See also: Tony Paykel to continue running media agency after sale to Active Int

Paykel is a former agency executive at Total Media in Melbourne and later at McCann Erickson in Sydney before he launched his own agency in 1999.

After a career working with media giants like Network 10, Fairfax Media, Fox Sports, Austereo, SBS and UK’s Channel 4, Sarah Keith has made the move to a boutique agency business. Although it’s not a multinational media group, Paykel does have global ties via parent company Active International.

Tony Paykel and Active’s Cameron Swan

Keith told Mediaweek that the appeal of the new role was working for a private company. “The other thing that attracts me is that it is a long-standing business, over more than 20 years, and it has established relationships across the industry with media groups. Being small and independent really gives us some flexibility in terms of what we can do for clients.”

Keith hasn’t previously worked with any of the team at Paykel, but notes they are well credentialed. “Tony Paykel and Caroline Doran [Paykel Media COO] have worked together for the past 11 years and it’s great to work alongside people who perform so well together as does the whole Paykel team.”

Sarah Keith and Caroline Doran

Keith said she will be hands on in the new role as Paykel’s Australian clients look toward the end of a challenging year for some, and also as the media business looks to build.

Regarding 2020, Keith said: “We have been impacted similarly to many others. Everybody has faced challenges and it would be fair to say we are performing no better and no worse than the industry. Because some of our clients are small to medium sized businesses there have been direct decisions about whether to spend on this or that campaign when it comes to marketing. For bigger companies there can be a contraction of spend across the board.” The client list at Paykel is all new to Keith with no cross overs from past roles.

See also: Sarah Keith returns: MD at indie agency now part of global network

Paykel and Active International work as two separate companies. “With our Paykel Plus product we are able to look at different media opportunities through Active’s corporate trade business,” said Keith.

Paykel Plus let’s clients opt into acn active barter relationship and guarantee ROI on media investments at no extra cost through the trading arm of Active.

For the future, Keith noted, “The number one thing for existing clients is looking to see how we can accelerate those businesses with new media, new media ideas and new media partnerships. We will be closely reviewing our existing clients and making sure they have everything they need going into 2021.

“The second thing is looking out for opportunities for 2021. This year hasn’t been all doom and gloom as there are some businesses that have succeeded and done well. We need to make sure Paykel Media pitches itself into the right spot. I don’t intend to make massive changes. What Paykel Media has always done well, work closely with clients with a relatively small team, will continue. We are looking at things like maybe finding a partner to grow with or looking at further strategic appointments to ensure we align closely with our clients to allow them to grow.”

Paykel Media buys its own media and one of Keith’s skills over the years has been rate negotiation with all media players. That should be good news for clients?

“I’d like to think so, yes,” responded Keith.

“The important thing for Paykel clients from my experience is that range of media I have worked across. I can offer a strategic views across all media channels, review what they are currently buying with a view to opening up new opportunities.”

Developed within the framework of Reconciliation Australia’s RAP program, the ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand RAP centres around the company building meaningful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, organisations, networks and education bodies. It will also promote reconciliation with internal and external stakeholders and within the media as a whole.

In the coming year, ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand will expand its NAIDOC and National Reconciliation Week activities to celebrate and empower our First Nations peers and deliver content that acknowledges and champions the diverse histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Beverley McGarvey (pictured), chief content officer and executive vice president, ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand, said: “As leaders in delivering and creating premium content for all Australians, we’re proud to use our voice to advocate a future of cultural understanding and inclusion with First Nations people, as well as leverage our platform to work towards Reconciliation.

“We have a responsibility to drive this change, not only within our own organisation, but within society.”

Karen Mundine, chief executive officer Reconciliation Australia, said: “We are so pleased to welcome the first commercial free-to-air television network to become a partner in reconciliation through our Reconciliation Action Plan program.

“ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand now join over 1,100 organisations with active RAPs generating economic and behavioural transformation with far-reaching, positive impacts. The RAP shows outstanding commitment from production through to recruitment, retention and professional development strategy.”

From celebrating First Nations cultures and histories to providing more education and employment opportunities, ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand are excited to advocate for a more inclusive future.

Celebrating the 30-year anniversary of his groundbreaking debut album Charcoal Lane this year, Archie Roach’s monumental and lasting impact on the Australian music industry is profoundly evident.

Charcoal Lane is certified Gold and received two ARIA Awards in 1991. Archie Roach’s career achievements are extensive, to name a few, he went on to win 3 more ARIA Awards, was the first songwriter to ever take home a Human Rights Achievement Award and was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2015 for his significant service to the performing arts as a singer, song-writer and guitarist, and to the community as a spokesman for social justice. Over the course of his career, he has shared the concert stage with music icons such as Patti Smith, Paul Simon, Joan Armatrading, Rodriguez and the late, great Leonard Cohen.

Upon hearing news of his ARIA Hall of Fame induction, Archie Roach said, “It’s a great honour to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, whilst It’s been thirty years since I recorded my debut album Charcoal Lane, I do recall receiving two ARIA awards for that album. Through the years writing and recording my songs as well as touring, has helped me to heal and connect to audiences around the country. To be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame is validation that no matter where you have come from and the struggles that you had to overcome through the years, that you can achieve great things if you set your mind and heart to it. Your achievements are only as good as the people around you and I have been blessed with a great team.”

ARIA chief executive Dan Rosen said: “It is an honour for us to have Archie Roach join the ARIA Hall of Fame. He is an artist of enormous integrity, writing songs of deep personal honesty that resonated all around Australia. He told stories that no one else was telling and brought these issues to the forefront of the Australian psyche. His thirty-year career on-stage is enough for him to be a legend, but it is matched with his off-stage activism and his tireless work to give back to the communities around him. He’s a man who has made the world a better place, and he rightly takes his place as a giant of Australian music.”

Along with his 2020 induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame, Archie Roach has been nominated for three ARIA Awards this year including Best Male Artist, Best Independent Release and Best Contemporary Album.

2020 ARIA Awards performers revealed

Some of Australia’s biggest acts are heading the lineup of performances on the night. Set to perform and leading the 2020 ARIA nominations, Lime Cordiale is up for eight awards this year including Album of the Year, Best Group, Breakthrough Artists presented by PPCA, Best Pop Release, Best Independent Release, Best Cover Art, Best Video presented by YouTube and Song of the Year presented by YouTube Music.

Lime Cordiale

The Sydney sibling duo’s second studio album 14 Steps to a Better You achieved the highest first week album sales in 2020, followed by selling out 34 shows in Sydney, Brisbane, Newcastle and Adelaide. Lime Cordiale has amassed over 120 million streams combined, and had four songs under 40 in triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2019. In the past year alone, the group has sold just under 50,000 tickets and played more than 100 shows across the globe. Recently, they have performed as a special guest for Tones and I in North America and has been confirmed to play at Splendour in the Grass in 2021. Lime Cordiale are also performing as part of the Great Southern Nights program in November.

Also performing at the 2020 ARIA Awards are Amy Shark (three nominations), Tame Impala (seven nominations) and Sampa The Great (six nominations).

—

Top Image: Archie Roach (c: Jo O’Keefe)

Primetime News
Seven News 987,000/981,000
Nine News 900,000/940,000
ABC News 764,000
10 News First 331,000/231,000
SBS World News 146,000

Daily current affairs
A Current Affair 778,000
7.30 713,000
The Project 350,000/568,000

Breakfast TV
Sunrise 260,000
News Breakfast 221,000
Today 209,000

Late night news
ABC Late News 325,000
Nine News Late 153,000
The Latest 147,000
SBS World News Late 53,000

—

Monday TV 

Seven: Home and Away began the week with 547,000 after a week 45 average of 513,000. The soapie is the second most-watched show in the BVOD numbers, behind only SAS Australia and ahead of The Bachelorette and The Block.

SAS Australia saw the recruits back in freezing water again last night, this time after taking part in a hostage rescue mission armed with rifles. The audience of 584,000 was the smallest yet. There were no retirements last night with 10 recruits remaining.

Two episodes of The Rookie followed on 264,000 and then 237,000.

—

Nine: A Current Affair started the week with a look at two very different women – TV legend Jeanne Little and the wife of Joe Biden, Dr Jill Biden. The audience of 778,000 comes after an average of 674,000 across last week.

Work on the backyards on The Block were underway with a chance this week to also fix any past defects. The episode was just over 800,000 after 830,000 on Monday last week.

The James Bond festival continued after The Block with 2008’s Quantum of Solace on 319,000.

—

10: On The Project, Peter Helliar spoke with Richmond footballer Bachar Houli who has co-authored a book with Richmond supporter Waleed Aly. The program started its 7pm week on 568,000 after an average of 498,000 last week.

The season final of Junior MasterChef started with an average audience 652,000. That number surged to 881,000 as 11-year-old Georgia won the final with a six-element main course drawing on her Sri Lankan heritage.

Have You Been Paying Attention? followed with 620,000 after 641,000 a week ago. Abby Coleman joined Peter Helliar and Celia Pacquola – just two episodes left this year for 10’s #1 series.

—

ABC: Many sets were stuck on ABC last night as the primary channel had its biggest Monday since New Year’s Eve in 2018 and one of its biggest Monday shares ever. The channel ranked #1 in Melbourne and #2 in Sydney and Perth.

The story of the challenges facing Broken Hill’s newspaper the Barrier Truth were investigated in Australian Story including a takeover offer which was knocked back by the current owners. The episode was on 572,000, up from 527,000 last week.

The audience lifted as Louise Milligan reported on Four Corners about the behaviour of two senior Liberal Party politicians in an episode titled Inside the Canberra Bubble. The episode was discussed subsequently both on the ABC on Q+A and also on Paul Murray Live where the host in particular was dismissive about what was uncovered. The audience of 824,000 is close to the best this year and pushed the channel to #1 in the timeslot.

Media Watch then tracked commentators’ predictions about the US election outcome with 715,000 watching.

Q+A guests with host Hamish Macdonald were former politicians Malcolm Turnbull and Bob Carr, The Australian’s Paul Kelly, The Briefing’s Jan Fran and historian Jenny Hocking. Discussions ranged from the US election outcome to last night’s Four Corners. A fascinating debate between largely Turnbull and Kelly and alleged bias at The Australian ended the evening. The program has previously rated well when Turnbull was a guest and last night the audience was 488,000, a ratings high for 2020.

—

SBS: The Great House Revival featured a huge three-level former church rectory bear Dublin with 122,000 watching.

The launch episode of Life and Birth then did 99,000 followed by 24 Hours in Emergency on 116,000.