By Georgina Robinson
Radio network Austereo has denied suggestions a compulsory counselling requirement for suspended star host Kyle Sandilands is a token gesture.
The 38-year-old co-host of the Kyle and Jackie O Show has "embraced" the terms of his four-week suspension without pay, Austereo general manager Adam Lang said.
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Kyle's a nice guys says Wendy Harmer
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Lang and Sandilands's manager, Andrew Hawkins, refused to detail what sort of counselling he would undergo or whether he had attended his first session.
But Lang said Sandilands had committed to more than one session with an unnamed external counsellor and was taking seriously the terms of his suspension, which were laid down at a meeting with network executives last week.
"Is it a token gesture? Absolutely not," Lang said.
"[The meeting] was very constructive. He's embraced the whole thing very constructively."
Austereo "sought professional advice" to help choose Sandilands's counsellor, he said.
Hawkins said his client was "taking part in the counselling" and looking forward to returning to air on October 7.
Both Lang and Hawkins refused to provide details on how many charities Sandilands's four-weeks' pay would go to, or when.
© 2007 The Sydney Morning Herald
