Television
ABC shifts focus to documentaries as Q+A axed
After 18 years on air, Q+A has been officially taken off the ABC schedule.
As James Madden reports in The Australian, in its place, the national broadcaster is shifting gears under new boss Hugh Marks, with a fresh focus on news documentaries and a renewed interest in public engagement.
That includes expanding the ‘Your Say’ feedback initiative, first road-tested during the federal election, as a way to capture more voices in national debates.
ABC restructure looms as Q+A staff blindsided by axe
Some Q+A staff found out their show was canned the same way viewers did… via the media.
As Daanyal Saeed writes in Crikey, the long-running political panel show was quietly retired as the ABC pivots toward news documentaries and permanent public feedback initiatives.
Internal frustration has bubbled up over the lack of communication, with reports of team members learning of the decision before management made it official.
Q+A post-mortem: late slots, safe bets and the streaming squeeze
As Q+A fades to black, industry chatter is shifting from “what happened?” to “who dropped the ball?”
As Michael Lallo writes in this Op-Ed for The Sydney Morning Herald, while poor ratings sealed the show’s fate, insiders are pointing to risk-averse leadership and a doomed timeslot as the real culprits.
Creator Peter McEvoy says the ABC played it too safe, diluting the very unpredictability that once made Q+A appointment viewing.
Journalism
Australian media in the firing line at LA protests
Another Aussie journalist has been caught in the chaos of the Los Angeles immigration protests, with a Channel Nine cameraman struck by a ricocheting rubber bullet while seeking cover.
As Angus Delaney reports in The Sydney Morning Herald, he wasn’t filming at the time, according to Nine, but still ended up bruised and shaken, adding to a growing list of media workers hurt while covering the unrest.
He’s now the fourth Australian journalist injured in the city, joining ABC’s Lauren Day, who was hit with tear gas mid-report.
Streaming
Warner Bros Discovery break-up signals end of cable’s golden age
Three years after David Zaslav dubbed his $US43 billion mega-merger a “rendezvous with destiny,” the dream is done.
Warner Bros Discovery is splitting in two: one arm focused on streaming and studios (think HBO and Netflix rivals), the other left to shoulder legacy networks like CNN and Discovery, and a towering $US37 billion debt.
But as Anna Nicolaou, James Fontanella-Khan and Daniel Thomas write in the Australian Financial Review, inside Warner, there’s more than a little whiplash.
Local beats lose volume on Aussie playlists
Australian music might be booming overseas, but back home it’s dangerously close to background noise.
A new Creative Australia report reveals just 8% of the top 10,000 streamed artists in 2024 were local, marking a historic low for homegrown music consumption.
As Kelly Burke reports in the Guardian Australia, researcher Christen Cornell calls it a visibility crisis, not a talent one.
Social Media
US ABC News parts ways with veteran correspondent after Trump post
Longtime US ABC News correspondent Terry Moran is exiting the network after torching Donald Trump and former aide Stephen Miller in a fiery (and swiftly deleted) X post that broke internal editorial rules.
As Joseph A. Wulfsohn writes for Sky News Australia, ABC confirmed it won’t renew Moran’s contract, citing a “clear violation” of its objectivity policy.
The post, shared early Sunday morning, accused Miller of embodying not intellect but “bile” within the Trump movement.
ASIC targets dodgy finfluencers as ASX Wolf resurfaces
The corporate watchdog is cracking down on unlicensed financial influencers, slapping 18 social media personalities with formal warnings over questionable money advice dressed up as lifestyle content.
As Kathleen Skene reports in the Herald Sun, ASIC says some are peddling tips in private DMs without a shred of accreditation.
These so-called finfluencers, operating across TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, have amassed huge followings by blending flashy spending with investment chatter.
Podcasts
Solstice Media takes over 7am podcast from Schwartz
The once chart-topping 7am podcast has found a new home, with Schwartz Media handing the reins to Solstice Media, the team behind The New Daily.
As Scott Mitchell reports on Lamestream, the deal is set to close by the end of June, with Solstice officially stepping in on July 1.
Staff were briefed on the move this week, with assurances that the show’s existing team and editorial direction will stay intact.