Business of Media
More talk of changes at the top of Nine Entertainment
The drums are beating more loudly that Amanda Laing will surface at Nine Entertainment as its next chief executive, reports The Australian’s Bridget Carter.
It comes with questions over whether Mike Sneesby remains at the helm of the publisher, broadcaster and streaming service provider after facing criticism over the company’s response to sexual harassment allegations against former news boss Darren Wick.
If Mike Sneesby is replaced, as some have earlier predicted, it’s thought Laing has been singled out as the candidate to replace him at the top of the organisation.
Ex-Seven producer Taylor Auerbach’s defamation threat against News Corp
As soon as the ABC dropped the trailer for its Monday night investigation of workplace culture at Seven West Media, the inevitable flurry of lawyers’ letters began. Now, The Australian has been dragged into the legal muck. And it comes back, as it always does, to Bruce Lehrmann, reports Nine Publishing’s Kishor Napier-Raman.
Monday’s Four Corners episode exposed a series of texts alleged to have been antisemitic and offensive between former Spotlight executive producer Mark Llewellyn and his underling at the program, Taylor Auerbach.
Auerbach became famous for his bombshell evidence in Lehrmann’s Federal Court defamation trial that Seven allegedly paid for sex workers and cocaine to secure a tell-all interview with the former Liberal staffer. Lehrmann and Seven deny the allegations.
Subscribing to a streaming service means you give up any rights to sue, Disney has argued in court
Disney has challenged a wrongful death lawsuit after a 42-year-old New York doctor died in one of its theme parks — arguing signing up for its streaming service means giving up the right to sue it, reports the ABC’s Ahmed Yussuf.
The family of Kanokpom Tangsguan allege that an allergic reaction to a dish at a Disney theme park led to her death last year.
The media giant asked a court in the US state of Florida to throw out the case brought by Jeffrey Piccolo, Tangsguan’s husband, because he had agreed to not sue the company when he signed up for a Disney+ subscription.
Andrew O’Keefe slapped with new charge after alleged intimidation
Disgraced former TV personality Andrew O’Keefe was all smiles as he left court on Thursday, where he was slapped with a new charge as he awaits judgment after appealing convictions for domestic violence, reports News Corp’s Nathan Schmidt.
The former Deal or No Deal host appeared before Waverley Local Court on Thursday charged with intimidation and breaching an apprehended violence order.
The court was told an additional charge of entering enclosed lands without lawful excuse had since been laid by police following the alleged incident on July 28.
Five arrested in connection with Matthew Perry’s death from effects of ketamine
Five people, including Matthew Perry’s assistant and two doctors, were charged in connection with the death of the Friends actor last year, authorities said Thursday, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Alyssa Lukpat.
Perry, who struggled with addiction for much of his life, got hooked on ketamine last fall and died after taking some obtained from a drug dealer, authorities said at a news briefing Thursday. The 54-year-old Perry was found unresponsive in a pool at his Los Angeles home in October.
Podcasts
With $70 this duo grew Australia’s biggest media brand for young women
When Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrews talk, young women – about 20 million of them, if you count the duo’s audience across various platforms – listen, reports Nine Publishing’s Lauren Sams.
Their podcast, Shameless, is consistently in the top 10 in the country; this year, the podcast will hit 100 million lifetime downloads. As women’s magazines have collapsed or struggled to find a foothold in the internet age, Shameless has thrived. By January next year, the company – with just 15 employees (including the two founders) and no outside investors – will offer a podcast every weekday, as well as three newsletters and a robust social media presence.
Television
Jimmy Kimmel says ‘I don’t know if there will be any late-night television shows on network TV in 10 years’
Jimmy Kimmel has been hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live! for 21 years and counting, but he’s not really sure how much longer any late-night talk show will be around. On the latest episode of Gavin Newsom, Marshawn Lynch and Doug Hendrickson’s Politickin podcast, Kimmel looked to the future by saying: “I don’t know if there will be any late-night television shows on network TV in 10 years,” reports Variety Australia’s Zack Sharf.
“Maybe there’ll be one but there won’t be a lot of them,” he added. “There’s a lot to watch and now people can watch anything at anytime, they’ve got all these streaming services. It used to be Johnny Carson was the only thing on at 11:30 p.m. and so everybody watched and then David Letterman was on after Johnny so people watched those two shows, but now they’re so many options.”
Leigh Sales on the bold show that puts 15 autistic students in charge
Amanda Keller is sitting before a group of journalism students fielding questions about everything from her radio career to her stint as a reporter on the TV show Beyond 2000, her IVF struggles and her husband’s Parkinson’s disease. Then comes a question that truly takes Keller by surprise: “What is the last sound you want to hear before you die?” reports Nine Publishing’s Louise Rugendyke.
It’s an extraordinary question and the kind of moment that sums up The Assembly, which features neurodivergent trainee journalism students mentored by the ABC’s Leigh Sales interviewing Australian celebrities.
Sharyn Ghidella will be the new face of Ten News in Queensland after being axed by Seven
Journalist Sharyn Ghidella is making a shock comeback just weeks after Seven News dumped her from her high-profile role in Brisbane, reports News Corp’s Joanne Williamson.
The respected newsreader will join competitor Ten as presenter of Queensland’s 10 News First from next month.
“Returning to 10 News First feels like coming home. Network 10 provided me my first opportunity to work in a metropolitan newsroom and I have nothing but fond memories of my time there in the early 90s,” Ghidella said.
Sports Media
‘Pretty devastating’: Raygun breaks silence on Olympics controversy
Australian breaking athlete Rachael Gunn, who became one of the biggest and most divisive stories of the Paris Olympics, says the “hate” she received after bombing out of competition has been “pretty devastating” for her and her family, reports News Corp’s Riley Walter.
Gunn, who competed under the moniker, Raygun, was subjected to widespread criticism for her Olympics performance, which included moves imitating a kangaroo and resulted in her receiving a score of zero in all three of her breaking battles in the sport’s inaugural showing at the Games.