Business of Media
Nine chair Catherine West set for re-election at AGM this week
Nine chair Catherine West is expected to retain her position at this week’s annual general meeting, despite widespread misgivings within the company’s senior ranks about her capacity to execute cultural reform across the business, report The Australian’s James Madden and Sophie Elsworth.
West’s position has come under internal scrutiny over the past few weeks, following the release of the findings of the external review of Nine’s workplace culture, which identified issues of systemic bullying, sexual harassment and misconduct in all divisions of the media giant.
Upon the release of the findings of the report, conducted by consulting group Intersection, West said: “The drivers of these behaviours are broad, however the report has told us there is a lack of leadership accountability; power imbalances; gender inequality and a lack of diversity; and a significant lack of trust in the organisation and leadership at all levels of the business”.
A cohort of senior figures at Nine have reservations about West’s suitability to lead the company long-term, given that she has been a member of the board for the past eight years – a period during which a rotten workplace culture went unchecked.
“The perception is that there can’t be renewal while she’s at the helm,” one senior insider told The Australian.
No one was more surprised than Matt Stanton to see him land the Nine job. But is he up to the task?
Matt Stanton is not a household name. But the grey-haired, 55-year-old last month became one of the most influential executives in the country, after being catapulted into running Australia’s largest media organisation, Nine Entertainment Company, which delivers news and current affairs, sport and entertainment to 10 million households daily, reports Nine Publishing’s Anne Hyland.
Not everyone agrees Stanton is the best candidate to lead Nine. “Matt is a decent person. He doesn’t play games. He’ll work very hard. But he’s not going to knock the socks off a media buyer,” said a former media industry executive, who asked not to be named. “They [the board] should be looking for someone stronger. The one thing Nine needs is leadership.”
Stanton’s main rival for the Nine role is said to be Amanda Laing, Foxtel’s former chief commercial and content officer. The Nine board is keeping tight-lipped on the CEO recruitment process. For now, Stanton’s in the job and if the reality of it hasn’t sunk in yet, it will by Thursday when he confronts what’s expected to be a heated annual general meeting with Nine shareholders.
Those shareholders are upset about the management and board turmoil that has engulfed Nine for the past six months, and also about the company’s poor share price performance.
Stanton has time to prove that he is the best candidate to be Nine’s CEO. He’s stepped into the breach at a difficult time, and how he performs over the next few months will determine if he gets the job. Stanton’s faced bigger challenges.
Inside Nine’s marquee in the Birdcage at Flemington’s Derby Day
A team of five reporters contributed to Rear Window coverage of Derby Day in The AFR.
By mid-afternoon, Victorian Governor Margaret Gardner was doing the rounds. At Nine’s marquee, the hosts were given two minutes’ notice she was on the way, and informed of protocol by her security team. She is always to be referred to as “Her Excellency”, they were told. “What, even to her face?” Yes, the team insisted. Nine execs proceeded to talk to her in the third person. “Have you picked a winner today, Her Excellency?” Classic.
Our ultimate employer this year bought the Flemington broadcast rights from Tabcorp and is a new entrant to the Birdcage, its two-storey edifice a crush of TV stars. Near media lawyer Justin Quill and 3AW host Russel Howcroft, chairwoman Catherine West was deep in discussion with former sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins, who is now chairwoman of the Australian Sports Commission (and apparently doing some work for Nine on its cultural issues). Interim Paralympics CEO Cameron Murray also made an appearance, still high on the success of the coverage of the tournament two months ago, as did Victorian sports minister Steve Dimopoulos.
Jefferies Australia chief Michael Stock, who happens to be Nine’s banker, was also seen mingling with West, Andrew Lancaster (who is billionaire Bruce Gordon’s representation on the Nine board) and Nine boss Matt Stanton. There’s been plenty of movement inside Nine of late, most recently the exit of Domain chief executive Jason Pellegrino. Safe to say the group is probably hatching more plans.
SCA struggling to close regional TV sale
Southern Cross Austereo’s plan to sell its regional TV stations before the end of the year is looking shaky, as discussions stall with potential buyers Seven West Media and Network 10, reports The Australian’s James Madden.
SCA chief executive John Kelly announced in August the media company was trying to find a buyer of its regional TV business in “the short-term”, but three months down the track the business appears no closer to a sale.
The struggle to offload the assets was discussed at an unscheduled SCA board meeting last week. In a statement to the ASX last week, SCA said it continued to “actively progress with the sale of its regional television assets”.
On October 9, four cross-party federal senators from Tasmania — Helen Polley, Jonno Duniam, Jacqui Lambie and Nick McKim — co-signed a letter to SCA chairman Heith Mackay-Cruise to express concern about the proposed sale of the company’s TV assets.
The quartet sought assurances from SCA and its “potential purchasers” it would commit to maintain an existing or expanded local news service in the state; that it would film, broadcast and produce from Tasmanian studios; and that it would maintain journalism-related jobs in Tasmania.
A fortnight ago, Mackay-Cruise responded to the letter, stating the company could not guarantee the revival of homegrown TV news bulletins in the regions.
“We share your belief in the importance of a diverse and robust media in Tasmania and indeed in Australia more broadly,” he said. “However, you will also appreciate that, constrained by pre-internet media ownership regulation, regional television is under pressure.”
The moment Musk took the media mogul crown from Rupert Murdoch
Over the past four months, Elon Musk, who is worth an estimated $US268 billion (or 13 Gina Rineharts, put another way), has been wielding his media company to achieve explicit political and economic goals, reports The AFR’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
“The second Trump presidency will be the most fun America has had in a while,” he wrote on X on Thursday. “It’s gonna be awesome!”
He has so far donated about $US120 million to America Pac, a group he founded to support Trump’s election campaign, according to electoral filings.
He has been giving away $US1 million a day, lottery-style, to entice people to sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendment to the US Constitution. He is openly critical of President Joe Biden and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. It is not subtle, but it may turn out to be effective.
“If he [Trump] loses, I’m f—ed,” Musk told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, laughing, in an interview last month. “I have no plausible deniability. I’ve been trashing Kamala non-stop.”
Television
The Block 2024: New property taxes threaten Phillip Island auction plans
Chaos looms for The Block’s 2024 auctions with show insiders warning Victoria’s tough conditions for property investors could scare off some of its most reliable buyers, reports News Corp’s David Bonaddio.
Program regulars have warned contentious land tax increases and a looming short-stay accommodation levy will both sting big-spending investors who have dominated the show’s auctions in recent history.
Wealthy investors have dominated The Block in recent years, with lucrative depreciation of the overcapitalised builds leading to significant tax write offs for landlords.
It’s unlikely The Block will recoup what it has spent on the homes, after splashing $8.758m on the property before pumping millions of dollars into the renovations. If all of the homes sold at the top of their advertised range they would just top $9m.
‘F**king leave’: Brutal end for Block contestant Kylie
There were extraordinary scenes on Sunday’s episode of The Block, as contestants fronted up for the final round of judging of the season, reports news.com.au’s Nick Bond.
But in a brutal end to her time on The Block, contestant Kylie kicked her team of tradies out, railed against the judges and host Scott Cam, then fled into the night barefoot after threatening the show’s crew.
She finished the episode with a promise: She will not return for auction day, even if it means she forfeits any profits from the season.
Here’s how all the drama unfolded …
“Leave”: Kylie kicks out her team
The night before the final reveal, as Kylie, Brad and their team of trades raced to get their garden space ready for judging, Kylie suddenly ordered everyone out of her house.
“F**king leave it, all of you. I want everyone gone, I’m not kidding,” she told them, before instructing her husband to “get them OUT. GET. THEM. OUT. Tell them to leave, I don’t want their help.”
Brad was tasked with going back out to their stunned team of labourers and ordering them to stop work and go home.
Kylie offered a bizarre explanation for the decision to send home their team of helpers: “I just feel like everyone is against us.”
Cameras rolling in Melbourne for Netflix’s sci-fi action film War Machine
War Machine, a $73m sci-fi action film blockbuster, is the first in a bold plan “to bring Hollywood to Melbourne” by acclaimed Australian producer/director Greg McLean and director/writer Patrick Hughes, reports News Corp’s Fiona Byrne.
McLean, who directed the hit Netflix series Territory, and wrote, directed and produced Wolf Creek, and Hughes have set up Huge Film with screenwriter James Beaufort and have a pipeline of international productions they hope to film in Victoria.
War Machine, starring Reacher star Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid, Jai Courtney and Blake Richardson, is the first cab off their rank.
War Machine, which follows a group of recruits of a special operations ranger boot camp who encounter a deadly force from beyond this world, has been filming at the Docklands Studios, Bright, Myrtleford, Oakleigh, Werribee and Laverton over the past eight weeks.
For much of the past fortnight it has been shooting at the RAAF base at Laverton.
McLean said a desire to work in Australia fuelled the creation of Huge Film.
“Patrick and I have both worked overseas, but we both want to be home with our families here and raise our kids here,” McLean said.
Sydney Housewives threaten boycott after altercation, producer Matchbox steps in
Filming of the Real Housewives of Sydney came to an abrupt halt following an altercation on set, report News Corp’s Briana Domjen and Jonathon Moran.
Producers have been forced to undertake some careful editing after an altercation took place between housewife cast members.
After the incident, some women refused to return for the next scheduled date of shooting, meaning producers had to edit the series from what they had already filmed.
The cast members have also threatened to boycott a reunion unless they view the entire season before it goes to air.
The production company creating the second season of the hugely successful reality TV program said production was on track and they had all 10 episodes in the can. It issued a statement yesterday stating they provide a safe working environment for the women.
“We are committed to a respectful work environment and anything that violates our policies is immediately investigated,” a statement issued by Matchbox Pictures read.
Radio
Mix 102.3’s Ali Clarke having second mastectomy, 7News’ Rosanna Mangiarelli to fill in
Adelaide’s Ali Clarke will have more surgery as she continues her brave battle against breast cancer, reports News Corp’s Antimo Iannella.
The popular radio host revealed on Friday that she is having a second mastectomy as a “safety” precaution and will take several weeks off the air.
Seven’s Rosanna Mangiarelli will fill in for Clarke on Mix 102.3’s breakfast show alongside Max Burford, starting on Monday.
Clarke said the decision to have her second breast removed – about three months after her first mastectomy – was about “taking some control back”.
“For us, it’s a safety thing, it’s also a bit of taking control back, more so for the kids because you know I’m doing this without worrying about cancer and everything else,” the mother-of-three said on Mix on Friday morning.
“Even though that’s in the background, but it’s just the choice we’ve made, and we are very, very comfortable with it.”
Sports Media
Matty Johns profile: One of hardest working in media, and with no email or computer
In a profile of Matty Johns, News Corp’s Tyson Jackson calls Johns one of the hardest working guys in the media:
No other sporting media star has a schedule as hectic as Johns. He works on two TV shows, three podcasts, a radio show and writes a column for The Daily Telegraph.
A self-proclaimed “catastrophe”, Johns says none of it would be possible without Trish, his wife of 27 years, managing everything behind the scenes.
Johns says he doesn’t use a computer, email or social media, and Trish is the brains who does “everything”.
“It’s just out of necessity,” Johns says.
“I’m hopeless at everything, and a lot of the time it’s a little chat in my brain.”
For years, Trish also transcribed his Telegraph columns, until Johns discovered the dictation feature on his smartphone.
But, above all else, his biggest focus is family. Welcoming his two retired footballer sons back into his northern beaches home, Johns is learning how blurred the lines are between being a dad and a friend.
With Jack now working on private endeavours and Cooper, 25, a producer on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, Johns is hoping his sons can carve out success in new fields.