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By Kruti Joshi

The show is streamed live on Whooshka and Facebook Monday to Wednesday and presented by well-known columnist Miranda Devine.

Mediaweek recently paid a visit to the News Corp building in Sydney to see how it all comes together. The third floor of the building is home to The Daily Telegraph and a small TV studio facility that was temporarily used by Sky News Business while its new state-of-the-art facility was being built on the ground floor of the News Corp building. The compact studio space features two control rooms, a small vanity room and the actual studio space with multiple cameras surrounding the desk. The facility is now used to film and produce Miranda Live as well as a host of other podcasts and shows coming from The Daily Telegraph.

The show usually has three producers working behind the scenes, but on the day of Mediaweek’s visit, the third producer Chris Bowen was away. The show’s other two producers Dani Pogson and James Morrow seemed frantic.

Bowen and Pogson previously worked at 2GB. The company’s head of strategic planning Zac Skulander told Mediaweek they were recruited by News Corp to make Miranda Live sound and feel like a professional radio show and podcast. Skulander was helping Pogson and Morrow with the show on the day of our visit. Miranda Live is the brainchild of Skulander and The Daily Telegraph editor Christopher Dore.

Top photo: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull with Miranda Devine

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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.

For the first time ever with the launch of a new, local production on Foxtel, viewers will be able to binge-watch the entire series with all episodes available to stream on Foxtel Now, On Demand, and on internet-connected iQ set-top boxes.

The series will also screen weekly with episodes every Sunday night at 8.30pm on showcase.

• Foxtel’s big day out: World premiere of FMA’s Picnic at Hanging Rock

Brian Walsh, Foxtel’s executive director of television, said: “Picnic At Hanging Rock has generated incredible buzz since we commenced production over a year ago. Now that the telecast is imminent, we are delighted to announce that Foxtel subscribers will be able to watch the series in its entirety from May 6.

“This is the first time that we will drop all episodes at once for a Foxtel original series. We think it’s a great message. We are putting customers first and giving them the choice to watch it either weekly on a Sunday night or all at once and any time it suits them. It really is gifting the scheduling to the viewer and letting them decide what suits. This is the way the world is watching drama,” he said.

“Foxtel is incredibly proud of this groundbreaking event series and we’re sure viewers will embrace the brilliant performances and superbly crafted six episodes that re-imagine an iconic Australian story.”

Picnic at Hanging Rock is a FremantleMedia Australia production made with key production investment from Screen Australia. The series was shot in Victoria with the assistance of the Victorian Government through Film Victoria and has already garnered global attention with Amazon Prime Video in the US, BBC for the UK, Canal+ in France and SKY New Zealand’s premium entertainment channel SoHo, all set to premiere this year.

A re-imagining Joan Lindsay’s iconic novel, the series stars acclaimed British actress Natalie Dormer along with Australian rising stars including Lily Sullivan, Samara Weaving, Madeleine Madden and Ruby Rees.

Picnic at Hanging Rock is a FremantleMedia Australia production for Foxtel.

Executive producers are FremantleMedia Australia’s Jo Porter and Anthony Ellis and Foxtel’s Penny Win.

Script producer and establishing writer is Beatrix Christian with writer Alice Addison, producer Brett Popplewell, directors are Larysa Kondracki, Michael Rymer and Amanda Brotchie.

FremantleMedia International is distributing the series worldwide.

Network Ten is about to premiere the new series of Roseanne (9pm, Monday April 30) and let’s hope it brings them the same success it has had in the US. Let’s face it, Ten could do with some extra ratings points. And they could also do with some new content, especially since they are playing the much-repeated movie Pretty Woman (last seen on Seven) at 8.30pm this Monday.

Back in 1990, when Pretty Woman was the number one movie, Roseanne was the number one show on TV. Now, Roseanne is a massive ratings hit all over again – and it’s still a magnet for controversy because some viewers are mortified that the character of Roseanne Connor is a Trump supporter, just like Roseanne Barr is in real life. One gay journalist even went so far as to pen an article that this would stop him from ever watching the show again. Oh dear, what a short memory some people have.

To recap, Roseanne has always been outrageous, divisive and teetering on the edge of batshit crazy. And being off the air for the past 20 years has not turned her into a different person. Has everyone forgotten those chaotic behind-the-scenes dramas with ex-husbands, sordid family revelations and the constant fights with writers, producers and network heads? Some comedy geniuses (like Jerry Seinfeld) get their work done quietly, but Roseanne – and she is a comedy genius – has always been in everybody’s face.

But doesn’t it say a lot that the entire cast, every last one of them, has come back to work with her again? John Goodman has always been rock solid in defending her desire to make the best show possible, regardless of who on the crew might have been offended in the process. And now, in this post-Trump world, it is the viewers who are offended because a fictional character says she voted for the President.

To take offence must mean nobody understands how comedy, or most television, works best. Great drama and comedy comes from conflict – but characters who agree with each other all the time get boring very quickly. Given how well we remember the Connor family, it makes perfect sense for Roseanne and Jackie (the brilliant Laurie Metcalf) to have had a falling out over the last American election. And it means both get to throw comedy zingers at each other, just as they did for the previous 227 episodes.

And by the way, how can a gay journalist ignore Roseanne’s unbelievable bravery and tenacity in having multiple gay characters on the original series when most shows would barely include a token gay? To do that on American network TV back in the 1990s was really radical and Roseanne is still pushing boundaries this time round.

The first episode features Darlene’s (Sara Gilbert, also an executive producer) flender guid son and DJ (Michael Fishman) now has an African American daughter. That may be confronting for some Trump supporters, drawn to the show because they think it is a safe space to feel some love for their President. And no doubt Roseanne must be chuckling about being able to challenge and educate them all over again. So, welcome back, Roseanne – I don’t agree with your voting choices, but your sitcom choices are sublime.

Commonwealth Games

TVNZ says its Commonwealth Games coverage reached more than 2.9 million people, beating the audience for the 2016 Rio Olympics shown by rival Sky TV. Commonwealth Games coverage on TVNZ channels and streaming drew 2,949,000 compared to 2,651,800 for the Rio Olympics across Sky TV’s main sports channels and its FTA channel Prime TV. TVNZ says there was greater appetite for streamed content shown on demand, with 2.3 million live streams and a total of 49 million viewing minutes from the opening ceremony across the first eight days of competition.

Rugby World Cup TV deal

TVNZ has confirmed a deal with Spark, the dominant Kiwi telco, for joint coverage of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The free-to-air broadcaster will pick up seven live All Blacks games streamed on pay TV via Spark. Chief executive Simon Moutter indicated viewers will be able to watch all games streamed for around NZ$100. The World Cup deal can be seen to be part of a wider association with Spark leading to more sport on TVNZ. Over the years TVNZ has lost most of its sports expertise to Sky and TVNZ got flak on social media regarding presenters, advertising placement and priorities.

Movie Museum

Kiwi taxpayers are being asked to pay $25 million toward the Wellington Convention Centre project that will include Sir Peter Jackson’s movie museum. Jackson’s film interests are a big employer and part of the Wellington economy but a combination of the public and private sector project has some feeling wary. Construction is expected to begin in the 2019/20 financial year for completion in 2022/23. The project has been delayed and is awaiting a finalised agreement between the Wellington City Council and Jackson.

Production spend

Gross revenue from feature film production and post-production in Auckland increased 37% last year to nearly $490 million, according to Statistics New Zealand. Auckland’s total screen production – including TV advertising and other sectors – earned more than $1.1 billion in gross revenue in 2017. The number of businesses involved in Auckland’s screen industry grew 9%, according to Starts New Zealand.

NZ On Air appointment

Media funding body New Zealand On Air has appointed an executive to a key new role as head of funding. She is Amie Mills, currently head of digital and children’s commissioning at TVNZ. NZ On Air last year announced a system where it has opened the door to new and converged media outside the main TV networks.

MAFS legal challenge

Legally binding marriages are expected to be scrapped by MediaWorks in the second season of Married at First Sight NZ, the NZ Herald reports. The change – expected to be announced soon – follows a legal challenge to a marriage in the first season. A MediaWorks spokeswoman said the details were still being finalised for the 2018 season.

New NZME board member

Former ASB chief executive Barbara Chapman has joined the NZME board as an independent director. ASB is a wholly owned subsidiary of Commonwealth Bank – Chapman left in February this year.

Headless Chickens shock

Headless Chicken

An award-winning 80s band has created a furore by sprinkling its recently deceased bass player’s ashes on the stage. The Headless Chickens won a prize at the annual Taite Music awards for Independent Music NZ Classic Record Award for their 1988 album “Stunt Clown”. Vocalist Chris Matthews produced a small vial of bandmate Grant Fell’s ashes and sprinkled them on the stage. His wife agreed to the gesture so that Fell could be acknowledged along with the others in the band. High-profile Maori musician Moana Maniapoto said she was “horrified” and that it was “absolutely bizarre”. “[It was] kind of disrespectful to a lot of people in the room. I understand the love they have for their musician but they didn’t give anyone else in the room a choice in the matter,” Maniapoto said.

By John Drinnan

His formative years in radio – working at Radio New Zealand commercial stations in the 80s and 90s – were looking to the US for the direction of the medium.

Nowadays, the US markets are more homogenised with cross-market stars like Ryan Seacrest. As a result of a star like Seacrest, there is less room to develop fresh talent.

New Zealand and Australia are now the strongest radio markets taking a strong share of the advertising spend.

“The key skill putting us there is our ability to develop personality,” Buchanan told Mediaweek.

“The more channels that come on, the more personality.

“The big point with us is human connection with everyday Australians and New Zealanders.”

Before joining DMG Radio (later rebranded as Nova Entertainment) for a 10-year stint in 2000 Nova, Buchanan was a consultant for Sydney-headquartered BPR, focused on Britain and Europe working for private sector stations, but also including work in Australia and New Zealand.

As a teenager cadet he started at Radio Geyserland in Rotorua and wound up working with Nigel Milan preparing the state-owned commercial stations for privatisation sale to The Radio Network. He left TRN as head of brand in 1998, and returned 20 years later as group director for entertainment at NZME – the converged media operation that includes radio, print and digital.

Now Buchanan is ensconced as head of entertainment multimedia converged media operation NZME.

On the face of it there are key differences between New Zealand and Australian markets, Buchanan said, but the character of Kiwis and Australians means the differences underlie the similarities in the approach to emphasising the connection with listeners.

“New Zealand is deregulated with a population of 4.5 million similar to Sydney with 10 stations, while New Zealand is serviced by 300.

“The majority of revenue is agency-driven in Australian whereas in New Zealand it is direct and driven by small to medium enterprises.”

Programming in Australia is also different. “They are not as defined as brands as they have to be here.

“New Zealand has developed as two big radio operations, converged. NZME is a combo of radio, print and digital, MediaWorks is radio and TV while Australian media was more about silos.”

Buchanan believes that – after years of speculation about change to ownership rules – there will be a significant impact on the industry across the Tasman.

In this country the high concentration of cross-media ownership has led to convergence.

Buchanan returned to New Zealand overseeing radio as part of Jane Hastings’s makeover of APN News and Media here, as NZME converged three sectors.

He says that there is a different starting point for content.

“With NZME we will start with content and target audience and work out what is the right channel. We will look at the content and the target audience – what is on radio, what is on video and social,” he said.

“Here we do not have the marketing budgets we have in Australia and that really forces creativity. You need to become good at finding interesting, clever and intriguing ideas that do not necessarily cost a lot of money.

“It’s the old Number Eight wire thing,” he said, referring to a cliché that New Zealanders make do by innovating.

“It is something Australians do not get – the ability to do things with fewer resources. They do get it in Australian regional markets though.”

LUMO offers New Zealand’s best digital billboard technologies in premier locations. Its leading-edge, large-format LED displays and smart features include branded WiFi, beacons, integrated content management systems, web browsing advertising, and real-time traffic analysis.

Phil Clemas

LUMO is New Zealand’s fastest-growing digital outdoor company and is on track to become the largest digital out-of-home business in Auckland. By November the company will have more than 20 premium digital billboards operating in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Christchurch, and Wellington will come online in early 2019.

With the addition of LUMO, WeThinkMedia’s New Zealand division now offers a one-stop shop for Australian advertisers seeking to reach the vibrant New Zealand market with TV, radio, video-on-demand and online through MediaWorks New Zealand, and now digital out-of-home with LUMO.

LUMO CEO Phil Clemas said: “LUMO is 100% digital outdoor-focused and gives advertisers the edge in digital outdoor communications through our high-resolution smart billboards, premium inner-city locations and leading-edge software, providing an uninterrupted consumer experience.

“WeThinkMedia’s extensive relationships with Australian media agencies and advertisers ideally place it to convey the advantages and value LUMO delivers.”

Jane Stucci, WeThinkMedia’s head of sales, said: “With LUMO’s stunning smart billboard technologies joining our portfolio, WeThinkMedia’s suite of New Zealand campaign assets now spans television, radio, online and digital out-of-home.

“The Kiwi market represents great opportunities for Australian brands, and WeThinkMedia offers the easiest way to achieve them.”

WeThinkMedia’s founder and director Peter Wiltshire added: “We welcome LUMO to our growing roster of New Zealand media owners who are seeking a higher profile and position with Australian advertisers looking to reach a valuable audience.

“We’re looking forward to working with Phil and the LUMO team to build its inbound business from Australia.”

LUMO joins WeThinkMedia’s client portfolio as the business continues to expand, having recently won exclusive Australian advertising representation rights for the athlete-to-fan digital marketing business, 20FOUR. To accommodate its growing team, WeThinkMedia recently moved to new offices in Lavender Bay and will announce additional key hires soon.

The business celebrates its first anniversary this month, having launched in April 2017 with MediaWorks New Zealand as its foundation client.

By James Manning

Seven

Three Home and Away episodes went back to back from 7pm. After three nights over 700,000, the Thursday omnibus did 646,000.

First Dates UK then did 72,000 in Sydney while The Front Bar did 169,000 in Melbourne, narrowly out-rating the AFL Footy Show.

The Thursday movie was 2014’s Bad Neighbours with 153,000 watching.

Nine

A Current Affair paid tribute to one of the most-loved broadcasters from the Nine family, Darrell Eastlake, with 737,000 watching.

Thursday night NRL featured Bulldogs v Roosters with 374,000 watching (200,000 in Sydney and 134,000 in Brisbane).

The Footy Show did 158,000 in Melbourne and 70,000 after the game in Sydney.

TEN

Rebel Wilson was guest-hosting on The Project and they saved the best to after 7pm when she spoke about the Bauer Media court case. The episode was disappointing though with 438,000.

Team Jane was again the winner on Show Me The Movie! with help from guest team members Angela Bishop and Jason Byrne. The episode did 423,000 after 373,000 a week ago.

After 8.30pm the first of two episodes of Law & Order: SVU started with its familiar introduction:

“In the criminal justice system, sexually based offences are considered especially heinous.

In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.”

Both episodes were from series 19. The first from earlier this year featured Wayne Knight in a guest role, an actor better known to many as Newman from Seinfeld.

The two episodes did 289,000 and 243,000.

ABC

Two good drama servings with Kiri at 8pm on 411,000 followed by episode two of Wentworth on 201,000.

The funny stuff was on ABC Comedy with the ethnic violence episode of Frontline at 8.30pm with 72,000 watching. The week’s final episode of Tonightly was on 55,000.

SBS

Great British Railway Journeys went from Nottingham to Leeds with 251,000 watching.

Luke Nguyen’s Food Trail then did 174,000.