit here if they are spinning untruths. It’s bullying. How ironic from a group of activists. All stations should come together in this and block or risk being the next…
Thank you Sarah – a much more balanced article than otrhers I’ve seen.
BTW as their former newsreader I support this campaign 100 percent and intend to personally ring some advertisers again in the near future.
I’m sad the show has gone so low and in my opinion is a blight on the industry.
It’s ironic that many accusing people of trolling or being bullies do that posting under a pseudonym.
Trust me “Fly Away” the MFW is made up of men women including past and present media people, lawyers and many others concerned about what is happening on breakfast radio.
Threats direct, or implied, will not stop people protresting or activism.
You are the ‘bad guys’ because this relentless attack on KJ spills over to all radio. Is this what you really want? Make no mistake, this vindictive, bitter campaign will directly cause announcers to lose their jobs.
Why not just let the market decide. If they don’t like the content they won’t listen.
And for the record, I find the swearing in your name offensive and not something I want my kids to see or repeat.
@Geoff……exactly…. YOUR opinion. Something that shouldn’t be forced onto others. Let people like what they like. If you don’t like it, fine. Turn it off.
Remember what you said, people stay in jobs because they have bills to pay. What these activists are doing is not only getting advertisers to pull spots, that in turn causes less revenue, then less budgets, then….and it’s happening a lot lately…..people get made redundant.
Do you really want good people to lose their jobs because of your opinion?
@Max Aren’t Sydney’s top rating FM brekky shows after Kyle & Jackie O, two reasonably safe/family friendly options in WSFM’s Jonesy & Amanda and Smooth’s More Music Breakfast Show with Bogart Torelli & Ron Wilson?
Aside from this year’s first two surveys which I believe coincided with Nova running a major ad campaign for their Sydney brekky show, Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie have for some time now mostly hovered around 5th or 6th overall, with 6-7% shares: Generally below KIIS, 2GB, WSFM, Smooth and ABC Sydney, but likely profitable and high enough to keep on-air unlike some of the disasters 2DayFM and Triple M have run at breakfast in recent years.
Whatever the case, I’d personally argue that increased media coverage along with the obvious controversies over their content are two significant reasons why K&JO’s ratings have increased ratings during this post-Alan Jones era of Sydney breakfast radio.
Without wanting to endorse or dis-endorse what MFW do, reports from them and the ABC’s “Media Watch” program point towards Kyle & Jackie O doing some pretty disgusting content which is below the standard one expects during a timeslot where kids and other impressionable young people (who let’s not forget, make up a not insignificant chunk of the KIIS/K&JO audience) are reasonably likely to be listening. Afterall, they often have to beep out content that presumably would breach the Commercial Radio Code of Practice!
I mean, there’s probably a time and place on radio for programs with a focus on sex and relationships. But some of the rather crude discussions about sex and bodily functions featured on K&JO would likely be considered a bit dodgy even by late night standards.
@Fly away
I don’t think you’ve been paying attention. MFW have been around for years. They took on Alan Jones in 2019. This isn’t just about Kyle, they have always campaigned against a bunch of media personalities.
Appreciate the article RT. Interesting to hear both sides.
Let me get this right, though … a bunch of prudes who don’t listen to a radio show want to cancel said radio show for the people that listen to it and enjoy it? Don’t know enough about MFW to know if they’re actually qualified to be the moral arbiters who decide who and what gets cancelled.
Also, for a not-for-profit organisation run by ‘volunteers’ they sure do solicit hard for ‘donations’. Wonder if the MFW would open their books and offer transparency as to where the donations are going. Not alleging anything untoward, just curious.
By using KJ to raise their profile and get more donations, aren’t the MFW essentially getting richer thanks to the very show they despise?
@MW
Very interesting comments and I suspect more will come shortly on those points.
Who do these ‘volunteers’ think they are, telling the rest of society who they can listen to.
Clients who play to the minority will end up with the problem.
Hello…. your friendly wog lesbian here. We LOVEEE kyle and Jackie o!!! They’re the ONLY station that has ever given a voice to gays, disabled, elderly, ethnic people.
All other stations are so sanitised white-skippy voices. The type of voices MFW represent.
Australia is multicultural, multifaith and diverse in everyway….. KJ are the only show that unifies all of these voices. Every other station is white Anglo-Saxon contrived Content.
Don’t speak on our behalf. If you have an issue…. that’s yours, and yours alone….. go get a “sense of humour” transplant
EDITOR: This comment has been edited to remove personal insults.