The media watchdog is considering sanctions against Kyle Sandilands and Jackie “O” Henderson after a damning report found they “repeatedly and deliberately” aired content that did not meet decency rules.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said on Wednesday that The Kyle and Jackie O Show, which is broadcast on radio station KIIS in Sydney and Melbourne, breached the Commercial Radio Code of Practice on multiple occasions in late 2024.

The ACMA found the show violated the code nine times between August and December 2024 – airing vulgar, sexually explicit or offensive content on seven occasions, as well as breaching complaint handling rules.

Sandilands and Henderson breached the code on three previous occasions, bringing the total number of breaches for the year to 12.

ACMA said the continual breaches pointed to “systemic issues with the program”.

“The Kyle and Jackie O Show has repeatedly and deliberately aired content that is vulgar, sexually explicit and deeply offensive,” ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin said.

“Even after previous breaches and the employment of additional censors required by the ACMA, the program continues to broadcast content that is unacceptable to the community,” O’Loughlin added.

O’Loughlin said “enforcement actions” were being considered.

KIIS FM owner, Australian Radio Network, could also face disciplinary action because it appears to either not care that its presenters are breaching decency rules, or is incapable of preventing them.

“ARN, as the licensee of these stations, appears unwilling or unable to rein in these presenters,” O’Loughlin said.

“As a result, the ACMA is currently considering enforcement actions so that ARN takes full responsibility for the content broadcast on their stations.”

The episodes that breached decency rules included “lewd discussions about masturbation and pornography websites”, and discussion of a sexual position.

ACMA also pointed to “two episodes of a guessing game where audio clips of male and female staff members urinating were aired, with hosts guessing which audio belonged to which staff member”. 

The watchdog said both episodes included comments about the genitals of participants, and in the female staff member episode, “graphic comments about menstruation and oral sex”.

ARN disputed the finding that it was not doing anything to change Sandilands and Henderson’s behaviour.

“ARN has reviewed the decision and ARN respects the role of ACMA,” ARN said in a statement. 

“The matters relate to content aired in 2024, and we have since taken steps to refine and improve processes,” it said. 

“We acknowledge that The Kyle and Jackie O Show may not be to everyone’s taste, but with a loyal following of more than 1.6 million listeners each week, the show has built a strong and enduring connection with its audience for decades.”

The Sydney-based The Kyle and Jackie O Show has is a ratings juggernaut in the harbour city, but struggled in Melbourne since it was launched in April, 2024.

The show has regularly drawn criticism for its headline-grabbing content. In 2023 the watchdog also found it breached broadcast rules over comments about gay men and the mpox virus.

Sandilands and Henderson are two of the highest-profile players in Australian broadcast media and in 2023 they signed a 10-year contract extension with the ASX-listed company that was said to be worth more than $200 million.