Bauer Media has announced the closure of Cosmopolitan Australia. The December issue will be its last.

The magazine has been published in Australia for over four decades and was a Hearst Magazines title published in Australia under licence to Bauer. Remaining Hearst titles in the Bauer stable are Harper’s Bazaar and Elle.

Cosmopolitan launched in Australia as part of what was then called Magazine Promotions, the Fairfax magazine arm. Later rebranded as Fairfax Magazines, the title moved along with most of the Fairfax’s other magazine brands to ACP Magazines.

Launch editor was Australian magazine legend Sylvia Rayner, who started the title in Australia in 1973, moving across from Woman’s Day where she was fashion editor.

Bauer Media CEO for ANZ Paul Dykzeul said this week: “It has not been an easy decision to make. However, the commercial viability of the magazine in Australia is no longer sustainable.

“Magazine closures are never easy, desirable or done without careful consideration for all of those involved. We have to ensure that we are continually reshaping and defining the business so that our readers of today, and those of tomorrow, remain engaged with the content we publish and the platforms upon which we deliver.

“We are incredibly proud of the brand and the people who have been involved and represented over the last 45 years. It has helped to launch the careers of media personalities, supported great brands and causes, and inspired millions of young women across the country.

“We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the brand and its legacy over the years.”

The title has had three editors in the last three years: Claire Askew, Keshnee Kemp and Lorna Gray (current). However, in its first 40 years it had just four editors.

Some of Australia’s best magazine talent worked on the title over the years including Pat Ingram, now editorial director at Fairfax’s Sunday Life, and her former assistant and Mamamia founder, Mia Freedman. The other two editors in that period were editor #4 Sarah Wilson and editor #5 Bronwyn McCahon.

The title was known for its Bachelor of the Year and Cosmopolitan Women of the Year events.

Former editor and Mamamia founder Mia Freedman wrote in her book about making a trip to Hearst HQ in New York for two important interviews ahead of her appointment as editor:

The first was with the Vice President of Hearst International who quizzed me on what I thought about Cosmopolitan as a brand and where I might take it in Australia. I could talk about magazines under wet cement, so that part was no problem.

Next I was taken to meet Helen Gurley Brown. As the editor of US Cosmo, Helen didn’t have direct control over editorial appointments on the international editions, but in every other way she was Cosmopolitan. She had literally invented it.

Mamamia published an extract from the book this week here.

Freedman also commented on her website yesterday after news of the closure broke:

“I have such wonderful memories of the time I spent at the helm of Cosmo and my love and thoughts go to all the young women who have lost their jobs.”

Freedman said Australia’s media landscape had changed in the decade since she left women’s magazines, with women turning to websites and social media instead of magazines.

“Women’s media has moved on and that’s why I founded Mamamia as a media company 10 years ago.

“I saw the writing on the wall back then as the needs and habits of women began to change and magazines just couldn’t keep up by virtue of their business model.”

Former editor-in-chief Bronwyn McCahon told ABC News yesterday: “When I was 20 years old, Cosmo was a rite of passage.

“If you wanted to know something as a teenage girl or a young woman, you couldn’t get on [the internet] and Google it or go onto blogs – they didn’t exist.

“Cosmo was that magazine that you waited for to help solve your emotional angst about things, whether it was something that was happening with your body or a relationship.”

At its height, the Australian magazine was selling around 400,000 copies, which is thought to have dropped well below 50,000. Publishers no longer release magazine circulation results in Australia.

Former Cosmopolitan Australia beauty editor Zoë Foster Blake posted on Instagram yesterday after the announcement:

“I really did think our glorious pink beacon would be safe, even adrift in a turbulent sea of print closures. I owe this iconic, glossy dame a HUGE amount.

“Cosmo took me in (@miafreedman, to be exact) when I was 23, newly single, and A Bit Scared About Everything, and over the course of three years as beauty editor, and eight years as a dating columnist, made me confident, competent, a lot (f)riskier with fashion, and exposed me to an industry where women were in charge, and women made shit happen.

“Cosmo gifted me lifers like @bronwynmccahon, @christinecentenera and (indirectly) @justine_cullen, as well as a host of other brilliant (mostly country) folk (@_sarahwilson) who’d all come to the big smoke to make something of themselves. It was my first real understanding of sisterhood, and it was magnificent. Life-changing, even. For a host of reasons (“being in my twenties”) I was pretty insecure and threatened by women up until then, but being thrust into the fold of 30 or so funny, talented, supportive, driven women did phenomenal things for me as a person, and directly contributed to my current career of playing with, supporting, making stuff for, and writing things to, women. If only we could ALL experience such a luminous, feminist and empowering chapter of professional and personal growth in our early twenties! Gah!

Oh god. I’ve made it all about me as usual.

“Thank you, Cosmopolitan, you groundbreaking, game-changing, saucy sweetheart. You have done a lot of good things for a lot of women, for a long time.”

Former editor Sarah Wilson commented on social media yesterday:

“I was editor #4 in the 45-year history and I landed in the job on crutches (mountain bike accident) having never owned a hair dryer, heels or makeup at 29 with nooooo idea how to pick up a dude or what Japanese straightening was.

“I remain incredibly grateful for everything I learned and the incredible women who guided me and supported me and worked with me.

“Especially Helen Gurley Brown who really changed the world. And me. Good luck to everyone on the current team moving on to fresh stuff. Know that your life has changed and you can’t unlearn how to be the wise girlfriend who holds another’s hand through the big lessons.”

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Photo: Former editors of Cosmopolitan Australia [L-R] Bronwyn McCahon, Mia Freedman, Pat Ingram and Sarah Wilson

(Source: Cosmopolitan)

“Sam has been a huge asset to SCA, a friend and mentor to so many, and a supporter of new talent,” SCA said in a statement.

From humble beginnings as a phone op on The Tracey & Matt Show on the Fox, he has worked his way up through the company.

ACRA Awards 2010

He was executive producer on The Shebang with Marty & Fifi, executive producer of a small show hosted by Hamish and Andy, then as SCA national executive producer, training and mentoring producers around the country, before taking up his last position as executive producer on Triple M’s national drive show Kennedy Molloy.

SCA said Cavanagh has decided to challenge himself by stepping out of radio and into the advertising world and has accepted a role with a new creative agency.

Cavanagh said: “I walked into SCA as a 23-year-old with a bleached blond mohawk and no idea what I was doing. It’s sixteen years later and this company has given me a career beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve had the privilege of working with the country’s most talented performers, have broadcast from places like Beijing, Afghanistan, and a tall ship crossing Bass Strait. I’ve enjoyed the rare thrill of putting a radio show live to air, every single day. There are too many people who have impacted my career along the way to mention them all here, but I would like to shout out to Craig Bruce, who saw potential in me long before I saw it in myself. It’s time for me to take on a new challenge. But not before I return for a week in January to steal as much stationary as possible.”

Mick Molloy and Jane Kennedy said: “We could not have wished for a better EP to help launch Kennedy Molloy and we wish Sam all the very best in his new adventure.”

SCA Melbourne general manager Dave Cameron, Sam’s longtime friend and mentor, said: “Sam’s one of the best but is actually truly focused on bringing out the best out in others.”

Sam Cavanagh is currently on long service leave and SCA said he will return to be farewelled in a manner befitting his spectacular career.

By Kruti Joshi

This is the case with Young, who is a key character in – and the journalist behind – News Corp’s podcast series My Father The Murderer.

The podcast is a crossover between a memoir and a true crime story. It follows Young’s quest to uncover the entire truth about her biological father Joseph Allan Ladd, who is serving a life sentence in prison.

Joseph Allan Ladd with Nina Young, when she was a child

Young was 26 when she found out about Ladd’s criminal history, which involved the murder of a woman in 1977. Now in her 30s, Young is finally able to share something so personal with the world.

“I didn’t know what to do with it. I always knew that it was more than an article,” Young said. “It wasn’t until a year ago, when I was talking to my podcast partner Bek Day, she said, ‘It’s a podcast.’”

This suggestion made perfect sense to Young. “Podcast has the intimate storytelling experience that I wanted,” she said.

The first episode of My Father The Murderer was released on October 7 and within a week it climbed to #1 on the iTunes charts.

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This is an excerpt from the full article, which appears on Mediaweek Premium. Read the full article here or subscribe to Mediaweek Premium here.

Tony Prentice, chief revenue and operations officer, said: “Howard is the perfect fit for Mamamia, matching our high value partners with access to our proprietary content, social, creative and marketing IP. With his unique mix of commercial and advertising agency experience, Howard will make M+ the home of innovation and ROI for clients who want to reach Australia’s largest and most influential female audience.”

Wilbury’s broad background spans both media owners and creative agencies, with stints at Channel [V], Westfield, DDB and M&C Saatchi. His most recent role was leading a full-service creative and production agency within the M&C Saatchi Group.

Mamamia co-founder and chief creative officer Mia Freedman said: “Howard’s depth and breadth of commercial experience, and the fact he is such a delightful person, are just two of the reasons I can’t wait for him to join us.”

Howard Wilbury added: “I’m excited by the opportunity to return to a media owner and native digital content creator, distributing across multiple platforms. At a time when cut-through content is more important than ever before, it’s an exciting time to join Australia’s largest women’s media brand. M+ will accelerate growth for brands by capitalising on the magical engagement Mamamia has with its audience, whenever, and on whatever device, they want.”

Highlights as reported by APRA AMCOS for earnings for songwriters, composers and music publisher members:

Group revenue of $420.2m surpasses the $400m milestone for the first time

Total royalties payable to songwriters, publishers and affiliated societies (net distributable revenue) $362.8m, 8.2% year on year growth

Digital revenue $134.5m, 21.9% year on year growth

Broadcast revenue $132.6m, 5.8% year on year growth

Audio streaming revenue $81.9m, 31.9% year on year growth

Royalties earned overseas $43.7m, marking a 105% growth over a five-year period

Total members who earned royalties 47,648

A robust digital market continues to open up pathways for Australasian music creators, resulting in a record-breaking year of royalty collections for APRA AMCOS. For the 2017-18 financial year, the collective rights management organisation reports total revenue of $420.2m.

APRA AMCOS paid royalties on 10% more songs and compositions than last year, with 1,441,485 works generating earnings for 47,648 songwriter, composer and publisher members.

Income generated from digital sources has surpassed that of radio and TV broadcast for the first time, with healthy growth continuing across those respective categories.

Digital as a whole accounted for a staggering $134.5m – nearly a third of all revenue – with $81.9m in audio streaming income making up the bulk. Digital grew 21.9% from the previous year’s figure of $110.3m. Income sources categorised as digital include audio streaming (up 31.9%), video on demand (up 30.5%) and websites and user generated content (UGC) (up 30.4%).

The growth of UGC royalties can be attributed to APRA AMCOS’s landmark licensing agreement with Facebook, which opened up a game-changing revenue stream that will see Australian, New Zealand and international songwriter and music publishers remunerated for the use of their music on Facebook, Instagram, Oculus, and Messenger. The deal also enables the platform’s users to incorporate music into content in a variety of dynamic and, importantly, legal ways.

“This year’s results highlight the strength of the organisation’s financial performance, breadth of member service, and commitment to improving our industry’s ecosystem,” remarked chief executive Dean Ormston, who stepped into the role on July 1, following longtime CEO Brett Cottle’s retirement.

Earnings from television and radio, $85.7m and $46.9m respectively, combined for $132.6m in revenue, while the income from public performance (including live music) totalled $85.8m, an increase of 10.4% from last year’s figure.

Live music is a vital part of the music ecosystem, and the $25.3m in revenue from the concert sector grew 24%, a notably larger increase than last year’s 15.9% uplift. Over one million fans attended Ed Sheeran’s blockbuster Australia and New Zealand tour, which featured local support acts Missy Higgins, Fergus James, and Bliss N Eso on the Australian leg.

Midnight Oil’s 25-date national tour featured a veritable who’s who of Australian music, with 22 different acts stepping into the opening slot, including Something For Kate, A.B. Original, Adalita, Irrunytju Band and more.

APRA revenue from international sources has grown an impressive 105% over the past five financial years, with $43.7m collected in 2017-18. Digital distribution, music service uptake, and the globalisation of the music marketplace have made for more viable international pathways for Australasian songwriters, a statement that can be supported by a tremendous increase in the number of overseas concert performances reported by members. In 2012, 2,845 performances were submitted to APRA AMCOS, while in 2017, 7,095 reports were received, marking a 149% uplift over the period.

“While these results are strong, there is a real need to consider the longer-term sustainability of the Australian music industry. This will be achieved through proactive government and industry policy and investment that prioritises a fair copyright framework, music in education, a strong live music touring circuit, Australian music content, and music export,” said Ormston.

Richard Basil-Jones, currently managing director for Australia/New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region, will be taking the position of global president for the Ebiquity Group and relocating to London. Basil-Jones has been a senior member of the executive team for six years, and has had an integral role in the successful development of the Asia Pacific region.

In his new role, he will take on global responsibilities encompassing the Regions (North America, Europe & Asia Pacific), as well as the Ebiquity Practices – Media, Analytics, Tech and Ad Intel.

Taking on the role of managing director for Australia and New Zealand will be Peter Cornelius, who has been the leader of Ebiquity’s media practice. After being in this role for over three years, Cornelius will now expand his responsibilities across all Ebiquity services and drive further growth across the business.

Michael Karg, group CEO, Ebiquity, commenting on Basil-Jones’s new role, said: “I have worked closely with Richard over the recent years and know that his passion for the business and people leadership qualities will bring the right focus and success to our global business.”

Richard Basil-Jones, global president, Ebiquity, commenting on Cornelius’s new role, said: “His experience, calm hand and focus on our clients have helped build and shape our media practice to be the respected, independent media consultancy we have today.”

Italy’s Atlantyca Entertainment, Australia’s SLR Productions, Ireland’s Telegael and Singapore & India’s Studio Cosmos-Maya have announced the co-production of the buzz-kicking 52 x 11-minute animated spy action series, Berry Bees.

The global partnership and production will be distributed worldwide by Atlantyca Entertainment with Cosmos-Maya handling distribution across Asia, SLR Productions handling distribution for Australia and New Zealand and Telegael distributing in Ireland and UK.

The partners made the announcement during MIPCOM 2018.

A high-energy animated spy show features three extraordinarily talented 10-year old girls named Bobby, Lola and Juliette – seemingly ordinary school-age children who have been selected by the B.I.A. (Bee Intelligence Agency) for those special spy missions in which only child agents can be used. Together the girls are known as the Berry Bees.

“I am excited to be working with such highly talented and creative co-production partners. Buzzing with fun, action and awesome crime fighting adventures there is no doubt that the Berry Bees will entertain audiences. SLR Productions is delighted to work with the Nine Network and RAI once again,” said SLR Productions’ CEO and executive producer Suzanne Ryan.

“We look forward to being the Australian premiere broadcaster for the Berry Bees. With the right mix of action and comedy centred around the lives of Bobby, Lola and Juliette, the series is guaranteed to appeal to Australian audiences. We can’t wait for the Berry Bees to buzz onto the Nine Network,” said Nine Network co-head of drama Jo Rooney.

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Top Photo: Luca Milano, director Rai; Caterina Vacchi, Atlantyca head of animation and distribution department; Alison Hurbert-Burns, director of content acquisition & commercial development Nine Network; Suzanne Ryan, CEO and executive producer for SLR Productions; Paul Cummins CEO, Telegael; and Ketan Menta, chairman and managing director of Maya Digital Studios announce the production of the new animated series Busy Bees

Screen Producers Australia has announced the finalists in the Business Award categories of the 18th Annual Screen Producers Australia Awards. The recipients of each Award will be announced at the SPA Awards ceremony at the Forum Theatre, Melbourne, on the final night of Screen Forever (November 20-22).

The full list of finalists in the Business Award categories:

Services and Facilities Business of the Year
• Docklands Studios Melbourne
• Fox Studios Australia
• Monypenny
• Soundfirm
• Tracks Post Production

Media Super Production Business of the Year
• Bunya Productions
• CJZ
• Easy Tiger Productions
• Flying Bark Productions
• Goalpost Pictures
• Guesswork Television
• Hoodlum
• Jungle Entertainment
• Matchbox Pictures
• See Pictures

Screen Business Export of the Year
• Aquarius Films
• BES Animation
• Blacklab Entertainment
• Bunya Productions
• Jungle Entertainment

Breakthrough Business of the Year
• Blacklab Entertainment
• Bunya Productions
• Cobbstar Productions
• LateNite Films
• Lingo Pictures

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Top Photo:  Sarah Snook in Blacklab Entertaiment’s Predestination

By James Manning

Seven

The 7pm super soap Home And Away turned its Monday audience of 670,000 into 597,000 last night.

Take Me Out then continued its disappointing run with 407,000 after 426,000 when it last screened a couple of weeks ago.

Not a great lead-in for The Good Doctor, which did 634,000, lifting the 7.30pm audience over 200,000, after 587,000 last week.

Nine

Behind the scenes with the Australian Border Force was part of A Current Affair with 759,000 last night after 815,000 on Monday.

Last day’s drama in the challenge apartment fired up The Block as the episode again did over 1m metro.

That was a good prequel for the start of the final season of The Big Bang Theory, which did 712,000. A second repeat episode then did 458,000.

TEN

The Project had an all-too-short interview with visiting comedian and travel show host Griff Rhys Jones at the end of the Tuesday episode. Earlier in the 7pm half, Hamish Macdonald travelled the night shift with Sydney ambos as a preview of the new Ambulance Australia. Tuesday did 498,000 after 564,000 on Monday.

Network Ten executive producer Sarah Thornton wasn’t fibbing when she told Mediaweek last week that the new Ambulance Australia was very well produced by Tony de la Pena and his team at Endemol Shine Australia. The first episode of the series did 582,000 last night. That compares with Nine’s Paramedics from WTFN, which launched on Thursdays recently. Last week Paramedics did 610,000 after launching with 555,000.

The new US drama FBI from producer Dick Wolf for Ten parent CBS then premiered with 362,000.

ABC

Ask The Doctor looked at alcohol last night for its audience of 422,000.

The doco Fighting Spirit looked at the wheelchair rugby team ahead of their appearance at The Invictus Games. The show did 275,000.

SBS

Michael Portillo is hosting shows in the 7.30pm slot three nights this week. A repeat of his Abandoned Britain was the channel’s best last night on 299,000.

It narrowly out-rated Insight on 290,000 with its episode about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which featured footballer-turned-commentator Alastair Lynch.