The title of “Top Jock” has been awarded to one of the Australian radio presenters involved in a royal prank call connected to the suicide of a London nurse, by his employer, radio network Southern Cross Austereo.
Michael Christian shared the win in one of the categories of an internal competition acknowledging the company’s “best in the land”. As part of his award, he received a trip to Los Angeles.
In December 2012, Christian and his colleague Mel Greig conducted a prank call to the London hospital where Prince William’s wife, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, was being treated.
During the call, nurse Jacintha Saldanha transferred the call to a colleague who, despite the DJs’ lackluster accents, revealed details about the duchess’s health.
Days after the call, Saldanha was discovered hanged in her apartment.
“It seems inappropriate to be rewarding individuals so soon after such an incident,” commented National Communications Minister Stephen Conroy on a Melbourne radio station.
When the prank occurred, Christian was just beginning his first week at the Sydney station 2DayFM.
“Despite everything that has transpired in recent months, I still consider myself at the top of my game,” Christian stated. “It was gratifying to see my name at the top of the final leader board.”
In response to public outrage, Southern Cross committed to donating advertising revenue to a fund for Saldanha’s family, with a guaranteed minimum contribution of $500,000.
