But now to Channel Nine Sydney and a heartwarming story about the man who's going to make Gosford great again.

PETER OVERTON: With a bit of hard work and plenty of Aussie charm, John Singleton has found success in radio, horse racing and business, amassing a multimillion-dollar fortune along the way. Now Singo is trying on a new hat, that of developer, and tells us he's taking a big risk to give his beloved Central Coast a much-needed boost. — Channel Nine News Sydney, 5 March, 2017

Yes, Singo has put on his hard hat to spruce up the main street of good ol' Gosford by putting up.

LIZZIE PEARL: A $35 million, 13-storey residential and commercial development ... — Channel Nine News Sydney, 5 March, 2017

And with 51 apartments to sell, it's lucky Nine News was there to produce a PR puff for the new development and its owner.

LIZZIE PEARL: John Singelton has many loves in life ... JOHN SINGLETON: This is Weet-Bix time ... LIZZIE PEARL: His birds ... Do they come home to you every night? JOHN SINGLETON: Every night. LIZZIE PEARL: And the Central Coast are just two of them. — Channel Nine News Sydney, 5 March, 2017

But even better news for Singo than a TV ad masquerading as news is the fact that as part-owner of Macquarie Media he has an entire radio network at his disposal.

With top rating presenters like 2GB's Ray Hadley only too happy to spruik their boss's business.

RAY HADLEY: ... he's provided me with what we call a live read today for a brand-new development ... — The Ray Hadley Morning Show, 2GB, 20 February, 2017

And Ray wasn't just going to stick to the script when the opportunity on offer was as hot as this.

RAY HADLEY: Having gone up there, I said to him 'Singo, it will sell itself'. — The Ray Hadley Morning Show, 2GB, 20 February, 2017

RAY HADLEY: If I wasn't a single father on a fixed income I'd probably buy one. — The Ray Hadley Morning Show, 2GB, 22 February, 2017

Day after day Ray's been at it. On one occasion for seven long minutes.

But, competing for the boss's love, 2GB Drive host Ben Fordham went even further:

BEN FORDHAM: Now, I take a keen interest in real estate, and I've got no doubt Bonython Tower is going to be one of the hottest property opportunities of 2017 ... — Ben Fordham - Sydney Live, 2GB, 20 February, 2017

BEN FORDHAM: It's a winner. You can thank me later for tipping you into it. — Ben Fordham - Sydney Live, 2GB, 21 February, 2017

Yes, 2GB listeners have been getting a direct line to Singo's deal of the century, as his mates have conducted a virtual auction of the properties on air:

BEN FORDHAM: I'm very happy to say that the phones have been ringing off the hook regarding Bonython Tower at Gosford ... I mean, the two penthouses are gone, what's that, so 11 out of the 51 are gone, so there's 40 left ... — Ben Fordham - Sydney Live, 2GB, 20 February, 2017

And there was plenty of upside for potential buyers, apart from the resale value, with Ray suggesting:

RAY HADLEY: I was thinking, you know, what we should do is as a bonus for the first 25 people to put deposits down we'll get an autographed photo of Singo ... — The Ray Hadley Morning Show, 2GB, 20 February, 2017

And Ben going one better:

BEN FORDHAM: ... I'll be inviting myself to your place once you've moved in and I'll join you and your family and friends for a beer on the balcony watching the sun go down over the water. I'm serious. — Ben Fordham - Sydney Live, 2GB, 22 February, 2017

It really does beggar belief.

The cash for comment scandal almost 20 years ago was about paid advertisements masquerading as editorial.

Yet this appears to be quite similar.

First, because those gushing personal endorsements go way beyond a normal 30-second live read.

And second because most contained no disclosure that they were commercials. And 2GB has confirmed to us they were.

So is that OK? Well, remarkably, the radio code does not require disclosure IF the pitch is:

... clearly identifiable to a reasonable listener as an advertisement. — Broadcasting Services, (Commercial Radio Current Affairs Disclosure) Standard 2012

So here's the key question: was it obvious that Ray, Ben or 2GB were being paid to wax lyrical or were they freely offering their opinion that this is a great investment, despite recent warnings from the Reserve Bank that apartment prices could collapse.

Fordham told listeners:

BEN FORDHAM: I am more than happy to represent this project and to endorse it because I think it's a winner and I think there are a lot of people who will do very well out of it. — Ben Fordham - Sydney Live, 2GB, 24 February, 2017

We hope he's right.

As for the cost of it all. We counted 61 minutes of boosting from Ben and Ray, which media monitor Isentia reckons should add up to around $125,000.

How much Singo paid for it 2GB wouldn't tell us.

Read Macquarie Radio's response here