Friday June 26, 2020
Ovato chair Michael Hannan’s plea for manufacturing sector support
The chairman of giant media, marketing and printing company Ovato, Michael Hannan, has written about how his sector is hurting from the impact of Covid-19. Below is an open letter he has written to the Government.
Everyone is suffering but some doing it more silently than others, not out of choice but because they have no voice, every news report all we hear about are football & sporting codes talking like they are the only ones financially affected, or the tourism and travel sector and the airlines or the universities wringing their hands because the Chinese students haven’t returned. Today we have the arts getting $250 million to get back on their feet. Powerful people have influence.
Manufacturing, yes it’s the process of actually making things, used to be strong in Australia but has anyone been championing the cause or screaming from the rooftops about the state that many sectors of the manufacturing industry are in because of Covid.
I’m championing the printing industry and believe it or not it’s the largest sector in Australian manufacturing, our company alone employs 1,300 people and across the industry some revenue in some sectors is never coming back as the Covid impact has changed the way people market their products, newspapers have closed and we are buying more products on line, but it is still a big industry, just not as big as it once was. Manufacturing is a big employer nationally, but from blanket coverage of Covid hardly a mention.
We need a voice, we need people to speak up for us, many livelihoods are at stake. JobKeeper is to be applauded as it has kept the country alive but there is a huge cliff in front of us all at the end of September which will be near impossible to climb as the impact of Covid will not end anywhere near as surgically as JobKeeper. Perhaps 18 months before we settle on a new form of normal.
Some assistance from government, even some recognition that what we do matters would be helpful and it’s not expecting too much. It’s not even giving them the challenge or indigestion of it setting a precedent, look at the years the government threw billions of tax payer money at the big Japanese and American owned car companies – all a complete waste in the end as they folded up their tent and went home when it suited them. Before that for those that remember it was the infamous $60 million loan to keep Kodak in the country only to have them fold their tent and go home and never repay the loan. No one apparently told them that digital was going to replace film.
To survive, manufacturers will need to re-invent themselves post pandemic and do things differently. Yes, many jobs will be shed to right size for a post-Covid world but if companies had access to funding beyond a JobKeeper type initiative then the absolute carnage to the sector that will follow can be avoided. Handouts aren’t needed, rather loans or advances, call it a HECS scheme for manufacturers to be re-paid out of future profit – some mechanism to ensure that manufacturing and the printing industry can still carve out a new future in this country post-Covid.
We need a voice, we need champions for the cause!
—
Top Photo: Michael Hannan, Chairman at Ovato
The indie magazine publisher who hasn’t given up on Australia
The move comes just months after managing director Quentin Long considered whether he might have to abandon the indie publishing house he launched in 2005. Since that time Australian Traveller has flourished and has spawned an off-shoot International Traveller.
While it got too hot in the kitchen for Bauer Media in Australia and New Zealand who left after a fire sale, Long has decided to fight on.
Long told Mediaweek at the height of the pandemic he was ringing some staff telling them he had to let them go. However four days later, after JobKeeper was revealed, he rang to ask them back.
“Travel and media became the two most impacted sectors by COVID-19. We budgeted for zero revenue in the final quarter of 2019/20. We were realistic about the circumstances we were in, yet very positive about turning it around. We will come out of this a much stronger business than when we went into it. After three weeks of despair and gnashing of teeth I had a plan. We were very lucky being able to hold onto everybody after JobKeeper arrived. We have taken the opportunity to improve the product and we have focused on the consumer, making sure we could give them a better experience.”
The kick-start plan was for a Special Collector’s Edition Magazine 100 Ways to Holiday Here This Year which has been released to retail for just $3.95. The 156-page edition has a print run of 50,000 with copies going to newsstands, boutique travel agency Travel Associates (14,000 to customers) and with Coles who is a new distribution partner.
Long has invested in a TVC for the edition and was this week using his media contacts as he unloaded a national PR blitz.
The magazine includes in-depth editorial and itineraries in 10 key experience categories covering Coast, Cities, Islands, Outback, Icons, Indigenous, Regional, Food and Wine, Family, Road Trips.
Long and his team had the book ready six weeks before publication, but they had to make one last detailed sweep of the country to find out which businesses were still operating. “We initially thought we would have no ads, but ended up with 10 sponsors plus ads.”
Australian Traveller could perhaps live as a digital only brand, but Long explained: “Print gives us a focus on the business and gives people something to hang onto. Credibility that print gives you is much harder to find in the online publishing world.”
Asked if Long hoped the new owners of the Bauer portfolio might do some sector repair, he replied: “If I put my hope in anybody else trying to support magazines, even if they were magazine proprietors, I’d be a bloody fool. Nothing in the last 15 years has indicated to me any of the major publishers have an understanding of what is required to help the magazine sector.”
Long said he was looking at a return edition of International Traveller in September. It might cost more than $3.95 though. “We want to maintain a presence and maintain engagement. What better medium to that in than print?”
Must watch TV: Part 4 of Ticky Fullerton’s Sky News special The Alliance
By James Manning
In March this year Sky News business editor and co-anchor of Business Weekend Ticky Fullerton launched The Alliance. The big undertaking was a series of six episodes and part four screens this weekend on Sky News.
The episode examines the future of technology, how it will shape the way we live and its impact on the US-Australian alliance. The Alliance screens at 7pm June 28 on Sky News, Kayo, Sky News on WIN and an audio stream on iHeartRadio. All episodes are also available on demand.
To secure many of the interviews that feature across the series, Fullerton and her executive producer Matt Etheridge travelled to the US in February, luckily making it back for the world closed down for Covid-19. Former Nine producer Etheridge is executive producer of commercial programming at Sky News.
During the US trip Fullerton and Etheridge visited Washington DC, New York, New Jersey, Ohio to visit Anthony Pratt’s recycling plant and then to Iowa for the first Democratic Caucus.
Sunday’s part four of The Alliance will feature tech: from space exploration to 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT).
During the episode, Fullerton speaks with politicians, diplomats and business entrepreneurs including Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, former Australian Ambassador to the US and Sky News US Political Contributor Joe Hockey, US Ambassador to Australia Arthur B. Culvahouse as well as co-founder of software company Atlassian, Mike Cannon-Brookes.
NASA’s Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Badri Younes, Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Rod Sims, and Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Satya Nadella will also provide insight during the episode.
Fullerton told Mediaweek that when she started the series she hadn’t really appreciated the power of the alliance. “Both in terms of its history and its potency and relevance today. The 100 years of history we covered in the first episode – the history of Australia and the US fighting side-by-side in every major war and how that has created a bond of trust. Something that has been built on in many ways. Especially by Prime Minister John Howard after 9-11 in his relationship with US President George Bush.
“Right now we are seeing a refreshing of the alliance in the way the pandemic has put pressure on global relationships.”
Fullerton also told Mediaweek how regardless of who is in power in either country, the relationship manages to thrive. “Our alliance is far bigger than any individual leader on either side. We have seen relationships from opposite sides of the political spectrum between the two nations come together over time.”
Fullerton and Etheridge managed to get great access during their US visit including a visit inside the White House where they witnessed President Donald Trump’s post-impeachment speech.
The tech episode this weekend will also feature telecommunications company Verizon, The Australian Computer Society (ACS) & aerospace and defence company Lockheed Martin as they comment on the importance of technology driven industries and its effects on the US-Australian Alliance.
As part of her regular role at Sky News, Fullerton co-hosts the Sunday morning show Business Weekend. Her co-host until recently was The Australian’s Leo Shanahan who left News Corp just last week. The new co-host for Weekend Business also comes from the national daily – economics editor Adam Creighton. His first week in the TV role will be on Sunday July 5.
TikTok for business: Brands are an important part of the experience
TikTok For Business solutions are designed to give brands and marketers the solutions to be creative storytellers and meaningfully engage with the TikTok community.
Brands are an important part of the TikTok experience. Whether they are starting trends, connecting communities, or bringing awareness to critical public service initiatives, brands are creating authentic audiences built on the foundation of sharing joy. They are embracing the creative and authentic spirit of TikTok, and giving users a new way to discover and engage with the products they love.
New Platform for Brands to Amplify Their Voice on TikTok
Over the past year, brands have found success resonating with the TikTok community not because they had the glossiest ad or the biggest names in their campaign, but because of their ability to creatively engage and connect with users through feelings, actions and sounds.
The magic of TikTok is not just the chance to create, but the chance to discover – and to be found. With TikTok For Business, our goal is to give marketers the tools to be discovered and connect with the broader communities around them.
On TikTok, marketers can tap into the unique opportunities that can only be found on TikTok to connect with our community, build their brands, and achieve their goals, including:
Scale & creativity: TikTok is a growing platform for marketers to leverage as a must have destination. TikTok is an entertainment based platform, offering users and brands the tools to tell their stories.
Sight, motion & sound: With TikTok, the industry can build for a mobile, sound-on environment. And, there are many opportunities for sound: music, sound effects, voice-overs, reactions and more.
Inclusive & participatory community: TikTok is all about “join.” This presents an original opportunity for marketers to create work that becomes a part of our community. On TikTok, people can become so engaged and inspired by a marketing campaign, that they’ll create their own version of it. Brands can actually experience the impact of their campaigns have on people.
The place where culture is made: TikTok is an open platform where anyone and any brand can be discovered. The opportunity to learn about what is happening all over the world is limitless. Culture is created in an open and inclusive way on TikTok, every day.
Seamless & simple solutions: Products deliver across every marketing touchpoint and allow for rich and immersive storytelling. All are seamless, full-screen video and appear natively with the user experience. Working with many of the industry’s leading third party providers, TikTok is building out its suite of measurement solutions. TikTok has also announced an AR Branded Effect called Branded Scan, a new product that allows users to have an augmented reality experience with any brand.
Don’t Make Ads, Make TikToks
TikTok as a platform is designed to inspire – with authentic, creative content that could only be on TikTok.
For brands, this opens an entirely new window of opportunity to create content that speaks to people, to invite the community to join in the conversation, and…to Make TikToks.
Mercado on TV: Big week with Rob Lowe, Ryan Murphy & Joanna Lumley
9-1-1: Lone Star continues the crazy police/firefighter/paramedic/dispatch mash-up but this time it’s set in Texas. Owen Strand (Rob Lowe) pulls together a fire station that includes his gay son TK (Ronen Rubinstein), a Muslim Instagrammer called Marjan (Natacha Karam) and trans man Paul (Brian Michael Smith).
Brian Michael Smith can also been seen in Disclosure: Trans Lives On Screen (Netflix) which reveals that 80% of all representation on screen has always been extremely negative and dehumanising, especially all the violence and trans serial killers (Psycho, Dressed To Kill, The Silence of the Lambs etc).
Crocodile Dundee (Stan) doesn’t get a mention but the scene where Mick sexually assaults a trans woman in a bar, and everybody laughs as she runs away, is pretty transphobic. Hoges will always be a legend, and lots of movie comedies from that era did worse, but let’s at least admit the past wasn’t perfect. Much better we remember positive Australian portrayals like Carlotta, Priscilla and Georgie Stone in Neighbours (weeknights on 10Peach).
Does producer Ryan Murphy ever sleep? His second series of The Politician (Netflix) has also just dropped and once again, his casting is out there. Bette Midler, Judith Light and Gwyneth Paltrow star alongside a wildly diverse cast where everyone looks fabulous while getting to chew the scenery.
One of Aaron Spelling’s worst ever flops was 1989’s Nightingales, which was about student nurses, always in their underwear, and described as being “demeaning to the profession”. Things are much more serious today in Canadian drama Nurses (Monday on FoxOne). It’s set in Toronto and the cast is multicultural and multi sexual. Sensibly dressed too.
The problem with Nurses is that we have seen it all before. The medical genre is as tired as the crime procedural, which is why Dead Still (Monday on Acorn TV) tries something not done before – a photographer who shoots dead corpses in 1880’s Ireland and keeps stumbling upon murders he needs to investigate with the help of an aspiring actress and gravedigger.
Joanna Lumley’s Hidden Caribbean (Tuesday on ABC) is a two-parter through Cuba and Haiti. Even with humidity hair, she still looks divine, still thinks everything and everybody is “extraordinary” and I could watch her travel somewhere wonderful every night. Delightful.
TV Ratings Thursday June 25 Week 26 2020
Seven News 1,104,000/1,038,000
Nine News 995,000/942,000
ABC News 761,000
A Current Affair 689,000
7.30 648,000
The Project 281,000/445,000
10 News 400,000/243,000
Sunrise 266,000
Today 220,000
The Drum 219,000
News Breakfast 215,000
The Latest 203,000
SBS World News 171,000
Seven: Home and Away ended its week on 558,000 with no Adelaide screening early because of the football.
The AFL Thursday clash came from Sydney where the Swans played Western Bulldogs. There was added significance to the game as it was played on the day of the death of AFL recent Hall of Fame inductee John Kennedy. Kennedy’s grandson Josh was playing his 250th game for the Swans last night. The metro audience of 544,000 was well down on last Thursday’s 633,000. The Melbourne audience was 317,000 after 404,000 a week ago.
The numbers still keep Seven on target for its most consistent ratings week of the year with shares over 19% every night so far.
Nine: On Nine’s Thursday Night Football NRL clash Penrith Panthers took on South Sydney Rabbitohs. The audience was 376,000 with 247,000 in Sydney with less interest in the Sydney derby in Brisbane with 106,000 watching. The Sydney audience was up from 168,000 on Thursday last week.
10: Celebrity Gogglebox screened at 7.30pm with 284,000 watching after 370,000 a week ago.
Two episodes of Law & Order: SVU then did 193,000 and 168,000.
Earlier in the night The Project had one of its smallest weekday audiences at 7pm this year with 445,000.
The lower audiences across the night led to 10 recording its smallest Thursday share of the year 8.6%.
ABC: A couple wanting to move to the Noosa Hinterland was the property search on episode 25 of Escape to the City with 320,000 watching.
Earlier in the night The Heights did 207,000.
Even earlier in the night Alan Kohler ended his string of special reports for 7.30, while Leigh Sales interviewed Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. Let’s hope the company’s projections about international travel are way out. The 7.30 audience was on 648,000.
SBS: World’s Busiest Train Stations was the channel’s best with 197,000 watching the episode about Howrah Terminal, the busiest station in India.
The Secret Life of Al Capone then did 177,000.
Week 26 TV: Thursday
| THURSDAY METRO | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven | Nine | 10 | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 11.1% | 7 | 21.2% | 9 | 18.6% | 10 | 8.6% | SBS One | 4.5% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 2.9% | 7TWO | 4.8% | GO! | 2.0% | 10 Bold | 4.4% | VICELAND | 1.4% |
| ABC ME | 0.5% | 7mate | 5.8% | GEM | 1.8% | 10 Peach | 3.3% | Food Net | 1.3% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.9% | 7flix | 2.3% | 9Life | 2.2% | NITV | 0.1% | ||
| 9Rush | 1.0% | SBS World Movies | 0.6% | ||||||
| TOTAL | 16.3% | 34.0% | 25.6% | 16.2% | 7.9% | ||||
| THURSDAY REGIONAL | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven Affiliates | Nine Affiliates | 10 Affiliates | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 10.6% | 7 | 19.5% | 9 | 17.7% | WIN | 9.2% | SBS One | 3.9% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 2.7% | 7TWO | 5.5% | GO! | 2.0% | WIN Bold | 5.5% | VICELAND | 1.7% |
| ABC ME | 0.4% | 7mate | 3.9% | GEM | 3.5% | WIN Peach | 2.7% | Food Net | 0.9% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.3% | 7flix (Excl. Tas/WA) | 2.7% | 9Life | 3.4% | Sky News on WIN | 2.4% | NITV | 0.2% |
| SBS Movies | 0.8% | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 15.0% | 31.7% | 26.7% | 19.9% | 7.8% | ||||
| THURSDAY METRO ALL TV | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTA | STV | ||||||||
| 84.5% | 15.5% | ||||||||
THURSDAY FTA
- Seven News Seven 1,104,000
- Seven News At 6.30 Seven 1,038,000
- Nine News Nine 995,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 942,000
- ABC News ABC 761,000
- A Current Affair Nine 689,000
- 7.30 ABC 648,000
- The Chase Australia Seven 616,000
- Home And Away Seven 558,000
- Seven’s AFL: Thursday Night Football Seven 544,000
- Hot Seat Nine 535,000
- The Project 7pm 10 445,000
- 10 News First 10 400,000
- The Chase Australia-5pm Seven 384,000
- Seven’s AFL: Thursday Night Football – Pre Match Seven 358,000
- Thursday Night NRL Live Nine 353,000
- Escape From The City ABC 320,000
- Hot Seat -5pm Nine 318,000
- M- Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Seven 287,000
- Celebrity Gogglebox USA 10 284,000
Demo Top 5
16-39 Top Five
- Seven’s AFL: Thursday Night Football Seven 139,000
- Seven News At 6.30 Seven 115,000
- Seven News Seven 114,000
- Nine News Nine 112,000
- The Project 7pm 10 107,000
18-49 Top Five
- Seven’s AFL: Thursday Night Football Seven 225,000
- Seven News Seven 218,000
- Nine News Nine 215,000
- Seven News At 6.30 Seven 210,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 197,000
25-54 Top Five
- Nine News Nine 291,000
- Seven News Seven 280,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 272,000
- Seven News At 6.30 Seven 268,000
- Seven’s AFL: Thursday Night Football Seven 253,000
THURSDAY Multichannel
- NCIS Rpt 10 Bold 206,000
- Bluey AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 203,000
- Father Brown PM 7TWO 156,000
- Seven’s AFL: Thursday Night Football 7mate 153,000
- Little J And Big Cuz AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 150,000
- Murdoch Mysteries PM 7TWO 147,000
- Ben And Holly’s Little Kingdom ABCKIDS/COMEDY 142,000
- Bluey ABCKIDS/COMEDY 139,000
- Hey Duggee ABCKIDS/COMEDY 136,000
- Hard Quiz ABCKIDS/COMEDY 132,000
- Murdoch Mysteries-Ep.2 Pm 7TWO 130,000
- Neighbours 10 Peach 129,000
- Peppa PigAM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 129,000
- Bondi Rescue Ep 2 Rpt 10 Bold 124,000
- Luo Bao Bei ABCKIDS/COMEDY 122,000
- Hawaii Five-O 10 Bold 121,000
- Go Jetters AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 120,000
- Bargain Hunt PM 7TWO 118,000
- Dog Loves Books ABCKIDS/COMEDY 118,000
- Spicks And Specks Ep 2 ABCKIDS/COMEDY 118,000
THURSDAY STV
- Live: NRL: Panthers V Rabbitohs FOX LEAGUE 215,000
- Live: AFL Sydney V Western Bulldogs FOX FOOTY 190,000
- Aussie Gold Hunters Discovery Channel 86,000
- Live: AFL Post Game Thursday FOX FOOTY 77,000
- The Bolt Report Sky News Live 76,000
- Live: The Late Show With Matty Johns FOX LEAGUE 73,000
- Paul Murray Live Sky News Live 68,000
- Live: NRL Pre Game Thursday FOX LEAGUE 65,000
- Credlin Sky News Live 64,000
- Live: AFL Pre Game Thursday FOX FOOTY 62,000
- PML Later Sky News Live 56,000
- Peppa Pig Nick Jr. 42,000
- The Kenny Report Sky News Live 41,000
- Peppa Pig Nick Jr. 40,000
- Jeopardy! FOX Classics 40,000
- Escape To The Country Lifestyle Channel 40,000
- Peppa Pig Nick Jr. 39,000
- Peppa Pig Nick Jr. 39,000
- Selling Houses Australia Lifestyle Channel 39,000
- Chris Smith Tonight Sky News Live 36,000
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
Arts reporter on of the casualties in ABC’s war on costs
This is in addition to the axing of its chief economics correspondent’s position, held by Emma Alberici, and two business reporters, with up to 70 roles to be axed from the news division.
Foreign Correspondent will lose two episodes and be broadcast 22 times a year, while Australian Story will lose four stories a year.
One of the jobs to be abolished in the ABC’s investigations unit will be the freedom of information editor’s role, based in Brisbane.
The ABC’s national arts, culture and entertainment reporter, Michaela Boland, whose position on the specialist reporting team has been made redundant, told The Australian she was committed to challenging management’s decision. “The arts and culture are of massive significance to Australians, and I’m going to spend the next few weeks working to convince ABC management of this,” Boland said on Thursday.
Ita Buttrose lashes government over handling of ABC funding cuts
In a fresh war of words between the taxpayer-funded broadcaster and the Coalition government, Buttrose has accused Fletcher of twice failing to provide the ABC board and management with the critical data that informed an independent report proposing the closure of two broadcast channels and the sharing of back-office and support services with fellow public broadcaster SBS.
Buttrose said several media reports, which ABC management believes were informed by Fletcher, had suggested the ABC “had neglected to ‘collaborate more closely with SBS'”.
Buttrose has also said the government misrepresented the ABC’s efforts to work closer with SBS.
In a strongly-worded letter to Fletcher, seen by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Buttrose said the ABC’s board had asked her to “convey its concerns” about Fletcher’s lack of response to correspondence between the pair in September last year.
“This is incorrect,” Buttrose wrote. “David Anderson has had several conversations with SBS about sharing costs”.
Google signs landing agreements with a number of publishers
After years of declaring it would not pay media companies for using their content, Google said late on Thursday that it had reached agreements with Adelaide-based local newspaper publisher Solstice Media, Schwartz Media and The Conversation, as well as Germany’s Spiegel Group, publisher of Der Spiegel, and Brazilian media company Diarios Associados.
Google has not signed any partnerships with publishers in the US however, or with any major publishers in Australia yet including News Corp, publisher of The Australian, or Nine. It is understood to be in advanced talks with Australian Community Media, which publishes about 160 rural titles, as well as the major publishers.
Entertainment
Arts funding: Guy Sebastian defends himself after Scott Morrison appearance
The pop singer flanked Morrison at a theatre in Rooty Hill on Thursday to announce a $250 million package aimed at creating jobs, however his appearance was met with backlash on social media and ‘Guy Sebastian’ quickly became the top trending topic in Australia.
“Guy Sebastian just got political – and for me – he’s on the wrong side,” one Twitter user said.
One of the major criticisms of Sebastian’s support for the package was that the successful mainstream star doesn’t represent the struggling artists that need help from the government.
Sebastian defended himself following the outcry saying he joined Morrison to “provide perspective of the deep seeded economic hardship that has crippled the entertainment industry due to the COVID pandemic”.
“The whole industry from tech crew to musicians and all those that consult to the entertainment community are in serious need of stimulus,” he said.
Television
Holey Moley, Old People’s Home win international format awards
Holey Moley by Eureka Productions won the Best Competition Reality Format. The series is now in its second season on ABC (US) where it is winning its slot and demos.
Seven is now looking to 2021 for an Australian production, with a set likely in NSW or Queensland which could be used as a hub for other international productions.
Meanwhile Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds by Endemol Shine Australia won Best Factual Format. Based on a UK series the production was commissioned by Josie Mason-Campbell who this week was made redundant by ABC.
Studio 10 apologises for ‘offensive’ interview with Lawrence Mooney
Studio 10 was forced to apologise to viewers this week after the comedian, under the guise of “Sydney’s meanest TV critic, Rudi Vanderstone”, dropped some clangers at the expense of industry names.
Among his risque quips, he called Studio 10 “a place on television where careers can go to die,” described MAFS as “real estate agents and beauticians falling in love under the auspices of alcohol to rub their skin together….” and referred to morning TV as a space for “sl*t-shaming and casual racism”.
It was the latter that seemed to cause the most offence to hosts, and the look on Natarsha Belling’s face said it all.
“So what do you think of our show Rudi? What do you think of Studio 10?,” host Joe Hildebrand had asked the comedian, who is hosting the Steaming Brown Logies in lieu of the actual event, which was cancelled due to the pandemic, on Triple M’s Moonman in the Morning.
“Well I thought you’d never ask. It’s great that there’s a place on television where careers go to die,” he responded, adding: “As a Dutchman, I love to settle down in the morning with a cup of coffee to watch some sl*t shaming and casual racism.”
While Hildebrand laughed at the joke, Belling looked appalled, her mouth open in shock.
Cameron Daddo on his Australia soapie debut at Summer Bay
He’s worked as a performer since 1987 on stage and screen, but the closest he’s ever come to soap was Melrose Place spin-off Models Inc. alongside such names as Linda Gray and Carrie-Anne Moss.
“I would see that as an evening soap, or melodrama. But that was the only one I did. I’ve never worked on an Australian soap before,” he tells TV Tonight.
But playing singer-songwriter Evan, the estranged father of Home & Away’s Ryder (Lukas Radovich), he was kept on his toes with their frenetic pace.
“As actors we can spend a lot of time standing around and contemplating our navels while we’re waiting for set-ups and things like that. But that just doesn’t exist in the world of Home & Away. I often found myself saying, ‘We’re actually doing this!’” he recalls.
“It’s like one rehearsal for cameras and then bang, you’re into it! If everything fell in, we’re moving on.”
Sports Media
Australia and New Zealand win 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup bid
The Australia-New Zealand dual bid, the first in which countries will jointly host a World Cup, beat Colombia 22-13 during voting of the FIFA council in Switzerland early this morning.
“You have made not one but two countries extremely happy. We are pleased what we have been given, we know the work to be done,” Football Federation Australia president Chris Nikou said.
Seven Australian and five New Zealand cities will host the World Cup in July 2023. FIFA has pledged $US100m in prizemoney and team-related costs but is hoping the World Cup will be commercially attractive enough to be able to stand on its own in the future.
The vote itself was significant, revealing vestiges of the old-FIFA and some last minute lobbying which included concerns about potential border closures and quarantine issues in Australia and New Zealand if the coronavirus pandemic continued and there was no development of a vaccine.
Moving the T20 Cricket World Cup could cost them free-to-air broadcaster
There are fears Australia may be forced to wait until 2022 to host the T20 showpiece due to COVID-19, but any change at all from the scheduled slot this October opens up the possibility Channel 9 could explore its options to get out of its deal and save $15-20 million under the force majeure clause.
In the event that the World Cup rights did get put out to market again, the International Cricket Council would struggle to find another taker, given the uncertain current climate which may be best defined by Channel 7 reportedly trying to sell off the Big Bash earlier this year only to be knocked back by an equally cash-strapped Channel 10.
It’s understood doubt over global broadcasting rights arrangements is one of the main reasons why the International Cricket Council is yet to confirm that the Australian tournament will be moved to either October 2021 or 22, and an announcement may not come until the middle of July.
Craig Foster has left the building: Host makes final SBS appearance
Craig Foster said: “My deepest gratitude to SBS Chairpersons, Directors, management, colleagues and our loyal viewers across football and news for an incredible journey. SBS provided not just an opportunity, but a mission back in 2002 and I instantly knew that we were aligned in our values, love of football and vision for the game.
“But the organisational spirit of inclusion, acceptance of diversity and promotion of Australia’s multicultural heart struck me most deeply.
“We brought this to life through football, but the mission was always to create a better Australia and world.
“My own challenges lie in this field and I will miss the people, above all, though I will never be too far away.
“I will always be deeply proud of having called SBS home for so long and look forward to walking down memory lane and thanking everyone personally over the next month.”
SBS Managing Director, James Taylor, said: “Craig is one of the finest football analysts and commentators, and has made a significant contribution to SBS over almost two decades.
“He embodies the personal and professional qualities that SBS espouses and we will watch with interest as he continues to break new ground, both as a former professional athlete and a strong advocate for social inclusion.
“While he will be missed as a regular in the studio, and by all that have worked with him, we look forward to working with Craig down the track.”
SBS Director of Sport, Ken Shipp, said: “Craig has lived the values of our Charter in promoting multiculturalism, inclusion and social harmony and his list of achievements is vast.
“From his famous, passionate commentary on the Socceroos’ 2005 World Cup Qualifier, developing a primary school football game for Harmony Day, winning three Logies as part of our amazing SBS World Game team, to championing the game of football in a way of which few are capable, Craig walked in the shoes of former great football advocates, Johnny Warren and Les Murray, and carried a proud legacy for two decades.
“I will enjoy watching him continue to rise. The door remains always open to work together again and I know there is nothing that he cannot achieve. Craig will always be part of the SBS family.”
SBS Sport presenter, Lucy Zelić, said: “There will never, ever be another Craig Foster and SBS, together with the Australian football community, have been immeasurably fortunate to have a man of his talents, credibility and professionalism dedicated to the cause.
“I always knew the day would come when Craig would be called upon for a greater purpose and I have no doubt in my mind that my beloved friend will continue to shine and inspire us all on his journey. He will always have a seat beside me at SBS, ready and waiting.”
SBS plans to continue working with Foster in the future on the network’s marquee football events.