2GB host Ben Fordham forced to pay a listener $1000 after awkward blunder

2GB host Ben Fordham has been forced to pay a listener $1000 after an awkward on air blunder.

The 44-year-old was hosting the radio station’s 2GB For Me competition on Monday, when he incorrectly claimed a caller named Kathy had won $1,000.

The competition requires listeners to answer the phone and say ‘2GB For Me’ before stating a code word.

After answering the phone, Kathy failed to say ‘2GB For Me’ and just stated the code word ‘winner’.

Ben then announced Kathy had won the $1000 prize money, before asking: ‘Hang on a moment, did you say 2GB for me?’

‘Kathy in fact has not won $1000 from 2GB because she didn’t say “2GB for me” but I made the mistake so I’ll cover the mistake,’ he said.

‘I’ll pay the $1000 to Kathy because I’m not going to have a situation where I’ve just told someone they’ve won $1000 then all of a sudden they don’t win $1000.’

Ben explained he was confused by the rules of the competition as it had not run in  some time.

‘The reason for my confusion is the competition has changed a few times during the life of the concept, so it’s the first time I’ve done it in some time and I got a little bit mixed up.’

‘Just going forward, everyone needs to know you only win the $100 if you pick up the phone and say “2GB for me” within the 15 seconds.’

He continued: ‘If you know the code word it jackpots to $1000. If you don’t know the code word then it jackpots to $2000 during the Ray Hadley morning show.’

Ben was announced as 2GB’s breakfast radio host in May last year after Alan Jones retired from radio after 35 years on the airwaves.