Business of Media
ABC ‘obstructing’ Luna Park inquiry
The ABC has been accused of impeding a police investigation after refusing to hand over critical information it claims to have uncovered about the cause of Luna Park’s fatal ghost train fire, reports News Corp’s Steve Jackson.
Police are so frustrated by the broadcaster’s failure to co-operate with detectives working the case that they have asked NSW state coroner Teresa O’Sullivan to intervene, while state Police Minister David Elliott labelled the ABC “morally bankrupt” and “blatantly obstructionist”.
O’Sullivan last month said she would consider ordering a fresh inquiry into the fire, which claimed seven lives when it broke out at the Sydney amusement park in 1979, after the ABC aired a three-part documentary claiming it may have been deliberately lit as part of plot to win an upcoming tender for the right to operate the lucrative harbourside attraction.
ABC’s arrogance fuels outrage over Neville Wran crime link
The ABC documentary on Sydney’s Luna Park ghost train fire, implicating former NSW premier Neville Wran in a cover-up and alleging he was corruptly linked to the criminal underworld, has been broadly condemned. But the ABC has done nothing to correct the record, apologise to Wran’s family or respond to an avalanche of criticism by respected individuals, reports News Corp’s Troy Bramston.
It shows the ABC has become a law unto itself. It is unaccountable and unresponsive. It is contemptuous of any factual criticisms — including those made by former prime ministers and premiers — and has been rude and abrasive when invited to comment on reporting in this newspaper over the past month.
When reporting based on archival documents, government reports, findings and evidence presented to commissions of inquiry, contemporary media accounts and fresh interviews raised serious questions about the credibility of the documentary, the ABC either did not respond, answered with abuse or failed to address specific issues raised.
WIN TV moves in with Nine, reschedules news bulletins with impacts on staff
As WIN TV returns as the regional affiliate for the Nine Network, the broadcaster has announced it will move its weeknight WIN News bulletins to 5.30pm and commence statewide half hour news in Queensland, Victoria and in the western areas of Southern NSW from 1 July.
WIN News in Wollongong, Canberra and Tasmania will continue to be broadcast in its current format in the new timeslot of 5.30pm.
The new statewide bulletins will broadcast into the additional regions of Mackay, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay in Queensland, Orange, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga and Griffith in New South Wales and Albury Wodonga in Victoria. The creation of these bulletins will see WIN employ additional local news gathering staff in these regions.
Starting July 1, the new program line-up will deliver two hours of news and current affairs every weeknight:
5.30pm WIN News
6pm National Nine News
7pm A Current Affair
This change also shifts Who Wants to be a Millionaire to a 4.30pm timeslot each weekday.
WIN Network CEO Andrew Lancaster said: “With this change, WIN News bulletins in Queensland, Victoria and western areas of Southern NSW will be state bulletins delivering the most important local stories from all of our regions across the respective states.
“The move to state based bulletins in Queensland and Victoria will result in a reduction in news gathering staff in these regions as well as in the news production facility in Wollongong.
“As is always our priority, WIN will make every attempt to redeploy, second or retrain any impacted employees to suitable, alternative employment within the WIN Group.
“We will be working through a process over the coming weeks to determine the resources, skills and experience required to continue to gather and tell local stories in the State bulletins.
“WIN has always prided itself on delivering local news and whilst some of these changes are impactful, the statewide WIN News bulletins will be telling local stories across more regional communities with the most important stories of the day,” Lancaster said.
Amazon in negotiations to buy MGM in megadeal
MGM Holdings, whose storied studio boasts one of the largest Hollywood film and TV libraries — including the iconic James Bond franchise — is in negotiations to be acquired by Amazon, according to a May 24 Wall Street Journal report citing unnamed sources. The newspaper says a deal figure could be “almost $9 billion,” and talks are advanced enough that a deal could be unveiled “as early as this week,” reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Mia Galuppo.
It has long been rumored that the tech giant was a top suitor for the studio, which emerged from bankruptcy in 2010. (Apple had also been seen as a potential buyer, and sources tell THR that NBCUniversal was also in the mix.) MGM’s top shareholder is Anchorage Capital, run by former Goldman Sachs exec Kevin Ulrich, who leads the studio’s board of directors and is said to be spearheading the deal. In December 2020, it was reported that MGM had enlisted Morgan Stanley and LionTree LLC to advise on a sale.
AT&T CEO says it was “time to unleash” WarnerMedia in Discovery deal
WarnerMedia and the telecom operations of AT&T benefited each other, but the conglomerate lacks the global reach necessary to build a successful streaming business, AT&T CEO John Stankey said on Monday, a week after its entertainment arm unveiled a mega-deal to merge with Discovery Inc, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s George Szalai.
Speaking during the virtual J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference, Stankey said that AT&T found that “our distribution muscle helps the media assets that we have,” arguing that “HBO Max would not be where it is today if not for the strength of the two combined companies.”
But in the streaming age “what’s become clear is that the opportunity for direct relationships with customers is truly going to be a global opportunity,” while most of AT&T’s connectivity focus is on the U.S. So AT&T concluded that it was “time to unleash the media assets” to let them go after a multi-hundred million subscriber opportunity via the merger with Discovery, which has global reach. He called the deal “really attractive,” saying it would create synergies that can “fund this growth” with a “deeper content library.”
Screen Queensland confirms new Netflix feature coming to Aussie Hollywood
True Spirit, the much-anticipated screen adaptation of Jessica Watson’s record-breaking solo circumnavigation of the world, will be produced by Netflix in Queensland with backing from the Queensland Government via Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy.
Estimated to return more than $24 million to the state economy and create more than 300 jobs for Queensland cast, crew and extras, the movie will be filmed at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast and various locations throughout South East Queensland and Sydney.
Starring Australian Teagan Croft (Titans, The Osiris Child) as Jessica Watson, the film will follow the adventurer’s amazing 210-day journey, setting sail from Sydney on 18 October 2009 and charting the exhilaration and peril of Watson’s historic sailing odyssey.
Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich said that Jessica’s story, retold for screen, will appeal widely, with classic themes of bravery and determination as her character battles the elements to make history and prove the sceptics wrong.
“Jessica’s story is one of courage, skill and resilience, against all odds and at times grave danger, and for that reason I believe True Spirit will strike a chord with audiences across Australia and the world.
“After a highly successful shoot on Escape from Spiderhead, Screen Queensland is delighted to welcome Netflix back to Queensland for this epic movie about a well-loved Australian hero.”
On the Gold Coast currently, Academy Award-winner Ron Howard is directing Thirteen Lives — about the Thai soccer team cave rescue — and Amazon Original The Wilds (Season 2) is filming at Village Roadshow Studios, while later this year Matchbox Pictures’ Irreverent will film in Far North Queensland.
Meanwhile, reality TV juggernaut Australian Survivor (Season 6) is in production in Cloncurry, outback Queensland, Universal Studios Group’s Joe Exotic has moved on to the lot at Screen Queensland Studios in Brisbane, and George Clooney and Julia Roberts will star in Ticket To Paradise filming in The Whitsundays, the Gold Coast and Brisbane.
Christian Porter lawyer has ‘confidential’ information on ABC witness’s ‘weaknesses’, court documents claim
Christian Porter’s high-profile barrister has “confidential” information that would give her an insight into the “strengths, weaknesses, honesty, knowledge and beliefs” of one of the ABC’s witnesses in its defamation defence against the former attorney-general, documents submitted to the federal court claim, reports Guardian Australia’s Michael McGowan.
Ahead of next week’s hearing into whether defamation specialist Sue Chrysanthou SC can be blocked from acting for Porter in his high-stakes case against the ABC, a swathe of documents published by the federal court on Friday laid out the case against the silk by a close friend of the woman who accused Porter of raping her three decades ago.
Jo Dyer, who was a debater with the woman in the late 1980s, claims Chrysanthou has a conflict of interest because of a meeting the two women had late last year in relation to coverage by the Australian newspaper of an ABC Four Corners episode Dyer appeared in.
News Brands
BBC calls Princess Diana interview scandal “profoundly sobering period,” launches editorial review
The BBC has described the recent fallout from the scandal that has erupted over its landmark 1995 Princess Diana interview a “profoundly sobering period” and has vowed to closely examine its editorial practices, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Ritman.
In a lengthy statement made Monday, just four days after an investigation led by Lord Dyson into Martin Bashir’s Panorama interview with the Princess found that the broadcaster “fell short of the high standards of integrity and transparency which are its hallmark,” the BBC said it accepted the report’s findings in full and “reiterate the apology we have offered to all those affected by the failings identified.”
It added: “We recognise the impact that the events it describes has had on so many people, not least those whose lives were personally affected by what happened.”
Nine News Sydney forced off air midway through due to ‘technical issues’
Nine News Sydney viewers were suddenly left watching the Melbourne nightly news after technical issues forced the NSW bulletin off air, reports News Corp’s Sophie Elsworth.
Newsreader Peter Overton was reading the 6pm Sydney bulletin on Monday before he was interrupted.
Nine switched to broadcasting the Melbourne news to NSW viewers.
After several minutes the Sydney bulletin returned, with sports presenter Cameron Williams on screen.
Williams sat silent for a few seconds before making a joke about the technical mishap.
AFR appoints economics correspondent
Ronald Mizen has been appointed economics correspondent for The Australian Financial Review.
Mizen first joined the Financial Review in 2016 and worked as an online news editor and national reporter before his new appointment.
Radio
ARN celebrates 40 years of real music with new ad campaign
ARN’s Perth Gold network station is celebrating its 40th birthday with a new ad campaign.
Drawing on the station’s 40 year history as the home of “real music”, the creative campaign shows the pleasure that music can bring the audience. A great song can transport you back to good fun times, full of wonderful memories.
96FM’s managing director Gary Roberts said, “Real music has always been the core of who we are at 96FM. We have a rich 40-year history of real music in Perth and this new TVC embodies that and the good times we deliver to our listeners.”
ARN’s marketing rirector Donna Gordon said, “The iconic track accompanying the new TVC complements everything that is at the heart 96FM. The collaborative process with our agencies worked exceptionally well and this final result is an exciting new creative direction for the 96FM brand.”
The launch of this campaign is part of ARN’s marketing rollout across Perth with activity across TV, BVOD, large format, digital and social and street posters for 96FM.
Watch the new ad here.
Sports Media
More tributes for Bob Fulton from Trevor Long and sports and media colleagues
Following the death of former NRL play and coach Bob Fulton there were former tributes from those he had worked and played with across his career. Following his years as a player and coach for Manly, Fulton had a long career with radio 2GB and its weekend rugby league programs.
Kayo yesterday dedicated a section of its streaming platforms to classic NRL matches featuring Fulton.
Long-time 2GB Continuous Call producer Trevor Long shared this memory on the weekend:
“Bob Fulton was a Rugby League immortal – this means he was one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. I didn’t know that when I started working with Bob in 2001, to me he was just a funny ex-footballer on the Talking League team I was working on, answering the phones and writing sports updates.
“Over the course of eight years, we worked together every weekend during the Rugby League season, and had an absolute blast. He called me Standby. Because he’d ask me a question, mostly about a player, coach or administrator, and I’d say “standby” while I looked up who or what it was, and then was able to find them for him or get an answer. You see, I didn’t really follow Rugby League, I was just a passionate fan of radio, and loved producing the show, it was hardly a sports show let’s be honest:).
“When I finally admitted I wasn’t a League fan he didn’t bat an eyelid, he respected the work I did as the executive producer of the show.
“I visited his farm in remote NSW a few times, one such occasion he was up for contract negotiations. We did his three-year radio deal in the car driving around the farm, and the detail while on the drink at the farmhouse. He was a man of his word, he was loyal, and he was kind and generous.
“To his amazing wife Anne, my love and thoughts today and over the days ahead. To Scott, Brett, Kristie and their families, I’m thinking of you all.”
See more coverage of his years at 2GB here.
Photo: 2GB’s Bob Fulton at an OB in Singleton NSW with Trevor Long holding his son Jackson (right) and 2GB regular Darryl Brohman.