Business of Media
Ex-Foxtel exec Amanda Laing’s lavish all-female farewell
After her final day last week, Foxtel chairwoman Siobhan McKenna threw a farewell for Foxtel’s Amanda Laing at Justin Hemmes’ Ivy Penthouse in Sydney on Tuesday, reports The AFR’s Mark Di Stefano.
Among those gathered were former MP and now-Tech Council chief Kate Jones, Australian Communications and Media Authority CEO Creina Chapman, Screen Queensland CEO Jacqui Feeney, Cricket Australia executive general manager Stephanie Beltrame and Rebekah Horne, the country director for Apple. Voice campaigner and human rights lawyer Megan Davis has been at Harvard as a visiting professor. She flew in for the party and the rugby league grand final (she sits on the NRL commission).
The other media figures included Fox Sports host Lara Pitt, Screen Australia CEO Deirdre Brennan, CFO of the ABC Melanie Kleyn and Fiona Lang, who last month stepped down as the BBC’s head of productions in Australia and New Zealand. There was also Beverley McGarvey, the president of Paramount/Channel 10.
‘Line in the sand’: NSW premier Chris Minns urges social media ban ASAP
Any ban on young people using social media needs to be implemented as soon as possible, the NSW premier says, reports AAP’s Andrew Brown.
Ahead of a two-day summit between the NSW and South Australian governments on addressing social media issues, Chris Minns said age restrictions for the tech platforms were more than needed.
“I’d like to see (an age ban) done as soon as possible … ultimately, we have to draw a line in the sand,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
Minns said he would want to see a social media ban start at age 16, but there needed to be a uniform approach across states and territories.
Historic TV studios to be demolished, but broadcast tower will be saved
ABC’s famed Ripponlea studios, once home to such shows as Countdown, Seachange, Kath & Kim, Spicks & Specks, Bellbird, Gordon Street Tonight are in the final stages of being dismantled before demolition will be completed within four weeks time, reports TV Tonight.
New owners Milieu Property will construct contemporary apartments across six buildings. Designed by architects Woods Bagot, Elsternwick Gardens will be surrounded by greenery and private access to the adjacent to the heritage-listed Ripponlea Estate. Upon completion Ripponlea gardeners will also care for Elsternwick Gardens.
The site was originally the traditional land of the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation, before being transformed by colonialism during the mid-19th Century.
The site was originally the traditional land of the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation, before being transformed by colonialism during the mid-19th Century.
Following community consultation, the broadcast tower, part of the Elsternwick skyline, will become a sculptural element in the centre of the property. Artist Darren Sylvester has also been commissioned to create a permanent digital work from ABC Archives, to be installed in an ABC Lane, the main driveway for residents.
News Brands
Nine Publishing has sent Kate Geraghty and Matthew Knott into Israel
Nine Publishing’s deputy editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, Liam Phelan, has written about the decision to send photographer Kate Geraghty and defence correspondent Matthew Knott into Israel:
Sending journalists on these types of assignments is a serious commitment and responsibility for the Herald, and our sister publication, The Age. We think long and hard about the dangers involved, minimising risks – and also protecting our staff from the longer-term effects of mental trauma.
Matthew, how long will you be on the ground and what areas will you be visiting?
Matthew: Our plan is to spend 11 days, splitting our time evenly between Israel and the West Bank. However, events are moving extremely rapidly in the region with Israel hitting Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and Iran firing rockets at Israel. This could lead us to change our itinerary dramatically. One of the challenges with reporting assignments like this is that you need to have a strong, detailed plan but be prepared to throw it out the window when the story changes.
How long has this trip been in the planning?
Matthew: We have been planning in detail for two months but we have been following this issue and were determined to make a return trip since we visited Israel and the West Bank last year shortly after the October 7 attacks. A year on from our last visit, international journalists are still.
What are some of the logistical challenges involved in setting it all up?
Kate: With conflict, the situation is very fluid, so maintaining relationships with those we met on our previous trip is paramount to understanding what is happening and how we can then relay that to readers. On a practical level, there are Israeli and Palestinian colleagues to liaise with, translators and drivers to engage, and interviews, accreditation, permits and PPE [personal protective equipment] to organise.
ABC changes guidance on how to correctly report on the Middle Eastern conflict
The ABC has been accused of twisting the truth by introducing “judgmental language” in a directive telling staff to describe the actions of Israel on the Lebanese side of the border as a “land invasion”, reports The Australian’s Sophie Elsworth.
Employees were last week sent instructions by the manager of editorial policies for news, Mark Maley, explaining new Middle East Conflict Guidance Revisions which explained how to correctly report on ongoing conflicts.
“Confirming here that we are now describing the current actions of Israel on the Lebanese side of the border as a ‘land invasion’,” he wrote in an internal email obtained by The Australian.
The ABC, headed by managing director David Anderson, also told staff other changes had been made and must be adopted by when reporting on the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict.
In the specific guidelines shared with employees it explained the terms “invasion/incursion”.
“Gaza is not Israeli territory, so what the Israeli military is doing is an invasion or an incursion. Both are accurate,” the guidelines said.
The Australian’s top journalists recognised in prestigious News Awards
The Australian has secured a raft of nominations for the News Awards, showcasing the national newspaper’s storytelling, investigations and agenda-setting journalism, reports The Australian’s Jack Newman.
The awards, now in their 20th year, celebrate News Corp’ Australia’s most talented journalists, photographers, cartoonists and videographers who have made telling impacts on their communities.
The Australian’s team picked up 13 nominations for the awards, whose winners will be announced on October 22.
The masthead’s national chief correspondent Hedley Thomas and the team of Slade Gibson, national crime correspondent David Murray and editorial director Claire Harvey are nominated for Storytellers of the Year for the gripping true crime investigation podcast Bronwyn, which explores the disappearance of a young mother from her home near Byron Bay in May 1993.
Reporter Paul Garvey’s expose on the Direction 99 immigration visa debacle – which revealed that hundreds of criminals had stayed in Australia via a legal loophole and led to the demotion of then-immigration minister Andrew Giles – has been nominated for Investigation of the Year.
Also up in the Investigation of the Year category is the masthead’s groundbreaking coverage of sexual harassment and abuse allegations at Nine, led by media editor James Madden, Sophie Elsworth and Liam Mendes.
The Australian Business Network’s reporters and columnists, John Stensholt, Eric Johnston and Bridget Carter are competing for the title of Keith McDonald Business Journalist of the Year.
Television
Tony Armstrong addresses Media Watch controversy on last ABC News Breakfast
Tony Armstrong has addressed the moonlighting controversy during his last day as a presenter at ABC News Breakfast, saying he’s “already been done by Media Watch”, reports News Corp’s Clareese Packer.
The former AFL player and Logie winner earlier announced his last day would be Friday after working with the network since 2020, when he joined as a fill-in sports presenter.
The News Breakfast team gave him flowers and a big tin of coffee during his final broadcast, with Armstrong joking he wouldn’t name the coffee brand before back pedalling.
“We won’t name the brand … Actually I don’t care, I’ve already been done by Media Watch — Nescafe!” Armstrong laughed.
Dylan Alcott appeared on ABC News Breakfast on Friday morning where he said he is “very lucky to have (Armstrong) as a friend”, which appeared to make Armstrong emotional.
“People know him as this funny, charming, great, incredibly it is job, but he’s a beautiful person, and I’m very lucky to have him as a friend,” Alcott said.
ABC News Breakfast host Michael Rowland wished Armstrong all the best in a post to Instagram on Friday morning.
“He’s the real deal, and I very much look forward to seeing what’s next for this superstar,” Rowland wrote.
Melissa Leong reflects on MasterChef exit ahead of hosting Dessert Masters
Moving on from MasterChef Australia has given Melissa Leong the time to sample other endeavours, reports News Corp’s Siobhan Duck.
This year she has hosted Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Week, appeared on Play School and examined the healthcare system in the SBS docuseries The Hospital: In The Deep End.
“Obviously, this time last year, we had to really communicate the positivity of the intent of all this,” she says of joining Dessert Masters alongside French-Swiss pastry chef Amaury Guichon while also welcoming Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli as the co-hosts of MasterChef Australia with Andy Allen.
“This is a wonderful expansion for everybody involved, the incoming judges and also myself, to get an opportunity to expand my world while remaining part of the MasterChef family … And then I get to go and do a whole lot of other things as well.”
Leong relishes broadening her horizons as a presenter and teases that there are more surprises to come.
“All will be revealed soon, but I am working on another show,” she says.
Unlike MasterChef Australia, which puts home cooks to the test in the kitchen, Dessert Masters offers professional pastry makers, confectioners and bakers the chance to win $100,000.
Radio
‘I blame everyone in Melbourne’: Kyle Sandilands unleashes after KIIS FM ratings flop
Horror radio ratings have triggered a Kyle Sandilands tantrum with the KIIS FM breakfast host lashing out at Melburnians describing them as “pearl clutchers” who love “the shitshow” that “we a—holed,” reports News Corp’s Fiona Byrne.
In an outburst unlikely to win him any more fans down south, Sandilands reacted to feedback from a listener on Thursday, who criticised the number of games played during his show, and let rip, blaming management and Melbourne listeners for the boring content.
“This is senior management again, butting their nose in, ‘Oh, here’s a great idea, let’s bring games on that we did 15 years ago’,” Sandilands said.
“And you know, because of the lacklustre ratings and — I blame everyone in Melbourne. It is your fault, you are late to the party, you are pearl clutchers, you all love the shit show that used to be on here that we a—holed, after years of shit — a—holed them over to Nova.
“They got one month of number one and now they are starting to go back down the gurgler again, but everyone keeps (a long censoring beep) … over it.
“If you want to listen to shit, listen to shit, that is fine by me.
“At the end of the day he is a ranga from Brisbane, he is not even a Melbourne guy, so who is the joke on? Pests.”
Radio ratings for 2GB were reaudited after horror period for Sydney’s station
Radio ratings firm GfK requested that the latest survey results in Sydney be scrutinised again before they were made public after significant falls were recorded by Nine Radio’s flagship station 2GB, reports The Australian’s Sophie Elsworth.
Sources told The Australian that GfK – who has been responsible for the results since 2013 – in a rare move requested that the independent auditor review the results for the Nine Radio station after many programs shed tens of thousands of listeners.
The independent auditor, Dr Rob Hall, who audits the results of every survey was asked by GfK to review the results for a second time before they were released last Tuesday however, it is understood he was not given any reasons about why they needed to be reviewed again.
A CRA spokesman said: “Every survey is reviewed as a matter of due diligence to ensure the ongoing integrity of GfK Radio 360 as our industry’s ratings system. This is nothing unusual.”
See also: Nine Radio’s Greg Byrnes on the future of 4BC, 2GB’s tumble and 3AW’s survey six success
Sports Media
Channel 10 sacks chief sports presenter and Wallabies legend Matt Burke
Rugby union legend Matt Burke has been sacked by Channel 10 as chief sports presenter, reports News Corp’s Phil Rothefield.
The former Wallaby fullback was informed last Friday of the network’s decision. He will finish up in December.
Burke has been presenting sport on the nightly news for more than a decade and is the network’s most respected sporting voice.
Channel 10 spokesperson thanked Burke for his 11 years of service at the network. “After more than a decade, Matt Burke, sports presenter for 10 News First Sydney will be departing the Network at the end of the year,” the statement reads.
“Matt joined Network 10 in 2013 as an expert commentator for the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia and a few months later was appointed as the permanent sports presenter for 10 News First Sydney.
“Matt fronted all of Network 10’s Rugby broadcasts from 2013 until 2019 and was integral in the Network’s live coverage of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Burke declined to comment when contacted on Monday afternoon and it is understood the decision was made due to cost cutting.”
However, another senior Ten employee, speaking on the condition of anonymity, spoke of the shock within the sports department. “He’s been treated terribly,” the employee said, “Everyone loves Matty at Channel 10.
Grand Final Buzz: Ray Hadley, John Gibbs feud erupts
There’s nothing like a good old media stink on grand final day, reports News Corp’s Phil Rothfield.
Some serious aggro erupted in the broadcast area of Accor Stadium when veteran 2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley found himself in the same room as his long-time enemy, the ABC’s John Gibbs. Hadley hasn’t spoken to the former Manly halfback since he abruptly left the Continuous Call team 22 years ago. “He got life,” Hadley said. “And he knows why.”
On Sunday Gibbs daringly called out aloud, “Hello Ray” to which Hadley replied, “Stop wasting your breath.”
Nasty stuff!
[As Rothfield signed off for the year on Sunday, he told his readers]
That’s it for another season of the greatest game of all. Your columnist is taking an extended break. Stay safe and catch you all next year.
Kane Cornes not yet dead and buried at Channel 9
Kane Cornes hasn’t farewelled Channel 9 just yet despite a mock funeral being held for his last show, reports News Corp’s Jackie Epstein.
The commentator who is switching to Channel 7 next year appeared to have signed off after the Sunday Footy Show last weekend.
But he is “back from the dead” to front three more shows for Channel 9.
The network is putting on a trade edition of Footy Furnace for the next three Sundays.
Cornes has been called on to appear alongside Tom Morris, Damian Barrett and Jimmy Bartel.