Tuesday September 25, 2018
Keith Urban returning home to host 32nd Annual ARIA Awards
ARIA has commented that Urban’s unprecedented history as a multiple ARIA and Grammy Award-winning artist make him the natural choice as host of the 32nd Annual ARIA Awards, a role he is undertaking for the first time.
Keith Urban said, “I’m really looking forward to coming home and celebrating an incredible year of Australian music. There’s been so many impressive releases this year, it’s gonna be a tough competition but we get to recognise and honour the best of the best at Aussie music’s night of nights.”
The singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer is no stranger to the ARIA charts with a total of 14 ARIA Platinum-selling singles and albums, earning him a total of five ARIA Awards.
After nine full-length studio albums, Keith Urban has sold millions of albums, songs and tickets worldwide. His success in the US has been stellar, securing 24 career Number Ones in the US, four Grammys, 12 CMA Awards, 11 ACM Awards, four AMAs, and a People’s Choice Award among his growing list of accolades.
Dan Rosen, chief executive for ARIA, said: “ARIA is honoured and excited to welcome back superstar Keith Urban to join us in Sydney to celebrate the 2018 ARIAs. To have one of Australia’s biggest stars host this year’s ceremony is just phenomenal. Australian music fans are in for a real treat.”
The 2018 ARIA Awards also sees the return of Swarovski as the ARIA Official Red Carpet Partner.
The Australian music industry’s biggest night of celebration will again be in Sydney on Wednesday November 28, 2018 with coverage on the Nine Network.
Sports Week: Weekend crowds & Mark Howard’s move to Fox Cricket
Brownlow Medal
The telecast of the 2018 ceremony was exclusive to Seven and 7mate around Australia on Monday night and was hosted again by Bruce McAvaney.
The national audience across Seven and 7mate was 1,141,000 with a metro crowd of 895,000 and 246,000 in regional markets.
The average Melbourne audience was 544,000 with a peak over 600,000 just before 10pm. The other metro averages:
Sydney 38,000, Brisbane 37,000, Adelaide 129,000 and Perth 147,000.
The national audience watching the red carpet coverage was 813,000 (metro 633,000 and regional 180,000).
NRL Ratings
The two finals to decide the grand finalists in the NRL and NRLW screened on Nine and 9Gem and Fox League on Friday and Saturday.
Friday: Storm v Sharks
Nine national average audience 1.072 million (Metro: 675,000 / Regional: 397,000)
Fox League national average audience 345,000
Friday: Women’s NRL Broncos v Warriors
Nine national average audience 34,000 (Metro: 16,000 / Regional: 18,000)
Fox League national average audience 31,000
Saturday: Roosters v Rabbitohs
Nine national average audience 1.189 million (Metro: 776,000, Regional: 413,000)
Fox League national average audience 442,000
Saturday: Women’s NRL: Roosters v Dragons
Nine national average audience 86,000 (Metro: 38,000 / Regional: 48,000)
Fox League national average audience 76,000
AFL Ratings
Seven and 7mate and Fox Footy screened the games around Australia on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Both games were blowouts with the result almost decided by the end of the first quarters.
Friday: Collingwood v Richmond
Seven national audience 1,489,000 (Metro: 1,154,000 / Regional: 336,000)
Fox Footy national average audience: 545,000
Saturday: West Coast v Melbourne
Seven national audience 1,144,000 (Metro: 884,000 / Regional: 260,000)
Fox Footy national average audience: 432,000
State Footy Grand Finals
Australian Rules metro grand finals were held in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth on the weekend and screened on Seven.
VFL
Grand Final match between Casey and Box Hill was watched by 199,000 combined viewers, with 163,000 in Melbourne.
Audience peaked at 344,000 combined viewers (272,000 in Melbourne).
Dominated Sunday afternoon timeslot across all key demos for Seven (including P25-54 and M16-39), delivering a 38.2% FTA channel share for Total Individuals (39.8% for P25-54)
SANFL
The Grand Final match between Norwood and North Adelaide averaged 113,000 viewers in Adelaide.
The match peaked at 178,000 viewers.
Won Sunday afternoon timeslot for Seven across all key demos, delivering a winning 59.3% FTA channel share for Total People and 61.3% for P25-54.
WAFL
The Grand Final match between Subiaco and West Perth averaged 86,000 combined viewers (72,000 in Perth).
Peaked at 130,000 viewers in WA (110,000 viewers in Perth).
Won Sunday afternoon timeslot for Seven across all key demos, delivering a 41.1% FTA Channel share for Total People and 37.8% for P25-54.
Howie Games host moves to Fox Cricket as footy season ends
Mark Howard recently spoke to Mediaweek about how he got into podcasting and he detailed some of the most popular episodes of The Howie Games. He explained AFL footballers and cricketers attract the most downloads.
This week Howard gets to indulge both those sporting passions. He is working with Triple M on Saturday covering the AFL Grand Final. However, bookending that event, he joins Fox Cricket today, commentating at North Sydney Oval in a JLT One Day Series clash and then backs up again for another game the day after the Grand Final in Melbourne.
Read more: Mark Howard on The Howie Games
“The aim of the podcast was to inspire and motivate people with stories about how athletes achieve after suffering hardship along the way,” Howard told Mediaweek.
He was referring in particular to Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton whom Howard got to interview for Network Ten during its coverage of the Australian Grand Prix.
“One reason for the success of the Grand Prix coverage on TEN is it is one of the rare times in television when you can be ‘live’ live. You don’t get to go live for maybe eight minutes or so anywhere else.”
He noted it can be a little embarrassing though when confronting drivers for a live chat if they decline the invitation. “It is also very thrilling because you never know what is going to happen.”
Howard noted that some of the live behind-the-scenes insights viewers get watching Grand Prix coverage will be part of the new Fox Cricket channel.
The channel launched last week and Howard calls his first game today, September 25.
Howard’s first job in sports was on the Formula One circuit and he was a fan of F1 driver-turned-commentator Martin Brundle and his pit lane walks.
Howard’s tips for getting an interview with a sports superstar who mightn’t want to stop for a chat: “Roll up with a big smile on your face and be polite. That is amazing how much that gives me a positive response.”
It doesn’t always work – he once asked Michael Schumacher four times live for an interview only to be turned down each time. “I still get ribbed about that these days,” he admitted.
As he’s a part of the Fox Cricket commentary team, Howard wasn’t sure, when we spoke, about any further work on TEN’s GP coverage.
He has had a long association with Network Ten – close to 10 years.
“I am still contracted to TEN until the end of this year and will be working on its Bathurst and MotoGP coverage. However, they have been kind enough to also let me begin with Fox Cricket for the start of the cricket season.
“After TEN lost the cricket rights they understood it was my passion and they let me go elsewhere, making it work for both TEN and Fox Sports.”
Howard has been on the road for much of the past few summers covering The Big Bash league for TEN. That’s not about to change.
“I got the schedule a few days ago and it’s overwhelming, but tremendously exciting.
“I had never called a Test Match until last year on the radio for Triple M. To have the opportunity to work on the Boxing Day Test is brilliant. It is a dream come true.”
Howard noted he and his daughter recently calculated there will be 55 days of cricket coverage, with travel on a lot of the days either side of those matches.
He’s not complaining though. “If I could only choose one sport to work on it would be cricket. Working with the calibre of the former players on the Fox Cricket team will be outstanding.”
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Photo credit: Shutterstock
Adelaide Radio Day 2: Fiveaa’s David and Will, KG and Cornesy
Fiveaa Survey 5 shares: 10+ 13.1%, Breakfast 14.6%
Cumulative audience: 10+ 156,000, Breakfast 106,000
Fiveaa is the odd one out at Nova Entertainment – a network of Nova and smooth FM music stations around Australia.
However, the Adelaide talk radio station is close to the most consistent performer out of all its stations.
Key to that success is the breakfast show with David Penberthy and Will Goodings. It’s unlike both the 2GB and 3AW breakfast shows, but it’s just as successful in the market with the show #1 at breakfast.
A key part of that success is comedian Jon Blake, who presents hilarious skits on that show, and his own, which poke fun at Adelaide’s finest, including his Fiveaa colleagues.
And it is not just breakfast that tops the charts – the station’s other boasts include Rowey & Bicks with the #1 drive sports show, Jeremy Cordeaux with the #1 position in evenings and Leon Byner with the #1 morning talk show.
Fiveaa station manager Craig Munn said on survey day, “Today is a great result for the entire station and David and Will holding the number one breakfast position reflects all their hard work. Our results across the workday and weekend are brilliant and a true indication of how well-regarded our announcers are by their listeners. I am very proud of all the programs and the team and today’s results are a well-deserved reward for the whole station and to everyone who contributes to the programs.”
Just yesterday the station revealed the iconic partnership of Ken “KG” Cunningham and Graham “Cornesy” Cornes will return to Fiveaa on the Saturday Sports Show, each Saturday at 9am, from Saturday January 26, 2019.
It was an announcement that Jon Blake had some fun with on today’s show too.
For the past 40 years, KG has been an expert sports commentator in Adelaide on both television and radio. He started at Radio 5DN in 1977 and was a broadcaster with the station until 1990. He then moved to Fiveaa in 1991, teaming initially with David Hookes (KG and Hookesy’s Sports Show, 1991-1994) and then with Graham Cornes (KG and Cornesy’s Sports Show, 1995-2008). KG and Cornesy’s Drive Sports program dominated the Adelaide airwaves for over 13 years. The duo were synonymous with covering all sport, especially South Australian teams, and the return of their partnership will see all the passion and parochialism of everything sport on Saturdays on Fiveaa.
Craig Munn said this week, “We are really excited to bring this iconic South Australian duo back together on the airwaves in 2019 and are thrilled that Ken is returning home to Fiveaa.”
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Top Photo: David Penberthy and Will Goodings
Interview: Behind BBC’s decision to cast the first female Doctor Who
By Kruti Joshi
Whittaker became the first female actor to play the Doctor and she was introduced to fans in that role in the closing moments of Twice Upon A Time, the 2017 Christmas special.
The person looking after BBC’s investment in that show is its director of scripted content (drama, comedy and children) Liam Keelan. In a recent chat with Mediaweek, he revealed the decision to cast Whittaker as the Doctor belonged to lead writer and executive producer Chris Chibnall.
“He took on the mantle of showrunner after Steve Moffat left. He had his own vision for the show. A part of that was regeneration and the idea that it should be a female as the new doctor,” Keelan said. “How he came to the decision is that he knew Jodie really, really well from working with her on Broadchurch.”
You might also like: Why Australia is an important market for BBC Studios
Chibnall is notable for his work on Broadchurch and Torchwood. Prior to becoming the showrunner on Doctor Who, he’d written for the show too.
Whittaker playing the Doctor will help the long-running BBC series tap into new audiences. “Doctor Who will always appeal to a really broad audience. It appeals to different audiences in different countries,” Keelan said. “It plays very successfully in the US to a slightly older male audience whereas in the UK it tends to be a broad family audience that comes to it.”
Keelan has seen the first episode from season 11 of Doctor Who. “Jodie completely inhabits that role in a way that absolutely makes sense. It’s wonderful to see her playing the Doctor so well.”
The show is screened on ABC in Australia. The public broadcaster has an agreement with BBC to screen Doctor Who locally for the life of the series.
The upcoming season will have 10 standalone episodes, each 50 minutes long. The first episode will premiere in the UK on October 7, 2018. It will be available on ABC’s iview in Australia immediately after its first broadcast in UK. The new season will premiere on ABC’s primary channel on October 8 at 5.45pm.
ABC’s other departure: Alastair McKinnon new MD of Matchbox Pictures
McKinnon takes on the role following the move of Chris Oliver-Taylor to FremantleMedia Australia, a role he started last week.
McKinnon, executive producer of Glitch and Harrow, joins Matchbox from the ABC, where he was most recently head of content investment and planning.
McKinnon said: “I am thrilled to join the extraordinary team at Matchbox with its unparalleled track record for creative excellence and innovation in delivering award-winning content. The opportunity to lead this outstanding company through its next phase of growth in the global marketplace is one I simply could not refuse.”
Based in Sydney, McKinnon will oversee all strategic and operational aspects of Matchbox. His remit will include expanding the company’s global footprint, by fostering creative and commercial opportunities across international markets, working with parent company NBCUniversal International Studios and partners such as founding member, Tony Ayres and his new production company TAP.
McKinnon joined ABC in 2015 as deputy head of fiction, before being promoted to acting head of the division just a year later. He oversaw the development and production of a number of hit domestic and international shows including Mystery Road and Matchbox’s award-winning drama Glitch.
Prior to ABC, McKinnon was head of business affairs at SBS Australia. He has also held senior strategic, policy and legal roles at Screen Australia, Ausfilm and the Australian Film Commission.
Jeff Wachtel, president of NBCUniversal International Studios, said: “In Alastair, we believe we’ve found a visionary leader to take Matchbox to even greater achievements. Matchbox was founded as a creative enterprise and we will always honour its guiding principles as we work with the entire team to broaden the company’s reach in Australia and beyond.”
McKinnon joins Matchbox Pictures in December.
Nova 100 breakfast to hit the road for AFL grand final
Presenter Jonathan Brown is a former Lions captain. He has played 256 games, scored 594 goals and has won three premierships. Brown is also a Fox Sports commentator and On The Couch panellist. Sam Pang is the co-host of Seven football show The Front Bar. Nova labels the pairing of Brown and Pang as “a match made in football heaven”.
Footy correspondent Bernie Vince will join the Nova 100 breakfast team as co-host for the special broadcast. Vince recently announced he is hanging up his boots after 229 games at Adelaide with the Demons.
Other personalities confirmed to join Chrissie, Sam and Browny are Peter Helliar, Richmond footballer Jack Riewoldt and Titus O’Reily, as well as Jason Dunstall, Robert “Dipper” DiPierdomenico, Joffa and the Bulldogs’ banner writer, comedian Danny McGinlay.
Listeners to the show are invited to come down and enjoy the outside broadcast. In addition, the show’s VIP winners will be treated to special seating, coffee and breakfast, while all listeners will have the chance to win a share of the cash pool in the $10K Cash Kick competition.
Former Virgin Mobile CEO joins oOh! as chief customer officer
oOh! said Scribner, one of the few former chief marketing officers who was elevated to CEO, brings proven experience in developing and leading customer-centric organisations in B2B and B2C environments, which beyond Virgin Mobile also included Optus, Nestlé and most recently True Local.
oOh! CEO Brendon Cook said the company recognised 18 months ago the need for a chief customer officer in order to lead revenue generation and support the business strategy that oOh! started developing in 2012 to evolve the traditional out-of-home company by 2020.
“We have been busy pulling everything together: From introducing powerful new data sets, to enabling advertisers to better reach and target their audiences, to introducing content across our inventory, to growing our existing network of classic and digital inventory while creating new opportunities for consumers to engage with advertisers at the right scale,” Cook said.
“To support this, we identified that we needed to change the way we engaged with our various customers. Our advertisers, agency customers and our property partners had changing needs and at the same time government and consumers’ expectations of out-of-home as a public space medium were also changing rapidly.
“It was clear that we needed to further instil a customer-centric lens to our business and as such we undertook an extensive global search to find a chief customer officer, a role that we kept evolving during the recruitment process.
“With the support of a selection committee also comprising our chairman Tony Faure and board member Joanne Crewes – who has proven global brand marketing and business leadership expertise – David was a clear standout from a field of high-quality candidates as the best person to help us continue to drive our transformation to a customer-centric organisation.”
Scribner’s role will be to help advertisers and property partners engage with audiences more deeply and to bring together key functional areas that directly support media buying clients including: sales, marketing, data and insights, content and creative services and client services.
Cook added while the role had been in the making for some time and was not in reaction to the Adshel acquisition, Scribner would be pivotal in bringing together the two businesses under a unified strategy and approach to market.
Scribner will commence with oOh! on October 8, 2018.
TV Demand Charts: BoJack Horseman season 5 rides into charts
BoJack Horseman has replaced Ozark at the top of the chart in Australia, although the crime thriller holds top spot in New Zealand.
Also new on the Digital Originals charts this week is Netflix’s satire of the true crime genre, American Vandal.
On the Overall TV Show charts, The Sinner has appeared in the top 10 in Australia despite not returning to Netflix here until November after all the episodes have gone to air in the US. BoJack Horseman also makes this chart in both territories.
TV Ratings Analysis: September 25
By James Manning
Breakfast TV watch
Breakfast TV averages metro
Week 38
Sunrise 264,000 (Sydney 74,000, Melbourne 63,000)
Today 230,000 (Sydney 68,000, Melbourne 56,000)
Week 39
Sunday
Sunrise 269,000 (Sydney 80,000, Melbourne 80,000)
Today 223,000 (Sydney 64,000, Melbourne 66,000)
Monday
Sunrise 267,000 (Sydney 73,000, Melbourne 65,000)
Today 231,000 (Sydney 73,000, Melbourne 55,000)
Monday Ratings
Seven
Home and Away started a new week with 523,000 in three markets after a week 38 average of 594,000.
The Brownlow Medal screened on Seven in AFL states and on 7mate elsewhere. The combined metro audience was 895,000. The audience in Adelaide and Perth last year was 985,000 (820,000 was that three-market comparison this year). The audience though was big enough to push Seven out to a big Monday win.
See our Sports Week feature today for more Brownlow Medal ratings.
Sydney and Brisbane viewers got Highway Patrol and then the movie Captain Phillips.
Nine
A Current Affair was on 832,000 after a week 38 average of 759,000.
Up against the Brownlow Medal red carpet and then the start of the voting, The Block was just under 1m after 1.09m on Monday last week. It is guest bedroom and re-do room week on the series.
Doctor, Doctor dropped to 315,000 from three markets against the Brownlow.
TEN
The Project featured Cher, The Barefoot Investor and a cross to Angela Pippos on the Brownlow red carpet with 553,000 watching. The average for the 7pm half of the show last week was 497,000.
Survivor had some tough competition in addition to The Block with 627,000 watching Brian Lake continuing to manipulate the competitors beautifully as Commando became Dead Man Walking.
Have You Been Paying Attention? featured Dr Chris Brown guest-hosting with an audience of 638,000.
ABC
7.30 host Leigh Sales tried to get Michelle Guthrie and / or Justin Milne on the program, but she told viewers neither was available. The episode did 617,000 after a week 38 average of 574,000.
Australian Story then did 667,000 followed by Four Corners on 623,000.
Media Watch covered the departure of Michelle Guthrie with 567,000 watching.
No Q&A last night. Instead a David Attenborough doco, which did 245,000.
SBS
A doco called The Other Prince William did 186,000 at 7.30pm.
However, the 9.30pm screening of 24 Hours In Emergency was the channel’s best with 190,000.
Week 39 TV: Monday
| MONDAY METRO | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven | Nine | Ten | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 12.1% | 7 | 27.1% | 9 | 18.2% | TEN | 11.6% | SBS One | 3.9% |
| ABC 2 | 2.3% | 7TWO | 3.4% | GO! | 2.8% | ONE | 3.9% | VICELAND | 1.3% |
| ABC ME | 0.6% | 7mate | 3.7% | GEM | 2.4% | ELEVEN | 1.9% | Food Net | 0.7% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.0% | 7flix | 1.7% | 9Life | 1.3% | NITV | 0.1% | ||
| TOTAL | 16.1% | 35.8% | 24.7% | 17.4% | 6.0% | ||||
| MONDAY REGIONAL | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Seven Affiliates | Nine Affiliates | Ten Affiliates | SBS | |||||
| ABC | 13.0% | 7 | 19.4% | 9 | 18.1% | WIN | 10.0% | SBS One | 3.1% |
| ABC 2 | 2.3% | 7TWO | 5.0% | GO! | 4.8% | ONE | 4.4% | VICELAND | 1.8% |
| ABC ME | 0.7% | 7mate | 4.7% | GEM | 4.6% | ELEVEN | 1.9% | Food Net | 0.9% |
| ABC NEWS | 1.0% | 7flix | 1.5% | 9Life | 1.7% | Sky News on WIN | 0.8% | NITV | 0.3% |
| TOTAL | 17.0% | 30.6% | 29.2% | 17.1% | 6.1% | ||||
| MONDAY METRO ALL TV | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTA | STV | ||||||||
| 88.1% | 11.9% | ||||||||
MONDAY FTA
- Seven News Seven 1,111,000
- Seven News / Today Tonight Seven 1,093,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 965,000
- The Block Nine 962,000
- Nine News Nine 923,000
- 2018 AFL Brownlow Medal Seven 895,000
- A Current Affair Nine 832,000
- ABC News ABC 702,000
- The Chase Australia Seven 668,000
- Australian Story ABC 667,000
- Have You Been Paying Attention? Ten 638,000
- 2018 AFL Brownlow Medal – Red Carpet Arrivals Seven 633,000
- Australian Survivor Ten 627,000
- Four Corners ABC 623,000
- 7.30 ABC 617,000
- Media Watch ABC 567,000
- The Project 7pm Ten 553,000
- Home And Away Seven 523,000
- Hot Seat Nine 506,000
- Ten Eyewitness News First At Five Ten 416,000
Demo Top Fives
16-39 Top 5
- 2018 AFL Brownlow Medal Seven 271,000
- The Block Nine 252,000
- Have You Been Paying Attention? Ten 235,000
- Australian Survivor Ten 226,000
- 2018 AFL Brownlow Medal – Red Carpet Arrivals Seven 201,000
18-49 Top 5
- The Block Nine 410,000
- 2018 AFL Brownlow Medal Seven 406,000
- Have You Been Paying Attention? Ten 357,000
- Australian Survivor Ten 344,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 285,000
25-54 Top 5
- The Block Nine 468,000
- 2018 AFL Brownlow Medal Seven 399,000
- Have You Been Paying Attention? Ten 377,000
- Australian Survivor Ten 354,000
- Nine News 6:30 Nine 339,000
MONDAY Multichannel
- NCIS E2 (R) ONE 178,000
- Kiddets-AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 176,000
- Go Jetters-AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 170,000
- Sarah And Duck-AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 167,000
- Death In Paradise 9Gem 165,000
- Luo Bao Bei-AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 163,000
- The Big Bang Theory TX2 9GO! 161,000
- Play School-AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 159,000
- The Big Bang Theory TX3 9GO! 155,000
- Peppa Pig-PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 155,000
- Peter Rabbit ABCKIDS/COMEDY 154,000
- Noddy Toyland Detective-PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 153,000
- The Big Bang Theory TX1 9GO! 153,000
- NCIS Late (R) ONE 151,000
- Little Roy-PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 151,000
- Octonauts ABCKIDS/COMEDY 151,000
- Fireman Sam-PM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 148,000
- NCIS (R) ONE 148,000
- 2018 AFL Brownlow Medal 7mate 148,000
- Peppa Pig-AM ABCKIDS/COMEDY 147,000
MONDAY Subscription TV
- Live: AFL 360 FOX FOOTY 82,000
- The Bolt Report Sky News Live 51,000
- Family Guy FOX8 47,000
- The Simpsons FOX8 46,000
- The Simpsons FOX8 45,000
- Live: NRL 360 FOX LEAGUE 43,000
- The Pacific: In The Wake Of Captain Cook History Channel 42,000
- AFL Tonight FOX FOOTY 40,000
- Family Guy FOX8 40,000
- Paul Murray Live Sky News Live 40,000
- American Dad! FOX8 40,000
- Credlin Sky News Live 38,000
- NCIS TVH!TS 36,000
- Jeopardy! FOX Classics 36,000
- Top Wing Nick Jr. 35,000
- Hawaii Five-0 TVH!TS 34,000
- Paw Patrol Nick Jr. 34,000
- Peppa Pig Nick Jr. 33,000
- Outsiders Sky News Live 33,000
- Peppa Pig Nick Jr. 33,000
Shares all people, 6pm-midnight, Overnight (Live and AsLive), Audience numbers FTA metro, Sub TV national
Source: OzTAM and Regional TAM 2018. The Data may not be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) without the prior written consent of OzTAM
Media News Roundup
Business of Media
Michelle Guthrie asked to resign 12 days before her board sacking
ABC chairman Justin Milne and other members of the board including Kirstin Ferguson and Donny Walford were becoming increasingly frustrated by what they believed were her leadership failings, according to people familiar with the conversations.
Attendees at the annual Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery Ball in Canberra on September 12 noted Guthrie and Milne – who were seated at the same table with 7.30 chief political correspondent Laura Tingle and actor Sam Neill – barely exchanged a word.
The day after the Canberra ball, Milne formally asked her to resign.
Guthrie was then told she needed to go for three main reasons: low staff morale; her travel to Singapore [where her husband remained]; and poor feedback from executives working for her.
Stephen Brook: Content execs used to run ABC, they don’t any more
“Michelle clearly favoured and would do what Louise and Helen wanted. There was definitely a feeling of the content blokes and everyone else,” a former executive says. “They used to run the company and they don’t any more.”
Guthrie joins Geoffrey Whitehead and Jonathan Shier as short-lived ABC MDs. Whitehead resigned under pressure, replaced in 1986 by David Hill, who was ABC chairman, while Shier was terminated in 2001 after a disastrous reign and replaced by ABC executive Russell Balding.
Pitfalls of the infatuation with younger audiences and digital platforms
With its focus on food, sex and relationships, family and so on, this lifestyle-focused website lobs into an already crowded space in the market – and does so at the reported cost of 18 journalists, roughly the same number axed from ABC newsrooms earlier in the year as part of Michelle Guthrie’s investment in “digital strategy”.
In short, Guthrie was right to see the need for the ABC to engage a younger audience, and right to embrace the digital platforms she knows so well in a bid to reach them. But she was misguided in disregarding the concerns, needs and likes of its existing audience in chasing the chimera of this new one.
Audience renewal is a challenge for all legacy media. But throwing the baby boomer out with the bathwater is not the way to achieve it.
Justin Milne makes most contentious call, turns spotlight on himself
“I don’t see myself as an interventionist chairman,” Milne, who did not respond to calls on Monday, told Fairfax Media in an interview back in 2017.
A high profile executive who has known Milne for decades describes him as “unbelievably ambitious”.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if he tries to do a David Hill,” this person said, referring to the former executive who served as both chairman and managing director of ABC. “He has enormous self-belief.”
Guthrie: ‘At no point have issues been raised about transformation’
“I am devastated by the board’s decision to terminate my employment despite no claim of wrongdoing on my part,” she said.
“At no point have any issues been raised with me about the transformation being undertaken, the Investing in Audiences strategy and my effectiveness in delivering against that strategy.
“While my contract permits the board to terminate my appointment without cause and with immediate effect, I believe there is no justification for the board to trigger that termination clause. I am considering my legal options.”
Milne and Guthrie differ on plan to spend up to $500m on digitisation
Justin Milne and the board wanted to concentrate on Project Jetstream, a plan to centralise the ABC’s historical recordings and video footage that could cost up to $500 million.
Michelle Guthrie was “cynical” about the ability to pay for the plan, and was focused on the Coalition’s decision to freeze funding for three years at a cost of $84 million, board sources said.
‘Astonishing fail’: Jon Faine slams Michelle Guthrie’s legacy
“The first time I met her I thought she was very charming. She was clearly very smart. By the expiration of the first year it became clear she was only interested in a very small part of what the organisation did.
“She would not take on her role as a champion for this organisation. It’s an astonishing fail on her part.
“She was obsessed with platforms, structures, flowcharts,” he said. “Astonishing. Absolutely astonishing.”
Steve Price: ‘If they sack anyone at the ABC it should be Jon Faine’
“If they sack anyone from the ABC it should be Jon Faine,” commented Steve Price, hosting 2GB and 4BC breakfast this morning while Alan Jones is on leave.
Price then took calls from listeners complaining about left-wing bias at the broadcaster.
Newspaper editorials on departure of the ABC boss
The Daily Telegraph editorial: The ABC endures coup of its own
We look forward to future Four Corners coverage of any ABC conspiracy against the ABC’s managing director.
The Australian: ABC staff show the public who really runs Aunty
In this time of digital disruption, commercial operators – News Corp among them – invest, innovate and cut costs to find ways to make the business of knowledge sharing more relevant and sustainable. Yet through the ABC we see a government-funded behemoth creep into all opportunities, providing free content, risk-free. These issues are being explored by an Australian Competition & Consumer Commission digital platform inquiry. Regardless of debate on quality control and political bias, the ambitions of the ABC board in this area seem to have claimed the scalp of Guthrie. The ABC should focus on content rather than mission creep.
TEG and Roy Morgan launch sponsorship planning & optimisation platform
The partners say the Australian media rights and sponsorship sector is worth more than $4 billion. However, as an increasingly significant marketing and media channel, event sponsorship lags behind the audience science of other media.
Genome Audience Planner brings together TEG Analytics’ audience and live ticketing data of more than 14 million Australians with Roy Morgan Single Source, Australia’s largest consumer dataset for media and channel planning to profile the brand preferences and consumer choices of live audiences across the arts, entertainment and live sports sectors.
Advertisers will be able to optimise sponsorship budgets across paid, owned and earned media, identify gaps and deepen consumer engagement and shape customer experiences.
Geoff Jones, CEO of TEG, parent company of TEG Analytics, says:
“The partnership with Roy Morgan points to the exciting future direction of data analytics in the sport and entertainment sector. It is about intelligent collaboration that combines the power of leading players. That is exactly what we have achieved with the partnership between TEG Analytics and Roy Morgan.”
News Brands
War hero/TV exec Ben Roberts-Smith not being charged after allegations
Six weeks after Roberts-Smith was named in media reports as being the subject of a domestic violence complaint, ACT Police have written to him to advise he has no case to answer.
Last month, he instructed his lawyers to begin defamation proceedings against Fairfax Media after it published a magazine article accusing him of assaulting detainees while a trooper in Afghanistan, bullying fellow soldiers and committing an act of domestic violence against a woman with whom he had been in a relationship.
The story said Roberts-Smith had an extramarital affair with the woman, who subsequently made a complaint following an alleged incident at a Canberra hotel.
Publishing
Yahoo7 Be rebrands to Yahoo Lifestyle: realigns with global branding
Yahoo Lifestyle will more closely mirror the look and feel of the global Yahoo Lifestyle brand, while retaining its local personality and editorial production.
Yahoo Lifestyle ANZ will go live in early October 2018, led by head of lifestyle Aletha Wilkinson, reporting directly to Simon Wheeler, Yahoo7’s director of content.
Simon Wheeler said: “Since launching two years ago, Be has been successful in growing its audience thanks to quality original content focusing on its core areas of real-life, travel, lifestyle and celebrity, all created through a social-first lens.
“The success of Yahoo7 Be since launch is testament to our incredible team of in-house journalists and content creators producing a genuine destination site for this hard-to-reach and valuable demographic.
“Aligning with an international brand like Yahoo Lifestyle offers us a great opportunity to leverage a well-known brand and access exciting developments for our roadmap that will allow us to offer our audience and advertisers something truly unique within a very crowded market.”
Television
TEN reveals Game Of Games timeslot, SCA’s Ash London co-hosting
The Australian version of the game show is to be hosted by TV Week Gold Logie award-winner Grant Denyer and radio personality Ash London.
Originating as a segment on the US daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Game of Games is being branded the perfect light-hearted antidote to a serious week.
Each week, contestants will answer questions under crippling pressure, face free-falls into the unknown and manoeuvre their way through a series of messy and manic obstacles.
Moving through several rounds, these plucky competitors will go to hilarious lengths to ensure they’re the last ones standing.
Games Of Games is a Warner Bros International TV Production – Australia production for Network Ten.
FOX8’s superheroes return with all-new episodes from October
Foxtel has just announced that FOX8 will lead its primetime lineup of action-packed entertainment for Spring/Summer 2018, with express seasons of DC Comics’ Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, The Flash, and all new episodes of Marvel’s The Gifted, airing back-to-back from October, every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Supergirl
Also premiering in October are two of television’s biggest action drama series S.W.A.T. and Chicago Fire, along with a brand new season of Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge on Thursdays, and one of the world’s most popular awards ceremony The 2018 American Music Awards, on October 10.
Starting Monday October 15 at 8.30pm, Supergirl will return to face one her biggest challenges in DC Comics history, after being split in two during season three’s jaw-dropping finale. Season four of Supergirl promises to be full of more surprises and big revelations with the arrival of DC Comics’ first transgender superhero Nia Nal, aka Dreamer, played by transgender activist Nicole Maines.
Cult favourite Arrow, now in its seventh season, will premiere Tuesdays from October 16 at 9.30pm and, in the new season, Oliver Queen will come face-to-face with many of the criminals he placed behind bars, as he makes a new home for himself at Slabside Maximum Security Prison. Teaming up back to back with Arrow from Tuesday October 23 at 8.30pm will be DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. In the season four premiere, The Legends must join everyone’s favourite demonologist, John Constantine, to set history back on track after being infected with Fugitives – magical creatures from myths and fairy tales.
Fans of The Flash were given a huge glimpse into the new season storyline when the much hyped “mystery girl” revealed herself during season four to be Nora West-Allen, aka Barry and Iris’s speedster daughter. All of her secrets will finally be revealed when season five of The Flash premieres Wednesday October 10 at 8.30pm.
All new episodes of Marvel’s The Gifted will premiere on the same night at 9.30pm, and will continue the story of a suburban couple whose ordinary lives are rocked by the sudden discovery that their children possess mutant powers.
Marvel’s the gifted
On Thursdays from October 4 the action-packed reality combat series Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge returns for its second season with a double episode premiere at 8.30pm. Six teams, consisting of five racers each, compete against one another on a mile-long obstacle course with mud, barbed wire, and a slip wall to see who will make it to the final round of the competition in six weeks and take home the $250,000 prize money.
The X Factor: UK, starring new superstar judges Robbie Williams and Louis Tomlinson will continue in its primetime slot at 6.30pm every Saturday and Sunday night, and will lead into the highly charged, crime-fighting drama series, S.W.A.T., from Sunday October 7 at 8.30pm. Season 2 will pick up from the events of last season which saw Officer Jim Street (Alex Russell) plotting revenge after being expelled by Sergeant Hondo (Shemar Moore) for disobeying orders. Following straight after, the firefighters, rescue squad and paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51 will forge headfirst into danger, in all-new episodes of Chicago Fire (October 7 at 9.30pm).
X Factor
October on FOX8 will also see the return of the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, The 2018 American Music Awards, premiering live and first at 11am Wednesday, October 10. Known for its memorable, buzz-worthy moments, this year’s AMAs are tipped to pay tribute to the late Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, while honouring artists in multiple musical genres.
FOX8’s lineup of premium entertainment will continue in November, kicking off on Sunday November 4 at 7.30pm with season four of the workplace comedy series Superstore, followed by the brand new American sitcom Single Parents at 8pm. The hilarious, half-hour comedy drama, starring Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester, will follow a group of single parents who form their own support group as they start dating and begin new relationships.
And airing over three massive nights in December – December 10, 11 and 12 – the DC Universe intersects in the highly anticipated DC crossover event between three of DC Comics’ most popular shows: The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl. Australian actress and rising Hollywood star Ruby Rose will star as the newly cast, lesbian superhero, Batwoman. Armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, the out and proud iconic character will fight for justice on the streets of Gotham to bring an end to the failing city’s criminal resurgence.
Sports stars to count down 1,000 greatest rock songs on grand final weekend
The program will run from 10am, September 28 until October 1.
Foxtel’s group general manager, entertainment & music channels, Fraser Stark said: “MAX is the home of music greats and, across this October Long Weekend, it will also host some of Australia’s sporting greats as it counts down the 1,000 Greatest Rock Songs Ever.
“As we farewell the winter codes and ready ourselves for a summer of cricket like never before, we have assembled an enviable list of sporting legends to lend their voice, their vote and their commentary to Australia’s favourite rock classics. Rock out with sporting superstars all weekend long – only on MAX.”
The roster of sport stars confirmed to appear are cricket legends Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Adam Gilchrist, Mike Hussey, Allan Border, Brendon Julian, Darren Lehmann, Ian Healy, Andrew Symonds and Kerry O’Keeffe, NRL legends Mal Meninga, Justin Hodges, Mick Ennis and Steve Roach, rugby union’s George Gregan, AFL’s Jason Dunstall and Dermott Brereton, Olympian Matt Shirvington, soccer star Robbie Slater and cricket commentator Mark Howard.
Potential replacement for Karl?
Speculation is rife Stefanovic will be dumped by Nine bosses following two years of negative publicity and a horror slump in the show’s ratings.
Despite assurances from Nine chief executive Hugh Marks the network won’t drop their once-bankable star, weekend reports suggest Stefanovic’s axing is imminent, with top-level sources telling News Corp the embattled TV presenter is officially “gone”.
Former Nine weather presenter Ragless heads the short list of possible replacements following a surprisingly successful stint in the Today hot seat during last year’s Christmas period.
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