If you were one of the sad sods scrolling LinkedIn over the long weekend – thumb hovering somewhere between curiosity and mild self-loathing – you might’ve stumbled across a spicy little media industry stoush that quickly turned into popcorn viewing.
What started as a street-side encounter has since spiralled into a very public war of words between boom studio co-founder Simon Baggs and former Southern Cross Austereo CEO Grant Blackley.
It all started when Baggs took to LinkedIn to share what he described as a chance run-in with Blackley, writing:
“A beautiful little moment just happened for me on my local street.
“My old “friend” Grant Blackley (ex Media CEO) stopped me on the main street (I thought he was about to congratulate Sonia and I for topping the podcast charts) BUT he asked how it felt to be blocked from all the media companies in Australia….
“I had no idea about this wonderful statement. I said: “But I have a media company. He replied: “And how’s that going for you, buddy?”
“I get the sense the old boys’ club have their little knickers in a knot.”
He ended the post with one final jab:
“Grant… if your (sic) looking for something to do… I need my car washed.”
Simon Baggs
Blackley responds with his version
Blackley quickly entered the comments to dispute Baggs’ account, offering a sharply different version of events:
“Simon – unfortunately you never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
“Truth is – while sitting having a long awaited catch up with one of my prior team members from Southern Cross Austereo last Tuesday, I caught the eye of Simon but did not give it another thought.
“However, the following day I get a call from that colleague to say that Simon had called his employer – namely the CEO, to tell him he was seen having a glass of wine with myself. That CEO also called and we laughed about the petty attitude.
“This morning Simon walked past me – and I said “Simon a word of advice, I don’t think it is right to call someone else’s CEO to tell them I was having a casual drink. His response – why not !! I said I don’t think it is any of your business and his reply – “Well, ….is a f**kwit”. I said not only is it not your business but you may want to call him and apologise.
“I think you should have a good look at your own standards and moral fibre. I expect it needs a bit of work.”
Grant Blackley
Baggs doubles down on intent
The exchange continued – albeit largely one-sided – with Baggs attempting to clarify the motivation behind his original post to Mediaweek.
“Look I am no angel but I’m definitely not in the business of crushing storytellers,” Baggs said. “I want to lift more voices up”
Baggs also used the moment to widen the lens, arguing that a “leadership boys club” may be limiting opportunities for emerging creators within the media ecosystem.
He added that brands should reconsider how they engage with talent: “They need to know they can reach out directly to creators as they are the ones with the direct relationship to the audience. The audience trusts them.”
Main image: AI-generated