The ACMA investigated 2GB’s Ben Fordham Live program and scrutinised comments made in a broadcast on 3 August 2023 that were “favourable” to ride-share company Uber.

The regulatory body discovered that a commercial agreement between Uber and the program host at the time of the broadcast was not disclosed.

In a separate investigation into 3AW Afternoons broadcasts that aired in August 2023, the ACMA learned that hosts made comments favourable to automotive manufacturer BMW without disclosing their commercial agreements.

The ACMA said both stations “failed to publish details on their websites of commercial agreements made by their current affairs presenters, as is required by the commercial disclosure rules.”

Authority member Creina Chapman says adequately disclosing commercial agreements is crucial for transparency in current affairs programs.

“These kind of commercial disclosure breaches have the potential to erode the public’s trust in current affairs programming,” Chapman says.

“Listeners deserve to know what commercial agreements are in place and how those deals might relate to what they are hearing on-air.”

Following this incident, both stations have informed their affairs presenters, producers, and sales staff to undergo formal training on commercial disclosure requirements to comply with ACMA remediations.

The ACMA ordered 2GB to commission an external audit of the processes it has to comply with rules.

This additional measure has been put in place because 2GB previously breached disclosure rules in 2021.