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Veteran entertainment reporter John-Michael Howson today woke to calls for his sacking after his abusive on-air tantrum over the Seven network's treatment of Tony Abbott yesterday. 

During a heated conversation about Mark Riley's now-infamous interview with the Opposition Leader, Howson verbally abused his radio 3AW co-presenter Nick McCallum and hurled sexist insults at a female producer.

"You'll go to your grave defending these pricks," he shouted at McCallum, a Channel Seven reporter who co-presents the Sunday morning show with Howson and Darren James on 3AW.
"That's what you are, Nick. You're part of that cabal. You can't be objective."

But when McCallum described himself as "an independent person", and tried to explain the timeline of the event, Howson's attack became personal.

"You dominate this show. You over-talk everybody. You over-talk the listeners. You've got the bloody producers up your backside doing everything you want them to do," he screamed, before turning to his attention to his 3AW producer, Cushla Travers.

"Up yours, darling," he said. "Silly little girls masquerading as bloody producers."

But the tirade today led to calls for Howson's sacking.

Speaking this morning, 3AW figurehead Neil Mitchell said he agreed that Seven had set up Mr Abbott by airing his "shit happens" remark in response to being told in Afghanistan that an Australian Digger's death was not due to any single factor.

But Mitchell said Howson's on-air behaviour, particularly his abuse of a producer, was unacceptable.
"John-Michael confuses hysteria with debate sometimes," Mitchell said today.

"Abusing producers - it's covering up your own inadequacies. I'd dump him ... You don't bully the staff. You don't involve the audience in that sort of nonsense. If I had my way he'd be stamping his little feet as he went out the door."

3AW program director Clark Forbes told The Age there would be no sackings as a result of the outburst.
He said the program was known for its "forthright comments" but said Howson went "a little bit far in blaming the producer".

"Producers are there to do the job for station and shouldn't be included in the rough and tumble that goes on on-air," Mr Forbes said.

"I think John-Michael would agree with that. He probably just got a little bit excited in the heat of the moment ... He did apologise a little bit later and as far as I'm concerned that's where the matter ends."