The plan for Kyle & Jackie O‘s expansion to Melbourne was hatched in response to the duo’s former employer, Southern Cross Austereo, promising them a national show if they defected from ARN to return to SCA.

Sandilands and Henderson began broadcasting in Melbourne this morning, but the city is just “the first cab off the rank” as part of wider expansion plans, the radio hosts told Mediaweek.

“SCA offered it to us – they said ‘Come over here, come back here to us and we’ll give you a full national show’. Every station we’ve got, you’ll be on breakfast. That was very desirable to me and to Jackie, that’s a big jump,” Sandilands said, speaking to Mediaweek in the duo’s new North Sydney studios.

“We told our current employers [ARN], ‘Hey, they’ve reached out and offered us everything we’ve ever wanted and a huge amount of cash’. We knew that we didn’t really want to leave, so we were hoping that they would match it and roll out their own national plan. Melbourne is the first cab off the rank.”

The genesis of the move into Melbourne came in July last year, when news swept the industry that SCA had been pursuing a deal with the duo in an attempt to bring them back to the network they left in 2014. Three months later, ARN Media and Anchorage Capital revealed their takeover bid for SCA.

In November, the pair signed a monster $200m, 10 year deal with ARN, which resulted in Jase & Lauren being booted from the Melbourne breakfast slot to clear it for Kyle & Jackie O.

In a statement, SCA chief content officer, Dave Cameron, said that while “we never discuss the nature of any talent contractual conversations”, the breakfast team on The Fox “are on long-term Melbourne breakfast show agreements that have been in place for a while, and our ongoing firm commitment to this show has always been and remains unwavering.”

The lead-up to Melbourne: ‘”Why don’t you go and ride the trams?” I said that’s ridiculous’

“We feel good, we’re excited. It feels like a long time coming, even I didn’t realise it was going to be this long,” Henderson said, referring to the fact that there has been speculation about the show’s Melbourne launch date since January.

A building move and some staff changes pushed back the start date, but that hasn’t put a dampener on today’s debut.

“We wanted to make sure we were ready for it – but we are now,” she added.

ARN has been on a promotions blitz in the lead-up, which has included Guy Sebastian and Sam Fischer singing in Flinders Street Station. It purposefully hasn’t included the pair sipping lattes by the Yarra, or being spotted riding a tram. 

“They wanted us to do all these things. They said, ‘Why don’t you go and ride the trams and be seen drinking coffee in Chapel Street?’ I said that’s ridiculous – everyone knows where Melbourne is. We’ve all been there 1000 times, it’s just expanding the footprint of the show,” Sandilands said.

“We could have done some big things, but I don’t want the people in Sydney to think all the fun is happening in Melbourne. We want everyone to feel included, both the Sydney audience, the Melbourne audience, and towards the end of the year, other markets as well.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Melbourne market: ‘It’s really anyone’s game’

The Melbourne radio market has experienced some major swings in recent surveys, particularly for the FM stations. In the most recent results, Fox breakfast team Fifi, Fev and Nick scraped back ahead of Gold to get the #1 FM breakfast spot, after losing it in Survey One. Kyle & Jackie O will inherit a 6.4% share in breakfast.

Instead of concern around what this will mean for a new show in the market, the duo is embracing the movement.

“There’s no clear winner in Melbourne, everyone swaps every survey,” Sandilands said. “To me, that means no one’s rusted on. There are no super fans of any particular show, so it’s really anyone’s game down there.”

Henderson agreed: “They don’t have that massive loyalty, and that makes it interesting because it’s anyone’s game all the time. But at the same time, when you’re number one you can just as easily lose it the next time and no one bats an eyelid.”

Their boss, ARN CEO Ciaran Davis, told Mediaweek in an interview last week that: “The value of the Melbourne radio market is now bigger than Sydney.

“Even year-to-date it is performing better than Sydney. Despite all our best efforts of trying to make a successful breakfast show down there, we have ranked around five or six. That does impact our commercial share.”

While this is the first time Kyle & Jackie O will be broadcasting at breakfast in Melbourne, it’s far from the first time they’ve been on the Victorian airwaves, which also boosts their confidence.

“Every time we’ve been in Melbourne, we’ve rated very well – in the Hot 30 days and the National Drive days,” Sandilands said.

“Everyone keeps asking how Melbourne will listen to a Sydney show, but it’s been going on with Triple J, Sunrise, and the Today Show since the beginning of time, and no one ever cared.”

The strategy for winning over the city is simply to give listeners the show as it is, and trust that those who want to will embrace it; as Sandilands put it, “Some will love it, some won’t like it, but they’re losers anyway so I don’t care about them.”

When asked what about the show will resonate in Melbourne, the pair pointed to the fact that their show is “offering something really different” to the city.

“It’ll be something they’ve never heard before,” Henderson said.

“For instance, we talk a hell of a lot longer than all the other shows do, our breaks can run for a good 25 minutes sometimes. It takes some people 25 minutes to drive to work, but on another station, they’ve heard two talk breaks, two ad breaks, and a song – they’re not getting a lot of content, to be honest. That gives our show a real point of difference from everyone else’s. 

“The things we talk about, we’re not a conservative show and it’s not predictable. I think that will be refreshing for people in Melbourne.”

‘Staying alive’: Counting success

Neither Sandilands nor Henderson have specific numbers in mind when they assess what will count as success in Melbourne. For Sandilands, “success for me is just staying alive and getting on with Jackie for as long as possible. I don’t think that’s ever going to be an issue.” 

Henderson added: “As long as we still love what we’re doing and we’re having fun every day, that is success for us. Obviously, it’d be nice to do really well in Melbourne, that would be icing on the cake.

“We’ll just let it play out – you can’t predict these things, so we’ll just ride with it and see what happens.”

See Also: ‘This show will work’: ARN chief Ciaran Davis’s low-risk decision to network Kyle and Jackie O

–

Top image: Kyle & Jackie O

Kyle and Jackie O‘s publicity peaked nicely on the weekend, as their bus pulled into KIIS 101.1 in Melbourne. As ARN chief executive Ciaran Davis told Mediaweek last week, they have become the most-talked-about show in their new city without being on-air.

The biggest-selling newspaper was bursting with Kyle and Jackie O content the day before their launch. The Sunday Herald Sun featured them on the cover. Fiona Byrne interviewed them in her regular Sunday gossip column, and then interviewed them across two pages a little further on.

ARN also had a two-page ad promoting the show with the message to listeners – “Make up your own mind”. The ad was accompanied with warnings about the radio invaders from Jase Hawkins, Neil Mitchell and Steve Price.

The radio duo were interviewed by Sarrah Le Marquand for a Stellar cover story in the Sunday colour magazine. The Sunday Herald Sun even ran an editorial on the arrival of the show in a new city. “Melbourne radio will never be the same again.”

First hour: Welcome Kyle, Jackie, and Brooklyn

First came the Melbourne news from newsreader Brooklyn Ross.

Then the trademark Kyle and Jackie introduction.

Brooklyn’s introduction involves him going through his sexual history with details of his STDs. “He’s a massive homo,” Kyle says.

Jackie introduces herself as a single mother. Kyle mentions a couple of his habits. It isn’t long before Kyle is asking about Jackie’s sex life, including her history with, um, anal.

There is the first use of the censor during an hour that had only a few bleeps.

Bruno’s introduction: The director of The Kyle and Jackie O Show and Kyle’s manager’s intro features a history of being in and out of psychiatric wards. “I have a freakishly long foreskin.”

Pedro: “Another migrant we hired. A diversity hire. From Uruguay in 2001. I won my job here. I have a tiny penis.” Pedro details his sex routine with his wife. He’s an anti-vaxer.

Intern Pete: From Simpson in Victoria. A gay man who was run out of town after ‘accidentally’ having sex with his cousin in Hamilton. “I now date only wealthy Asians.” He’s the longest-serving staff member, with a decade of service.

Lingus (nickname): “At last we get to hear from a girl,” says Jackie. “A Syrian who does the social media for the show.”

“She has toes that look like thumbs. “Are they good for masturbating?” asks Kyle. He adds: “I don’t suck dick. Nice to meet you Melbourne.”

Nat: “I’m Croatian. I was born a woman even though it doesn’t sound like it. I can vape with my mutt.” Call on 13 10 65.

Kyle asks Victorian listeners to call and give a live report card.

See also: ‘This show will work’: ARN chief Ciaran Davis’s low-risk decision to network Kyle and Jackie O

Talk turns to stalkers. Kyle has never had a stalker… until now. He had to steal this stalker from Nova.

Relatively new father Kyle talks about Bluey. Jackie has never watched an episode. But Kyle has a problem. The language is questioned. “Six sick skunks” was on a recent episode. Jackie says she can repeat it quickly without dropping the C word.

“Have you ever had lesbian sex,” Kyle asks Jackie at about 6:20am. A question regular listeners will recall.

Introductions continue. Alfie tells of how he once got “car head” because he worked on The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

Lachie the Virgin. The Melbourne producer is introduced. “I am well known known as season 2021 winner of The Beauty and the Geek. I was a virgin until 2022.” He talks about self-pleasuring with a device. He’s a racing car geek. Can name every Bathurst winner since 1963. “If that doesn’t get you pussy, nothing will,” interjects Kyle.

It’s coming up to 6.30am, no ads so far. Jackie starts talking about what’s on the show today. Jason Derulo and Michael Buble will be guests.

Kyle introduces the show’s first mystery sound competition called The Noise. $200,000 is on offer if anyone can guess the sound. Jackie’s first guess is a bowling ball. Wrong. The prize money has climbed from $150,000 after Fox matched the original prize money with its Secret Sound promotion.

First song at 6:29am: Dom Dolla’s Saving Up.

The Tradie versus Lady segment starts around 6:32am. Still no ad break. Catherine: Her favourite sex position is missionary. “She sounds a lot of fun,” says Kyle. Jackie baulks reading one of the details of Catherine’s sex life. Catherine is hesitant too with some of the details. Her nickname gives a clue – JizzCuzzi. First male contestant welcomes them to Melbourne. “His favourite position is pounding a guy with his legs in the air,” said Kyle. Tradie’s nickname: Gaybor Jude.

Jackie predicts a gay guy might know some of the lady’s questions. He fails on the first question about panties vs briefs.

Kyle has his first (brief) fallout with a staff member. “You piece of shit.”

The boys win Tradie versus Lady and the team sings the victory song.

First traffic break and weather. You’ve been waiting for 45 minutes if you wanted traffic news!

First ad break: Doesn’t happen until 6:44. 12 spots. Ads for The Noise, Farmer Wants a Wife, Monash online course, Amaysim, Stan series The Tattooist of Auschwitz, MenuLog, Globird Energy, Wynstan Blinds, Youi Insurance, Aussie Broadband, 1800-Got-Junk?, Chemist Warehouse.

The show’s second song comes at 6:49am: Luke Combs’ Fast Car.

The show’s first Melbourne caller used to be a podcast listener. Then it’s Vince who asks if he could do some animal noises. “Are you high?” asked Kyle. Vince then does a good imitation of a lion and a dolphin.

Harmonica Boy rings in just before 7am. He speaks about a recent holiday and then plays a tune.

A former Fox listener rings at 7am. “When I heard about the staff member who mentioned vape and mutt, I was in.”

Editorial about Kyle and Jackie O in the Sunday Herald Sun

Second hour: Birthday Wheel, Pop Quiz, and lots more team sex talk

Hosts tease The Birthday Wheel is next.

The second ad break is at 7:03am: Farmer Wants a Wife, Chemist Warehouse, Budget Truck Rentals, Wynstan Blinds, Stan series The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Live read for Globird Energy, Burbank Homes, Engineers Australia, Spinaleze Pillows, Budget Truck Rentals, DoorDash, Farmer Wants a Wife, Cbus Super, Globird Energy, Chemist Warehouse.

7:08: Another traffic and weather report followed by a Kmart ad.

7:09: Melbourne news with Brooklyn Ross. Short bulletin runs for just under 2 minutes including sports roundup and ads for Renault and JetStar.

7:10: Another call. This time, Violet, who is playing the Birthday Wheel. Discussion turns to Kyle’s wedding day. He remembers how Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was a wedding guest and stayed from 3pm until after 9pm.

The Birthday Wheel caller asks for a Troy Sivan song.

The first O News segment goes to air about 7:20am. Jackie reads out entertainment news in a segment sponsored by Stan.

The first celebrity guest is Rob Schneider on the line talking about his support for Trump. The censor beeps one of Rob’s comments. Kyle brings up a BJ he once had with a sex worker.

7:31: Ad break: The Noise, Farmer Wants a Wife, Officeworks, Crimsafe, Cbus Super, Underworks (read by the hosts), Stan series Hacks, Burbank Homes.

7:38: Another song – Cyril’s Stumblin’ In. The hosts tease Cyril is coming in after 8am.

The Pop Quiz segment at 7:40am. $100 a question, all 10 questions and you can win $10,000. The caller gets $500.

The Noise segment is next. “More than the other stations are giving away. We are cashed up.”

First tech challenge with two audio feeds playing at the same time. Ads playing over the traffic report. It’s soon fixed.

7:45: News bulletin and Kiiscast (weather).

It’s supposed to be The Noise, but Kyle is asking about Jackie’s sex life. She will kiss on the first date. “What about a BJ?” asks Kyle.

Turns into a long discussion with details about some of Jackie’s recent dating experiences. Including someone sleeping with a Kyle and Jackie O super fan.

Staff members Josh the sex addict and Cooper Johns aren’t introduced until just before 8am.

Third hour: Live cross to Sunrise, PM recalls Kyle’s wedding, Cyril drops in

8:03: Ad break. Usual advertisers joined by Yarra Valley Grammar, Medownick Laser Clinic.

Another song: Jack Harlow “Lovin On Me”.

Finally taking calls about The Noise for a chance to win $200,000. Lots of good guesses. But no winner.

8:17: Another ad break and a promo for Naked Dating segment coming next Friday.

8:22: Another ad break.

8:23: Kyle and Jackie do live cross to Sunrise with Nat and Matt. Nat introducers them as a “radio juggernaut”. Matt said he hopes he doesn’t have to wrap the segment early like last time. Kyle manages a good plus for the iHeart audio app.

Matt asks about feedback, mentioning criticism from old-school radio broadcasters in Melbourne.

Intern Pete interrupts the segment, putting PM Albanese to air. “This is very loose,” said Albo when he realised he was also on air with the Sunrise hosts. Albo recalls sitting next to Kyle’s mum at the wedding. “What goes on at the wedding stays at the wedding,” says Albo before the Sunrise hosts sign off.

Kyle asks Albo the campaign to stop domestic violence. “There’s a full range of issues we need to deal with.”

8:38 After farewelling the PM it’s time for another traffic update and ad break.

8:43 The show always features a mix on Fridays. Day 1 in Melbourne features a Cyril mix of recent hits. The end of it featured Cyril’s new song “Somebody Else”. Cyril talks about forthcoming European tour.

8:54 Another O News update. Talk turns to stalkers again. One of the themes of today’s show.

Somehow poo comes up as a subject. Kyle asks if anyone on the team has ever taken a photo of one of their um, poos! The answer is no. Apart from Pedro, Kyle and Pete!

Cosmopolitan magazine is set to make its Australian return, almost six years after the title went on hiatus.

The first issue back will be out in August, led by publisher Katarina Kroslakova’s publishing house KK Press in collaboration with Hearst Magazines International.

“Cosmopolitan Australia’s vision is clear: to uplift, empower, and champion women while having an absolute blast doing it. We’re dedicated to delivering thought-provoking, insightful journalism and entertainment that resonates with young women nationwide”, said Kroslakova, who will also remain in her role as publisher and editor of the New York Times‘ T Australia.

Kroslakova is currently recruiting an editorial team, including an editor, and Cosmopolitan Australia is taking expressions of interest.

The first issue of Cosmopolitan Australia will focus on the issues facing women today, with content spanning style, beauty, technology, relationships, entertainment, and career and financial advice.

Kroslakova

As the September issue will coincide with the start of Spring, the debut print issue will also feature the latest seasonal fashion collections and showcase makeup and hair trends for the season ahead.

Recent reports indicate a growth in women’s lifestyle magazines in Australia, alongside the continued uptick in digital and social media use among Australian women aged 18-35. Accordingly, Cosmopolitan Australia has six annual print issues planned, with digital assets utilising online and social media to provide an omnichannel brand experience.

“While embracing digital and social media, print also offers a unique and complementary opportunity for longform storytelling, providing in-depth exploration, escapism and a tactile experience, which is particularly appealing to Gen Z and young millennial readers who are seeking a break from constant connectivity”, Kroslakova said.

Kim St. Clair Bodden, senior vice president of editorial and brand director of Hearst Magazines International, said “The relaunch of Cosmopolitan Australia marks an exciting next chapter for this iconic brand, while reinforcing our commitment to delivering culturally relevant content to audiences around the globe.

“We are delighted to partner with KK Press as we reconnect and engage with millions of authentic and bold young women in this important market.”

The return of Cosmopolitan Australia follows that of ELLE Australia. Are Media’s ELLE returned last month, after four years off stands.

Journalist Paul Kent has been suspended from his roles at The Daily Telegraph and Fox Sports. It comes after a video of what appears to be a street brawl was shared on social media overnight.

A short statement from News Corp Australia said: “Fox Sports presenter and News Corp Australia columnist Paul Kent has been stood down pending an immediate investigation.”

Neither the publisher or Kent has commented any further.

News Corp reported that the video in question was filmed outside Totti’s restaurant in the Sydney suburb of Rozelle.

Daily Mail Australia was in no doubt on what was happening on the video. Its headline this morning reads: Paul Kent fight video: Wild moment controversial footy commentator becomes embroiled in shocking brawl outside Sydney pub.

The video was shown by a number of media outlets today, including Weekend Today.

Over the past two years, Kent has been at the centre of a number of controversies.

Triple M departure

Two years ago on 9 May, radio personality Anthony Maroon quit Triple M’s NRL Sunday team following his on-air walkout the week before.

At the time, Mediaweek reported:

A week earlier, ahead of the Round 8 clash between the Dragons and Tigers, Maroon became increasingly frustrated over jokes made by co-hosts, Paul Kent, James Hooper, and Gorden Tallis, at his expense about the Australian Taxation Office.

Maroon eventually walked out of the studio, mid-program, forcing Kent to anchor the rest of the show.

He prepared a pre-recorded farewell which was played on Sunday ahead of Melbourne’s win over the Dragons, which said “After seven or eight years on the show I’ve decided that’s it for me.”

On 10 May, Kent wrote an article for The Daily Telegraph firing back at “social justice hypocrites backing Anthony Maroon.”

Kent wrote, “What has followed Maroon’s walkout two Sundays ago since is a solid distortion of facts where Maroon has somehow emerged as a sympathetic victim of bullying, which suggests a man attacked without the ability to defend himself,” wrote Kent.

“Most allegations have come from those who have never listened to the show or who don’t have an understanding of what happens every week, making their accusations naive.

“Maroon’s fear of the Australian Tax Office, and that he loved cash jobs, was a consistent joke on the show.”

2023 court appearance

Kent was previously stood down from his roles at News Corp in 2023 after being charged with assaulting ex-girlfriend.

As the court case got underway, Guardian Australia reported:

Outside court, Kent said he was “embarrassed” about the charges but was “looking forward to the full story coming out”.

“It’s just the rugby league soap opera. [That’s] the way it rolls,” he said.
“It’s my day in the storyline right now and that’s fine. People are entitled to their opinions.”

Kent said his employers, the Daily Telegraph and Fox Sports, “fully support” him.

“I don’t think my career is over,” he said.

Reporting on the outcome of the case, Fox Sports said:

Sports journalist Paul Kent has been found not guilty of allegations he attacked and choked his then-partner at his home in Sydney’s inner west.

Following a two-day hearing in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, Magistrate Daniel Rees told the court he could not find the charges proven beyond reasonable doubt.

After the court case at the end of 2023, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on comments made by Kent outside the courthouse:

Outside court, Kent told reporters the case had been costly and “a big setback”, and had “caused significant reputational damage”.

“I’ve been vindicated today. The judge accepted what happened,” he said.
“I’ve been unable to do any kind of work.

“It’s been seven months I’ve had to sit there and feel like I’ve been unfairly arrested [and] unfairly charged. I’ve had to sit there and have our public reputation lacerated by people who have used it as an opportunity.”

Paul Kent with his NRL 360 colleagues in Las Vegas

Paul Kent’s return to television in Las Vegas

Kent returned to his regular duties for The Daily Telegraph and Fox League during the week the NRL played two matches in Las Vegas.

He appeared on the NRL 360 episodes recorded in the casino city that week. There was no comment on air about his return to the show. However, the fans watching the show from the audience welcomed him back with calls of “welcome back Kenty” which he acknowledged from the set.

Speaking to Mediaweek after the broadcast of the first episode from Las Vegas, Kent indicated he didn’t have anything to say about recent controversies.

He wanted to distance himself from such stories and focus on football. That seemed to be the plan he was following with some success…until now.

See also:

Paul Kent back on TV, returning to NRL360 for Las Vegas opening round
Paul Kent finds a new line of work as he awaits December court date
“I’ve been vindicated”: Paul Kent found not guilty of assault

Speculation about the future of Network 10 global parent Paramount has bubbled away for some time.

It got very real earlier this month with members of Paramount Global’s board agreeing to enter into exclusive merger talks with US studio Skydance Media, reported Reuters.

Reports indicated Skydance was the favoured bid over a US$26 billion offer from private equity firm Apollo Global Management in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment.

The agreement reportedly granted Skydance 30 days of exclusive talks with Paramount, a period which expires on 3 May. Skydance has been reported as requesting it be granted an extension on that period.

CNBC reported this week:

Paramount Global’s special committee, in charge of accepting or rejecting transactions, and David Ellison’s Skydance Media, backed by private equity firms KKR and RedBird Capital Partners, are narrowing in on how to value Skydance’s assets as part of a merger, as well as how much equity to add to the company as part of a recapitalization.

An extract from the weekend Wall Street Journal

Things started to move quickly at the end of last week with The Wall Street Journal reporting on the imminent departure of Paramount CEO Bob Bakish (top image). The move was mentioned on Friday, and then covered in more detail across the weekend.

Variety summed it up more bluntly in its weekend headline: “Bob Bakish Out as Paramount Global CEO”.

CNBC and Variety noted the “M&A drama” will continue on Monday 29 April:

[Paramount] is set to report its first-quarter earnings on Monday. Bakish will not take part in the traditional conference call with analysts that accompanies quarterly earnings disclosures.

Variety reports on Paramount chief’s departure

What happens to Network 10?

There has been no detail about what the future might be for Paramount’s FTA business Network 10. Some think whoever the new Paramount owner turns out to be, they will be mainly interested in the studio business, the US CBS network, and the US cable channels.

Other assets might be sold off. Those could include the Paramount+ streaming business and the free streaming business Pluto TV in the US.

International assets to be sold off could include Australia’s Network 10 and UK’s Channel 5.

Who could buy Network 10?

Although there are only three FTA commercial TV licences across Australia, finding a buyer for Network 10 could be a challenge.

The most likely buyer would perhaps be a private equity player who could be interested in a “bargain buy”. Just how big a bargain would decide the number of potential bidders.

One of those could be Anchorage Capital.

Anchorage is currently in negotiations to acquire the regional TV licences owned by SCA. Those licences currently have an affiliation deal with Network 10.

If Anchorage had both the metro and regional 10 licences it would be a more attractive asset when it came time for Anchorage to exit the TV business.

If Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apollo were the successful bidders for Paramount, having someone like David Gyngell advising on any Network 10 deal would make sense. Or perhaps Grant Blackley.

Gyngell ran Nine when Apollo was for a time its biggest shareholder. During that time Gyngell oversaw a turnaround at Nine which included an ASX listing for Nine Entertainment and a number of asset sales.

Blackley is a former CEO of both Network 10 and later SCA. He’s well-schooled on the potential of running a network with a national reach.

Another former TV executive of course is James Warburton who only last week departed Seven West Media. There has been speculation he could be headed to private equity.

See also: Paramount CEO Bob Bakish addresses merger talk, updates Australian strategy

Seven has settled a defamation claim with the man it incorrectly named as the Bondi Junction attacker, reaching an out-of-court settlement on confidential terms.

Seven West Media’s new CEO Jeff Howard also signed a letter apologising to Benjamin Cohen, after he was mistakenly named on-air on Sunrise the morning after the Bondi attack.

Later that day, police confirmed the attacker was actually 40-year-old Joel Cauchi.

“Seven withdraws the false allegations unreservedly and apologises to you for the harm you and your family have suffered as a result of Seven’s statements about you,” the letter says.

“Seven’s staff, including especially its on-air presenters Mr Shirvington and Ms McLeod, are devastated that the error was made and that it has affected you.

“Seven wishes to assure you that the error originated at the producer level and that Seven’s presenters were in no way involved in suggesting or scripting the words which were published.

“Whilst Seven does not suggest that it is relevant to your reaction, we nevertheless note that the staff members involved are deeply remorseful and traumatised by the mistake.”

Seven apologised on the day it repeated the misinformation, which originated on social media platforms. It did not broadcast or publish any images of Cohen, a 20-year-old UTS student.

In a statement, Cohen said: “Users who abuse a platform to target individuals or communities should be held accountable for the consequences of their actions, and platforms should be more accountable for the content they host.”

Howard stepped into the role last week after James Warburton finished as CEO last Thursday, 18 April 2024, after weeks of reports to that effect.

Warburton resigned in December 2023, at which point Seven said he would finish on or before 30 June 2024. The board met and Seven issued a statement to the ASX at 4:17pm last Thusday confirming Howard – the network’s former chief financial officer – would be CEO from Friday.

The search for a CFO replacement continues. In the interim, Craig Haskins is acting CFO.

DiDi, Australia’s second largest rideshare platform, has appointed Tim Farmer as its head of brand marketing across Australia and New Zealand. 

Farmer moves from Disney, where he spent just over eight years across different marketing roles including as partnerships lead and marketing director for Disney+. 

Originally from the UK, Farmer began his career in media buying in London before moving to Australia in 2010. He joined The Walt Disney Company as partnerships leads in 2016, working to develop and execute local marketing partnerships between newly released titles and major brands in the Australian market, including Woolworths, Optus, Airbnb, and Qantas.

In 2019, he led the marketing team for the launch of Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand. In June 2020, the role expanded to include marketing for Marvel, Pixar, National Geographic, and Searchlight Studios.

Commenting on his marketing goals at DiDi, Farmer said: “One of the most exciting things about joining DiDi at this point in their journey is the potential for significant growth in this market.

“In my mind, we have a great product and so the challenge is a marketing one that is firmly centred in developing and building the DiDi brand – this starts with helping consumers better understand who we are, and where our offering does and doesn’t differ from the competition.”

As the challenger brand in Australia’s well established ride sharing sector, Farmer described the unique opportunity to be innovative and trial new marketing tactics.

“With this in mind, I’m really looking forward to connecting with the different partners that we will need to bring this to life in market as we build a strong brand to support what is already a strong product offering.”

The announcement comes in the wake of DiDi’s new loyalty scheme, which the app launched in partnership with Virgin Australia’s Velocity program last week.

With competitor Ola recently announcing its departure from the local market, DiDi now commands just shy of a quarter of the local rideshare market in Australia.

Farmer will go up against Uber’s new marketer, Nicole Bardsley, who joined the rideshare leader in February, as revealed by Mediaweek.

MFA Awards co-chair and Initiative’s chief strategy officer, Chris Colter, thinks the “bias for action” sets the Australian media industry and its work apart from the rest of the world.

“We just want to get on with it. That’s always strengthened our competitive advantage relative to the rest of the world,” he told Mediaweek.

Such world-leading work from across the industry will be acknowledged and celebrated at media’s night of nights, the MFA Awards, which will mark its 25th anniversary later this year.

Colter said the upcoming milestone is a testament to the program and work produced across the industry.

“The MFA Awards have had a consistent role in spotlighting and uniting the best of media thinking across the country; not many things in this industry live to 25 years.”

Sophie Langton, head of planning and connections at Spark Foundry and co-chair of the MFA Awards, said entering the awards is an “opportunity to celebrate” the industry’s craft and the work in market.

“It’s what we do every day. The excitement of being able to share it with people, determine what the best of the industry that we all work in, and celebrate that.”

Media publishers are also being encouraged to enter the MFA Awards ahead of the 3 May deadline.

Colter said that while publishers tend to be “the neglected party in these experiences”, they deserve “as much praise and recognition for the impact of media on business objectives and broader society as agencies and marketers get.”

Chris Colter

Industry changes over the years: ‘It’s never been in a healthier place’

For Colter, the most significant change in the industry has been the increased sophistication of agencies, marketers, and publishers in measuring business objectives and impact on people, planet, and profit.

“Media is not just becoming a distribution vehicle or even the message. It’s the solution.

“As an industry, we’re not just creating new tactics, or innovating new formats, we’re building new media channels. It’s quite exciting and I think it’s never been in a healthier place.”

Langton noted that the MFA is also looking to reward the way the dots are connected between different campaign elements. She said: “The guardrails have almost come off. Channels aren’t just buying a billboard or a 15-second spot or using AI. It’s how you connect the dots between all the different elements.

“These awards celebrate people’s ability to take what’s out there and connect those dots, build new things, iterate and innovate to build something bigger and get a great outcome for clients.”

Big-picture plans and making it count for clients

When it comes to what clients need from their media and agencies, Langton believes they want “big-picture plans” and “an overarching holistic strategy”.

“This is what differentiates people from machines: the ability to make everything work together and have a big-picture plan for how it all works.”

Colter shared a similar sentiment: “media is less about media plans and more about marketing orchestration.”

He said agencies and media provide clients with “informed confidence” about where their marketing dollars are going and ensure that it drives growth and competitive advantage.

Part of this is through purposeful planning, a trend Colter has seen an increase of in adland. “The industry purpose of ‘We Are The Changers’ has permeated agencies, and many of us are trying to think about reaching people in the most cost-efficient and ethical way possible,” he said.

Colter said the industry has evolved from “how much you spend matters, to how you spend mattering more,” making it an exciting time to be in media.

He added that “expertise has never been needed more. It’s no longer enough to rely on clout and dollars. You need to think and gain a competitive advantage through smart, creative planning.”

For Langton, media is more than “shouting” a message to people and “nerds putting numbers in boxes.” It is about the value exchange, creative media, and practice that resonates with audiences and makes media and messaging work harder and better.

Sophie Langton

Progressing and evolving the craft

Colter said he is looking forward to being impressed by this year’s MFA Awards entries and seeing work he wished he had thought of first. “As a fan on the sidelines and a media geek, the work coming out from agencies this last year is some of the best media thinking that’s existed in this country for decades, if not ever.”

He noted that he is keen to see entries that “reset” the benchmark and threshold for world-class media planning and channel innovations. “I genuinely believe that Australia punches well above its weight in that space,” Colter said.

He also highlighted the talent across in media, agencies and marketing clients across Australia, calling them “very ambitious, very astute, relative to everywhere else.”

He said they are looking to “leave a legacy,” which unlocks an opportunity for the industry to be a testing ground for creative thinking.

“The more that we see that and think that that’s the norm, the more that we strive to do it, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Langton added: “What I really like seeing is how people have taken best practice in channel, and stretch it to make it work for their clients.”

Colter concluded that the Australian media agencies are “shithouse” at promoting their work because of constantly being on “the hamster wheel” of getting on to the next project.

“There’s so much happening that we often forget to take stock, immortalise a piece of work, and showcase it not just to ourselves and our clients but to the industry for our collective good.”

See also: Martin Brown, Lisa Ronson, and Naysla Edwards among MFA Awards Signature Judges

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Top image: Chris Colter and Sophie Langton

By Jasmin Bedir, CEO at Innocean

If you’ve been following my musings on AI in this publication you know that I love filmic references with a decent amount of humour. You may have also noticed that someone lost theirs entirely on the back of my last article which led to a lengthy counter article (mind you it was beautifully written) with the headline “Shots fired!”. And because everyone loves a drama, the whole thing landed us in The Age. How exciting!

And here I was thinking that our industry had become rather boring. 

On the topic of exciting, I do agree with Mr B that agencies like Innocean will look completely different in five years, and I’ve been publicly speaking and writing for months about the need for our industry to get on the tools and off our bottoms.

But I think I may have not been clear enough. Clarity seems to be quite elusive in general when it comes to AI. Right now, AI is what happens in the darkness. In the shadows. In black boxes, clutched to the chest.

Uncertainty, confusion, apathy and a general “someone else in my company/and or industry should solve this” attitude seems to be the current MO.

Let me shine some light on what we have been doing, which is exactly this:
Starting with the launch of our new AI register for suppliers, we will be tracking who is using what form of AI and tools on our projects and our clients’ projects.

This will give us insight into the commercial risks from our partners using these tools but also it will allow us to make sure value delivery is still in effect. Some suppliers may see this as an overreach, and I welcome a conversation about this with anyone at any time (and any conference).

As we all know, wherever there is mystery there is margin – and while we’re all for businesses making a fair share of profit, we are taking a look at the level of production costs we’re spending. If we see the same production costs from suppliers, but AI is being used, we need to ask ourselves are we and our clients still getting a good deal?  Are we ensuring that the skill we contract suppliers for is the actual skill we’re receiving?

To know how to evaluate the actual value of services and tools, we actually need to really understand them. We believe that learning through failure and not waiting for someone else to come up with solutions, will determine who will and will not exist in the long run.

Running actual pilot projects where the entire purpose is to see how far we can push things – has been mind blowing. Not just to see the pace of acceleration, but also the far reaching impacts on governance in real time. In other words, it’s a real time crash course, where crashes happen more often because we’re still fumbling around in the darkness.

And that’s okay. It’s always the darkest before dawn (of a new era).

–

Top Image: Jasmin Bedir

Curiosity and a willingness to learn on the job are two of the most important things to consider when building a team, according to head of marketing of v2food, Jade Lish.

“In one of my previous roles, I hired two non-marketers to join the marketing team. One had come from commercial and finance, and the other one had come from sales, and it was one of the best teams I’ve had,” Lish told The Growth Distillery Vodcast.

Speaking to News Corp Australia’s director of the Growth Intelligence Centre and independent think tank The Growth Distillery, Dan Krigstein, Lish said: “From a technical point of view, I felt I could coach and bring them up to speed and show them the world of marketing. They really wanted to get into marketing, and for me, you can teach anything if they’re willing to learn.”

As a result of these choices, Lish said expanding horizons when hiring and considering candidates who might not perfectly fit every criteria has “taught me heaps.”

“They brought so many different perspectives and skills, and we worked so well as a team. So I quite like to do different things like that and give people a chance to get into the industry.

“More often than not you lose out on jobs because you don’t tick all the boxes, but I’m all for giving people a shot if they just want to do the job.”

Speaking with Mediaweek after the episode was recorded, Lish said it’s important to have an “integrated life” first and foremost when working in a leadership position.

“Being able to be truly yourself in the workplace, to be the best that you can be and help make your team the best is absolutely what we should be doing as leaders. Business growth doesn’t happen without people – lead with that in mind, rather than just business results, growth and business politics.”

Lish hopes that fellow leaders know the importance of doing the work on yourself first.

“In the words of one of my favourite mentors, know yourself before you grow yourself – that’s from Rowena Millward. 

“Before you take on a leadership position, ask who are you as a leader? What do you do that makes you great as a leader? Find that out first and then work out what you can offer other people, because effectively you’re leading other people to make them better.”

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Top Image: Jade Lish

Outbrain has appointed Chris Oxley to the newly-created role of country manager for Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

Bringing over 18 years of experience in digital media to the role, Oxley will lead the charge in driving the expansion of Outbrain’s advertising business across ANZ and Singapore. 

In his role, Oxley will oversee the development and implementation of Outbrain’s commercial strategy along with driving new business opportunities to accelerate revenue growth across the region.

His responsibilities include building and maintaining strategic partnerships, amplifying Outbrain’s value proposition, and managing the Outbrain sales teams.

Most recently, Oxley was national head of digital sales for Foxtel Media, where he launched Programmatic TV and led the team to commercialise advertising on the streaming platform Binge. Prior to Foxtel Media, he had tenures at Yahoo and BSkyB. 

“Outbrain has quickly become a leader in digital media, connecting advertisers with premium audiences in contextually relevant environments,” Oxley said.

“I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to lead the ANZ and Singapore teams, solidifying our role as the primary engagement partner for some of the world’s top digital media companies.”

Oxley will report to Amrita de la Peña, managing director APAC, based in Singapore.

“Chris is a best-in-class sales leader. He leads from the front and has a remarkable track record of empowering sales teams to surpass their targets,” De la Peña said.

“He possesses extensive expertise with a passion in digital media and he strives to build an incredible sales team who are just as passionate as he is.

“Chris was selected for his visionary mindset, strong relationships in-market, and successful track record of leading high-performing teams. We are thrilled to welcome Chris to Outbrain at this exciting time of growth.”

The appointment is effective immediately. 

See also: Outbrain and News Corp Australia sign multi-year agreement to leverage AI-powered Smartlogic

The Seven Network has appointed two new group business directors, James Mielnik and Julia Scales, effective 1 May. 

The new recruits report to Seven’s NSW sales director, Dan Sinfield, and will be responsible for leading Seven’s relationships with advertisers and their media agencies. 

“I’m really pleased to welcome James and Julia to Seven,” Sinfield said. “They are both great leaders, boasting deep and varied experiences with partnership at the core of their skillsets. They are the perfect fit to connect advertisers to the screens of Seven and help solve their business challenges.

“We’re looking forward to a big year ahead at Seven with audience growth across both broadcast and digital, a convergent approach spearheaded by Phoenix and deeper focus on partnership. James and Julia are fantastic additions to the team who will bring fresh ideas to the business.”

Mielnik has a media career spanning 16 years, building his skillset through roles at Nine Network, Network Ten and Multi-Channel Network. For the past five years, he has been a group sales manager at Paramount Australia and New Zealand.

Scales’ two-decade career in media includes roles in the UK at Viacom and Sky Media, and in Australia at MTV, Southern Cross Austereo, FremantleMedia and Fox International Channels. Her most recent roles include head of business development at the Australian Film Television & Radio School and head of client partnerships at Are Media.

“Embracing the dynamic landscape of content, broadcast and streaming, I am excited to step into the role of group business director at Seven,” Scales said. With a passion for innovation and a commitment to driving growth, I look forward to navigating our team and our clients towards new heights in this ever-evolving industry.

“By championing innovation, we’ll push the boundaries of content and advertiser messaging, ensuring our 17 million reach extends further and our impact is felt deeper than ever before.”

See also: Kurt Burnette and Seven sales team challenge TV narrative, comment on recent headlines

News Corp Australia has launched its second annual national education advocacy initiative, this time with an expanded program. 

Over the next six weeks, News Corp Australia’s state-based mastheads will shine a light on the country’s education system.  

The campaign will begin with Best In Class, a five-day editorial series exploring the challenges classrooms face which contribute to poor student outcomes, and offering solutions to support education. The series explores the behaviour crisis in modern classrooms as well as a new behaviour curriculum, teacher shortages and resignations, and vaping.

Schools Hub, a data-rich interactive tool featuring the NAPLAN performance of schools over the past five years, will also be released this week. The aim is to help parents compare and decide on the best schools for their children, and will include a feature published on Saturday 4 May that incorporates REA data about school catchments.

On Sunday 5 May, Australia’s Best Teachers returns to celebrate the nation’s educators. Students, parents, and colleagues are encouraged to nominate their favourite educator to be profiled in state mastheads including The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, The Courier-Mail and The Advertiser.

News.com.au is also supporting the Best Teachers campaign, alongside other titles including The Weekly Times, Kidspot.com.au and Kids News. 

National Editor 360 Commercial Louise Roberts said: “After the success of our first advocacy campaign last year, we’re looking forward to hearing more stories about the life-changing difference inspiring teachers and principals make.

“We were delighted to make an impact with the Federal Government with Education Minister Jason Clare committing to a $10 million recruitment campaign #bethatteacher as a result of our push to elevate the status of and respect for teachers.”

The commercial partners for Australia’s Best Teachers this year include Officeworks, Teachers Mutual Bank, and Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools.

See Also: News Corp and NRMA launch campaign to fix QLD’s Bruce Highway

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Top Image: Louise Roberts

National industry body The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has announced its final lineup of local and global marketers for its annual flagship event, RESET for Growth 2024, naming Janine Allis, founder of Boost Juice Bars, as its final speaker.

Allis joins the list of talent who will convene on the 9 May at Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal.

Josh Faulks, AANA’s chief executive officer, said that the event has become known as the leading marketing conference in the industry, and that the AANA have stepped it up for the event’s 10th birthday.

“I am super proud that we are bringing some of the world’s best marketers and biggest global marketing campaigns to the stage this year. 

“As we face into an uncertain economic future, now is the time to innovate and drive growth, which is why RESET, this year, is all about growth,” he said.

The full list of AANA’s RESET for Growth 2024 speakers include:

• Josh Goldstine, president of worldwide marketing for Warner Bros. Pictures Group, who spearheaded the massive 2023 campaign that propelled the Barbie Movie to great success.

• Richard Oppy, vice president of global brands (Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois, Michelob Ultra) for international brewing company Anheuser-Busch InBev, who will share insights on how creativity has transformed Budweiser’s marketing, leading to the consecutive wins of the Cannes Lions Creative Marketing of the Year award for two years in a row.

• Diane Everett, general manager for brand, sponsorship and social at Commonwealth Bank, and Jackie Lee-Joe, deputy chair of Football Australia will team up to discuss the marketing strategy behind the Matildas‘ rise to iconic status.

• Nicole Taylor, senior vice president of The LEGO Group, will speak to how LEGO’s singular mission is driving its global expansion.

• Janine Allis will be recounting her journey from one juice bar in Adelaide to the world’s largest juice bar business.

• Futurist Bernard Salt will shed light on Australia’s booming economy and how marketers can capitalise on changing consumer behaviours, rethinking how they engage with consumers throughout different life stages.

• Comedian and presenter Matt Okine will be master of ceremonies for the conference.

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Top Image: Janine Allis

See also: ‘No one can tell brands how they should react’: Will advertisers punish Meta for exiting news deals?

Are Media has partnered with Carers Australia and a coalition of carer support and advocacy groups on a campaign calling for the Federal Government and Opposition to add superannuation to the fortnightly Carers Payment.

The campaign, created by creative agency Cocogun in collaboration with Are Media, launches today. The total reach during the first phase of the campaign from April to October is expected to be 10.5 million readers, with a campaign value of over $5 million.

Are Media chief executive officer, Jane Huxley, said: “Carers are heroes in the home and in communities, but their roles are too often unrecognised and undervalued.

“Carers provide 2.2 billion hours of unpaid care each year in Australia, which would cost nearly $80 billion to replace with formal paid care. Carers sacrifice careers, travel, education goals, social lives and their own wellbeing to look after the needs of others – but who is caring for the carers?”

There are around 2.65 million unpaid carers in Australia, some of whom receive means tested income support from the government for an average of 11.5 years. 70% of primary carers are women.

According to Carers Australia, a primary carer loses an average of $175,000 in superannuation and $392,500 in lifetime earnings by the age of 67. People who are carers for extended periods of time lose more, with the most affected 10% losing at least $940,000 in lifetime income and $444,500 in retirement savings.

Last month, The Inquiry into Unpaid Carers recommended the Australian Government considered options to incentivise and recognise the impact of caring, including through superannuation systems.

The Cost of Caring social change campaign from Are Media’s Change AREgenda follows campaigns to help improve financial literacy among women, criminalise coercive control, lobby to raise $2 billion for social housing, stop the financial abuse of older Australians, and remove the GST on sanitary products.

The campaign will focus on case studies involving carers, the work they undertake and the impact, both economically and socially, this has on their lives. Brands involved will include The Australian Women’s Weekly, Woman’s Day, marie claire and Better Homes and Gardens.

“If these changes were implemented by the current government, we would begin to see real-life benefits for a community in Australia providing at least $80 billion of care services for free to those who need it most,” said Annabel Reid, Carers Australia CEO.

“It is time we did more for the cohort of carers who have had to give up employment opportunities to provide care and reduce their superannuation deficit.”

See Also: marie claire reveals nominees of inaugural Sustainability Awards

oOh!media and POLY have partnered with Greening Australia on a two-phase campaign that uses weather triggers and dynamic digital executions to drive brand awareness and donations. 

The initial phase of the ‘Restoring nature for regenerations to come’ pro bono campaign focuses on restoration, fighting extinction, and direct action of planting trees to build awareness of Greening Australia’s mission and work. 

The second phase will rotate brand awareness messages with donation messaging, including a dynamic end of financial year countdown timer, to encourage people to support Greening Australia’s work.  

The campaigns will run across oOh!’s assets on the national Office, Rail, Retail, and Airport networks, including Melbourne Airport screens which are now powered by renewable electricity sourcing GreenPower.  

Both campaigns will be linked to oOh! Outcomes to provide insights on campaign performance using data from oOh!media’s partnership with Westpac DataX. 

Kate Smith, director of marketing, communications and director of Greening Australia Foundation, said: “For more than 40 years, Greening Australia has been dedicated to restoring our diverse landscapes and protecting biodiversity. 

“Our work is more relevant today than ever and we welcome the opportunity, through our partnership with oOh! and the creative campaign from POLY, to highlight the broad scope of our activities across its national out of home network.” 

Head of POLY, Josh Gurgiel, added: “We’re delighted to be working with Greening Australia to showcase their mission and encourage people to donate so that they may continue their vital work for many years to come. 

“This campaign has been designed to grow awareness of the role Greening Australia plays in sustaining Australia’s natural ecosystem utilising innovative out of home tech and scalable networks that help make their brand unmissable.” 

Greening Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation with over 40 years of experience restoring Australia’s diverse landscapes and protecting biodiversity. oOh! announced its partnership with Greening Australia at Outfront last year as part of its ongoing commitment to ESG initiatives across out of home. 

See Also: oOh!media debuts 3D anamorphic OOH display in Perth’s Yagan Square

VML has launched its latest campaign for the Ford Everest SUV. Shot over two days around Auckland, ‘Conquer the Weekend’ shows how much can be packed into one weekend with the Everest.

The campaign was shaped by the insight that New Zealanders are quite an understated bunch. The action-packed campaign imagery stands in contrast to the laid-back, quintessentially Kiwi tone of its protagonist as he recalls his ‘low-key’ weekend with the Everest to his coworker.

Sarah White, VML’s art director, said that “while our character keeps his description of the weekend’s events quintessentially Kiwi and understated, we wanted to contrast this with what you can actually do with the Ford Everest.”

She said that showing off the capability of the Ford Everest was made possible by Reel Factory’s off-roading tracking vehicle, allowing the team to capture dynamic moments at pace.

Andy Morton, director at Reel Factory, stated “it’s always a good day when you get to throw the Ford Everest around some rugged locations, showing the vehicle off with a bunch of different camera rigs from the Reel Factory team.”

Ford’s marketing manager of passenger vehicles, Rachel White, added: “Everest is ready for whatever adventure you and your family want to throw at it, and we enjoyed demonstrating that in ‘Conquer the weekend’ campaign.” 

VML, part of WPP, was created late last year following the merger of the holding company‘s creative agencies Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R.

Earlier this month, VML was engaged by Flight Centre Travel Group to establish the brand identity of its new unified global B2B brand, Envoyage, slated for rollout throughout 2024 and into 2025.

See also: Flight Centre and VML launch Envoyage B2B brand

Credits:

Client: Ford 
Agency: VML Auckland 
Media: Mindshare 
Production company: Reel Factory 
Director: Andy Morton 
Producer: Pippa Keiller 
Executive producer: Dan Watkins 
Business manager: Danelle Mouat 
DOP: Chris Watkins 
Offline editor: Fauze Hassen 
Grade & Online: Marc McCarthy 
Audio & Music: Milon Williams, Boxcutter

TV Report 28 April 2024:

Nine TV Report

LEGO Masters: Australia vs The World

Nine’s evening began with the sixth episode of LEGO Masters.  

Teams were given a hollow vintage TV which they had to fill with a recognisable TV show. Surprise guest, Sophie Monk, tried her luck at identifying the shows without any hints.

Aussies Charlie and Haley were sent home as their Spongebob Squarepants build wasn’t enough to impress Brickman, scoring 12 out of 20 points.

NRL – Raiders v Sharks

The Raiders v Sharks game on Nine saw the Sharks dominate, winning the game and shocking the Raiders 40-0 at GIO Stadium. 

Seven TV Report

Farmer Wants a Wife

On Seven, Farmer Wants A Wife saw the excited farmers and their ladies enjoy a night of music and dancing at the annual Country Ball, headlined by Aussie singer-songwriter Brittany Maggs. 

The farmers caught up about their first few weeks with ladies, with Farmer Joe confessing mum’s choice Susie was a front-runner for him: “It was straight away just great chemistry and good match. We just have a real same sense of humour, and yeah, real instant, sort of thing.”

With solo dates on the cards after the ball, the ladies put their best foot forward to try and catch their farmer’s eye. But Susie had something that she needed to get off her chest.

“The farm work is not super enjoyable. I am really struggling, thinking about how that would affect me and my happiness long term,” she told Joe as she decided to leave.

At the end of the ball, each farmer chose one lady for their next solo date:

Farmer Bert: Karli
Farmer Dustin: Izzy
Farmer Joe: Calya
Farmer Tom: Sarah A

7NEWS Spotlight

The program looked into Australian teens being caught up in a Nigerian scam where they are tricked into sending revealing photos, and then the blackmail starts.

10 TV Report

The Sunday Project

The Sunday Project looked into protests to end gender-based violence, Tesla’s Cybertruck chaos and was joined by co-host Rachel Corbett.

MasterChef Australia

On 10’s MasterChef Australia, the first elimination episode of the season tasked the cooks with 75 minutes on the clock to create a dish representing their food dream. 

Unfortunately, contestant James couldn’t do enough to impress the Judges, and was the first to be sent home. 

ABC

Call the Midwife

Sister Veronica was shaken when a mother revealed a terrible truth about her marriage, Shelagh cared for a baby with a life-threatening condition and Nancy harboured a secret. 

SBS

Ancient Builders of the Amazon

Recent discoveries in archaeology are exploding the mouth of the Amazon as a primeval wilderness, revealing traces of ancient civilizations that flourished for centuries, with populations numbering in the millions.