Business of Media
Russian TV producer ‘extremely concerned’ for safety after protest live on air
The Russian television producer who staged an extraordinary anti-war protest live on national television said she was “fearful for my safety” but would not “take a single word back” from her statement criticising Russia’s actions in Ukraine, reports The Guardian’s Pjotr Sauer.
“I don’t regret one bit what I did,” Marina Ovsyannikova told the Guardian in a phone interview on Wednesday. “I will not take a single word back. These are my views.”
Ovsyannikova, who was a senior producer at Russia’s state-run Channel One, staged her protest on air on Monday night when she waved a sign reading: “Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here.”
She also released a pre-recorded video in which she expressed her “shame” at working for Channel One and spreading “Kremlin propaganda”.
News Brands
Dozens of BuzzFeed employees claim they were illegally shortchanged in I.P.O.
Nearly 80 former and current employees of BuzzFeed accused the company in complaints on Tuesday of bungling its stock market debut and denying the workers the chance to sell their shares at a higher price, reports The New York Times‘ Katie Robertson.
In two claims, made to the American Arbitration Association, which resolves disputes out of court, the employees said the company had failed to properly instruct them on how to trade their shares immediately after the initial public offering in December.
The groups are asking for compensatory damages estimated at more than $8.7 million, according to the claims, which were viewed by The New York Times.
“The Kafkaesque tribulations through which the claimants were dragged have wreaked havoc on their financial lives,” one complaint said.
Chris Cuomo serves CNN with $125M arbitration demand
Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo is demanding $125 million from CNN following his termination from the cable news channel last year, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin.
In a demand for arbitration filed with the dispute resolution giant JAMS, Cuomo alleges that his firing was not justified and that former CNN president Jeff Zucker failed to abide by the terms of Cuomo’s contract “by failing to instruct CNN employees not to disparage Cuomo.”
In fact, the complaint alleges that there was a “calculated campaign to smear Cuomo and destroy his reputation” by some CNN staff.
The $125 million claim, filed by Cuomo’s attorneys at Freedman + Taitelman and Clayman Rosenberg, includes $15 million that he says is owed for the remainder of his contract, but also “future wages lost as a result of CNN’s efforts to destroy his reputation in violation of the Agreement.”
Agencies
MediaCom announces three key appointments to its national strategy team
MediaCom has announced three key appointments to its national strategy team, all effective immediately.
Stepping into the role of managing partner, head of strategy, Sydney is Rob Frost; alongside Marine Turner and Alison Luxmore as group strategy directors.
Frost relocates from New York, where his most recent role was leading strategy globally for Uber and Hotels.com for MediaCom USA, to Sydney.
Rob Frost, Marine Turner, Alison Luxmore and Sophie Price
He will be responsible for leading the Sydney strategy team, ensuring strategic excellence for clients, with a particular focus on Uber and eBay.
Luxmore returns to the agency after maternity leave. She will partner with clients to identify opportunities for brand growth and will also work across all Sydney clients but will have a particular focus on Bayer and Hasbro.
Meanwhile, Turner returns to MediaCom Australia after seven years at MediaCom UK. She will provide communications strategy for Sydney based clients, while also providing strategic thought leadership for the agency. Turner will also have a particular focus on MediaCom Sydney’s MARS and Coca Cola clients.
The agency says the supercharging of the strategy team will take its strategic product to new heights and accelerate clients’ growth by helping them See the Bigger Picture.
The trio will join MediaCom’s national strategy team led by Sophie Price, chief strategy officer, MediaCom AUNZ, alongside Tyler Greer, head of strategy, Melbourne, and Hannah McAuslane, group strategy director, Brisbane.
These appointments follow recent new business wins including Coca Cola, Bayer, The Star Entertainment Group, Arlo Technologies, MARS, Dr. Oetker and Trilogy Funds.
AMI announces partnership with Vetassess to introduce micro-credentials for marketers
The Australia Marketing Institute (AMI) has announced its partnership with VETASSESS to introduce a new range of industry-based micro-credentials.
The AMI micro-credential will give marketers an opportunity to strengthen their professional brand with an Australian recognised marketing certification in a range of skills.
Marketers have to navigate an ever-changing landscape of tools, channels, and strategies in order to find success. The AMI micro-credential will provide industry-validated recognition of skills in a range of different specialisations.
Developed in collaboration with VETASSESS, the authority in Australia for skilled migration assessments, the AMI micro-credential is underpinned by industry expert validation.
A professional practice credential – aligned to international qualification and industry frameworks – provides the opportunity to validate skills across five pillars of marketing. The AMI micro-credential also provides recognition of a marketers’ core technical knowledge in areas such as digital and data-driven marketing; content and creative marketing as well as customer experience.
The AMI micro-credential process is designed to be straightforward, with no need to sit an exam or attend any classes to demonstrate skills. The micro-credential is about recognising the skills one already has through an evidence-based assessment.
AMI micro-credential assessments are conducted by our partner VETASSESS on the basis of the evidence you select to convey and document your expertise in marketing.
Impact.com announces acquisition of Pressboard
Partnership management platform, impact.com has announced the acquisition of Pressboard, the analytics and reporting platform for branded content.
The acquisition will empower publishers to jumpstart and scale their content partnership opportunities, as well as enable more robust partnership opportunities between publishers and brands to drive efficiency, revenue, and further accelerate the growth of the partnership economy.
Pressboard provides a comprehensive suite of tools to measure sponsored content, eCommerce, and social media programs. Through powerful integration capabilities, Pressboard provides content creators with granular insights in one single dashboard.
From reporting automation to campaign execution and analysis, Pressboard enables content studios to run more efficiently than ever before to unleash maximum earning potential.
With this acquisition, Pressboard joins Trackonomics to create a robust and holistic publisher solution to power and scale their sponsored and commerce content programs.
In the fast-evolving advertising industry, publishers are continuously confronted with unique challenges as traditional advertising is in rapid decline and consumers’ use of ad-blockers are on the rise.
This evolution led to an approximate $20 billion valuation for the branded content market in 2021, with 88% of publishers driving much of their revenue from this source, second to display advertising.
As the digital landscape evolves, so must publishers’ ability to adapt to the changing behaviours of today’s modern consumers.
Radio
Perth radio host Kymba Cahill enters tense debate with Scott Morrison
Perth radio presenter Kymba Cahill pulled no punches in a fiery interview with the Prime Minister, interrupting Scott Morrison twice as he scrambled to answer questions about women’s issues ahead of the election, reports News Corp’s Bella Fowler.
During the tense chat on Perth’s Mix94.5 Breakfast show with Pete, Matt & Kymba, Cahill took Morrison to task – saying he “consistently misses the mark” when it comes to women’s issues and referencing his “need to see women through the prism of his wife and daughter”.
While the interview started with a tax question, Cahill followed up with the pointed topic of the dangers and inequalities women face in the workplace, an issue that has dogged the Prime Minister much of the past year.
Television
Carrie’s temporary exit ‘a big loss’ for The Project at the worst possible time
The news that Carrie Bickmore will depart The Project for several months leaves 10’s flagship panel show with a big hole to fill after what’s been a difficult few months, reports News Corp’s Nick Bond.
Mum-of-three Bickmore is off on a school term-long family trip to the UK next month – telling fans she thought it would be her “last chance” for extended family time before teenage son Ollie flies the nest.
But industry commentators fear Bickmore’s absence could hit The Project, which has been struggling in the ratings, while it’s already down.
Entertainment reporter Peter Ford tweeted that Bickmore’s departure would be a “big loss for the show and at a time when they aren’t travelling well”.
Speculation rife over Carrie Bickmore’s replacement on The Project
Carrie Bickmore is stepping away from The Project desk and speculation about who will replace her is rife, reports news.com.au.
While she will continue her radio show with Tommy Little on the Hit Network, she will not be able to co-host Channel 10’s The Project – leaving a big chair for the network to fill.
The Daily Telegraph’s Confidential is reporting that it might fall to Lisa Wilkinson, who would take up more days on the desk.
However former Channel 10 executive producer Rob McKnight told the publication Studio 10’s Sarah Harris would be a better option.
One sign Carrie Bickmore might not come back from overseas break
Aussie TV favourite Carrie Bickmore could have dropped a subtle hint about how long she plans to take a break from the spotlight, reports News Corp’s Duncan Murray.
On Wednesday she told The Project viewers she planned to take several months off from co-hosting the show for a family trip.
But it is now known the 41-year-old has quietly sold the family home in Melbourne.
The five bedroom dwelling in Ivanhoe sold on March 3 for an unknown price. It last sold in 2013 for just under $1.6 million.
Ex-Home and Away star Sam Frost returns to TV in new role
Former Home and Away star Sam Frost is returning to television and hitting the road in lifestyle show My Road to Adventure, reports News Corp’s Jackie Epstein.
Frost is joining her sister, Kris Ross, to revisit their childhood for a new adventure with production beginning this month and airing on Channel 7 mid-year.
The sisters will jump in the Lets Go motorhome to travel down Victoria’s iconic Great Ocean Road.
“New timeslot” coming for The Voice
The Voice will have a “new timeslot” in 2022, reports TV Tonight.
“You’ve heard about AFL and how that has been primed for a monster start that will grow engagement throughout the year and how its launch will in turn grow The Voice in its new timeslot,” sales boss Kurt Burnette told advertisers this week.
Does it mean the show is headed to a later timeslot? Doubtful. Later in the week? Also unlikely.
But could Seven be looking to replicate its Dancing with the Stars / SAS Australia scheduling with The Voice and Big Brother?
Sports Media
Bulldogs coach walks out of press conference after rant at Fox Footy journalist
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge walked out of his Round 1 post-match press conference after an astonishing attack on Fox Footy senior reporter Tom Morris, reports Max Laughton from Fox Sports.
Morris correctly reported on Monday that Lachie Hunter would not be selected in the 22 for the season-opening game against Melbourne.
Beveridge confirmed this during his presser, saying that “everything was according to plan” when Hunter was initially named in the 22, but then moved into the sub role, before replacing the injured Jason Johannisen minutes before the bounce.
The Bulldogs coach then ranted, trying to tell Morris to leave the press conference and instead leaving himself.
Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said he was surprised and amazed by Beveridge’s outburst.
“That surprised and amazed me. I was sitting back here … I just could not believe what I was seeing,” Buckley said on Fox Footy.