Overview
- Matt Cooper and NK Productions ended Yates’s role with immediate effect after reports he advised Jim Gavin during the presidential race.
- Cooper and the producer said they were unaware of the campaign work and that it should have been disclosed to listeners when the election was discussed.
- Reporting indicates Yates coached Gavin for the first debate and had a smaller role in the second, with the full extent and timing still unclear.
- Newstalk said Yates did not declare a conflict while presenting on September 23–25 during the campaign and stated that management is conducting a review.
- Yates had informed the team he planned to leave in the new year, posted wishing the podcast success, and has been contacted for comment as political figures questioned compliance with broadcasting rules.