Business of Media
AT&T, Discovery join media brands to create entertainment giant
AT&T will join its media operations with those owned by Discovery, creating a new company in a $US43 billion ($55.3 billion) deal that will oversee CNN, HBO, TNT and TBS along Discovery’s Food Network, HGTV and others, reports Associated Press‘ Mae Anderson.
With the agreement on Monday, local time, AT&T is pulling back from a years-long campaign to break into the streaming and entertainment sector, where big players are slugging it out with increasingly large war chests dedicated to premium and original content.
That arena that has been flooded in the past two years with new players including those owned by AT&T and Discovery, which operate HBO Max and Discovery+, respectively.
The Public Relations Institute of Australia announces new CEO
After a six-month recruitment process, the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) has appointed a new chief executive officer, Louise Harland-Cox.
Harland-Cox brings more than 20 years’ experience in membership organisations both in Australia and in the UK, across varied industries including financial services, charities, medical education, and agriculture.
She brings to the PRIA a strong track record in organisational strategy, service delivery, and the collaborative instincts required to deliver the best outcomes for PRIA’s members.
Leigh McClusky, national president of the Public Relations Institute of Australia said of Harland-Cox’s appointment: “I am confident that Louise’s appointment heralds a new era of member growth and member value for the PRIA.”
“The Public Relations Institute of Australia represents such a wealth of history and experience in the PR and communications field,” said Louise Harland-Cox about her appointment to the role. “I’m thrilled to be leading the organisation at such a pivotal time for the industry, and look forward to building upon such a rich heritage to create outstanding value for our members.”
ABC notches up another rare defo win in Peter V’Landys case
Racing NSW boss (and Australian Rugby League Commission chair) Peter V’Landys was left “shocked and disappointed” on Friday by his loss in a defamation case he brought against the ABC, reports AFR‘s Myriam Robin.
He is exploring an appeal. And we can fully understand his surprise.
His legal team’s failure to establish the defamatory imputations they say were broadcast by an ABC’s exposé into racehorse cruelty makes V’Landys one of a very small collection of high-profile litigants who have in recent months failed to prevail in a defamation case.
News Brands
‘News fortress’: Foreign Correspondent to boost Q+A
The ABC’s Thursdays are about to rival Mondays as a news and current affairs bastion for the public broadcaster, reports News Corp’s Nick Tabakoff.
Hot on the heels of Q+A’s move to Thursday nights, Diary can reveal that long-time Tuesday resident Foreign Correspondent will join the ABC’s flagship panel show in moving to Thursday night on its return later this month.
We’re reliably informed that Foreign Correspondent, which has been a strong ratings performer, will now have an unbroken five-month run on Thursday nights. That will give a welcome and reliable current affairs lead-in for the Hamish Macdonald-hosted Q+A in what is still an unfamiliar home late in the week.
Victorian CHO Brett Sutton: ‘Disappointing to be taken out of context’ by The Age article
Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton says it is “pretty disappointing to be taken out of context” by The Sunday Age after the newspaper suggested he was critical about the state’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, reports News Corp’s Sophie Elsworth.
The article — “We can’t just sit on our hands” — ran at the weekend and included comments made by Professor Sutton when he spoke at a recent private seminar.
“Professor Sutton also revealed he had been ‘shocked’ at the Victorian government’s ‘steadfast’ refusal to adapt and acknowledge mistakes during the coronavirus pandemic,” the piece, written by political reporter Michael Fowler, read.
But Professor Sutton, in a social media post, said it was “pretty disappointing to be taken out of context”.
ABC’s attack on Neville Wran ‘not fair’, says former SMH editor
The ABC breached its editorial policies to be “accurate”, “fair” and “honest” when it claimed Neville Wran was corruptly linked to underworld boss Abe Saffron, according to a complaint made by former editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, Milton Cockburn, reports News Corp’s Troy Bramston.
The detailed formal complaint made to the ABC last month savages the journalistic integrity and credibility of the ABC’s Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire documentary that alleged Wran was “very pally” with Saffron and orchestrated for the Luna Park lease to go to his front company.
“No credible evidence was produced to justify either allegation,” Cockburn wrote.
Television
Backlash at Craig McLachlan’s Channel Seven interview
Backlash against actor Craig McLachlan and Channel Seven erupted on Twitter hours before a scheduled tell-all interview on Sunday night, which continued during its screening, reports News Corp’s Candace Sutton.
Twitter users either avoided watching it, or turned to another channel, with some even calling the actor out for excessive “lip quivering”.
The explosive interview was McLachlan’s first since being acquitted of sexual harassment allegations in December.
In it, the actor cries, gets angry, rants and rages against what he says has been “the absolute demolition” of his life.
Trailer released for Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey TV series
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex feature in an emotional trailer for Harry’s mental health documentary series with Oprah Winfrey, and footage hints that he will revisit the trauma he experienced after his mother’s death, reports The Guardian’s Caroline Davies.
The two-minute trailer includes archive film from the 1997 funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, showing Harry, then 12, standing with his head bowed as his mother’s coffin passes by, alongside the Prince of Wales, who then turns to speak to his son.
Harry is shown in conversation with Winfrey, saying: “To make that decision to receive help is not a sign of weakness. In today’s world, more than ever, it is a sign of strength.”
Radio
Marty Sheargold reveals which TV personalities are banned from his Triple M radio show
After quitting Nova’s drive show, Kate, Tim and Marty last year because he no longer found the show “challenging”, Marty Sheargold contemplated becoming a full-time stand up comedian (“because it’s a lot less work”) or setting up his own podcast (“but couldn’t work out how to make any money out of it”), reports News Corp’s Andrew Bucklow.
Eventually, he accepted an offer to host his own breakfast show on Triple M Melbourne.
Marty admits he’s relishing speaking to an older audience than he did on Nova.
“I don’t have to talk about Justin Bieber anymore, which is good,” he laughed.
And he’s also made it clear you won’t be hearing any reality stars on his breakfast show … ever.
“I’ll never do that,” Marty told news.com.au. “That to me is filler and lazy.
Sports Media
$40 million Fox Sports funding on Auditor-General’s radar
The Auditor-General will consider reviewing $40 million in federal government grants provided to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp since 2017 to support coverage of women’s sport, reports SMH‘s Jennifer Duke.
A letter sent on Monday from Auditor-General Grant Hehir to Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says he will look at adding an examination of the funding to News Corp’s sports pay-TV broadcasting arm to his office’s 2021-22 annual audit work program, which is due to be published in July.
Fox Sports received $30 million from the federal government in 2017 to increase coverage of women’s, niche and community sport over a five-year period. Fox Sports and Foxtel, jointly owned by Telstra and News Corp, merged in 2018. Another $10 million of taxpayer funds was provided to Foxtel in July 2020 as a coronavirus response measure, bringing the total to $40 million.
The grants were provided without tender, meaning broadcasters such as Nine Entertainment Co (owner of The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age), Seven West Media, Network 10 and the public broadcasters were unable to make a case to receive the funding.