Business of Media
Elon Musk says Twitter advertisers are coming back
Elon Musk says Twitter is winning back nearly all of the advertisers who left since his takeover of the social media company last year, adding his goal for the platform was to “make it a positive force for civilisation”, reports The Australian’s Sam Schechner.
Speaking before an at times raucous audience at a tech conference in the French capital on Saturday (AEST), Musk also gave a vote of confidence in his new Twitter chief executive, Linda Yaccarino, saying that “almost all of the advertisers have said that, they’ve either come back or they said they will come back”.
Yaccarino, who previously led ad sales at NBCUniversal, “understands the concerns that advertisers have and I think will do a great job in addressing those concerns”, said Musk, who bought Twitter last year and leads electric carmaker Tesla and rocket company SpaceX.
Since Musk’s $US44bn Twitter takeover, he has slashed Twitter’s staff in an effort to cut losses, and pledged to make the platform a haven of free speech – a pledge he reiterated in Paris.
But the company suffered an advertiser exodus, with many companies suspending their advertising spending on the platform over fears their ads would appear near hate speech, disinformation or other controversial content.
ITV in talks to buy group behind The Traitors and Fleabag
ITV has confirmed it is in talks to buy All3Media, which owns the production companies behind hit shows such as Fleabag, The Traitors, and Wild Isles, as it seeks to expand its studio arm, reports The Guardian’s Jasper Jolly.
The FTSE 250 broadcaster is in talks with All3Media’s joint owners, the US media companies Warner Bros Discovery and Liberty Global, it said on Friday in a stock market announcement.
Carolyn McCall, ITV’s chief executive, is trying to diversify the company’s revenues away from a reliance on television advertising, which is expected to decline further as the UK economy slows. By contrast, the global demand for new content remains strong.
All3Media could be valued at as much as £1bn, according to Reuters which first reported the talks. One option under consideration could involve Liberty growing its existing 9.9% stake in ITV, while Warner Bros could sell out, according to a source cited by Reuters.
ITV confirmed that it was “actively exploring the possible acquisition of All3Media” in a statement.
Man for a crisis: Disgraced broadcaster launches media management firm
Chris Smith certainly knows about being at the centre of a crisis. The broadcaster was sacked by Sky News and 2GB in December after alleged inappropriate behaviour toward female colleagues at a Christmas party, report Nine Publishing’s Kishor Napier-Raman and David Estcourt.
This was the third such incident involving lewd behaviour and alcohol to plague Smith’s career.
Now given another life by TNT Radio – the online home of cranks like Moscow-sympathiser Simeon “The Aussie Cossack” Boikov – Smith has an appropriate new venture: running a media training and crisis management company with fellow journalist turned flack Phil Sylvester.
It’s fair to say he’s got a wealth of experience to draw on. At least, Smith certainly thinks so.
“Between myself and my business partner – we’ve had about 85 years’ experience in the media, it would be silly not to use that,” he told CBD.
“There’s not a media training company running that could boast that kind of experience.”
Smith wasn’t at liberty to disclose his client list yet, but claims to have some lawyers, travel companies and “very senior CEOs” interested in the services of the company, called The Media Trainers.
Harry and Meghan are ‘f—ing grifters’, says Spotify executive
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been called “f—ing grifters” by a Spotify boss after their reputed $US20 million Spotify podcast deal was dropped after one series, reports The Telegraph London’s Ewan Somerville.
Archetypes was first broadcast in August last year and shot up the podcast charts. But as its popularity waned, talks about a second series are said to have “stalled for months”.
On Friday, the Sussexes’ Archewell charity and the streaming giant said in a joint statement that they had “mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together”.
Bill Simmons, a senior podcasting executive at Spotify, has since launched a rant about the couple.
In an episode of his own podcast on Friday, he said: “The f—ing grifters. That’s the podcast we should have launched with them.”
News Brands
ABC staff in fiery closed-door meeting with news bosses
ABC’s Canberra bureau staff have held a fiery closed-door meeting with senior news management following the decision to make the network’s political editor, Andrew Probyn, redundant, reports Nine Publishing’s Calum Jaspan.
See Also: “Flabbergasted”: ABC political editor Andrew Probyn comments on redundancy amid restructure
People close to the matter, who asked not to be named so they could speak freely, said the broadcaster’s director of news, Justin Stevens, and his deputy, Gavin Fang, each addressed staff for 30 minutes to justify the decision that has shocked the newsroom.
The meeting canvassed how the decision was made and who had proposed the changes. An ABC spokesperson confirmed the proposal was put forward to the ABC’s board by the broadcaster’s news executive.
“All initiatives are proposed by the news executive, endorsed by the director of news and approved by the managing director,” the spokesperson said.
The ABC news executive includes Stevens, Fang, head of investigative journalism and current affairs Jo Puccini, head of state coverage and news operations Donna Field, head of news distribution and strategy Stuart Watt, head of Indigenous news Suzanne Dredge and head of digital Lee Glendinning.
One of the sources said Probyn did not attend the meeting.
Communications minister seeks briefing from ABC management on cuts
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has requested a briefing from ABC management after the public broadcaster announced that its planned restructure will see up to 120 roles made redundant, including its political editor Andrew Probyn, reports Nine Publishing’s Calum Jaspan.
The spokesperson for the minister said the ABC ultimately has operational independence, with the matter of how to structure the organisation within its funding envelope to meet the changing needs of audiences down to management.
However, the spokesperson confirmed the minister has requested a briefing from ABC management, with the outlined plans coming shortly after the broadcaster received a promise of $6 billion over the next five years last month.
“The minister has requested a briefing from the ABC management in regards to the ABC Five-Year plan and the announcement this week. This is a very difficult time for any individual whose role may be impacted by the changes,” the spokesperson added.
The federal government is yet to fill the two vacant positions on the ABC Board.
Radio
Sacked comic has last laugh as she takes on former radio bosses
Of all the mind-boggling moments George McEncroe encountered across two decades in radio – presenting or co-hosting programs on Triple M, Mix, 3AW and ABC Melbourne – a few stand out, reports Nine Publishing’s Michael Lallo.
But it was McEncroe’s 2009 sacking from the breakfast slot on Melbourne’s Mix (now called Kiis) that became part of industry legend. After her shift ended on April 1, her boss informed her she’d been fired to save money. “I really thought it was an April Fool’s joke and it took some time to convince me it wasn’t,” she says. By the time co-host Tom Gleeson returned with takeaway coffees for his on-air colleagues, McEncroe was already lugging her possessions through the car park. She couldn’t even allow herself a night of wine-fuelled self-pity because her first one-woman comedy show was scheduled that evening.
Which makes McEncroe’s return to the airwaves rather unexpected.
If your eyes glaze over at terms such as “innovation”, “technology” and “start-ups” … then Disrupt Radio, which launches nationally at 7am on Monday, June 26, could be a station for you. Take McEncroe’s show as an example: titled Moolah, it airs 9am to 11am weekdays.
Radio start-up brings legendary news anchor out of retirement
New digital radio start-up Disrupt Radio has hired SBS World News’ first-ever anchor, George Donikian, as well as an AI robot as its foundation morning and afternoon newsreaders, reports Nine Publishing’s Calum Jaspan.
Donikian, 71, will read half-hourly news updates on former ABC presenter Libbi Gorr’s Enterprise Breakfast show on weekday mornings 7am-9am. Disrupt will begin broadcasting from Monday, June 26.
Hired by the station’s head of global content, and former ABC Radio Melbourne boss, Steve Kyte, industry veteran Donikian’s resume also includes anchoring news bulletins on Nine Network and 10 News.
While Donikian will helm the morning bulletins, the radio station’s afternoon news will be read by an AI robot named Debbie Disrupt, making for an unlikely working partnership.
“Debbie is definitely the voice of tomorrow,” Donikian said. “I’ve heard she’s working extremely hard to build her profile. However, if she makes a play for my job, I’m not going to take it lying down.
“She may be young and fresh (and cheaper!) but I’m not stepping aside.”
Sir Bob Geldof will be in Melbourne for Disrupt Radio’s first week
Music icon and humanitarian Sir Bob Geldof is hitting the airwaves and joining newcomer Disrupt Radio, reports News Corp’s Jackie Epstein.
Geldof will be in Melbourne to kick off the station’s first week from June 26.
He will take the helm with Libbi Gorr, co-hosting Disrupt Radio’s Enterprise Breakfast Show.
Disrupt Radio’s founder and CEO Benjamin Roberts said: “We could not be more excited to have Sir Bob Geldof – a global disrupter, maverick thought leader and social entrepreneur – spearhead our launch for a week of live Breakfast radio. His passion, influence and relentless desire to push boundaries perfectly represents our ethos.
“Sir Bob and his team have been staunch allies of Disrupt Radio from the very start. Their commitment has been nothing short of extraordinary and we eagerly anticipate the moment audiences get to tune in to a Breakfast show that promises to stir conversations across Australia, captivate listeners and provoke thought.”
Sports Media
TV networks battle it out for Melbourne Cup broadcast rights, but low offers likely for broker Tabcorp
The three free-to-air television networks will battle for Melbourne Cup broadcast rights, but could pay Tabcorp only a few million dollars annually to show the race that stops the nation to the wider public from 2024 onwards, reports The Australian’s John Stensholt.
Seven West Media, Nine Entertainment Co and Network 10 are all understood to have lobbed bids for free-to-air rights for the Melbourne Cup on Friday, or at least signalled their intention to, as has the industry-owned Racing.com.
While Tabcorp has received interest from all the networks, it is likely that any deal it strikes for the free-to-air rights would be less than incumbent broadcaster 10 is currently paying race host Victoria Racing Club (VRC) annually.
10 is in the last year of its five-year $100m deal to telecast the Melbourne Cup carnival, and while at least half that could be in contra, it still may be more than Tabcorp is able to squeeze out of the winning bidder for the rights in a six-year package that would begin in November next year.