Business of Media
Roberts-Smith feared ‘News of the World’ incident
Ben Roberts-Smith says he used burner phones to contact fellow former soldiers after articles alleging misconduct by Australian forces in Afghanistan, fearing his phone might be hacked by the media like the “News of the World thing”, reports AFR‘s Max Mason.
Roberts-Smith began contacting soldiers who had been on missions in 2009 and 2012 that were the subject of a series of articles from June 8 to 10, 2018, on the conduct of special forces soldiers.
Roberts-Smith was not named, however he alleges he was identifiable. The reports referred to an unnamed Special Air Service soldier under the moniker of Leonidas.
Can Streaming Pay? Musicians are pinning fresh hopes on Twitch
Each weekday at 8:30 a.m., after getting his twin 2-year-olds dressed, fed and set up with their nanny, Matthew K. Heafy decamps to an unoccupied bedroom in his home in Orlando, Fla., and flicks on three computers, three cameras and a battery of guitar equipment in preparation for his morning livestream shredfest, reports The New York Times‘ Ben Sisario.
Livestreaming apps are a dime a dozen these days. But what makes Twitch stand out, particularly for music, is how it fosters connections between performers and their audience, and allows those connections to be efficiently monetized. Fan interactions — which pour across the screen in a river of song requests, inside jokes and “emotes” (Twitch-specific emoticons) — are as much a part of the show as the artist onscreen, conveying the sense of a tightly knit, mutually supportive community.
Never mind the login …what about iview HD?
Much is being debated about a mandatory login for iview from July, reports TV Tonight.
Amongst the new features are personalised Watchlists and Recommendations, a Viewing History, and the ability to pick up a show where you left off on another device.
Yet while questions may linger around privacy or the mandatory aspect – given ABC has no advertisers – little is being asked about other upgrades to iview, such as High Definition.
While ABC was first to market with iview, it has been slow to upgrade from SD, largely due to budget constraints. It wasn’t until mid-2019 iview moved to a “maximum of 720p” for catch-up, which is classified as HD (albeit not true HD 1080p).
News Brands
ABC to relocate 300 Ultimo staff to Parramatta
ABC chairman Ita Buttrose says the relocation of 300 staff from the public broadcaster’s inner-city headquarters to new facilities in western Sydney will improve diversity in newsrooms and make its coverage more relevant, claiming the region has been under-reported and misrepresented, reports SMH‘s Zoe Samios.
Buttrose said perceptions the national broadcaster was “too inner-city focused” were fair, arguing the ABC needed to evolve and ensure it was reporting on stories relevant to all Australians.
“For far too long, life in western Sydney has been under-reported – or misrepresented – in mainstream Australian media,” she said in a speech at the Business Western Sydney chamber lunch.
Publishing
‘Slightly sanctimonious’: Media baron John B. Fairfax urges publishers to look beyond profits
Historic media proprietor John B. Fairfax has lamented the savage cost-cutting carried out by some publishers during the coronavirus pandemic and urged media companies to recognise their responsibilities to communities and think beyond profits, reports SMH‘s Zoe Samios.
Fairfax, who was the largest shareholder in this masthead’s former owner Fairfax Media between 2007 and 2011 said media organisations must recognise their responsibilities to serve their communities with trusted information and public interest journalism.
“If you’re going to be in newspaper publishing or even the media, you shouldn’t necessarily focus entirely on profit. You need to consider your role within in the community generally, and have a slightly sanctimonious view of doing your job” he told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in an interview.
Entertainment
Craig McLachlan launches country comeback tour: ‘He’s the only person who can do it’
Craig McLachlan is “excited” about relaunching his career with a country music tour, reports New Corp’s Cameron Adams.
McLachlan will play Hank Williams in a tribute show travelling across Australia from July to November.
It will be the first time McLachlan will perform in public since he was found not guilty of indecently assaulting four female co-stars in a 2014 musical production of The Rocky Horror Show.
McLachlan was acquitted of seven counts of indecent assault and six counts of common law assault.
Television
Celebrity Apprentice’s secret celebrity donor revealed as Russell Crowe
He may not have won the game, but Ross Noble got a big cash injection from a celebrity friend in scenes that were cut from Tuesday night’s Celebrity Apprentice finale, reports News Corp’s Nick Bond.
The comedian earned an impressive $83,500 for his chosen charity – Red Cross – with his final challenge, an elaborate obstacle course designed to simulate a daring bank heist.
Noble charged participants in his course a whopping $2500 per person – but he revealed during a radio interview with Fitzy & Wippa that he also received a generous donation from none other than acting legend Russell Crowe.
Judges continue to lash contestants for ‘food wastage’, so what happens to the leftovers?
MasterChef fans will notice a running theme on the show this week, reports News Corp’s Bella Fowler.
Twice in the competition in this week alone, contestants have been pulled up for food wastage, with judges Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen making it clear it’s one of their pet hates in the kitchen.
During Monday’s Deliveroo challenge, the Orange team copped flack for failing to use their entire duck in their initial menu plan, pulling off the legs and tossing aside the rest.
New Sunrise host Natalie Barr’s cold words for predecessor Sam Armytage
New Sunrise host Natalie Barr provided a cool response when asked about her relationship with former colleague Samantha Armytage, reports News Corp’s Jonathon Moran.
Appearing on the cover of the latest issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly magazine, Barr gushed about Armytage’s predecessor Melissa Doyle. But when it came to Armytage, Barr simply said the pair “got along very well in the office”.
“But the truth is we didn’t really see each other outside the office,” Barr tells the magazine, in stores on Wednesday. “We had vastly different lives, I guess. We were in different places. She was hanging with her friends, and I was spending time with my family. So, yes, we were in different places.”