Radio pair out of race

Press, 2 September 1989, Page 1

Radio pair out of race

By

KAY FORRESTER

James Daniels and Ken Ellis are out of the Christchurch mayoralty race. The two radio announcers withdrew their nominations for the mayoralty at 4 p.m. yesterday, four hours after the deadline for nominations closed.

The Christchurch City returning officer, Mr Max Robertson, confirmed the pair had pulled out and would receive their deposits of $lOO each back. That clears the way for the announcers to be back on air on their Stereo 91 ZM station on Monday morning. The two were suspended last Friday (August 25) from their popular breakfast show for drinking champagne on air. But they had sufficiently patched up differences with the station management for the station manager, Mr Kevin White, to say yesterday that they would be back on air if they withdrew their mayoral nominations. The original two-week suspension without pay was reduced to one on condition they withdraw. Mr White issued a statement when the noon deadline for nominations passed without the withdrawals that he was surprised and disappointed the pair’s names were still on the mayoral list. “They both know that to continue past this point would be In breach of Radio New Zealand rules and that should they remain candidates they would not be allowed back on air until after the election,” he said. Daniels said last evening the announcers had been “a bit naughty and decided to wait until later in the day.” He said the last week had been far from the relaxing week’s holiday the pair had planned — “Not too much champagne this week.” He was looking forward to being back on air on Monday. “We have a ratings survey starting soon. We didn’t want to be out of action for two weeks.” Daniels said the pair’s reluctance to withdraw from the mayoralty race, which they originally entered as a joke, was because they did not want to disappoint their supporters. Station management had been insisting for some time they withdraw. “We wanted to not withdraw but not campaign either. Leave the names on the ballot paper but tell people a vote for us was a wasted vote, but that they should vote for someone so they could have their say.”

Neither Ellis or Mr White were available for comment last evening.