Wednesday March 11, 2020
Paul Anderson resigns from Network 10 and ViacomCBS
ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI) has announced the resignation of Paul Anderson as chief executive officer of Network 10 and executive vice president of its operations in Australia and New Zealand. His resignation is effectively immediately, but Anderson has agreed to stay in his role in the interim to help oversee the company’s transition to new management.
Anderson joined Network 10 in 2003. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer in 2011 and took on the additional role of Chief Operating Officer in 2014. He was appointed CEO in July 2015 and steered the company through its acquisition by CBS Studios International, which was completed in November 2017.
ViacomCBS will not seek a replacement CEO, but will introduce a new management structure for its combined operations in Australia and New Zealand, with co-leads for the business. Both will report to Maria Kyriacou, President of VCNI’s operations in Australia and the UK.
Network 10 Chief Content Officer Beverley McGarvey has been promoted to the new role of Chief Content Officer and EVP, ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand taking control for all content and creative activities related to the company’s networks and digital properties in Australia and New Zealand.
ViacomCBS will also recruit a co-lead who will have oversight of all the combined company’s commercial activities and operations in both markets.
The company has also appointed Henriette Rothschild as interim Chief Transformation Officer who is a partner at the advisory and investment firm KordaMentha and brings to the role experience as Chief Operating Officer at iSelect and regional Managing Director of the global management consulting firm Hay Group.
Kyriacou said:
“Network 10 has performed very well this year, with 11 consecutive weeks of audience share growth. We want to build on that momentum, while at the same time leveraging the powerful ViacomCBS brands and assets from both a content and revenue perspective.
“I would like to thank Paul for his leadership of Network 10; it is a credit to him and his team that the business has continued to compete and evolve despite the inevitable distractions that have come with recent changes in ownership. I’m grateful for the ongoing support he has offered me to help the business transition to a new management team and structure.”
“Beverley is an experienced creative leader with a great track record of serving local audiences. She shares my excitement about the extra dimension that ViacomCBS’s ownership can bring to our business in Australia and I’m looking forward to working with her, Henriette and the rest of the senior leadership team to realise those benefits.
“The appointment of Henriette reflects the work we are undertaking to ensure the merged Network 10 and ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand businesses are well positioned for the future.”
Anderson said:
“The past 17 years at Network 10 have been the best years of my professional life. I have worked with some extraordinary people – both in front of and behind the camera – and have been given some amazing opportunities. Now it’s time for me to try something different and eventually look for new opportunities and experiences.
“Thanks to the hard work, passion and professionalism of everyone at Network 10, and now as part of ViacomCBS, the business is extremely well placed for the future. The combination of Network 10 and ViacomCBS is a real game-changer in the Australian market, creating a unique and powerful media group that owns some of the most innovative entertainment and media brands locally and globally.
“I’m very excited about the future of Network 10 and about what the future holds for me and my family.”
GfK Radio Ratings 2020, Survey 1: Highlights + Full Results
Sydney
• 2GB leads with Jones steady, but Hadley surges to 17.5%
• WSFM #1 FM as smoothfm and KIIS both slip, K&J #1
• 2Day FM biggest market mover as daytime numbers lift
UP: 2Day FM +1.2
DOWN: smoothfm 95.3 -1.2
Read more: Sydney Radio Ratings 2020: GfK Survey 1
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Melbourne
• 3AW holds at #1 despite summer slide except evenings
• Gold remains #1 FM, Fox recovers, Nova & smooth up too
• Ross & John and Christian O’Connell the breakfast champs
UP: Fox, Nova & smooth all +1.1
DOWN: 3AW -2.3
Read more: Melbourne Radio Ratings 2020: GfK Survey 1
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Brisbane
• Triple M rules in tight market with 0.5 separating FM players
• 97.3 tumbles as Triple M and Hit 105 share breakfast leadership
UP: Nova 106.9 +0.7
DOWN: 97.3FM -1.6
Read more: Brisbane Radio Ratings 2020: GfK Survey 1
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Adelaide
• Mix #1 overall and breakfast, Fiveaa audience still on holidays
• Cruise only commercial station to lift share in survey 1
UP: Cruise 1323 +1.0
DOWN: Fiveaa -2.8
Read more: Adelaide Radio Ratings 2020: GfK Survey 1
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Perth
•Nova and 96FM battle it out in Wild West, as Mix share tumbles
•Nathan, Nat & Shaun breakfast champs, but here come Fred & Lisa
UP: 96FM + 1.6
DOWN: Mix 94.5 -3.5
Read more: Perth Radio Ratings 2020: GfK Survey 1
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SCA’s new content chief Dave Cameron: Survey 1 writes 2020 to-do list
Dave Cameron has moved back into content after three years out after running the SCA Melbourne business as general manager.
As SCA chief content officer Cameron overseas an Australia-wide content operation of close to 90 radio stations. None are more critical than the 10 SCA-owned metro stations who come under scrutiny from advertisers eight times a year when GfK releases its survey results.
See also:
SCA chooses internal candidate as chief content officer
Cameron spoke to Mediaweek on survey day and took us around the country starting in Brisbane.
“We had some good results along the east coast. Brisbane performed well with Triple M back at #1 and then our two stations – Hit 105 and Triple M – with the equal #1 breakfast shows. It doesn’t get much better than that scorecard. Brisbane does continue to be a close market as it has been for many years. Consistency is key – shows that have been on longer – tend to do well in Brisbane.”
See also:
Brisbane Radio Ratings 2020: GfK Survey 1
Cameron noted he might be making a few trips to Sydney this year. Triple M Sydney’s Moonman in the Morning posted growth in share and cume. “The first thing we look at with new shows is cume growth where we will hopefully see new audience coming in. That’s critical for a new product and Moonman can still be considered a new product on the air. To see the audience lift at the station, over 100,000, this survey was exciting.
“Both Sydney stations had audience growth.”
Cameron noted that in times of crisis there is sometimes a big swing back to ABC and AM news stations, “but I haven’t seen that happen this time around”.
Speaking about the troubled 2Day FM outlook, Cameron is well aware of the challenges. This survey has indicated that they could be heading in the right direction. “The music is showing us that we have a format that is finding an audience. Have a look at the solid workday results.”
He was refreshingly frank about the breakfast challenge. “Gemma [Fordham – head of Hit Network] and I have high ambitions around returning 2Day to being the jewel in the crown in whatever way or shape that might look like. It’s one thing we spend a lot of time talking about and we have plenty of ideas.”
See also:
Sydney Radio Ratings 2020: GfK Survey 1
In Cameron’s home market he said there was concern in 2019 when Fox FM had several successive down books at the end of the year. “The thing about The Fox is that it is possibly the most successful radio brand in Australia and it has always had a loyal following. It has long been one of the biggest cuming stations in Australia as well. We know the product is right because Fifi and Fev have had good success over the past few years. It seems we might have just had a couple of ‘bad books’ instead of them identifying a trend down for shows. The jump indicates again to us we have the right product on air in breakfast and drive and that the music is also right.”
There does remain a challenge at Triple M Melbourne. “The Hot Breakfast is a show we have changed the line-up of a couple of times over the past few years. [Mick in, Mick out, Wil in, Wil out, now guest spots each day.] That always has some kind of impact. The show is 11 years old now and it is up to us all to revitalise it with the right strategy to win.”
See also:
Melbourne Radio Ratings 2020: GfK Survey 1
Once you get away from the east coast the numbers are gloomy. “Adelaide is not one of our best markets today. We have a new breakfast program on Hit that needs to grow, but we feel very confident about [hosts] Bec and Cosi. There’s a bit of work to do around the Triple M brand in Adelaide and it is a work in progress.”
See also:
Adelaide Radio Ratings 2020: GfK Survey 1
Perth too is an SCA trouble spot. Mix 94.5 had what must be its toughest-ever start to the year. Responding to a question about the growth at 96FM, Cameron said: “When you put a show [Botica’s Bunch] back in the market that hasn’t been heard for five years it will come with some curiosity with people wanting to sample it.
“What we will see in Perth is that people will realise the show on 96FM is the same show it was five years ago. There is far more original content being produced by other shows in the market. Inevitably there will be a bounce back for us, but we understand the curiosity for the audience to sample a show they haven’t heard for a few years.”
See also:
Perth Radio Ratings 2020: GfK Survey 1
The power of the sleep in: Matty Johns ahead of a big 2020
He spoke with Mediaweek recently about his first year doing Fox Sports full time after stepping down from breakfast radio in 2018 and what 2020 has in store for his Thursday and Sunday night Fox League shows.
While Johns is admittedly still drying out after eating and drinking too much during his time off, he says the magic of the sleep-in is working wonders now that he doesn’t have those breakfast radio wake-ups.
“It’s amazing how much energy you’ve got after not getting up 4 am every morning, you can do it a few times but if you do it day after day it compounds and it was nice to have a bit more space and juice in the tank to be able to film more content for Fox Sports.”
While he was linked to the Sky Sports Radio breakfast gig last year, he said he isn’t ready to return to radio just yet and if he did then afternoons would be much preferred after factoring in his sleeping habits.
“My first few years I had to get out of bed at 3:20 am and the whole drive in I would fantasise about going back to bed. I could sleep through Australia; I would sleep till midday if I could.”
Johns says he didn’t quit breakfast radio to listen to it, so he hasn’t heard too much of The Grill Team’s successor, Moonman in the Mornings but has listened to bits and pieces.
“Lawrence is a talented bloke, and Pagey is good value and Jess is an outrageous character so they will be as good as gold.”
His two marquee shows the Late Show with Matty Johns and Monday Night with Matty Johns both follow a tried and true formula of blending comedy and footy but he also makes sure to mix in some new segments every year.
“We have a new segment called kleptomania which is segments that we stole from both current and dead TV shows”
When asked if we would be seeing a version of Beau Knows, the channel Nine segment that has been lambasted in the past by the Matty Johns crew, he said time will tell but he dropped a heavy hint at the return of another Footy Show classic – Dear Devil Dudes.
“Stuff like the red chair on The Graham Norton Show, we just look at other shows and go, yeah we are gonna steal that segment”
Johns also says to expect the shows to continue to branch out from sport at times by using their talent for different topics such as entertainment.
“We have got Nathan Hindmarsh as our entertainment reporter this year. He has a half cinema screen at his house so I want to get him and all his kids to watch Parasite which won the Academy Award and get their family’s take on it.”
Ahead of the 2020 season, Johns tipped the usual suspects like the Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs to do well – he also says to keep an eye on black horse teams like the Parramatta Eels and Canberra Raiders.
One thing that he is not tipping though is his brother Andrew Johns following suite and jumping ship from Channel Nine to join the Fox Sports team following rumours last year.
“I had to sleep in the same room the first 20 years of my life with Andrew – he can stay where he is.”
News Corp’s With Her In Mind Network as powerful as ever
Wilson spoke to Mediaweek on the latest series they worked on in conjunction with International Women’s Day, their strongest highlights across the Women’s Network, as well as plans of growing their vast array of different verticals throughout the year across all titles.
Wilson said taking care of the multiple brands is like having four kids where she has to be across all their school notes, their extracurricular activities and natural health issues that come about throughout the year. “Some days some get more love than others, but at the end of the day I love all of them equally,” said Wilson. “It is a challenge and every day is different which is one of the biggest reasons why I love this job.”
WHIMN Power Women series 2020
With International Women’s Day having just passed, whimn.com.au launched their Power Women Series for a second year in a row. It’s an editorially-led series – along with a reader event in Sydney – that features 25 of Australia’s next gen power players. “The series champions women, as well as look at how these women choose to use their power and how they make a difference to the lives of Australian women both locally and abroad.”
In terms of their content, Wilson revealed that whimn.com.au’s strongest vertical is the news section. “Our team has a fantastic way of looking at things that are in the daily news cycle and then coming at it with angles that are relevant to Australian women. You’re not always going to agree with the angle or the points we are making, but they are undoubtedly always thought-provoking.
“People always come across our opinion pieces or our news pieces that look at topics with a female lens and guide people to think in a different way. We’re just as confident talking about domestic violence issues as we are with Married At First Sight.”
Wilson said their audience across the three digital platforms and print recently topped six million readers for the very first time. “We reach over three million through the Body + Soul lift out every month. With the digital network, we saw our biggest month on record recently which was hitting 4.4 million UAs which is an incredible achievement. We were 1.2 million ahead of 9honey and 3.4 million ahead of Now To Love, and our other competitor Mamamia working off their own metrics.”
Wilson explained that it’s been a huge team effort to get to that result. All three brands have a really powerful connection with their audience, and Kidspot particularly has had an incredible few months. “It’s the real work horse in the background. The brand has been around for more than 10 years and it just succeeds so well. It’s trustworthy, we have the expertise, it’s relatable and reliable – it’s everything parents need, and we now have more dads coming to the site.”
The social channels for Kidspot have also been noticeably huge. Wilson said she’s never seen a Facebook page for any publisher as engaged as Kidspot’s – with almost 1 million followers along with a great reach and engagement. “We have three Facebook groups which are continuing to grow: Kidspot Kitchen, New Mums Australia, and Working Mums Australia which is hooked off our successful podcast The Juggling Act.”
Kidspot is also working on its video strategy and evolving the Kidspot to YouTube strategy. “Our YouTube following is almost 80,000 with more than half a million streams every month. With the Kidspot Shop section and relaunch of Kidspot Kitchen mid last year, we’ve seen that both of those verticals have just increased exponentially which is a great opportunity as well for advertisers.”
Body+Soul just celebrated their 20th birthday with fitness queen Kayla Itsines who their readers love and adore. “It was a real 360 campaign for us. We did a cover shoot with the popular personal trainer along with a feature story and a podcast interview. We also shot video and social with her and we had the event element as well. That particular celebration and how we approached that on every single platform is an example of how we want to work moving forward in 2020. There will definitely be more cross-platform campaigns that we’ll be working on.”
Body+Soul also had a dedicated Women In Sport and International Women’s Day issue which taps back into what the whole Women’s Network is about – supporting and advocating women. Wilson revealed they have a lot more exciting projects in the pipeline for the health and wellbeing title.
With whimn.com.au, there will be a lot coming up in the podcast space for women. “We are doing a second series of I Swear I Never, and we’ve got So I Quit My Day Job which is rolling out at the moment and is doing great numbers. We’ll be launching a new dating and a beauty podcast in the next few months and one of those will be in conjunction with news.com.au and Body+Soul. It’s another great example of how we’re using the power of the network to get our stories out there.”
TV Demand: Some Australian flavour as Married at First Sight joins the charts
Although it was a close shave this week as Doctor Who came very close to knocking off its fellow sci-fi hit on the Overall TV chart in Australia.
The two big additions this week are on the Australian Overall TV charts with Grey’s Anatomy entering at number #4 and Married at First Sight coming in at #6 and it is the first Australian content to make the charts this year.
Grey’s Anatomy is in the midst of its gobsmacking 16th season which kicked off on September 26, 2019. The series has three remaining original cast members in Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., and Ellen Pompeo who plays the titular Meredith Grey. The show has already been renewed for a 17th season to most likely air later this year.
For the first time this year, there is a bit of Australian culture on the TV Demand charts with Married at First Sight making its way onto the charts. The show is based on the Danish program of the same name which features couples getting matched by experts and being married without ever meeting.
It’s not just the TV Demand charts where the show has done well with it also excelling at traditional metrics with metro TV audiences regularly over the 1 million mark. The show has featured its fair share of antics this year with cheating, returning brides, dirty toothbrushes, and stuffed toys causing drama between the couples. After being the most-watched show of 2019 it is well on its way of repeating that feat as well as following it up with success on the TV Demand charts.
TV Ratings March 10
The Nine Network has had another ratings win with Married at First Sight and Paramedics both winning their time slots powering the network to a primary share of 24.4% and a network share of 31.0%.
MAFS has continued its recent trend of continuing to dip below the 1 million mark, but its 950,000 viewers made it the most watched non-news show of the night and number one in all key demos. This was a decline on the 987,000 that the hit show had last Tuesday.
Paramedics enjoyed the strong lead in from MAFS to generate 579,000 viewers to continue the strong one-two punch that the show has established with MAFS.
Seven’s most watched non-news show was Home and Away which had 578,000 as the lead into MKR: The Rivals which managed 490,000. MKR was followed by The Good Doctor which had 389,000 people tune in and was a significant increase from the 286,000 that the show had on Sunday as Seven continues with the strategy of two episodes a week for the US hit with the Tuesday night show continuing to outperform Sunday.
These results saw Seven finish second for the night in both primary share with 17.2% and network share with 24.9%.
10’s ratings performance was once again helped by Australian Survivor: All Stars which had 611,000 as the networks most watched show of the night. The show finished second behind MAFS in all key demos as the show entered the second night of its Exile Beach twist that has seen six people sent to Exile Beach in two nights. The second best performer for 10 was The Project with 509,000.
The top show on the ABC was 7:30 which had 600,000 as the show looked at the economic impact of coronavirus and part 2 of the bushfire special examining where government and charity money is going.
Over at SBS the top show was Great Australian Railway Journeys which had 362,000 which was a boost on the 339,000 the show had last week.
Week 11 TV: Tuesday
| TUESDAY METRO | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven | Nine | 10 | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 10.4% | 7 | 17.2% | 9 | 24.4% | 10 | 12.1% | SBS One | 6.4% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 2.9% | 7TWO | 2.9% | GO! | 2.1% | 10 Bold | 3.6% | VICELAND | 1.6% |
| ABC ME | 0.6% | 7mate | 3.2% | GEM | 2.6% | 10 Peach | 2.8% | Food Net | 0.9% |
| ABC NEWS | 2.0% | 7flix | 1.6% | 9Life | 1.9% | NITV | 0.2% | ||
| SBS World Movies | 0.7% | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 15.9% | 24.9% | 31.0% | 18.5% | 9.8% | ||||
| TUESDAY REGIONAL | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven Affiliates | Nine Affiliates | 10 Affiliates | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 8.4% | 7 | 18.9% | 9 | 21.2% | WIN | 9.5% | SBS One | 6.3% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 2.8% | 7TWO | 3.3% | GO! | 2.4% | WIN Bold | 3.3% | VICELAND | 1.7% |
| ABC ME | 0.8% | 7mate | 6.0% | GEM | 4.8% | WIN Peach | 2.0% | Food Net | 0.7% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.7% | 7flix (Excl. Tas/WA) | 1.4% | 9Life | 1.7% | Sky News on WIN | 2.2% | NITV | 0.1% |
| SBS Movies | 0.8% | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 13.7% | 29.6% | 30.1% | 17.0% | 9.6% | ||||
| TUESDAY METRO ALL TV | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTA | STV | ||||||||
| 88.6% | 11.4% | ||||||||
TUESDAY FTA
- Seven News Seven 955,000
- Married At First Sight Nine 950,000
- Seven News At 6.30 Seven 908,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 872,000
- Nine News Nine 849,000
- ABC News ABC 727,000
- A Current Affair Nine 677,000
- Australian Survivor: All Stars 10 611,000
- 7.30 ABC 600,000
- Paramedics Nine 579,000
- Home And Away Seven 578,000
- The Project 7pm 10 509,000
- The Chase Australia Seven 503,000
- My Kitchen Rules: The Rivals Seven 490,000
- Hot Seat Nine 450,000
- The Good Doctor Seven 389,000
- 10 News First 10 380,000
- Great Australian Railway Journeys SBS 362,000
- Foreign Correspondent ABC 345,000
- Kings Cross ER Nine 335,000
Demo Top 5
16 – 39
- Married At First Sight Nine 270,000
- Australian Survivor: All Stars 10 211,000
- Paramedics Nine 162,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 136,000
- The Project 7pm 10 135,000
18 – 49
- Married At First Sight Nine 449,000
- Australian Survivor: All Stars 10 324,000
- Paramedics Nine 273,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 239,000
- The Project 7pm 10 227,000
25 – 54
- Married At First Sight Nine 504,000
- Australian Survivor: All Stars 10 356,000
- Paramedics Nine 293,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 291,000
- Nine News Nine 272,000
Tuesday Multichannel
- NCIS (R) 10 Bold 183,000
- Dot. PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 163,000
- Noddy Toyland Detective PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 156,000
- Olobob Top PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 140,000
- Peppa Pig PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 139,000
- Octonauts PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 138,000
- Bluey ABCKIDS/COMEDY 138,000
- Adam Hills: The Last Leg ABCKIDS/COMEDY 135,000
- Neighbours 10 Peach 122,000
- School Of Roars ABCKIDS/COMEDY 122,000
- Bob The Builder PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 117,000
- Play School Story Time PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 113,000
- Peter Rabbit ABCKIDS/COMEDY 112,000
- Bondi Rescue Ep 2 (R) 10 Bold 111,000
- Thomas And Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! ABCKIDS/COMEDY 111,000
- CSI: Miami 10 Bold 110,000
- Hey Duggee ABCKIDS/COMEDY 109,000
- Charlie And Lola AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 108,000
- PJ Masks AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 107,000
- Rusty Rivets ABCKIDS/COMEDY 107,000
Tuesday STV
- Paul Murray Live Sky News Live 58,000
- The Bolt Report Sky News Live 53,000
- Jones & Credlin Sky News Live 48,000
- Credlin Sky News Live 48,000
- The Great British Bake Off Lifestyle FOOD 43,000
- PML Later Sky News Live 36,000
- Live: AFL 360 FOX FOOTY 31,000
- 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown UKTV 28,000
- Live: NRL 360 FOX LEAGUE 28,000
- The Simpsons FOX8 28,000
- Family Guy FOX8 27,000
- Antiques Roadtrip Lifestyle Channel 27,000
- Cops FOX8 26,000
- American Dad! FOX8 26,000
- NCIS FOX Crime 26,000
- Criminal Minds FOX Crime 26,000
- Live: The Back Page FOX SPORTS 503 26,000
- Quantum Of Solace Movies Action 25,000
- Border Security: International FOX8 25,000
- The Simpsons FOX8 25,000
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
What we learnt on day one of the AFR Business Summit
The ongoing fallout from the COVID-19 epidemic dominated the discussion on day one of The Australian Financial Review Business Summit.
It started with Prime Minister Scott Morrison warning that the effect of the economic downturn may be worse than the global financial crisis, while a former Trump administration official said a global recession was all but guaranteed.
Discussions brightened somewhat in the afternoon. Here are the highlights from day one.
Calombaris food empire lost more than $20m before going under
The full financial picture of the failed Made Establishment has been revealed in a report compiled by administrators KordaMentha, which was released on Tuesday.
The report shows that Made Establishment was deep in the red since the 2017 financial year, with the Hellenic Republic restaurants and Jimmy Grants souvlaki chain the worst performing parts of the business.
“The group has not been profitable in the past three years or for the year-to-date period to January 2020,” the report says. “Cumulative losses before tax over this period total $20.7 million.”
TV star Scott Cam’s $350,000 taxpayer salary ‘none of your business’
Speaking to Sky News on Tuesday, Cam said his duties as National Careers Ambassador kicked off this month “and that was always the case”.
“If you did your homework and knew what you were talking about, you’d know that all of the tours and appointments that we’re going to are school or TAFE based and over the summer all of those facilities are closed,” he said.
When asked whether he thought his $350,000 taxpayer salary was appropriate, Scott said “that is the value of the brand and the profile that the government saw fit to pay me”.
“My management and the government discussed the fee, that’s none of your business that’s a commercial arrangement and how that came about is between my management, myself and the government,” he said.
News Brands
Police media-source plan ‘a breach of human rights’
The plan also risks destroying the trust between journalists and their employers by forcing media organisations to search newsrooms and turn over documents to the police that could identify reporters’ confidential sources.
This assessment has been prepared by the media industry’s Right to Know coalition, which says the proposal from the AFP and the Department of Home Affairs is fundamentally flawed and might not survive a constitutional challenge.
The plan, made public in February, would give the AFP an extra method of extracting confidential information from media by serving media organisations and reporters with a “notice to produce”.
Tracy Grimshaw blasts magazine for article about her ‘diva’ demands
Channel 9 is set to move its Sydney studios from Willoughby to North Sydney in the second half of the year, and the magazine alleged that Grimshaw requested Channel 9 bosses “build a secret lift” from the carpark so that members of the public wouldn’t get to see her without make-up when she arrived at work.
New Idea also claimed that the respected journalist refused to use Channel 9’s hair and make-up team and hired a personal hairdresser instead.
Grimshaw hit back at the magazine in a fiery Instagram post and described the “diva” claims as “absolute crap”.
“I wouldn’t know anything about the lifts in the new building,” the Channel 9 star wrote. “Have had zero input, made zero requests.”
Television
Sarah Ferguson's macabre journey into the mind of a paedophile
Much of the documentary, and especially the trial footage, is fascinating in a macabre sort of way, but I have reservations. First is the graphic level of detail about the offending, the descriptions of what Ryan did. A more circumspect account would still have a powerful impact.
Second, I don’t object to an attempt to discover how Ryan thought – for example, the Catholic Church needs to understand this to weed out potential paedophiles before they become priests – but we don’t end up much the wiser.
Third, and most important, I’m not sure of the value of the whole exercise. As a journalist, I usually think the more we know the better. But I’m not sure this time how it does help us, and what it is going to change.
Sports Media
Why Foxtel’s Amanda Laing quit Aust Rugby League Commission
Considered by some to be a future chair of the commission, Laing stood down citing a potential conflict of interest in looming broadcast negotiations because she is the chief commercial officer of current rights holder Foxtel.
Laing’s departure also means there are now two vacancies on the commission after Mark Coyne resigned last year after he failed to disclose he had been detained indefinitely in Singapore following his arrest for assaulting a policeman while drunk.
It is unlikely that replacements for Coyne or Laing will be determined at the next board meeting.
Despite conflict-of-interest concerns, Laing’s resignation is a loss for the commission. She came on board with the solid endorsement from former Nine boss David Gyngell.
“It has been a great privilege to serve on the commission and to work with the NRL management team,” Laing said. “I have been inspired by the big hearts of the rugby league community. I am in awe of the athleticism and courage of our players and I am proud of the initiatives and innovation which has been introduced into the game of rugby league during my time on the commission.”
The Test: a revealing glimpse behind Australian cricket’s curtains
Justin Langer is on his hands and knees like an errant schoolboy picking rubbish off the floor in the coaches’ box as the last excruciating balls of the Headingley Test are bowled. One piece after another in the midst of what is one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of the game. Langer has imposed the punishment on himself after kicking the bin in frustration when a Nathan Lyon misfield let England off the hook.
When that game is lost, the players in the dressing room are strewn about the room like the contents of the bin. Shattered. Distraught. Dishevelled and hurting.
The concept for The Test arose before the incidents in Cape Town, filming began the day Justin Langer was appointed coach. A camera rides with him to and from the press conference. The 18 months that follow are extraordinary. What had Darren Lehmann’s side expected to present to the world when they agreed to let a cameraman insinuate himself among them for a project that was yet to take form – Amazon came on later.
This series is a voyeuristic glimpse between the curtains. The camera a peeping tom, the microphone an illegal wire tap, the results fascinating.
Steve Price ‘sorry’ for AFLW comments after daughter’s plea
Price said an emotional message from his daughter forced him to rethink his controversial remarks.
Appearing on Triple M Hot Breakfast on Tuesday, Price said: “I normally wouldn’t do this, but I think I need to put this into some sort of context.
“My eldest daughter is overseas at the moment, living in Brussels and she’s in her last year of a law degree.
“She sent me a WhatsApp message which I am going to read out, because of what I said last week. It is a form of an apology from me.
“She said ‘Dad, I have to say I started to cry reading your views on AFLW.
“‘I’m incredibly disappointed, and it makes me very angry. You raised me to love the game of AFL, and thanks to the AFLW competition, I finally got the courage to join a club and play last year.’”
A contrite Price told radio hosts Eddie McGuire and Luke Darcy: “That struck home for me. I’m not changing my view that I think a lot of money’s been spent where it perhaps shouldn’t be, but I must say when you get one of your children saying that to you, it pulls you up pretty sharp.”