Blogging and the media
22Apr08

In mid-2007, around the time Age of Conversation was launched, I sent some press releases to local media announcing the fact that a fellow Novocastrian had been published  as part of this unique world-wide effort.

A few days later I ran into one of the journalists who had received the press release and asked him whether he would be running the story. "Love to," he said "but management would hang me." He explained that his publication didn’t recognise bloggers, saw them as the enemy and would not be giving any column space to stories about them. It was an interesting reaction and telling of the paranoia in the traditional media about the emerging social media culture.

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Search and consume the way of the future
17Apr08

Source: Lara Sinclair, The Australian

AUSTRALIA’S
media executives are predicting a channel-less media environment that
can be searched and consumed on the go, on demand and on a single
device, a survey by Media on the eve of the 2020 Summit has found.

Some
of Australia’s top media chiefs – many of whom will participate in the
Rudd Government’s summit (although media is not a specific discussion
topic) – painted the picture of a changed media landscape by 2020.

SBS managing director Shaun Brown said multi-channelling – or the
launch of new digital channels by free-to-air television broadcasters -
would be "overtaken by on-demand services".

"I’m of the view channels will be replaced with reservoirs of
content from which viewers make choices on a time and platform basis
that they identify," Mr Brown said.

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Latest Newcastle media and advertising news in The Sticky Report
14Apr08

Newcastle advertising agency Sticky Advertising publishes a bi-monthly media and advertising analysis for clients and subscribers. The Sticky Report is packed with all the latest radio and television ratings results, news-press information and  online marketing advice.Sticky_logoemail_copy

Of particular interest are Sticky’s TV cost-effectiveness rankings. These reports provide advertisers with suggestions as to the best value TV programs for different demographics.

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Ad spend booms in ’07
11Apr08

Source: Adnews

Advertising revenue rose 11.5% to $13.2 billion in calendar year 2007, with all mediums posting increases, according to the Commercial Economic Advisory Service of Australia’s latest report.

The official CEASA report on advertising expenditure in main media revealed the following increases over 2006:

Metropolitan/national daily newspapers (including inserted magazines): up 4.3% to $2,341,519

Regional dailies: up 5.6% to $500,812,000

Regional non-dailies: up 14.7% to $432,391,000

Suburban newspapers: up 27.9% to $801,287,000

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Breaking News – CMH bid collapses
7Apr08

Source: Nikki MacLennan, Adnews

SYDNEY: The much-publicised consortium bid for CMH by Lachlan Murdoch and James Packer is understood to have collapsed and all parties are expected to withdraw from the deal in an announcement this afternoon.

Today’s development follows a final push over the weekend for agreement between Packer and Murdoch’s new backers, Providence Equity Partners, on a share price for the bid.

CMH (ASX:CMJ) shares were suspended this morning pending an announcement from the company.

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Digital Television is go, Digital Radio is no
27Mar08

Source: MediaSpy, ABC, News.com.au

The
complete conversion to Digital Television is set to be one of the most
significant changes in Australia’s history according to the
Communications Minister, who today has announced a $37.9 million
package for the transition by 2013.   Under the package, Australia will
be Digital Only from January 1st 2014.

But the news isnt that great for Digital Radio, with Federal Cabinet
still discussing a policy document regarding its implimentation with no
timeframe for its release.

Nearly $5 million will be allocated to a ’digital tracker’ to
measure public awareness, intentions to convert and actual
conversions to Digital TV, $8.5m to the industry authority ACMA to
undertake projects related to the switchover, and $16.9m for a
switchover taskforce to work on a number of issues, including the
provision of reliable information to consumers.

 

Popularity: 9%

Google plans wi-fi on ‘steroids’
26Mar08

Source: Reuters, The Australian

GOOGLE has unveiled plans for a new generation of wireless devices to operate on soon-to-be-vacant television airwaves.

It also sought to alleviate fears that this might interfere with TV broadcasts or wireless microphones.

In
comments filed with the US Federal Communications Commission, the
internet leader outlined plans for low-power devices that use local
wireless airwaves to access the "white space" between television
channels. A Google executive called the plan "Wi-Fi 2.0 or Wi-Fi on
steroids".

"The airwaves can provide huge economic and social gains if used more efficiently …," Google said in the comments.

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Cuts on cards as adgrowth takes hit
20Mar08

Source: Nick Tabakoff, The Australian

SOME
of Australia’s leading media companies are preparing for a round of
belt-tightening as reverberations from a likely US recession lead to
predictions of zero growth in advertising in free-to-air television,
radio and newspapers.

There is even talk in local
media of "margin calls" extending from being purely a financial market
concept to a TV programming one as part of a more hard-headed approach
to individual programs if they do not generate adequate advertising
returns.

Signs indicate further tough times at the Nine Network, amid recent
revelations the network’s debt burden has blown out by $500million in
the past 18 months and stands at $4.2billion.

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Heard it on the radio and saw it on TV
6Mar08

Source: Nick Tabakoff, The Australian

MACQUARIE
Media Group has unveiled ambitious moves to capitalise on its new-found
position as Australia’s only large-scale cross-media proprietor, as it
looks to closely align its television and radio advertising packages
across the regions.

In an interview with Media,
MacMedia’s chief executive Mark Dorney and Australian broadcasting
assets boss Rhys Holleran said the company would use its acquisition of
the Southern Cross Ten regional TV network last November to
revolutionise the packages it offers to advertisers.

"We are now the only media company in Australia that can offer
television and radio together to advertisers on a large scale," Mr
Holleran said. "We will be offering them integrated solutions on TV,
radio and online. It’s a great entry for us into the new digital
world."

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The year online meets the Olympics
31Jan08

Source: Sally Jackson, Lara Sinclair, Michael Bodey, Simon Canning and Jane Schulze, The Australian

Editors Note: A detailed look at forecasts for Search, Talent, Media Buying, Radio, Regulation, Community, Advertising, Magazines and Production in 2008.   

FROM web video to the writers’ strike fallout, industry heavyweights are saying 2008 will be big.

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