Legal
Erin Patterson sentencing to be broadcast live
The Victorian Supreme Court will take the unusual step of broadcasting Erin Patterson’s sentencing today.
The ABC reports that only the judge will be shown on screen, with Patterson and others in court kept out of view.
You can watch the live stream here.
Patterson faces life in prison after being found guilty of murdering three in-laws in 2023 by serving a beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms.
Radio
ARN explores AI voices for radio shake-up
Well, it seems the outrage to its first time trying out AI on sly didn’t really bother the broadcaster all that much.
As Steve Jackson writes in The Australian, ARN is weighing up whether some of its on-air talent could be replaced by AI-generated hosts.
The move is being framed as part of a cost-cutting review that could reshape how Australia’s biggest metro network sounds.
Social Media
Social platforms face VPN test as age laws tighten
Australia’s new age rules for social media land on 10 December, lifting the minimum to 16.
The catch? Kids are tech-savvy, and VPNs offer a quick workaround.
As Hannah Wilcox and Julie Cross write in The Daily Telegraph, lawmakers now want platforms to shut down that loophole or risk fines of up to $49.5 million.
AI
ABC pours millions into AI chatbot project
Capital Brief’s John Buckley writes that the ABC has tipped more than $4 million into artificial intelligence development over the past three years, with more than half of that spent on a homegrown chatbot called ABC Assist.
The tool, described as a “knowledge navigator,” has been in the works since 2022.
Documents released under FOI show $2.7 million went into the chatbot in the 2024 and 2025 financial years alone.
Streaming
‘Truth’ behind Que Minh Luu’s sudden Netflix exit
The Sydney Morning Herald’s Karl Quinn claims internal communications and accounts from multiple insiders shed new light on why Que Minh Luu’s time at Netflix ended so abruptly.
Sources describe her management style as “mercurial” and anxiety-inducing, while an internal report flagged tensions within teams.
The streaming giant confirmed in May that Luu was gone, despite earlier announcements that she’d stay on in a consultancy role.
Publishing
Can Vogue stay relevant without Anna Wintour at the helm
That’s the question Ellie Violet Bramley is asking in this BBC article.
Anna Wintour’s legacy is tied to the moments that kept Vogue in step with culture. Now, almost four decades after taking the helm, Wintour is shifting sideways. She will give up the editor-in-chief chair but remain as global editorial director, while Chloe Malle, 39, takes charge of editorial content.
The succession plan is neat on paper, but it raises the inevitable question of whether Vogue can hold cultural weight without its defining editor at the masthead.
Marketing
AG1 bets big on Australia’s wellness boom
US supplement brand AG1 is stepping up its local push, tapping into the overlap of fitness and nutrition that has turned its green powder into a cult product overseas.
As The Australian’s Danielle Long details, worth around $600 million globally, the company is positioning itself as the serious option in a crowded space full of copycats and questionable health claims.
Instead of generic influencer deals, AG1 has leaned into heavyweight endorsements – most notably from American neuroscientist and podcaster Andrew Huberman, whose following adds academic clout to the brand’s positioning.
Television
Nunawading studios signs off after 60 years
TV Tonight’s David Knox writes that Nunawading studios, the onetime home of Neighbours and ATV-0, has officially closed its doors after six decades.
Fremantle wrapped filming earlier this year and is now clearing out the last of its sets and equipment.
Developers Bazem plan to convert the site into a distribution hub as part of a townhouse project.