Thursday January 31, 2019
Mediaweek TV
He will talk with Mediaweek’s James Manning about the NBL’s media deals, review the current season and speak about future strategy.
Mediaweek TV, now during Trading Day Live
Your Money channel, 2.30pm, now on Foxtel and FTA TV
Watch last week’s episode here with the CEO of the Campaign Monitor Group Wellford Dillard on the future of email here.
Magazines making a noise: Pacific pair celebrates global collaboration
By James Manning
The editor of one of Pacific’s two fitness magazines Scott Henderson was only appointed to the role last November. Yet he is really making a mark with the first issue under his watch, which is on newsstands today.
Just as he settled into the editor’s chair at Men’s Health, Henderson was talking to Women’s Health editor Jacqui Mooney who revealed she had managed to get an interview and photo shoot with actor Elsa Pataky.
“I casually mentioned if there might be a chance we could shoot her husband Chris Hemsworth while they were doing their session with Elsa,” Henderson told Mediaweek.
“We subsequently asked the question and the answer came back – yes. Our timing coincided with the release of Chris’ app Centr. We then took the idea to the international network for both magazines, suggesting it could be great to get the husband and wife on newsstands at the same around the world.”
Henderson was keen to stress the initiative was driven by Mooney after they seeded the idea together.
The international editions were enthusiastic about the idea and this month the covers are featured across 23 global markets.
Those wonderful covers on both March issues should shift extra copies of the magazine. The respective photo shoots – done a day apart – were integral to the success of the editorial. And what a great set of shots both magazines seem to have.
“We did the photos in the last week of November. We flew up to Byron Bay and did the shoot in a rented house overlooking the hinterland.
“We were able to get Chris for half a day. He was incredible to work with and didn’t travel with an entourage.”
Henderson said they managed to get him during a brief visit home from shooting a special for Netflix in Thailand. Much of the rest of his visit was spent filming content for the new app.
Looking at the “King Chris” Men’s Health newsstand cover you could be forgiven for thinking it was photoshopped, so good does Hemsworth and his biceps look.
“When he arrived I was initially concerned because he looked too much like a regular guy. I even wondered if he was going through a skinny phase for a specific role.
“As the shoot went on he grew and became the Chris Hemsworth we know from his movies. His team had asked us prior not to do any shirtless shots. But after we’d been working for a while, he suggested some shirtless shots. We readily agreed. He knows his body and how to work it as his chest and abs pumped up.”
Both magazines have separate covers for subscribers and newsstand this month.
“The cover was the hardest thing to settle on because we had so many options. There were so many images we fell in love with that it seemed a waste not to use them.
“I said to Chris Hemsworth on the day of the shoot: ‘If the worst comes to the worst we have 12 covers now for the next year. He is the most photogenic person you will ever meet.”
Men’s Health also shot behind the scenes video of Hemsworth on the day of the photo shoot. There are no pieces to camera, but some stories Hemsworth shared on the day, including one about how his daughter designed one of his tattoos.
The photos were taken by Stephen Chee and Men’s Health deputy editor Ben Jhoty conducted the interview.
The Women’s Health interview was done by features editor Alex Davies.
People buying either magazine will also find other content this month!
In Men’s Health is The 2019 Fit List.
“We collected the thoughts of fitness experts in what is ahead this year in terms of training, mental health, nutrition etc. It could perhaps become an annual thing because it is quite exciting to see where the trends are going,” said Henderson.
As the former digital editor of Men’s Health, Henderson said he was striving to bring together the brand’s pillars.
“We want to bridge the gap between digital and print. It’s something Women’s Health has been doing really well for the past 18 months. It is building communities around our brand and integrating all our platforms including events.”
Henderson said Seven being in the same building as Pacific now is helping with marketing plans as the magazine will be more visible on 7mate and 7Sport in the future.
10 Network takes SVOD to consumers via “Access All” campaign
The campaign showcases the content available on the service under an “Access All” tagline and features across retail, large and small format digital outdoor, large and small format static outdoor, transit, digital, podcasts, TV and mobile.
It also highlights that the service is free from ads and free for a month.
The campaign features current CBS hits Survivor (U.S.), NCIS, Charmed, Madam Secretary and Hawaii Five-0, CBS classics like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, 10 All Access original series Tell Me A Story, and Australian favourites Bachelor in Paradise and I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here.
As part of the campaign, 10 All Access has also partnered with the 2019 Moonlight Cinema program. The partnership includes an on-ground activation, preview trailers and branded popcorn for movie goers.
Network 10’s head of marketing Brad Garbutt said: “10 All Access is a brand new service for audiences and 10’s first step into the streaming world. As we come out of the January holiday period, we are firing up our marketing efforts to reach as many people as possible with a simple, slick and high-impact campaign about the brilliant content they can enjoy through 10 All Access.”
The marketing campaign coincides with the addition of more 10 and CBS programming including current seasons of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Late Late Show with James Corden, as well as new comedy series FAM, which is being fast tracked from the US, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here, Ambulance Australia and How To Stay Married.
The new season of Man With A Plan will also be available on 10 All Access on the same day it premieres in the US in February.
Spark Foundry head of strategy Linda Fagerlund said: “With this campaign, we are combining contextual, interest-based targeting with high impact out-of-home across Australia. 10 All Access is also infiltrating other popular activities across summer such as podcasts and a partnership with Moonlight Cinema.”
10 All Access has more than 7000 ad-free episodes of programming from 10 and CBS available for $9.99 a month with the first month free.
MKR's Pete Evans & Manu Feildel with Mediaweek: Do the best cooks win? How contestants change, Knowing the format
By James Manning
Mediaweek has also released separate podcasts with both Pete Evans and Manu Feildel.
Listen to the podcast here or on iTunes.
Do the best cooks always win My Kitchen Rules?
Manu: More often than not the people who win are not the people who did well from day one. The people who win are the people who are determined to go all the way to the end. They are the people who practice from midnight to 6am for the next day. They put the effort in – those are the people who are going to win.
The people who think they have a good knowledge of food and think they don’t need to practice are the ones who go early.
Special highlights for year 10 of the cooking show
Manu: You would have heard this before. But every year we get contestants who can cook amazing food. This year there are contestants from Peru, Columbia, Middle East, Italians and so on. The food that comes from those parts of the world is absolutely delicious and looks amazing – we are learning ourselves and teaching the viewers.
There is always a bit of fighting. People who are nice at the beginning are a little different at the end.
Not everyone gets how the MKR format works
Pete: My only frustration with this competition is that we get a lot of negative feedback through the public who think it is rigged or scripted or that we choose the teams that are more controversial.
Hand on my heart, I can honestly say Manu and I keep the teams in the competition based only on one thing and that is what they cook.
I get a lot of hate mail when certain teams leave the competition. The judging is always 100% based on their cooking. People get emotionally attached to their teams or their favourites based on their personalities and not their food.
That is a really frustrating part of it because it is like they are questioning our integrity. We take it very seriously because there is $250,000 on the line and whoever wins, it will change their life.
I always say: we judge the food not the people, judge the food not the people, judge the food not the people…
Has the quality of the cooking improved over the decade?
Pete: I would like to think so. A barometer of that is how many scores of 10 we give out. This year we have given out more 10s than ever before. Sometimes when the teams first cook for us you can wonder if there are any good cooks in the competition. Quite a few don’t do well the first time they cook, under TV conditions, for a lot of people.
I have learnt that we should just let the process happen because sometimes the best cooks are the ones that do the worst at the start of the competition.
During the home cook, how bad does it need to be before you give advice or help out?
Pete: We never really help out. Manu and I are very professional in that we can’t favour any team. We can give them advice, but the way we do that is with a question. “Are you sure that’s the right way because I have never seen it done like that before.”
Colin [Fassnidge] is different and you cannot control him. Sometimes he might roll up his sleeves when in the kitchen. He can’t help himself, which is why we love him.
[Pete Evans is in every episode on the show. Manu doesn’t do the challenges, which is when Colin steps in.]
Tomorrow: Don’t miss our final day with the TV hosts as they talk about their interests outside the show. Read about Pete’s growing TV production business and Manu’s long list of commercial partners.
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Top Photo: Pete and Manu with Colin Fassnidge
Changing Rooms: Nothing is off limits for 10’s new designers
The series is being made for Network 10 by Endemol Shine Australia.
Tim Leveson, Jane Thomson, Naomi Findlay and Chris Carroll are the lucky designers tasked with ensuring that colour, bold prints, texture and statement pieces are well and truly incorporated into these changing rooms.
Meet the new team members via these Network 10 bios. The designers will be featured on the show when it launches with two episodes each week:
Tim Leveson
Having grown up in the wonderful world of interiors, interior designer Tim likes to live on the edge and take risks with his designs. He enjoys creating a vibrant look and experimenting with pops of colour, lots of greenery and spaces that speak to the soul. Tim likes to challenge his client’s views and introduce them to styles they have never considered or felt too intimidated to undertake themselves.
Jane Thomson
With over 28 years of experience, interior designer and stylist Jane has an individual approach with a pinch of eclectic. Her design and decoration ethos is simple; collaborate and connect. Jane’s style favours bold statement pieces with selective use of colour and her aim is to leave a space feeling elegant and luxe.
Naomi Findlay
Designer Naomi is a “rapid renovation” expert and describes her style as earthy and totally liveable. While she takes a very considered approach to design, she enjoys being creative and transforming spaces that allow others to thrive and grow – to hone in on the sentimentality of the family and lifestyle.
Chris Carroll
Interior designer and stylist Chris believes in attainable design. He prides himself on being the “anti-designer, designer” and extolls “skimp meets splurge” – incorporating a few pricey investment pieces combined with affordable luxe pieces that won’t hurt your hip pocket. He has always been obsessed with design and tries to push clients out of their comfort zone.
Each Changing Rooms home transformation will be screened over two big nights with two designers go head to head as they race to finish three rooms in five days.
With a budget of $20,000 they will be hoping to change these family’s lives forever with colour, style and good design.
Changing Rooms premieres on Wednesday, 13 February at 7.30pm on 10 and WIN Network.
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Top Photo: The four Changing Rooms’ designers with host Natalie Bassingthwaighte
Australian Open sets new global audience records: 20m in Japan
Osaka’s historic win over Petra Kvitova attracted a TV audience of more than 20 million in Japan alone. Official ratings confirm the women’s final was the most-watched program in Japan during the Australian Open, and one of the most watched telecasts in recent times.
There was additional viewership on long-standing pay TV broadcaster WOWOW, and prior to the final, both Osaka’s and Kei Nishikori’s matches averaged between 2.5 million and six million viewers.
In the past four years only selected World Cup matches, Winter Olympics finals, the traditional Tokyo-Hakone relay race and NHK’s annual singing contest Kuhaku have had higher viewership in Japan than this year’s Australian Open women’s singles final.
“The Australian Open has always been very popular in Japan,” Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said.
“Achieving a 20 million viewership on TV for any program, in this age of media disruption, is extraordinary and an indication of how passionate the fans are about their local heroes. To put it into further context, the women’s final was watched by more than double the average numbers of Japan’s most watched weekly programs.”
NHK’s Australian Open coverage this year was enhanced by live transmission – on its free-to-air terrestrial channels – of all Osaka’s and Nishikori’s matches, regardless of the time of play.
Only China, with five television broadcast partners and one, exclusive, live digital broadcast platform, has more dedicated broadcast coverage than Japan.
In Australia, Nine’s audiences for the women’s singles final peaked at 2.1 million viewers, placing Nine at number one with a 47.9% market share.
Global audiences are expected to reach record highs for 2019, including more than four million viewers in China for the women’s doubles semifinal featuring Shuai Zhang.
Data sources: NHK, Video Research Ltd., OzTAM, Nine Network, Futures Sports & Entertainment, TA research.
TV Demand charts: Marvel’s The Punisher & Steven Universe lift
So strong has the interest been that the series is also charting on the Overall TV charts in both markets.
Another newcomer this week, this time from the DC Universe, is the animated series Young Justice, which has also charted in the Digital Originals in both countries.
Returning to that chart this week are two series with new seasons – Grace And Frankie plus The Grand Tour.
Elsewhere on the Digital Originals chart, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is again top in both markets. Stan’s animated Steven Universe has made it to this top 10 list too, as has Grace and Frankie in New Zealand.
TV Ratings Analysis: January 31
Week 5 2019 – Summer schedule – Wednesday
By James Manning
FTA early evening TV news
• Seven News 965,000 and 954,000
• Nine News 913,000 and 908,000
• ABC News 755,000
• 10 News First 430,000
• SBS World News 129,000
Breakfast TV
• Sunrise 268,000
• Today 199,000
• ABC News Breakfast 100,000
Week 5 Reality Battle
Married At First Sight
• Monday 1,003,000
• Tuesday 955,000
• Wednesday 1,027,000
My Kitchen Rules
• Monday 816,000
• Tuesday 814,000
• Wednesday 789,000
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here
• Sunday 681,000/647,000
• Monday 676,000
• Tuesday 605,000
• Wednesday 569,000
Seven
The channel slipped further behind Nine last night as My Kitchen Rules dropped below the 800,000 mark for the first time.
That audience was the ideal lead-in for the CJZ-produced true crime program Undercurrent, which made it just over 400,000.
Nine
After the Monday audience of 816,000, A Current Affair has had its second night just under 700,000.
The big TV hit of the week continues to be Married At First Sight, which pushed above 1m metro again last night, the second time in three nights.
Helping keep the discussion around the format bubbling along is Talking Married, which kicked off a new season last night on 9Life. The show made its way into the top 100 programs with 93,000.
New to the schedule, after launching on 9Now, was the US medical drama New Amsterdam, which opened with a healthy timeslot winning 608,000.
10
Securing the prime spot on The Project were Dancing With The Stars contestants Courtney Act and Denise Scott who ended the show on the smallish Project dance floor. The show did 412,000 which is the smallest 7pm crowd so far this week.
There was some nasty looking “food” on the table during I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! and lots of gagging (on the set and in some homes!) at the thought of it going down. The episode was on 569,000, which was the first time under 600,000.
Two episodes of Law & Order: SVU followed on 225,000 and 154,000.
ABC
The return of Hard Quiz seems to have been the final episode of season three before season four commences next week. The audience of 600,000 was key to the channel lifting to its best primary share in over two weeks.
Rosehaven followed with the first two episodes of season three shown back-to-back to an average metro audience of 456,000.
Week 5 TV: Wednesday
| WEDNESDAY METRO | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven | Nine | 10 | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 12.0% | 7 | 20.4% | 9 | 23.3% | 10 | 10.8% | SBS One | 5.8% |
| ABC 2 | 2.2% | 7TWO | 3.3% | GO! | 3.7% | 10 Bold | 3.6% | VICELAND | 0.9% |
| ABC ME | 0.7% | 7mate | 2.0% | GEM | 2.0% | 10 Peach | 2.1% | Food Net | 0.9% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.5% | 7flix | 1.5% | 9Life | 1.9% | NITV | 0.1% | ||
| 7Food | 1.2% | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 16.4% | 28.4% | 30.9% | 16.4% | 7.8% | ||||
| WEDNESDAY REGIONAL | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven Affiliates | Nine Affiliates | 10 Affiliates | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 10.8% | 7 | 22.0% | 9 | 17.1% | WIN | 11.2% | SBS One | 4.6% |
| ABC 2 | 2.8% | 7TWO | 5.5% | GO! | 3.4% | WIN Bold | 3.7% | VICELAND | 1.3% |
| ABC ME | 0.8% | 7mate | 2.7% | GEM | 3.2% | WIN Peach | 2.8% | Food Net | 1.0% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.7% | 7flix | 2.5% | 9Life | 2.2% | Sky News on WIN | 0.7% | NITV | 0.1% |
| TOTAL | 16.1% | 32.7% | 25.9% | 18.4% | 7.0% | ||||
| WEDNESDAY METRO ALL TV | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTA | STV | ||||||||
| 86.4% | 13.6% | ||||||||
WEDNESDAY FTA
- Married At First Sight – Nine 1,027,000
- Seven News Seven 965,000
- Seven News / Today Tonight Seven 954,000
- Nine News Nine 913,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 908,000
- My Kitchen Rules – Seven 789,000
- ABC News ABC 755,000
- A Current Affair Nine 687,000
- 7.30 ABC 625,000
- New Amsterdam Nine 608,000
- Hard Quiz ABC 600,000
- I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! 10 569,000
- The Chase Australia Seven 547,000
- Rosehaven ABC 456,000
- Hot Seat Nine 440,000
- 10 News First 10 430,000
- The Project 7pm 10 412,000
- Undercurrent: Real Murder Investigation Seven 404,000
- The Chase Australia-5pm Seven 351,000
- Would I Lie To You? ABC 304,000
Demo Top 5
16-39 Top Five
- Married At First Sight – Nine 296,000
- My Kitchen Rules – Seven 156,000
- I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! 10 145,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 126,000
- New Amsterdam Nine 123,000
18-49 Top Five
- Married At First Sight – Nine 492,000
- I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! 10 270,000
- My Kitchen Rules – Seven 258,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 255,000
- Nine News Nine 242,000
25-54 Top Five
- Married At First Sight – Nine 531,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 304,000
- I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! 10 303,000
- My Kitchen Rules – Seven 296,000
- Nine News Nine 287,000
WEDNESDAY Multichannel
- Rusty Rivets PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 147,000
- Peppa Pig PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 146,000
- Peter Rabbit ABCKIDS/COMEDY 145,000
- Bluey PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 145,000
- Octonauts ABCKIDS/COMEDY 142,000
- NCIS: Los Angeles (R) 10 Bold 139,000
- The Big Bang Theory Tx2 9GO! 139,000
- Ocean’s Eleven 9GO! 132,000
- Go Jetters PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 132,000
- Pie In The Sky PM 7TWO 132,000
- NCIS (R) 10 Bold 131,000
- Pj Masks PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 131,000
- Ben And Holly’s Little Kingdom ABCKIDS/COMEDY 130,000
- Dino Dana ABCKIDS/COMEDY 130,000
- Peppa Pig AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 128,000
- The Big Bang Theory Tx1 9GO! 125,000
- Shaun The Sheep ABCKIDS/COMEDY 124,000
- Thomas And Friends: Big World! Big Ad ABCKIDS/COMEDY 123,000
- Noddy Toyland Detective PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 119,000
- Floogals AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 118,000
WEDNESDAY STV
- Live: Between The Innings FOX CRICKET 261,000
- Live: BBL: Renegades V Thunder FOX CRICKET 223,000
- Live: BBL Post Game FOX CRICKET 216,000
- Live: BBL: Renegades V Thunder FOX CRICKET 207,000
- Paul Murray Live Sky News Live 49,000
- The Bolt Report Sky News Live 43,000
- The Simpsons FOX8 39,000
- Criminal Minds TVH!TS 38,000
- Live: B4 The Bash! FOX CRICKET 38,000
- The Simpsons FOX8 38,000
- NCIS TVH!TS 37,000
- Rio Bravo FOX Classics 36,000
- The Simpsons FOX8 36,000
- Family Guy FOX8 36,000
- Bones TVH!TS 33,000
- Kirstie And Phil’s Love It Or List It LifeStyle Channel 32,000
- Family Guy FOX8 32,000
- Criminal Minds TVH!TS 32,000
- Criminal Minds TVH!TS 32,000
- Border Security: Australia’s Front Line FOX8 32,000
Shares all people, 6pm-midnight, Overnight (Live and AsLive), Audience numbers FTA metro, Sub TV national
Source: OzTAM and Regional TAM 2018. The Data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) without the prior written consent of OzTAM
Media News Roundup
Business of Media
QMS Sport bolsters team – MCN national sales executive signs on
The first of these appointments is Shae Bonney (pictured) who joins QMS Sport as general manager – sales. Bonney provides over two decades of sales and industry experience. Previously at MCN as national sales director, Bonney was a key driver of broadcast sales assets for Foxtel, Fox Sports and Network 10.
Bonney’s key responsibilities will be to continue to grow QMS Sport’s presence and relevance in market, using his experience and strong agency relationships to lead growth nationally.
On his new appointment, Bonney said: “I am really excited to join the QMS Sport team, who continue to develop an exciting portfolio of assets across Australia’s major sporting codes, teams and venues. Add to this, their vision and investment in digital technology from the field to the screen which is positioning QMS Sport well into the future.”
In addition to Bonney, QMS Sport has also hired Kurt Allison as Brisbane sales manager and Clara Martello to the newly created function of research and insights Specialist.
Allison joins QMS Sport most recently from media agency Ikon and prior to that Channel Nine Brisbane, whilst Martello who will be responsible for driving accountability and new data initiatives, previously led the strategy function at Initiative Melbourne.
Mark Pejic, CEO QMS Sport said: “We are bolstered by the continued investment QMS is committing to the expansion of the QMS Sport business both here and internationally. These senior appointments are testament to the future growth of the sport business and enables us to deliver on our promise to connect brands to millions of highly engaged fans. In the current media landscape of content increasingly viewed in time shift and on demand, sport remains the last genre to be viewed the majority in real time. Highly engaging and brand safe, Sport delivers the perfect environment for clients to effectively communicate to their audiences.”
Lawyer and former Seven executive in frame for ABC chair
A lawyer who is being lobbied for by senior Liberals is Holding Redlich’s national managing partner Ian Robertson, a specialist in technology, media and telecommunications law. He’s a former director of the Australian Broadcasting Authority and co-led its “cash for comment” inquiry.
And another name being pushed by the Western Australian squattocracy is Mario D’Orazio, the long-serving boss of Channel Seven Perth.
Seven West Media’s former CFO Peter Lewis is already an Aunty director, so that would be quite a coup for Kerry Stokes.
Digital decline: Publishers’ funding models fail without discipline
PwC national industry leader for telecommunications, media & technology Megan Brownlow says digital media ventures’ vulnerability comes from two areas; how they were funded and whether they’re reliant on an attention-based business model.
“If they were funded with say private equity or got early attention, as was the case with BuzzFeed, it’s a double-edged sword,” Brownlow says.
“It puts enormous pressure on them to succeed. It also gives them a whole Christmas bag of money they then use to set up but doesn’t necessarily give them early discipline in the same way traditional media has struggled through the last 15 years of declining revenues and has really become very disciplined about optimising journalists.”
Attorneys-general to overhaul defamation laws by mid-2020
A discussion paper is due to be released before the end of next month for public consultation, and draft amended laws are expected to be ready by November for another round of feedback.
A long overdue review of the defamation landscape was launched last year by the Council of Attorneys-General, amid strong concern the laws had not kept pace with the rise in social media cases, were overly complex and had failed to properly protect public interest journalism.
The uniform laws were meant to have been reviewed five years after they were first introduced by the states and territories in 2006.
Battle of the books: MUP loses chief executive and some directors
Adler, an entrepreneurial publisher who turned MUP into the leading imprint for Australian political memoirs, contemporary history and serious nonfiction books, announced her resignation to staff yesterday and those of five independent directors after the University of Melbourne directed her to limit the company’s focus to academic works.
The MUP exodus, which saw former NSW premier and foreign minister Bob Carr and former human rights commissioner Gillian Triggs also quit the board, came after Duncan Maskell, the university’s newly appointed vice-chancellor, directed MUP to cease trade publishing and announced that a new editorial advisory board would be created to determine what books would be published.
News Brands
Paul Colgan departs Business Insider following merger with Pedestrian
After the recent merger of Allure Media and Pedestrian TV there were a number of redundancies at Business Insider and some of the other Allure brands.
Colgan’s departure comes despite a recent assurance that he would be keeping his position as publisher and editor-in-chief.
“I’m immensely proud of what the team has achieved – Australia was Business Insider’s first international edition and it’s now in over 15 countries.”
He denied the brand might disappear in this territory. “Business Insider has a great future in Australia under Nine and Pedestrian, and I’ll be cheering it on.”
Colgan has been a journalist for over 20 years, with his career spanning news and investigative features for the Ireland edition of The Sunday Times to a decade at News Corp Australia.
He was a founding editor of news and political commentary website The Punch and later editor of News Corp’s biggest Australian website, news.com.au. He has led online coverage of five Australian federal elections and major news events ranging from the Beijing Olympics to the Queensland floods and the killing of Osama bin Laden.
He was later network digital news director, running News Corp Australia’s online coverage of major national and international news events.
In 2013 he helped launched Business Insider in Australia.
Rick and Sue: 34 years at the top for Seven’s Perth news duo
Since joining forces at Channel 7 in January 1985, Rick Ardon and Susannah Carr have dominated news ratings in WA.
They have presented the news together for longer than some of their colleagues have been alive.
But their enthusiasm and attention to detail still set the standard.
Before and after bulletins, Carr can usually be found at her desk, spending hours catching up on State, national and international current affairs.
A qualified architectural draughtswoman and former radio presenter, she has a voracious appetite for news. “I scan everything possible,” Carr said.
Ardon, who has won 10 Logie Awards as WA’s most popular TV personality, has a well-known competitive streak.
A former cadet reporter at The West Australian, he regularly takes matters into his own hands, travelling to the scene of big stories to chase leads.
“I don’t care what time of day it is or where it is,” Ardon said. “We have to get there first and we have to tell the people of WA first – accurately – what’s going on.”
Ugly race debate gets in way of helping victims, says Ray Martin
Martin, a longtime champion of indigenous Australians, says every serious attempt to debate the “horrifying” rate of chronic illness, suicide, domestic violence and rampant sexual abuse that continues to dog remote Aboriginal communities in particular is invariably derailed by “nonsense” charges of racism.
Martin’s comments follow an ugly on-air spat on Monday’s episode of Network 10’s Studio 10 program between fellow panellists Yumi Stynes and TV veteran Kerri-Anne Kennerley.
Jacinta Price taunted with abuse after backing Kerri-Anne Kennerley
The multibillion-dollar tech giant, which has suffered a series of scandals involving alleged abuse of its services and users’ data, banned her from posting for 24-hours after she named and shamed racist abusers, Price claims.
Facebook issued the ban after Price published an opinion piece in News Corp newspapers supporting Kerri-Anne Kennerley, who has herself been accused of racism over the Australia Day debate.
Price said she received hate mail after publishing the article and posted screenshots of some of the messages to show she could not be cowed.
Television
Constance Hall targeted by trolls after reality TV announcement
In a lengthy video shared to Facebook, Hall – who has long polarised followers with her outspoken nature and alternative lifestyle – detailed the effect social media haters have had on her in the past, in a bid to urge people to be kinder to one another and stop the normalising of bullying behaviour.
About halfway through the video, Hall reads aloud some of the horrific messages she’s received in recent days. You can hear the emotion in Hall’s voice as she reads them, but that’s the whole point of her video: if online bullying still manages to hurt her, a grown woman with a loving family, booming career and million-plus social media following, imagine what it’s doing to children and teenagers who face the same treatment.
“I’m at a point now where I do not read [the abuse] because it does hurt me and I don’t think you can ever get to a place where it doesn’t hurt at all,” she says.
MKR’s Josh and Austin: ‘The other contestants were horrible to us’
The pair claim that an “uncut version” of the show would reveal the “true colours” of their fellow competition.
“We have beef with them because the things that they’ve done hasn’t been shown,” Josh, 25, said.
“They said terrible things and the did terrible things … I don’t know how family friendly your article is going to be, but I can go into detail with the kind of things that they did.”
Beyond the laughs of Get Krack!n is a deadly satire of morning TV
As we wait for climate change and/or the President of the United States of America to finish us off, it’s a relief to bide time in the company of Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan as they ultrasound the ghetto of “women’s entertainment” only to find an alien fetus lurking within.
At the risk of over-intellectualising something that offers a surfeit of enjoyment as a piss-take of morning TV, Get Krack!n is more like morning TV with a yeast infection and sand in its vagina. It takes pot-shots at the patriarchy from Shopper’s Korner; it white-ants the wellness industry while extolling the virtues of turmeric as a cure-all of everything from candida to cancer; it makes pointed jokes about race that land precisely on target despite the Kates, fictitious and non-fictitious, being painfully aware of their position as privileged white women (and hello to A.B. Original hip-hop star Adam Briggs as Get Krack!n’s alluring new weather girl, BekJut).
Now promoted from the 3am slot – it appears to be daylight, anyway – the first episode sees them wrapping up their “We Bloody Love Australia” road trip around the nation.
Celebrities are in short supply, but so far 10’s gamble is paying off
After viewers had been subjected to months of relentless “Who’s going into the jungle?” teasers aimed at igniting interest in the latest round of what is essentially Big Brother Goes Bush, it seems that few of the high-profile targets that the producers hoped to hook took the bait.
Following the opening-night reveal and the inevitable, associated debate about the actual meaning of the word “celebrity”, in many ways, the public profiles of the jungle dwellers ceases to be an issue. Whether they’re A-listers, B-graders, Cs or desperate wannabes becomes less important as regular viewers – and there’s been a sizeable number of them this season – get to know the contestants.
Sports Media
Cricket Australia has a model for more BBL matches, more teams
Amid growing disquiet over the length of the current 59-game season after just 8083 people turned up to watch the Sydney Sixers at the SCG on Tuesday night, the full extent of CA’s bullishness about expansion during TV rights negotiations last year can be revealed.
Talks during high-level meetings even raised the possibility of a hypothetical 96-game model in planning for the future.
CA had drafted two different models for 2021 and beyond.
One stuck with the current schedule of 59 matches. The other flagged the prospect of adding two new franchises and going to a 72-game season running to the end of February.
The success of that potential increase could then open the door for discussion about a 10-team, home and away 96-game campaign further down the track.
Awkward interview with Naomi Osaka a blemish on tennis coverage
Nine bosses will be pondering just how much Jones’s stumble has tarnished viewers’ opinion of the network’s year-one performance.
Up until Saturday night, I reckon tennis fans would have been pretty satisfied with Nine’s telecast across the fortnight.
For the most part it was business as usual compared to the previous 40-plus years on Seven.
That has to be counted a win, given Nine had to put its tennis production and commentary team together in a massive rush.
Nine was smart to hire many of the on-air specialists that had already been on Seven – including Todd Woodbridge, Lleyton Hewitt, and Jim Courier.
John McEnroe was a coup even if the former champion couldn’t be part of Nine’s mix for the finals because of his commitments to ESPN.
Jelena Dokic shone with her perceptive take on the women’s matches. Former British champion Sam Smith was another great addition. Dylan Alcott added an extra dimension.
Nine’s Achilles heel was always likely to be its main presenters. Rebecca Maddern, James Bracey and Jones had never hosted tennis before.
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