Radio jockey Joe Augustin given marching orders again. My god, don't this guy know how to take a hint?
Augustin axed from DJ job, again
By Charlene Chua
February 12, 2009
JUST six months after joining Power98FM, veteran radio deejay Joe Augustin will be looking for another job.
He told The New Paper yesterday that he and his Morning Jam co-host, Ms Shareen Wong, were fired from the station last Friday.
They have not been on air in the last two days, with deejay Elliott Danker taking over their morning slot.
Attempts to contact the station yesterday to confirm their departures were unsuccessful. But when contacted, Ms Wong also said that the duo had been fired.
A search of the station's website showed there was no mention of them and the Morning Jam page was 'under construction'.
Mr Augustin said they were still reeling from the shock of it.
This is his second 'cancellation of contract' in eight months. Mr Augustin was fired from his deejaying job with Radio 91.3FM last June.
In a phone interview with The New Paper, the pair spoke candidly of their optimism for the future.
They said the problem started when they received an SMS two weeks ago telling them to meet the management last week to discuss 'some issues'.
The radio hosts decided to have some fun with the message and asked their listeners to guess what the meeting would be about.
Some listeners called in and joked that the word 'issues' sounded ominous.
Said Mr Augustin: 'I joined in with a lot of tongue-in-cheek stuff like 'this could be the last show guys'.'
When the meeting was postponed to last Friday, the jokes continued.
But never did he imagine that his words would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
In the meeting that took place just after his shift ended, he and Ms Wong were told that was to be their last day of work.
Said Mr Augustin: 'The management cited breach of contract. They also said that I couldn't reveal what it was that got us fired.'
Ms Wong was equally tight-lipped about the reason for their dismissal.
She said: 'Due to a confidentiality clause in the contract, I am not allowed to tell you what happened.'
But they said they disagreed with the decision.
Said Mr Augustin: 'Things that Shareen and I said in jest weren't taken with a pinch of salt, obviously.
'But I know that the public is smarter than what people give them credit for.'
Mr Augustin claimed that he and Ms Wong didn't make a wrong judgment call.
He said they were programme managers previously and 'have a pretty good idea of what the audience can handle'.
He is, however, taking full responsibility for what happened.
'I would go down a certain path and Shareen would just go along with it. Let's just say that I was the one who started the fire.'
Ms Wong, who said she has the 'utmost respect for Joe', felt that they were both 'equally responsible'.
They have yet to be informed if they will receive a severance package, but Mr Augustin hopes that 'it will be a decent couple of months' salary in terms of work done'.
Ms Wong, who has been with the station for more than 10 years, wants the management to consider the effort that she has put in and treat the matter fairly.
Mr Augustin has been a radio presenter for the past 19 years with radio stations such as Gold 90.5FM, Class 95FM, Power98FM and Radio 91.3FM. His co-hosts have included Melissa Hyak, Vera Lim, Jessica Soo, Hamish Brown, Denise Tan, The Flying Dutchman, Maggie Lim and Petrina Kow.
Listeners contacted by The New Paper guessed that insensitive jokes were probably what got the pair into trouble.
Some of them pinned the blame on Mr Augustin.
Said public relations manager Sarah Tan, 39: 'Sometimes, I think he's asking for it. While I may enjoy his risque jokes sometimes, I don't think they sit well with other listeners.'
Added facilities executive Rasul Gerald, 57: 'I think Joe's very good on radio. But some listeners may find his jokes (sometimes on sex and women) too direct. He doesn't exercise enough tact.'
Could have been restrained
NSF Clarence Chang, 21, thinks that Mr Augustin would have done better with some restraint from MsWong.
He said: 'I used to listen to Joe when he was co-hosting with Maggie Lim on Power98FM.
'I didn't think his jokes were offensive. But I have to say that Maggie was good in toning him down. He can get too zealous with his jokes. She was like his censorship board.'
With the current economic climate, Mr Augustin and Ms Wong agree that 'this couldn't have come at a worse time'.
But they are taking it in their stride.
Said Mr Augustin: 'I'm emceeing at the moment and have done voice-overs for CNBC and HBO Asia, so I'm remaining positive about my finances,' he said.
Ms Wong hopes to continue working with Mr Augustin.
She said: 'I have a homeware store named Kai Life and that is what I will be focusing on for now.
'But plans are in the works for Joe and I to be a team again, so we can entertain listeners together on radio.'
Mr Augustin is glad he now has time to smell the roses. He even went for a stroll in the Botanic Gardens yesterday morning, something that wasn't possible before due to his work schedule.
Added Ms Wong, with a laugh: 'I've been spending time at the pool working on my tan.'
- Additional reporting by Germaine Lim
Augustin axed from DJ job, again
By Charlene Chua
February 12, 2009
JUST six months after joining Power98FM, veteran radio deejay Joe Augustin will be looking for another job.
He told The New Paper yesterday that he and his Morning Jam co-host, Ms Shareen Wong, were fired from the station last Friday.
They have not been on air in the last two days, with deejay Elliott Danker taking over their morning slot.
Attempts to contact the station yesterday to confirm their departures were unsuccessful. But when contacted, Ms Wong also said that the duo had been fired.
A search of the station's website showed there was no mention of them and the Morning Jam page was 'under construction'.
Mr Augustin said they were still reeling from the shock of it.
This is his second 'cancellation of contract' in eight months. Mr Augustin was fired from his deejaying job with Radio 91.3FM last June.
In a phone interview with The New Paper, the pair spoke candidly of their optimism for the future.
They said the problem started when they received an SMS two weeks ago telling them to meet the management last week to discuss 'some issues'.
The radio hosts decided to have some fun with the message and asked their listeners to guess what the meeting would be about.
Some listeners called in and joked that the word 'issues' sounded ominous.
Said Mr Augustin: 'I joined in with a lot of tongue-in-cheek stuff like 'this could be the last show guys'.'
When the meeting was postponed to last Friday, the jokes continued.
But never did he imagine that his words would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
In the meeting that took place just after his shift ended, he and Ms Wong were told that was to be their last day of work.
Said Mr Augustin: 'The management cited breach of contract. They also said that I couldn't reveal what it was that got us fired.'
Ms Wong was equally tight-lipped about the reason for their dismissal.
She said: 'Due to a confidentiality clause in the contract, I am not allowed to tell you what happened.'
But they said they disagreed with the decision.
Said Mr Augustin: 'Things that Shareen and I said in jest weren't taken with a pinch of salt, obviously.
'But I know that the public is smarter than what people give them credit for.'
Mr Augustin claimed that he and Ms Wong didn't make a wrong judgment call.
He said they were programme managers previously and 'have a pretty good idea of what the audience can handle'.
He is, however, taking full responsibility for what happened.
'I would go down a certain path and Shareen would just go along with it. Let's just say that I was the one who started the fire.'
Ms Wong, who said she has the 'utmost respect for Joe', felt that they were both 'equally responsible'.
They have yet to be informed if they will receive a severance package, but Mr Augustin hopes that 'it will be a decent couple of months' salary in terms of work done'.
Ms Wong, who has been with the station for more than 10 years, wants the management to consider the effort that she has put in and treat the matter fairly.
Mr Augustin has been a radio presenter for the past 19 years with radio stations such as Gold 90.5FM, Class 95FM, Power98FM and Radio 91.3FM. His co-hosts have included Melissa Hyak, Vera Lim, Jessica Soo, Hamish Brown, Denise Tan, The Flying Dutchman, Maggie Lim and Petrina Kow.
Listeners contacted by The New Paper guessed that insensitive jokes were probably what got the pair into trouble.
Some of them pinned the blame on Mr Augustin.
Said public relations manager Sarah Tan, 39: 'Sometimes, I think he's asking for it. While I may enjoy his risque jokes sometimes, I don't think they sit well with other listeners.'
Added facilities executive Rasul Gerald, 57: 'I think Joe's very good on radio. But some listeners may find his jokes (sometimes on sex and women) too direct. He doesn't exercise enough tact.'
Could have been restrained
NSF Clarence Chang, 21, thinks that Mr Augustin would have done better with some restraint from MsWong.
He said: 'I used to listen to Joe when he was co-hosting with Maggie Lim on Power98FM.
'I didn't think his jokes were offensive. But I have to say that Maggie was good in toning him down. He can get too zealous with his jokes. She was like his censorship board.'
With the current economic climate, Mr Augustin and Ms Wong agree that 'this couldn't have come at a worse time'.
But they are taking it in their stride.
Said Mr Augustin: 'I'm emceeing at the moment and have done voice-overs for CNBC and HBO Asia, so I'm remaining positive about my finances,' he said.
Ms Wong hopes to continue working with Mr Augustin.
She said: 'I have a homeware store named Kai Life and that is what I will be focusing on for now.
'But plans are in the works for Joe and I to be a team again, so we can entertain listeners together on radio.'
Mr Augustin is glad he now has time to smell the roses. He even went for a stroll in the Botanic Gardens yesterday morning, something that wasn't possible before due to his work schedule.
Added Ms Wong, with a laugh: 'I've been spending time at the pool working on my tan.'
- Additional reporting by Germaine Lim
