Business of Media
Kerry Stokes’ share raid could turn Southern Cross hunt into a brawl
High-profile media proprietor Antony Catalano remains unfazed by Kerry Stokes-chaired Seven West Media’s share raid on ARN Media, potentially scuttling his plans to beat ARN in the race to snap up Southern Cross Austereo, reports Nine Publishing’s Calum Jaspan.
Catalano, who is looking to merge his Australian Community Media (ACM) business with Southern Cross, has crossed swords with Stokes before, agitating against his bid for Prime Media Group in 2019.
However, he praised Stokes’ raid on ARN’s register on Monday. “It’s clever. They’ve locked in a good position for themselves,” Catalano said, adding that with Seven West sitting on its register, ARN’s management would have to be mindful of what Stokes did next.
Gaza conflict coverage blurring lines between journalism and activism: Michael Gawenda
There is no “actual reporting coming out of Gaza” and it is contributing to the lines between journalism and activism being increasingly blurred in newsrooms around the world, according to a former Fairfax editor, reports The Australian’s Jenna Clarke.
Michael Gawenda said recent reporting on the conflict was “deeply disturbing” due to journalists acting as advocates and forgetting their “simple” job was to report facts.
ABC cancels live studio audience for discussion on Israel conflict
The ABC made the decision to not allow a live studio audience for Monday night’s Q+A program, as panellists engaged in tense discussions over the escalating Israeli-Hamas war, reports News Corp’s Jessica Wang.
Host Patricia Karvelas made the announcement at the beginning of the episode, acknowledging the “difficult and sensitive discussion” about to take place by the panel.
A “very significant police contingent” was also stationed outside the ABC Melbourne studios.
Entertainment
‘The Marvels’ disappoints at Box Office, showcasing Disney’s studio challenge
The Marvels, Disney’s latest superhero feature, landed with a thud at the box office only days after Chief Executive Bob Iger called for an overhaul of the entertainment company’s studio business, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Robbie Whelan.
A sequel to 2019’s hit Captain Marvel from Disney’s Marvel Studios, the new movie features an all-female trio of stars in Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani. It sold $47 million in tickets in North America over its opening weekend, making it the weakest debut performance of any movie in the so-called Marvel Cinematic Universe.
See Also: Box Office: The Marvels debuts at number one but fails to impress with opening numbers
Audio
‘There are a lot of things I will be sharing and more of my personal experiences’, Olivia Rogers says of her new podcast Tell Me More
Olivia Rogers is bringing her passion project to life, reports News Corp’s Jackie Epstein.
The former Miss Universe Australia says her past year dealing with relationship breakdowns and then experiencing personal growth has prepared her to launch her own podcast called Tell Me More.
“This has been a concept of mine for over two and a half years and I’ve really wanted to be doing something more meaningful,” Rogers said.
BBC faces broad backlash over cuts to local radio output
The BBC is facing a backlash from listeners, concerns from the regulator Ofcom and potential legal action over controversial cuts to its local radio output, reports The Guardian’s Tara Conlan.
Complaints have been made about the corporation’s decision to share more programmes across its 39 local stations and about the axeing of presenters.
The BBC announced last year that it wanted to modernise its local coverage by putting more news online and creating a new network of investigative reporters. It also needs to make savings as a result of the government freezing its licence fee for two years and Conservative party plans to abolish it completely in 2027.
Television
NCIS: Sydney to screen on 10 in 2024
A numbers of readers have asked if new Paramount+ series NCIS: Sydney will screen on 10, reports TV Tonight.
The answer is yes, as confirmed by Beverley McGarvey, Executive Vice President, Paramount ANZ in her speech at the official launch on Friday night.
As The Crown ends a gap arises. A tragi-comedy on a dysfunctional family, anyone?
Restraint is probably the mark of the true artist, but still it seems odd that Peter Morgan has chosen to end The Crown, which returns this week, in the mid-00s, thereby missing out a bonanza of royal plot points, reports The Guardian’s Martha Gill.
He has, after all, spent five seasons spinning gold out of the familiar and the tangential, and at times you felt the material strain ever so slightly: an entire episode on Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dodi Fayed’s father; stretches that are just deer drinking from streams or Anne showjumping; and an appearance, coming up soon, of the ghost of Diana.
Nine reporter accuses Seven of failing to attribute ACA vision
Seven News Melbourne has been accused of failing to attribute vision from an A Current Affair story which screened in 2021, reports TV Tonight.
ACA reported on bullying in the workplace when a young Melbourne apprentice, Ilyas Elkharra, was hung up by his feet during a work Christmas party.
In the footage, which Nine noted had been posted to social media, Elkharraz’s boss Steve Yousif can be seen prodding and slapping him, as others laughed in the background.