A National MP has apologised for criticising former Today FM host Tova O'Brien after he tweeted her "poor ratings crashed an entire radio station".
On Thursday, O'Brien tweeted an opinion piece she wrote for Stuff, in which she suggested National leader Christopher Luxon was distancing his personal brand from the party's campaign.
Chris Penk, the MP for Kaipara ki Mahurangi, replied by suggesting O'Brien alone caused the demise of Today FM in March.
"Sorry but your poor ratings crashed an entire radio station," Penk tweeted on Friday afternoon.
Penk then came under fire from former Today FM boss Dallas Gurney, who shared his thoughts on LinkedIn.
Gurney labelled Penk's comments as categorically false.
"Big warning sign here - the Nats think they've won the election already - egos do not match the talent," he wrote.
"This is not good enough from an MP, it has a very strong Aaron Gilmore whiff to it and verges on bullying.
"50 people lost their jobs you idiot. Disgraceful."
Gurney also tagged former MediaWorks CEO Cam Wallace, his old boss who left the company in March just weeks before Gurney quit himself.
Penk apologised the next day in a follow-up tweet.
"Hi team, looks like I've caused offence to some with this reference to TodayFM's fate and the jobs that went with it," he wrote.
"While I didn't intend any upset by using that hyperbole, I apologise in any case."
