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Sam Buckingham-Jones

December 2024

Shay Segev, the chief executive of DAZN, at the Olympic Games in Paris earlier this year.

DAZN chief executive lands in Sydney as Foxtel buyout talks progress

Shay Segev’s visit comes at the same time as Rupert Murdoch has returned to the country for the first time in six years and as News Corp assesses bids for Foxtel.

Rupert Murdoch’s attempt at cementing Lachlan’s control over the media empire was rejected by a Nevada court.

Logan Roy’s death morphed into a real life Murdoch succession drama

Shortly after the fictional patriarch died on television, the family behind the News and Fox empires began to plot life after their patriarch, Rupert.

Ray Hadley as he announces his resignation from 2GB.

Exits, cuts and Smooth FM: Nine mulls future of 2GB, 3AW, 4BC and 6PR

While it has shelved plans to replace its Perth radio station with a music feed from Nova, there are plenty of challenges at the company’s radio division.

Former NRL player Ian Roberts, Canva co-founder Cliff Obrecht, and Penny Fowler, Herald & Weekly Times chairwoman attend the Murdoch Christmas party.

‘Five minutes with god’: Rupert holds court at Murdoch Christmas bash

With the 93-year-old in town, dozens of the nation’s most powerful political, sporting and media executives were drawn to Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch’s annual party.

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Airlie Walsh at a David Jones event in 2019. She was a well-known personality on the Nine Network.

Nine’s Airlie Walsh sues network amid workplace culture fallout

The well-known television personality had worked on the Today breakfast program and as a political reporter for more than a decade.

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Gretel Killeen hosted Big Brother in its heyday. She is pictured here in 2005.

Next year, broadcasters are going all in on ‘bit dirty’ reality TV

Some of the biggest franchises of the genre have languished for years, with audiences fading. Now major networks are hoping for a big revival.

November 2024

Joe Rogan, Kim Williams and Elon Musk.

ABC chairman cops ‘watch out’ messages after Joe Rogan criticism

Asked what the ABC could learn from Joe Rogan, the most popular podcast presenter on Spotify, ABC chairman Kim Williams didn’t hold back.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have pulled back from tough talk on gambling advertising.

Labor vowed to ban sports gambling ads (18 months ago)

Nothing has happened. The prime minister has gone from blasting gambling advertising around sport as “reprehensible” to admitting he hasn’t been able to see it through.

Ed Butcher and Ed Godfrey, the founders of online review removalists, RepSpert.

Google reviews ruined Ed’s company. Now he’s making $15m fighting back

Ed Butcher and Ed Godfrey set up a no win, no fee online review removal company called RepSpert in 2020. It’s grown by 300 per cent each year.

Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in a scene from the upcoming second season of Squid Game.

How the world’s most popular TV show is made

Hwang Dong-hyuk wrote Squid Game, the biggest Netflix series ever, in the depths of despair. He’s back for season two. What can we learn from its success?

X owner Elon Musk has criticised the government’s social media plan.

‘Punitive regime’: X warns social media ban won’t work

Elon Musk’s social media platform says the government’s moves to stop under-16s using social media is likely unlawful and technological ineffective.

Southern Cross Austereo CEO John Kelly.

Southern Cross hit with first strike, with chairman under pressure

The regional broadcaster’s three biggest shareholders – including its major rival ARN Media – will vote against executive pay despite no bonuses handed out.

Len Blavatnik in September, when he struck a deal to broadcast Saudi Arabian football.

Billionaire-backed British sports streamer turns Foxtel suitor

DAZN has been trying to build a global platform, aggressively expanding including in Australia. News Corp’s cable TV business could be its next target.

Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland has changed tack and excluded YouTube from an under 16-year-old social media ban.

Labor leaves YouTube out of under-16s social media ban

The government initially said YouTube would be caught under new laws banning people under 16 from using social media. Its view has since changed.

News Corp’s board of directors pushed back on Starboard’s proposal in September.

Most non-Murdoch News Corp investors backed failed share collapse

A bid to end the family’s ‘outsized influence’ on the company has been “convincingly” defeated, News Corp says. Most other shareholders backed it, early results suggest.

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The Nine team that won journalism’s most prestigious award on Tuesday night, the Gold Walkley.

CFMEU-busting investigation winners laud whistleblowers, sources

The panel judging the Walkley Awards said the Breaking Bad series was “an incredible, courageous feat of investigative journalism”.

Brad Banducci left as Woolworths’ chief executive this year amid shopper anger at high prices.

Shoppers’ anger makes ‘Colesworth’ the word of the year

The language researchers who help compile Oxford University’s Australian dictionaries track the words that have gained prominence over the past 12 months.

Barristers Bret Walker and Margaret Cunneen are among the frontrunners being considered to represent Alan Jones.

The silks in the running to defend Alan Jones at trial

Privately, backers of Alan Jones say Margaret Cunneen, SC, and Bret Walker, SC, would be strong options to represent him in any future trial.

Alan Jones leaves Day Street Police Station on bail.

Police charge Alan Jones with 24 offences days before trip to US

The veteran broadcaster was charged with 24 offences against eight alleged victims after an investigation into “sexual touching offences spanning two decades”.

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Former global head of entertainment at TikTok, Felicity McVay, has become a vocal advocate for a hard ban on children under 16 using social media.

Why this former TikTok executive wants a strict social media ban

TikTok hired Felicity McVay to convince Disney, Universal and the AFL to use the platform more. Now she’s campaigning to get children off it.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/sam-buckingham-jones-p536ma