The ABC is scrambling to repair the damage caused by the sacking of its popular Mornings radio program presenter in Sydney, Sarah Macdonald. (main picture)

My ABC sources tell me that feathers are flying as the main players in the latest on-air staffing kerfuffle try to react to overwhelmingly negative listener and public response to the news.

Blame for the decision to axe Macdonald has been laid squarely at the feet of two former commercial FM radio managers now working for the national broadcaster – Ben Latimer who is the ABC’s director of audio and formerly head of content at the Nova FM network, and Mike Fitzpatrick who is head of the ABC’s capital city radio network and who previously ran the Triple M network for more than a decade.

“Ben and Mike have bungled the whole process and have allowed themselves to be outfoxed by Sarah and I say, good on her,” a reliable source within the ABC confided in me.

“You see, Sarah became aware of their plan to dump her more than a week ago but kept quiet.

“But then it became obvious on Monday of last week that Ben and Mike simply didn’t have any Plan B when their preferred choice to replace her – Alan Jones – was suddenly unavailable.

“Of course all hell broke loose within the ABC but Sarah let Ben and Mike twist in the wind for a few days, then stuck the knife in and announced their decision about her future, or lack of it, last Thursday.

“As if Alan’s arrest and charges weren’t enough bad news for Ben and Mike, now they have most of Sydney baying for their blood, or at least a tiny percentage of the city’s AM radio listeners.

“They are currently engaged in a frenzy of meetings trying to find someone – anyone – to take the Mornings job next year.

“The last I heard was that they were begging Antoinette Latouff to consider the gig and were even trying to raise funds to poach Kyle and Jackie O from KIIS FM,” my ABC source told me.

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