We here at Mediaweek wanted this chat to be a little bit different from our usual ones.

We all know about the bust-up with Jackie, the court case and the new show, Kyle Sandilands Live, which launched today. And while we touch on some of that, I wanted to go somewhere else.

Full disclosure: I’ve known Kyle for around 15 years. I first met him when he and Jackie were at SCA, before coming back into his orbit when they moved to ARN.

So I wanted this conversation to be about the Kyle I’ve observed over those years. The boss his employees know - and the one many remain fiercely loyal to, following him from one chapter to the next.

Because it raises an interesting question: if Kyle really is as nasty or vile as some of his critics claim, why do so many of the people who work closest to him keep choosing to do so?

Having spent a long time working in radio myself, I’ve always found Kyle something of an anomaly. He can be brutal on air, but off air, he’s often the opposite. With some other broadcasters, that switch gets flicked the other way.

Make of that what you will.

This conversation is looser than most. A little more personal, too. And, quite frankly, that’s probably exactly how Kyle would like it.