Wednesday October 14, 2020
Radio Russel: 4am wakeup worth it for original social media
Russel Howcroft couldn’t have arrived in radio at a better time. He’s joined Australia’s #1 breakfast show and seen the first survey for 3AW’s Ross and Russel climb 8.8 to 26.1%, the station’s highest-ever breakfast share and far and away Australia’s highest-rating metro radio program.
The new radio co-host has worked long enough in media and marketing though to know he is just part of the attraction on a record-breaking breakfast show that has become an even more important go-to for people living through Covid in the Melbourne market.
He is surrounded by a crack team and the best breakfast host, Ross Stevenson, in the business.
The 3AW family prior to Howcroft’s arrival: L-R]: Kate Stevenson, Mikkayla “Rex” Mossop, John Burns, Ross Stevenson, Damian Tardio and Mark Davidson (Scorcher)
Howcroft was originally approached earlier this year by Nine’s Melbourne radio station to consider working on breakfast after it became clear that John Burns would leave 3AW breakfast mid-year. Things started to move quickly after he’d had some time to think about it.
“I was then given an offer and asked did I want to do it,” Howcroft told Mediaweek.
“My heart and gut very quickly said ‘yes’. Then you start to rationalise it, realising going to bed at 8.30pm will be part of it.”
Howcroft had known long-time 3AW breakfast ratings machine Ross Stevenson for a long time, counts him as a friend, and had also spent time in the 3AW studios previously doing guest-hosting on weekend shows. “I had also been in the breakfast studio doing a segment with Ross. Before this year we certainly weren’t strangers.”
He also noted that his middle son and Stevenson’s elder son are at the same primary school. “That’s where I first met Ross.”
Helping Howcroft’s knowledge about what is expected from him is the fact he calls himself “a long-time listener”.
“That show for me and many others is a part of my life. When you grow up you start tuning into 3AW. The station is a big part of what this town is actually about.”
Although the station and the breakfast show have enjoyed their highest-ever ratings in Howcroft’s first survey, he noted: “Covid has definitely driven talk radio higher and given it a lift. 3AW did very well and we were all very pleased. Then you have to go to bed that night at 8.30pm and wake up at 4.15am and get on with the next show.”
So far, Howcroft said he’s been good about getting up on time. He’s not slept in, but he has forgotten the alarm a couple of times, waking up in the night realising his mistake and then rectifying it. “The alarm goes off and I get out of bed. The body is getting used to it.”
Howcroft is as enthusiastic about the breakfast team at 3AW as his predecessor was on the day of his final show. “I remember John Burns’ final week and how keen he was to articulate the importance of the production team. His words were something like, this show isn’t about two people, it is about six. I experience that every day and it is absolutely true. The crew are brilliant, great people, cleaver, funny, just super.”
That production team is Kate Stevenson, Scorcher, Mikkayla and Damian Tardio.
See also: John Burns’ farewell 3AW show: “I’m the luckiest bloke in the world”
Now he’s settled into the role, Howcroft said he feels more in sync with the show and the team. “And even the audience, Ross, and even more in sync with my body.”
He continues to be impressed by the power of engagement 3AW breakfast commands from its listeners. “Ross is always reaching out to the audience and they do get involved. The audience is not being talked at, we are all in this together, it is the original social media. I’m impressed with what our listeners come up with and just how quickly they respond every day.”
See also: Russel Howcroft to replace John Burns on 3AW breakfast, quits PwC
Australia Come Fly with Me: Celebrating the history of flight during COVID-19
Australia Come Fly with Me launches October 14 at 8.30 pm on SBS.
The series will attempt to bring together pop culture and the history of flight as it explores how civil aviation helped change the Australian way of life.
Ahead of the launch, Mediaweek spoke with Alan Erson, managing director for WildBear Entertainment, about the importance of the history of flight in Australia, Justine Clarke, and how Covid-19 affected filming.
The series explores the opportunities and tensions created by air travel feminism, Indigenous Australians, the LGBTQI community and migrants. Erson said that Australians in particular, due to living in such a vast country, had their lives changed by flight.
“The story of people getting a fair go is an important strand in the history of Australia and this is what the series explores.
“It is a really interesting window in which to look at the history of Australia. SBS was looking to tell a story of diversity in Australia and the skies had been a place that Australians of a lot of different backgrounds had sought opportunities such as women, Indigenous Australians, migrant Australians and the LGBTQI community. Opportunity in the sky is a great way to look at Australia in the last 100 years.”
Working with Justine Clarke
WildBear chose a familiar face to pilot the series in Australian icon Justine Clarke. Erson said Clarke has a long history with jet setting dating back to her Home and Away days where she would fly across the country to do showcases in shopping malls.
“Justine relates to Australians of all ages and all backgrounds. Our children love her music and screen performances and we also know her as a five-star actor from some really classy Australian dramas.”
Taking off during Covid-19
Erson admits that it is ironic to be releasing a TV series based on air travel when there is a global shut down on international flights, but also finds it fitting that it aligns with the show’s ambitions.
“The premise of the series is what happens in the skies foreshadows many of the big changes that happened in Australia on the ground, and that is exactly what happened with Covid. Planes distributed the disease and aviation was shut down first and the people who work in the industry were struck the hardest and for the longest. It is really interesting looking at these big events through the prism of aviation.
“The thing we kept asking everyone was will we go back to the skies? We don’t know what is going to happen. It’s interesting to watch the series and see that people don’t think our love affair with travel will go away but just change.”
The show had finished production before Covid created a seismic change in the civil aviation industry, but WildBear and SBS agreed that the final quarter of the show needed to be changed.
“The last piece to camera that Justine does is standing on the runway at Sydney airport at 7am which is rush hour, where a thousand flights used to come and go a day, and she is walking down the runway and all you can hear is her shoes on the concrete.”
Australia Come Fly with Me airs October 14 at 8.30 pm on SBS.
Nine to fold CarAdvice into Drive as it relaunches auto brand
Nine has announced it will relaunch the Drive brand as part of a major strategic product rollout over the coming months, with the aim of positioning Drive as the dominant consumer brand for its digital automotive offering.
Here are the highlights from the presentation this week:
The new brand, created by branding agency Principals, highlights Drive/CarAdvice’s position as the leader in the Australian new car space.
Drive’s new brand is the first stage of a rollout that will see the launch of a new digital product offering over the coming months, prior to retiring the CarAdvice brand during 2021 as the business moves to one brand and one platform.
Nine has owned CarAdvice since 2016 and inherited the Drive brand in the 2018 Nine-Fairfax merger. Since 2019, both brands have moved to share content, product and commercial functions across platforms while also running two separate brands and platforms.
Alex Parsons, CEO of Drive and CarAdvice, said the move was underpinned by a clear vision and strategy to create the future of automotive in Australia, and own the three key areas of commentary, comparison and commerce.
“As the leaders in new car commentary, we have a significant opportunity ahead of us to integrate comparison and commerce and help consumers through their entire automotive journey,” said Parsons.
“For Nine, over the past couple of years we’ve been fortunate to own two of the leading automotive brands in the country – Drive and CarAdvice. In a crowded market we are building out a significant and differentiated consumer-focused offering across commentary, comparison and commerce. We are not beholden to the past but driven to the future.
“Strategically we recognised that the ideal number of brands for our consumers and clients is one and there was the opportunity to bring them together to consolidate the best content, functionality and user experience from the existing Drive and CarAdvice platforms onto a single new consumer proposition under the iconic Drive brand.
“Where CarAdvice has its own energy, rich enthusiasm and passion and deep knowledge across the industry, Drive is grounded in its 25-year heritage as an authoritative, familiar and broad auto brand in the minds of Australians. The commonality is that both are seen as highly influential and trusted by car buyers. We want to materially develop those strengths and provide a world-class offering to consumers.
“Changes to the consumer and commercial experiences will be rolled out progressively over the course of 2021, with phase one due to be complete by end of FY21. Of course, the only constant in this world is change and our mantra is to be the best of what’s next, so expect plenty in the coming years as we drive towards the future of automotive in Australia.”
Live entertainment industry calls for more urgent government support
Preliminary findings from The Economic Cost of COVID-19 on Australia’s Live Entertainment Industry report quantify for the first time the total economic output of live entertainment in Australia, at an estimated $36.4 billion in total contribution in 2019.
EY estimates that COVID-19 has led to a fall of 65% in the economic output of the industry to $12.8bn in 2020 if restrictions remain in place until the end of year. This equates to $23.6bn in lost economic output. Likewise, the total value added by live entertainment is predicted to fall by 65% from $16.6 billion in 2019 to $5.9 billion in 2020, a fall of $10.7 billion.
The preliminary findings from the report, which will be released later this month, show that the sector supported 122,000 full-time equivalent jobs in 2019, and forecast that in 2020 this will fall two-thirds – or 79,000 – to just 43,000 full-time equivalent jobs if current restrictions on gatherings remain in place until the end of December this year.
LEIF, which represents Australia’s largest live entertainment employers, said that it is grateful for the support provided to the industry to date but added that the new data shows urgent ongoing and additional Government support is essential to prevent further job losses and lasting damage to the sector. LEIF has recommended industry specific initiatives that include:
• Continuation of a JobKeeper-style support program for employees in our industry until such time as the live entertainment industry returns to normal operation and without the constraints of major restrictions
• A moratorium on GST on live event tickets, following the precedent set in the UK
• An industry-led Live Entertainment Business Interruption Fund underwritten by Government; and
• A significant expansion of the RISE grant funding program, with a particular focus on assisting commercial, non-subsidised live entertainment operators to deliver popular live events in COVID-safe formats.
Importantly, live entertainment industry leaders have reiterated their commitment to working in collaboration with Governments and health authorities across Australia to ensure the re-opening of COVIDSafe events as restrictions ease.
James Sutherland, Chair of LEIF, said: “The Federal Government is understandably focused on jobs. This vitally important report shows that our sector, which normally supports 122,000 full-time equivalent jobs, has lost nearly two-thirds of those jobs this year.
“JobKeeper has provided a lifeline for our sector, but the prospect of it disappearing in March 2021 – when the industry is likely to remain massively inhibited by key pandemic-related restrictions – is of grave concern to all industry operators. For our sector to operate profitably we require venues operating at full capacity, unrestricted interstate movement, and open international borders without extensive quarantine. Without those necessary conditions, the outlook is truly bleak.
“Given the long route to recovery, and the nature of lasting restrictions, we believe that an industry extension to JobKeeper is a fair and important next step.”
Geoff Jones, Chief Executive of TEG, said: “EY’s report demonstrates that when the live entertainment industry does badly, Australia loses. Almost all of our revenue disappeared overnight when COVID-19 restrictions closed down the industry in March and while the return of sport with limited capacities has offset some of that impact in EY’s figures, for commercial live entertainment operators both large and small, revenue in September/October remains at no more than 10% of 2019 levels.
“A simple, targeted action that will do a great deal to help our industry is a moratorium on GST on sales of tickets to live entertainment until 30 June next year. This will help us to offset the increased costs we are incurring to make our events COVID-Safe.”
Jones stressed that despite the tough outlook, pent-up demand for live entertainment is huge: “More than 80% of people have held onto tickets for postponed shows during COVID. Australians have cabin fever – they want to entertain themselves, get the kids out of the house, and have a concert, exhibition or live experience to put on the kitchen calendar – for this year or next – and look forward to after such an awful 2020. Access to live entertainment is part of what makes the Australian lifestyle so special, which is why our industry needs and deserves temporary assistance to ensure its survival.”
Roger Field, President of Live Nation Asia-Pacific said: “Another simple action – which also has a precedent – is the introduction of an industry-led Live Entertainment Business Interruption Fund underwritten by Government to overcome the fact that we cannot get any insurance to cover us for shows being stalled due to COVID. We are a very self-sufficient industry; however, we need the support of Government in respect of losses incurred due to interruptions caused by the imposition of COVID related restrictions. This small safety net would allow us to get back to investing in our events and communities as we return safely and responsibly.
“The Government has set up a $50 million Screen Australia fund to overcome this problem for the screen production sector, and it has allowed that industry to get back to work, shooting movies and TV shows. As proven by this report, event fans contribute significantly more spending in the local economy, so there’s even more value in figuring out this solution to get our shows back on the road.”
SCA partners with Targetspot to exclusively represent Sonos Radio
Speaker company Sonos launched its free radio streaming service, Sonos Radio, in Australia in April, with music, news, sports, and stations especially curated by artists from more than 60,000 local and global stations.
Sonos and Targetspot partnered in April 2020 to help Sonos reach the new Sonos Radio audience through personalised, data-driven audio ads. In Australia, SCA will become Targetspot’s exclusive advertising sales partner, offering advertising inventory on Sonos Radio among others for the first time, giving advertisers unique access to the Australian connected home.
More than 400,000 Australian homes are now connected with Sonos speakers, with each averaging 2.8 devices per household*. Sonos’s own research studies show that radio represents almost half of total listening time on its devices globally.
This is the latest addition to SCA’s addressable audio portfolio which already boasts youth based, music discovery platform SoundCloud as well as SCA’s owned Hit and Triple M InStream.
“We are thrilled to start this collaboration with Targetspot to become the exclusive sales partner for Sonos Radio in Australia . The Sonos audience is affluent, high income earners with families and dedicated to quality audio and beautiful design. Sonos Radio creates a unique opportunity for advertisers to have conversations with consumers directly in their connected homes,” SCA chief sales officer, Brian Gallagher, said.
“It has a discerning audience and complements our InStream addressable audio offering across Hit and Triple M, as well as our exclusive partnership with SoundCloud. Digital audio on demand listening is experiencing exponential growth, providing advertisers with new opportunities for highly targeted, addressable advertising.”
Alexandre Saboundjian, the CEO and founder of Targetspot parent company, AudioValley, said: “I am already looking forward to this partnership with SCA, one of Australia’s leading media companies. This agreement dovetails perfectly with our strategic rationale of speeding up growth by building a strong international reach.”
The partnership is effective immediately.
*Source: Targetspot
2020 ARIA Awards Nominations: Lime Cordiale leads with 8
This is the first time inARIA Awards history that the Season Launch has gone online and can be viewed at youtube.com.au/aria.
The winners will be announced on Wednesday, 25th November 2020 on the Nine Network, and around the world on YouTube.
Pop-rock duo Lime Cordiale have landed the most nominations with eight. Their nominations include Song Of The Year, Album of the Year, Best Pop Release and Best Group. Their sophomore album “14 Steps to a Better You” debuted #1 on the ARIA Charts. 172 million streams globally have led to 7 ARIA Gold accreditations, and four songs in triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2019.
Tame Impala and Kevin Parker have been nominated for seven awards including Album of the Year, Best Pop Release, Best Rock Album and Best Group, as well as Engineer of the Year and Producer of the Year. Tame Impala’s fourth studio album, “The Slow Rush”, written, produced, performed and mixed by Kevin Parker, was released in February achieving his second #1 in Australia. It is the highest-selling Australian album in 2020 to date, his highest-charting album to date in both the US and UK achieved 14 x top 10 chart positions around the world and has achieved over 790 million streams globally.
Sampa The Great had six nominations after her debut album “The Return” entered the ARIA Chart at number 12 and reached #1 on the ARIA Vinyl Chart. At last year’s ARIA Awards, Sampa became the first woman of colour to win an ARIA Award in the Best Hip Hop Release category for her stand-out track ‘Final Form’. She received nominations for Album of the Year, Best Female Artist, Best Hip Hop Release, Best Australian Live Act, Best Independent Release and Best Video.
Breakthrough Indigenous artist Miiesha, received five nominations including Best Female Artist, Best Soul/R&B Release. She is joined by Sydney indie-rock stalwarts DMA’S who have also secured five nominations, including Best Group and Best Rock Album.
2016 ARIA Award winners, Violent Soho have scored 4 nominations for their ARIA #1 album “Everything Is A-OK”, including Best Rock Album and Best Video. 2018 ARIA Awards Breakthrough Artist Award winner Ruel has also secured 4 nominations which include, Best Male Artist, and Song Of The Year.
Previous ARIA Award winners, Amy Shark, Archie Roach, Jessica Mauboy, The Teskey Brothers, Tones and I, Troye Sivan are joined by ARIA Hall Of Fame recipients Cold Chisel, as well as Breakthrough Artist Nominee The Kid LAROI and 2020 National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA) winner of Artist Of The Year, Baker Boy, with 3 nominations each.
This year, the ARIA Awards for Best Video and Song of the Year will again be presented by YouTube Music. Voters will have the chance to have their say about the winners directly in Google Search. Fans simply need to search ‘ARIA Vote’ and follow the prompts to make their selection for the ARIA Award for Best Video. They will also be able to vote for Song Of The Year nominees. Aussie music fans can vote once per day, per category, when signed into their Google account, up until 18th November.
The nominees for the Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award were also announced today. Now in its fourth year, the award recognises music teachers for their passion and hard work in educating Australian children to play and love music. To vote for your favourite ARIA Music teacher, visit aria.com.au/music-teacher
For the first time in almost a decade, the Fine Arts, which include Best Classical Album, Best Jazz Album, Best World Music Album and Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album and Artisan awards – which include Best Producer, Best Jazz Album and Best Cover Art – will be presented at the ARIA Awards ceremony.
Also returning this year is the opportunity for music fans to decide an ARIA winner via Twitter for the Best International Artist category. Fans can start voting for their favourite International Artist today by heading to Twitter and using the following hashtags:
#ARIAsDuaLipa #ARIAsEminem #ARIAsHalsey #ARIAsHarryStyles #ARIAsJuiceWRLD #ARIAsJustinBieber #ARIALewisCapaldi #ARIAsLizzo #ARIAsTaylorSwift #ARIAsTheWeeknd
2020 ARIA AWARD NOMINATED ARTISTS
Winners to be announced Wednesday, 25th November on the Nine Network
Album Of The Year
DMA’s – THE GLOW (I OH YOU / Mushroom)
Jessica Mauboy – Hilda (Sony Music)
Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You (Chugg Music Pty Ltd)
Sampa The Great – The Return (Ninja Tune / Inertia Music)
Tame Impala – The Slow Rush (Modular Recordings / Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Best Male Artist
Archie Roach – Tell Me Why (Bloodlines/Mushroom)
Guy Sebastian – Standing With You (Sony Music)
Ruel – Free Time (RCA / Sony Music)
The Kid LAROI – F*ck Love (Columbia / Sony Music)
Troye Sivan – In A Dream (EMI Music Australia)
Best Female Artist
Amy Shark – Everybody Rise (Wonderlick Recording Company / Sony Music)
Miiesha – Nyaaringu (EMI Music Australia)
Sampa The Great – The Return (Ninja Tune / Inertia Music)
Sia – Together (Monkey Puzzle, Inc., under exclusive license to Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International for the world outside of the United States)
Tones And I – Bad Child / Can’t Be Happy All the Time (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Best Dance Release
Alice Ivy – Don’t Sleep (Dew Process / Universal Music Australia)
Dom Dolla – San Frandisco (Sweat It Out / Warner Music)
Flume – Rushing Back feat. Vera Blue (Future Classic)
Northeast Party House – Shelf Life (Stop Start Music / Sony Music)
Stace Cadet & KLP – Energy – (Medium Rare Recordings / Sony Music)
Best Group
5 Seconds Of Summer – CALM (Interscope / EMI Music Australia)
DMA’S – THE GLOW (I OH YOU / Mushroom)
Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You (Chugg Music Pty Ltd)
Tame Impala – The Slow Rush (Modular Recordings/Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia)
The Teskey Brothers – Live At The Forum (Ivy League Records / Mushroom)
Breakthrough Artist presented By PPCA
Alex the Astronaut – The Theory of Absolutely Nothing (Minkowski / AWAL Recordings)
Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You (Chugg Music Pty Ltd)
Mallrat – Driving Music (Dew Process / Universal Music Australia)
Miiesha – Nyaaringu (EMI Music Australia)
The Kid LAROI – F*ck Love (Columbia / Sony Music)
Best Pop Release
Amy Shark – Everybody Rise (Wonderlick Recording Company / Sony Music)
Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You (Chugg Music Pty Ltd)
Sia – Together (Monkey Puzzle, Inc., under exclusive license to Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International for the world outside of the United States)
Tame Impala – Lost In Yesterday (Modular Recordings / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia)
Troye Sivan – In A Dream (EMI Music Australia)
Best Hip Hop Release presented by Hennessy
Baker Boy – Meditjin feat. JessB (Danzal Baker / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia)
Briggs – Always Was EP (Adam Briggs / Island Records Australia)
Illy – Last Laugh (Sony Music)
Sampa The Great – The Return (Ninja Tune / Inertia Music)
The Kid LAROI – F*ck Love (Columbia / Sony Music)
Best Soul/R&B Release
Genesis Owusu – Don’t Need You (OURNESS / AWAL)
KIAN – Every Hour (EMI Music Australia)
Miiesha – Nyaaringu (EMI Music Australia)
Tash Sultana – Pretty Lady (Lonely Lands Records / Sony Music)
Tkay Maidza – Last Year Was Weird, Vol.2 (Dew Process / Universal Music Australia)
Best Independent Release
Archie Roach – Tell Me Why (Bloodlines / Mushroom)
DMA’S – THE GLOW (I OH YOU / Mushroom)
Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You (Chugg Music Pty Ltd)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen (Ghosteen / AWAL Recordings)
Sampa The Great – The Return (Ninja Tune / Inertia Music)
Best Rock Album
Cold Chisel – Blood Moon (Cold Chisel / Universal Music Australia)
DMA’S – THE GLOW (I OH YOU / Mushroom)
Ocean Alley – Lonely Diamond (Independent / Unified Music Group)
Tame Impala – The Slow Rush (Modular Recordings / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia)
Violent Soho – Everything Is A-OK (I OH YOU / Mushroom)
Best Adult Contemporary Album
Archie Roach – Tell Me Why (Bloodlines / Mushroom)
Donny Benét – Mr Experience (Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control Records)
Gordi – Our Two Skins (Liberation Records)
Josh Pyke – Rome (Wonderlick Recording Company)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen (Ghosteen / AWAL Recordings)
Best Country Album
Casey Barnes – Town of A Million Dreams (Chugg Music Pty Ltd)
Fanny Lumsden – Fallow (Cooking Vinyl Australia)
Jasmine Rae – Lion Side (ABC Music / Universal)
The McClymonts – Mayhem To Madness (Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia)
Travis Collins – Wreck Me (ABC Music / Universal)
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Chunky Shrapnel (Flightless Records)
Parkway Drive – Viva The Underdogs (Resist / Cooking Vinyl Australia)
Polaris – The Death Of Me (Resist / Cooking Vinyl Australia)
The Amity Affliction – Everyone Loves You…Once You Leave Them (The Amity Affliction. Marketed & Distributed by Warner Music Australia under exclusive license)
The Chats – High Risk Behaviour (Bargain Bin / Cooking Vinyl Australia)
Best Blues & Roots Album
Busby Marou – The Great Divide (Warner Music Australia Pty Ltd)
Frank Yamma – Tjukurpa: The Story (Wantok Musik / MGM)
Lucky Oceans – Purple Sky (Songs Originally By Hank Williams) (ABC Music / Universal)
The Teskey Brothers – Live At The Forum (Ivy League Records / Mushroom)
Tracy McNeil & The GoodLife – You Be The Lightning (Cooking Vinyl Australia)
Best Children’s Album
Diver City – Welcome to Diver City (ABC Music / Universal)
Teeny Tiny Stevies – Thoughtful Songs for Little People (ABC Music / Universal)
The Vegetable Plot – Season Two (ABC Music / Universal)
The Wiggles – Choo Choo Trains, Propeller Planes & Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car! (ABC Music / Universal)
Tiptoe Giants – Colour the World (Tiptoe Tunes / ABC Music)
Best Comedy Release
Anne Edmonds – What’s Wrong With You? (Guesswork Television)
Bev Killick – Crummy Mummy (Rivershack Records / MGM)
Celia Pacquola – All Talk (Guesswork Television)
Megan Washington – Just Jesus (feat. Chris Ryan) (ABC Music / Universal)
Tom Gleeson – Joy (Guesswork Television)
PUBLIC VOTED AWARDS
Best Video presented by YouTube Music
Baker Boy – Meditjin feat. JessB (Danzal Baker / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia)
Guy Sebastian – Standing With You (Sony Music)
Lime Cordiale – Robbery (Chugg Music Pty Ltd)
PNAU feat. Vlossom – Lucky (etcetc Music)
Sampa The Great – Time’s Up (feat. Krown) (Ninja Tune / Inertia Music)
Tame Impala – Is It True (Modular Recordings/Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia)
The Chats – The Clap (Bargain Bin/Cooking Vinyl Australia)
Tones And I – Ur So F**kInG cOoL (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Troye Sivan – Easy (EMI Music Australia)
Violent Soho – Pick It Up Again (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
Best Australian Live Act
Amy Shark – Amy Shark Regional Tour (Wonderlick Recording Company / Sony Music)
Baker Boy – Falls Festival (Danzal Baker / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia)
Cold Chisel – Blood Moon Tour (Cold Chisel / Universal Music Australia)
DMA’S – Unplugged & Intimate | Laneway Festival (I OH YOU / Mushroom)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – St Jerome’s Laneway Festival (Flightless Records)
Paul Kelly – Paul Kelly – Making Gravy 2019 (GAWD AGGIE / EMI Music Australia)
PNAU – All Of Us Australian Tour (etcetc Music)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – 2019 Summer Festival Tour (Rose Avenue Records under exclusive license to Reprise Records.)
Sampa The Great – The Return Australian Tour 2019 (Ninja Tune / Inertia Music)
The Teskey Brothers – Run Home Slow (Ivy League Records / Mushroom)
Song of the Year presented by YouTube Music
5 Seconds Of Summer – Teeth (Interscope / EMI Music Australia)
Flume Feat. Vera Blue – Rushing Back (Future Classic)
Hilltop Hoods Feat. Illy & Ecca Vandal – Exit Sign (Hilltop Hoods / Island Records Australia/UMA)
Lime Cordiale – Robbery (Chugg Music Pty Ltd)
Mallrat – Charlie (Dew Process / Universal Music Australia)
Ruel – Painkiller (RCA / Sony Music)
Sam Fischer – This City (Sony Music)
The Jungle Giants – Heavy Hearted (Amplifire Music / Together We Can Work Together / The Orchard)
The Rubens – Live In Life (Ivy League Records / Mushroom)
Tones and I – Never Seen the Rain (Bad Batch Records / Sony Music)
Best International Artist
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia (Warner Music Australia Pty Ltd)
Eminem – Music To Be Murdered By (Interscope / Universal Music Australia)
Halsey – Manic (Capitol / EMI Music Australia)
Harry Styles – Fine Line (Columbia / Sony Music)
Juice WRLD – Legends Never Die (Interscope / Universal Music Australia)
Justin Bieber – Changes (Def Jam Recordings / Universal Music Australia)
Lewis Capaldi – Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent (Universal Music Group / Universal Music Australia)
Lizzo – Cuz I Love You (Atlantic / Warner Music Australia Pty Ltd)
Taylor Swift – Folklore (Republic Records / Universal Music Australia)
The Weekend – After Hours (Universal Music Group / Universal Music Australia)
Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award
CJ Shaw – Palmerston District Primary School, Canberra ACT
Kathryn McLennan – Virginia State School, Virginia QLD
Sarah Donnelley – Wilcannia Central School, Wilcannia NSW
Thomas Fienberg – Evans High School, Blacktown, NSW
ARTISAN AWARDS
Best Cover Art
Donny Benét – Mr Experience (Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control Records)
Jessica Mauboy – Hilda (Sony Music)
Lime Cordiale – 14 Steps To A Better You (Chugg Music Pty Ltd)
Violent Soho – Everything Is A-OK (I OH YOU / Mushroom)
WASHINGTON – Batflowers (Washington / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia)
Engineer Of The Year
Alice Ivy – Don’t Sleep (Dew Process / Universal Music Australia)
IAMMXO (aka Mohamed Komba) for Miiesha – Nyaaringu (EMI Music Australia)
Eric J Dubowsky for Ruel – Free Time (RCA / Sony Music)
Kevin Parker for Tame Impala – The Slow Rush (Modular Recordings / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia)
Greg Wales for Violent Soho – Everything Is A-OK (I OH YOU / Mushroom)
Producer Of The Year
Kevin Shirley for Cold Chisel – Blood Moon (Cold Chisel / Universal Music Australia)
DNA & Louis Schoorl for Jessica Mauboy – Hilda (Sony Music)
IAMMXO (aka Mohamed Komba) for Miiesha – Nyaaringu (EMI Music Australia)
M-Phazes for Ruel – Free Time (RCA / Sony Music)
Kevin Parker for Tame Impala – The Slow Rush (Modular Recordings / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia)
FINE ARTS AWARDS
Best Classical Album
Alicia Crossley – Muse (Move)
David Greco & Erin Helyard – Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin (ABC Classic / Universal)
Jayson Gillham, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Carter – Beethoven Piano Concertos (ABC Classic / Universal)
Richard Tognetti & Erin Helyard – Beethoven & Mozart Violin Sonatas (ABC Classic / Universal)
Slava & Sharon Grigoryan – Our Place: Duets For Cello And Guitar (ABC Classic / Universal)
Best Jazz Album
Katie Noonan – The Sweetest Taboo (ABC Jazz / Universal)
Luke Howard – All That Is Not Solid (Live At Tempo Rubato, Australia / 2020) (Mercury KX / Universal Music Australia)
Mike Nock; Hamish Stuart; Julien Wilson; Jonathan Zwartz – This World (Lionsharecords / The Planet Company)
Nat Bartsch – Forever More (ABC Jazz / Universal)
Paul Kelly & Paul Grabowsky – Please Leave Your Light On (GAWD AGGIE / EMI Music Australia)
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album
Chelsea Cullen – I Am Woman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Sony Masterworks)
Dan Golding – Untitled Goose Game (Original Soundtrack) (House House / Decca Classics Australia / Universal Music Australia)
Grigoryan Brothers – A Boy Called Sailboat (ABC Classic / Universal)
Matteo Zingales & Antony Partos – Mystery Road (Original Score: Seasons 1-2) (ABC Music / Universal)
Sally Seltmann & Darren Seltmann – The Letdown (Music from Seasons 1+2) (ABC Music / Universal)
Best World Music Album
Grace Barbe – FANM:WOMAN (Afrotropik / MGM)
Joseph Tawadros – Live at the Sydney Opera House (ABC Music / Universal)
Melbourne Ska Orchestra – Live At The Triffid (ABC Music / Universal)
The Crooked Fiddle Band – Another Subtle Atom Bomb (Bird’s Robe Records / MGM)
Xylouris White – The Sisypheans (ABC Music / Universal
ADG Awards presenters include Ryan Corr & George Miller
An A-list of Australian actors and directors will present this year’s Australian Directors’ Guild Awards in a ceremony that uses technical wizardry to connect nominees, presenters and audiences from across Australia and around the globe.
The ADG Awards will now be hosted by regulars of Tonightly with Tom Ballard, Greta Lee Jackson and Bridie Connell. Each award will be presented either live from studio or via video link by actors Toby Wallace (Babyteeth), Zenia Starr (Hotel Mumbai), Ryan Corr (The Water Diviner, Holding the Man), and Bella Heathcote (Bloom), Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Lynette Wallworth, screenwriter John Collee and Oscar-winning director and producer Dr George Miller.
Nominees will all appear via live video to hear the winner announcements.
The virtual ceremony will begin at 6pm on Monday October 19, supported by the ABC and streamed live via the ADG. Tickets are free to the public.
To watch the awards go to:
adgawards2020.livestreaming.com.au or via social media @ABCTV and the@AustralianDirectorsGuild facebook page.
The ADG also announced that Gary Conway has, posthumously, been awarded a Lifetime Achievement in Television Award.
A record 202 entries were received in this year’s ADG Awards, up from 117 in 2019.
2020 ADG AWARDS NOMINATION LIST
Best Direction of a Feature Film (Budget $1M or over)
Thomas M. Wright – Acute Misfortune
Sophie Hyde – Animals
John Sheedy – H is for Happiness
Ben Lawrence – Hearts and Bones
Natalie Erika James – Relic
Wayne Blair – Top End Wedding
Best Direction of a Feature Film (Budget under $1M)
Josephine Mackerras – Alice
Imogen Thomas – Emu Runner
Lucy Coleman – Hot Mess
Luke Sullivan – Reflections In The Dust
Samuel Van Grinsven – Sequin In A Blue Room
Best Direction of a Documentary Feature
Ian Darling – The Final Quarter
Maya Newell – In My Blood It Runs
Peter Hegedus – Lili
Allan Hardy ACS – Viva The Underdogs
Best Direction of a TV or SVOD Drama Series
Jeffrey Walker – The Commons – Season 1 Episode 1
Nash Edgerton – Mr. Inbetween – Season 2 Episode 4
Peter Andrikidis – Reckoning – Season 1 Episode 4
Tony Krawitz – Secret City – Season 2 Episode 1
Rachel Perkins – Total Control – Season 1 Episode 4
Kevin Carlin – Wentworth – Season 7Episode 10
Best Direction of a TV or SVOD Mini-Series
Mat King – Bloom – Episode 5
Sophie Hyde – The Hunting – Episode 4
Jeffrey Walker – Lambs Of God – Episode 1
Emma Freeman – Stateless – Episode 3
Best Direction of a Documentary Series
Rosie Jones – The Cult Of The Family – Episode 1
Cian O’Clery – Love On The Spectrum – Episode 1
Genevieve Clay Smith – Perspective Shift – Episode 1
Best Direction of a TV or SVOD Comedy Series
Matthew Moore – Diary Of An Uber Driver – Episode 2
Amanda Brotchie – The Letdown – Episode 1
Trent O’Donnell – The Letdown – Season 2 Episode 4
Matthew Saville – Upright – Episode 5
Esben Storm Award for Best Direction of a Children’s TV or SVOD Drama Program
Kacie Anning – Hardball – Episode 6
Isaac Elliott – The Legend of Burnout Barry
Lucy Gaffy – The Unlisted – Episode 10
Rebecca O’Brien – The Unlisted – Episode 13
Best Direction of a TV or SVOD Drama Serial
Renee Webster – The Heights – Episode 15
Darlene Johnson – The Heights – Episode 22
Arnie Custo – Home and Away – Episode 7117
Danny Raco – Home and Away – Episode 7225
David Gould – Home and Away – Episode 7271
Tony Gardiner – Neighbours – Episode 8325
Kate Kendall – Neighbours – Episode 8052
Best Direction of an Animated Project
Jo Boag – Alice-Miranda Friends Forever
Holly Hargreaves – Bonnie The Elephant
Best Direction of an Online Drama Series
Husein Alicajic – One Sided – The Acquired Inability To Escape – Episode 1
Best Direction of an Online Comedy Series
Max Miller- Aunty Donna: Glennridge Secondary College
Michael O’Neill & Dylan Hesp – Australia’s Best Street Racer
Miley Tunnecliffe- Molly and Cara
Eliza Reilly & Hannah Reilly – Sheilas
Best Direction of a Music Video
Lucy Knox – I’m Not Afraid (Artist: G Flip)
Lucy Knox – If I Could Give You (Artist: Clare Bowditch)
Matthew Thorne – The Only Boy Racer Left On The Island (Artist: The Howl & The Hum)
Nick Waterman – Ready (Artist: Montaigne)
Riley Blakeway – Whenever You Are (Artist: Kodaline)
TV Demand: The Boys lockdown #1 spot as The Walking Dead surges
This once again gives the show a complete shut out of the #1 spot as it continues to perform strongly after the release of the show’s second season on Amazon Prime Video.
The biggest movement on the TV Demand charts this week is the upwards trajectory of The Walking Dead, which returned from its Covid hiatus to continue its 10th season.
On March 24, 2020, broadcaster AMC announced that the Walking Dead’s season finale would be postponed due to Covid-19. The episode went on to air on October 4, 2020, but was no longer the season finale with an additional six episodes added to the tenth season to broadcast through early 2021.
The flow-on effect of the show’s season extension means that season 11 has been pushed back from its original October 2020 air date as planned with these additional episodes essentially working as a place holder.
Season 11 of The Walking Dead has been confirmed by AMC to be the final season of the hit series and will comprise of 24 episodes and air over a two year period.
The show is based on the comic book series of the same name by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, and can be seen in Australia on Foxtel, Foxtel Now, and Binge.
Another Foxtel-distributed show has made the charts this week with HBO Max Original Raised by Wolves appearing on the Digital Original charts in New Zealand. The show centres around two androids tasked with raising human children on a new planet after the Earth was destroyed by a great war. The first two episodes were directed by Ridley Scott, who also serves as an executive producer for the show.
In regards to digital platforms this week, Netflix continues to dominate with six shows in the top 10 of the Digital Originals chart in Australia while it also has four on the NZ chart.
TV ratings: Tuesday Week 42 2020
Primetime News
Seven News 957,000/942,000
Nine News 874,000/896,000
ABC News 701,000
10 News First 310,000/212,000
SBS World News 170,000
Daily current affairs
A Current Affair 752,000
7.30 571,000
The Project 321,000/481,000
The Drum 182,000
Breakfast TV
Sunrise 250,000
Today 224,000
News Breakfast 196,000
Late night news
The Latest 93,000
Nine News Late 76,000
World News Late 60,000
ABC Late News 54,000
Tuesday TV
Seven: Home and Away started the week with 544,000 and drifted higher to 553,000 last night.
Seven then went with another CJZ production, a repeat of Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Boy from 2018 which had an audience of 268,000.
Nine: A Current Affair sat on 748,000 on Monday and had 752,000 watching last night.
Nice bit of cross-promotion on The Block last night with an appearance from Brickman from Lego Masters. During a Lego challenge he was overseeing he and Scott Cam dialled in Hamish Blake via video to meet the Blockheads. The Tuesday episode was on 837,000, down from 898,000 last week.
Liz Hayes was then getting ready for her primetime series Under Investigation next year. She hosted a special 60 Minutes event called Maddie the Monster about the continuing mystery surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann 13 years ago. The program did 320,000 in second place behind Big Weather after Junior MasterChef ended.
10: Junior MasterChef Australia had its first elimination challenge which started with a blindfold taste test. Tiny chefs Ryan, Porsha and Etka departed the show. After two nights of 524,000 and then 546,000, episode three crept higher again with 576,000.
An Ambulance Australia repeat then did 301,000.
ABC: The series final of the 10-episode season five of Anh’s Brush with Fame featured the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup, Michelle Payne. An audience of 619,000 watched Anh’s interrogation during the sitting.
The first episode of the three-part Big Weather featured host Craig Reucassel looking at last summer’s build up to the bushfire crisis and some of the aftermath. The launch episode did 469,000, winning its timeslot after Junior MasterChef finished.
SBS: A repeat season of the first season of Every Family Has a Secret has followed the three-episode second season which wrapped a week ago. Watching Angela Hamilton and actor David Field trace their family trees was an audience of 195,000.
Janice Petersen hosted Dateline and spoke to people who had experienced short-term fame with 178,000 watching.
Week 42: Tuesday
| TUESDAY METRO | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven | Nine | 10 | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 12.7% | 7 | 15.1% | 9 | 20.5% | 10 | 13.9% | SBS One | 5.4% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 2.6% | 7TWO | 4.0% | GO! | 2.2% | 10 Bold | 3.5% | VICELAND | 1.6% |
| ABC ME | 0.5% | 7mate | 3.9% | GEM | 2.3% | 10 Peach | 2.4% | Food Net | 1.1% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.5% | 7flix | 1.8% | 9Life | 2.2% | 10 Shake | 0.4% | NITV | 0.1% |
| 9Rush | 1.2% | SBS World Movies | 1.1% | ||||||
| TOTAL | 17.2% | 24.8% | 28.3% | 20.3% | 9.4% | ||||
| TUESDAY REGIONAL | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven Affiliates | Nine Affiliates | 10 Affiliates | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 11.6% | 7 | 16.7% | 9 | 15.5% | WIN | 10.0% | SBS One | 4.4% |
| ABC KIDS/ ABC COMEDY | 2.6% | 7TWO | 5.4% | GO! | 2.8% | WIN Bold | 5.1% | VICELAND | 1.5% |
| ABC ME | 0.8% | 7mate | 6.6% | GEM | 4.0% | WIN Peach | 3.2% | Food Net | 0.9% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.4% | 7flix (Excl. Tas/WA) | 2.0% | 9Life | 2.5% | Sky News on WIN | 2.7% | NITV | 0.2% |
| SBS Movies | 1.0% | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 16.5% | 30.6% | 24.8% | 21.0% | 8.1% | ||||
| TUESDAY METRO ALL TV | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTA | STV | ||||||||
| 87.8% | 12.2% | ||||||||
Tuesday FTA
- Seven News Seven 957,000
- Seven News At 6.30 Seven 942,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 896,000
- Nine News Nine 874,000
- The Block Nine 837,000
- A Current Affair Nine 752,000
- ABC News ABC 701,000
- Anh’s Brush With Fame ABC 619,000
- Junior MasterChef Australia 10 576,000
- 7.30 ABC 571,000
- Home And Away Seven 553,000
- The Project 7 PM 10 481,000
- The Chase Australia Seven 478,000
- Hot Seat Nine 469,000
- Big Weather (And How To Survive It) ABC 469,000
- The Project 6.30 PM 10 321,000
- Maddie And The Monster Nine 320,000
- 10 News First 10 310,000
- Ambulance Australia (R) 10 301,000
- The Chase Australia-5 PM Seven 290,000
Demo Top Five
16-39 Top Five
- The Block Nine 206,000
- Junior MasterChef Australia 10 139,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 115,000
- The Project 7 PM 10 109,000
- A Current Affair Nine 97,000
18-49 Top Five
- The Block Nine 372,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 239,000
- Junior MasterChef Australia 10 234,000
- Nine News Nine 214,000
- Seven News At 6.30 Seven 200,000
25-54 Top Five
- The Block Nine 423,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 290,000
- Nine News Nine 264,000
- Junior MasterChef Australia 10 256,000
- Seven News At 6.30 Seven 244,000
Tuesday Multichannel
- Bluey AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 197,000
- NCIS (R) 10 Bold 167,000
- Highway Patrol-Ep.2 PM(R) 7mate 164,000
- Peppa Pig AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 163,000
- Bluey ABCKIDS/COMEDY 156,000
- School Of Roars ABCKIDS/COMEDY 140,000
- Highway Patrol PM(R) 7mate 136,000
- Aussie Salvage Squad PM 7mate 132,000
- Inspector Morse PM 7TWO 131,000
- Fireman Sam AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 125,000
- Andy’s Aquatic Adventures ABCKIDS/COMEDY 120,000
- Floogals AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 120,000
- Love Monster ABCKIDS/COMEDY 118,000
- Ben And Holly’s Little Kingdom ABCKIDS/COMEDY 118,000
- Go Jetters PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 114,000
- Aussie Salvage Squad-Ep.2 PM 7mate 109,000
- Octonauts PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 108,000
- CSI: Miami (R) 10 Bold 106,000
- Bananas In Pyjamas AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 105,000
- Peppa Pig PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 104,000
Tuesday STV
- Paul Murray Live Sky News Live 93,000
- Alan Jones Sky News Live 80,000
- The Bolt Report Sky News Live 73,000
- Credlin Sky News Live 70,000
- PML Later Sky News Live 56,000
- Live: AFL 360 FOX FOOTY 43,000
- The Kenny Report Sky News Live 40,000
- Newsday Sky News Live 33,000
- Selling Houses Australia Lifestyle Channel 32,000
- Long Lost Family Lifestyle Channel 31,000
- Afternoon Agenda Sky News Live 30,000
- Antiques Roadshow Lifestyle Channel 28,000
- Escape To The Chateau: DIY Lifestyle Channel 28,000
- Escape To The Country Lifestyle Channel 27,000
- As Time Goes By FOX Classics 27,000
- Location, Location, Location Lifestyle Channel 27,000
- Afternoon Agenda Sky News Live 26,000
- Selling Houses Australia Lifestyle Channel 26,000
- NCIS FOX Crime 26,000
- Judge Judy FOX Arena 26,000
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
Former 10 News First anchor joins Brisbane-based Broadkast
After 25-years reporting and reading the news in Queensland, Lewis said, “It’s been great having some down time, but it’s good to get the brain ticking over again, and to do other things besides reporting sad stories on the news.”
Lewis will present, write and produce video and digital content for Broadkast and their stable of clients.
Broadkast co-director Dean Miller said “We’re very lucky to have one of Queensland’s most familiar faces come on board. Georgie will be a real asset to the team and we can’t wait to get her out and about exploring our wonderful state through our own in-house publications, and in partnership with our suite of clients.”
Broadkast’s major clients include Australia Post, Brisbane Racing Club, Hamilton Island, Racing Queensland, Jayco, ARB and Motorama.
Broadkast also owns and operates digital publications, Campr and Stable Boss.
Disney elevates streaming business in major reorganisation
Under the new structure, Disney is creating content groups for its major film franchises, general entertainment and sports, as well as a distribution arm that will determine the best platform for a movie or television show.
The new alignment pushes Disney’s streaming platforms, including Disney+ and Hulu, even closer to the centre of the company. The various programming arms, including movie and television studios, will be focusing their efforts on feeding those streaming services, not just movie theatres and TV networks.
ARIA awards nominations: Pop duo hog ARIA Lime-light, cordially
Founded by brothers Louis and Oli Leimbach on Sydney’s northern beaches, Lime Cordiale’s rise to national prominence has been more than a decade in the making.
“We’ve been doing our thing for almost 11 years now,” Louis Leimbach told The Australian. “It’s been a real slow incline of success, which has probably been good in terms of humbleness and our skill set.”
2020, then, looks to be the year where the Leimbachs truly arrive, despite the difficulties faced by many performers and recording artists across the sector due to the pandemic. The duo’s second album 14 Steps to a Better You debuted at No 1 in July, while the brothers and their three bandmates have also sold out 27 COVID-safe seated concerts in Newcastle, Brisbane and their hometown.
See also:
2020 ARIA Awards Nominations: Lime Cordiale leads with 8
• The winners will be announced on Wednesday, 25th November 2020 on the Nine Network
Mamamia’s Mia Freedman buys $12.75 million Point Piper house
The home of orthopaedic surgeon Professor Lawrence Kohan and his wife Gail was snapped up by the co-founders of the news and lifestyle website Mamamia just weeks after it was listed with a $12 million to $13 million guide by Paul Rich, of Rich’s Double Bay.
Records show the purchase of the waterfront residence by Mr Lavigne and Ms Freedman, known by her married name Mia Lavigne on title, is more than double the $6.1 million the property last traded for in 2013 when sold by recruitment business woman Marissa Cameron.
News Brands
Will GB News's Angelos Frangopoulos turn to Fox News formula again?
But within the broadcast news industry a different name caught the eye: the appointment of Angelos Frangopoulos, a former Sky News Australia boss, as chief executive offered potential pointers as to the new channel’s direction.
Frangopoulos, barely known in the UK, spent almost two decades helming Rupert Murdoch’s Sky News Australia, developing a Fox News-style formula mixing respected news reporting during the day with influential rightwing punditry programmes during its evening After Dark slots.
Any attempt by Frangopoulos to introduce a similar model to the UK would face restrictions under Ofcom’s broadcasting guidelines. He also faces competition from his old boss Murdoch, who is developing a parallel but more modest proposal for an opinionated TV news channel in the UK.
Radio
Grant Broadcasting hires new journalist for Shoalhaven stations
Condie joins veteran senior journalist Rob Gooda and Highlands journalist Mitchell Kleem as part of the 2ST/Power FM team and will cover news across the entire Shoalhaven listening area from Kiama to Ulladulla in the new role.
The Condie family are born and bred, active members of the Shoalhaven community and Katrina has extensive experience as a journalist with many years as senior journalist and managing editor of the Times, while in recent years Katrina has worked as a freelance journalist, and in the corporate sector.
2ST/Power FM general manager Gavin Flanagan said Condie’s appointment shows the station’s commitment to localism is as strong as ever despite recent redundancies across the entire media sector.
“2ST and Power FM are the media leaders in providing live and local coverage across the Shoalhaven, and this appointment is extremely exciting for us given Katrina’s deep connections within the community. We know she will greatly assist the station to broaden our news coverage across broadcast, online and social media in a way no other media in the Shoalhaven can.”
Condie said: “I’m really thrilled to be getting back in touch with my community and representing our region as a reliable news source at a grass roots level. After losing our family home at Conjola Park in the bushfires, I’m looking forward to an exciting 2021 – new home, new job, new challenges.”
Katrina Condie joins the 2ST/Power FM team from October 6 and will contribute broadcast content, as well as interviews on air, and longer form articles and videos online at www.2st.com.au and www.949powerfm.com.au.
Netflix, the great disruptor? With Emily in Paris, not so much
Star is a name, and over the last 18 months Netflix has gone to great expense to assemble a roster of storied television names, paying over $600 million combined for the exclusive services of Ryan Murphy (9-1-1, Pose, American Horror Story) and Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal).
Having established itself as television’s supreme disruptor, Netflix is starting to embrace the totems and tactics of the networks it’s supplanting. The shows they’re commissioning from the likes of Star, Rhimes, and Murphy have to be assessed individually, but collectively they appear conservative.
This year Netflix pulled the plug on Glow, Teenage Bounty Hunters, I Am Not Okay with This, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Altered Carbon, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and more. Not all of those shows are major losses, but they spoke to Netflix’s willingness to use a subscription model to amplify niche ideas. Aside from The Crown and Stranger Things, the company’s most rewarding titles originated on the fringe and found a larger audience.
SAS Australia: Roxy Jacenko disappointed with reality TV performance
The Sydney publicist is one of 17 contestants on new Seven show SAS Australia and reports have already confirmed she didn’t last long.
“Disappointing, depressing and shocking,” the mother of two said of the experience.
“I wanted the challenge and to be taken out of the environment I am used to, where I am always in control and making the calls. I wanted someone else to run the show.”
SAS Australia sees contestants put through their paces attempting to pass the gruelling Special Forces selection course.
It is a mixed bag of ‘stars’ joining Jacenko on the reality show that will premiere on Monday night at 7.30pm.
Others to tough it out include former Bali inmate Schapelle Corby, cricket legend Mitchell Johnson, actor Firass Dirani, ironwoman Candice Warner and Olympic swimmer James Magnussen.
Sports Media
New A-League season set to begin during Christmas holidays
Football Federation Australia, A-League clubs and the players’ union are making plans for a condensed 26-round regular season that will begin after Christmas and finish with a grand final played before June 30. While the draw is yet to be finalised, senior sources involved in discussions suggest the proposed format will likely include a number of midweek matches to fit 26 rounds plus finals into just six months.
Club sources suggested the need for a shortened season relates to the competition’s broadcast and the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics which are set to begin in July 2021.
A-League clubs wanted the season to be pushed back until early in the new year in hope of beginning with fewer regulations around crowd limits, border closures and other restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the competition’s broadcast agreement with Foxtel requires the season to start in December and finish in July.