Business of Media
Daryl Somers launches legal fight against Channel Seven, suing for breach of copyright
TV legend Daryl Somers is suing Channel Seven just weeks after he was dumped as host of Dancing With The Stars for breach of copyright over the network using footage of John Farnham singing on Hey Hey It’s Saturday, reports News Corp’s Fiona Byrne.
Somers has been replaced as the co-host of Dancing by Seven’s new shine bright star Dr Chris Brown with Seven confirming Somers had left the show at the network’s 2024 programming reveal on October 18.
Somers’ company Somers Enterprises Australia filed legal action in the Federal Court on October 17 against the Seven Network claiming Seven breached copyright by using footage of Farnham performing My Yiddeshe Mama with Tom Jones on a 1990 episode of Hey Hey It’s Saturday, without approval.
Nine Entertainment’s board raised concerns sponsorship deals that triggered ACMA investigation
Nine Entertainment’s board has raised serious concerns about the sponsorships saga that has dogged its radio arm, including 2GB host Ben Fordham’s Uber deal and 3AW host Jacqui Felgate’s 15 paid partnerships, reports The Australian’s Sophie Elsworth.
Both are the subject of an investigation by the media regulator.
Multiple sources, who did not wish to be named, said serious concerns were shared among the board chaired by Peter Costello, including questions about how Nine Radio could have failed to declare dozens of commercial partnerships across its four stations, 3AW, 2GB, 4BC and 6PR.
AI isn’t evil, says Hollywood writer. We just have to teach it manners
When it premiered in 2020, the Amazon comedy Upload mashed up life and death, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual worlds and the grim commerce of a saleable afterlife. After the war between Hollywood’s unions and the threat of AI, Upload suddenly seems ahead of the curve, reports Nine Publishing’s Michael Idato.
“I feel like our best bet going forward with AI is not to teach it the cheapest way, off billions of misleading social media posts [which would] put together a pretty dark version of an intelligence, but to figure out a way to make good AI and very intentionally give it a value system,” creator Greg Daniels says.
Elon Musk unveils Grok, an AI chatbot with a ‘rebellious streak’
Elon Musk has unveiled Grok, an artificial intelligence chatbot with a “rebellious streak” inspired by The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, reports The Guardian’s Dan Milmo.
The Tesla CEO, who warned last week that AI was “one of the biggest threats to humanity”, said the competitor to ChatGPT would be made available to premium subscribers on his X platform after testing.
Musk also revealed that Grok had access to user posts on X, which he owns, and has a penchant for sarcastic responses.
News Brands
New editor, columnist for Rear Window
Rear Window columnist for the past six years Myriam Robin, has been appointed Rear Window editor, reports Nine Publishing.
Mark Di Stefano has been appointed Rear Window columnist following the departure of Joe Aston. Di Stefano is a previous political editor for BuzzFeed in Australia.
Tracey Holmes: ‘It’s not the ABC it was. I hope it finds its way back’
Peter FitzSimons interviewed Tracey Holmes in The Sun-Herald.
Tracey Holmes has been at the ABC for most of the past 35 years. She has just announced that she will be leaving at the end of the year. I spoke to her on Thursday.
FitzSimons: Why are you leaving the ABC?
Holmes: I resigned from the ABC back in January. And I was talked out of it. I stayed and did the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Then I took a break. And then there was the second attack on my husband while we were out of the country, [about Stan’s time at the ABC], which was based on absolute lies. I rang the ABC to say, “Are you going to try and correct the record?” and they wouldn’t. And so I realised: how can I walk back into that place? That’s not a criticism of the entire ABC and all the people there. Because I still think there’s a lot of great work. But it’s not the ABC it was, and I hope it finds its way back.
ABC ‘Sydneyfication’ continues with Stateline rethink
The ABC has been accused of further abandoning regional and state-based journalism after refusing to stand by its promise of digital-first Stateline current affairs programs, reports The Australian’s Matthew Denholm.
Sources have told The Australian the national broadcaster has decided to walk away from its June promise to fund the Stateline initiative.
ABC management refused to comment on the leak, or to recommit to the initiative, which it referred to as a “proposal”. “The ABC has no update on this proposal,” a spokesman said.
Will Lewis named C.E.O. of the Washington Post
Will Lewis, the former Dow Jones chief executive and publisher of The Wall Street Journal, will be the next chief executive of The Washington Post, report The New York Times’ Katie Robertson and Benjamin Mullin.
The Post confirmed Lewis’s appointment in a brief statement on Saturday evening after The New York Times first reported it.
The Post’s statement included a comment from Lewis, who will start in the job on Jan. 2. “The Washington Post is a premier global media publisher of record, known for its 145-year-old history of unflinching journalism, and I am thrilled and humbled to be at its helm as both a media executive and former reporter,” he said.
Radio
“Love to be able to make people happy” – John Laws on 70 years behind the golden microphone
Veteran broadcaster John Laws is being celebrated after 70 years on air. The radio announcer known as the ‘Golden Tonsils’ joined Murray Wilton and Murray Olds to reflect on seven decades of his career, reports 2GB.
The 88-year-old broadcaster told The Two Murrays he wasn’t aware of the milestone until today.
“Jesus, a lot of people don’t live that long!” he said.
[Listen to the interview here]
Television
‘Lambo man’ does it again: Who is The Block’s big buyer Adrian Portelli?
This year’s Block finale started with a bang, with the first house to go under the hammer instantly earning one team the biggest auction profit in the show’s history. And as with last year, the man who provided the team with that auction day windfall is none other than “Lambo Guy”, flashy multi-millionaire Adrian Portelli, reports News Corp’s Nick Bond.
At just 34 years of age, Portelli is worth a reported $350m and is known for his eye-watering spending; last year he bought a rare supercar for $6.5m.
The Block winners Steph and Gian answer fans’ burning question
After another nailbiting auction day on The Block, one couple has broken records and walked away with a “life-changing” profit, reports News Corp.
NSW childhood sweethearts Steph and Gian emerged as this season’s clear winners during Sunday night’s finale after their home was bought for a whopping $5 million by Adrian Portelli.
After their $3.35 million reserve, that gave them a record-breaking profit of $1.65 million, overtaking the $1.586 million benchmark set by 2022 winners, Omar and Oz.