Media Diary: Survey says? Nine’s ill-timed bid for client feedback
When the company’s share price has plunged and it’s making headlines for all the wrong reasons surely someone in marketing must have twigged that it wasn’t the time to be asking for client feedback.
While Nine Entertainment, headed by chair Peter Costello and CEO Mike Sneesby, has been dealing with the fallout after The Australian revealed a complaint by a female staffer was lodged against ex-news boss Darren Wick just prior to his resignation in March, someone within the company thought it would be a good opportunity to seek external feedback.
Nine’s trade marketing division last Wednesday contacted its database with an email, seen by Diary, titled: “Have your say and steer Nine’s future direction.”
Nine certainly does need a bit of direction, with the media company in damage control after numerous past and present staff have anonymously spoken up about accusations of harassment and bad behaviour at the network.
Surely someone in Nine’s marketing department must have twigged that it probably wasn’t the right time to be asking for feedback from clients when the company’s share price has plunged to just $1.40 and it’s making headlines for all the wrong reasons. But the email certainly didn’t give that impression: “We’re reaching out to you today as we’re keen to gain a better understanding of our clients, their opinions and preferences and most importantly, how we can improve what we offer you.”
We’re tipping the survey will have drawn some pretty interesting responses.
RIP Q+A: ABC boss signals ‘another way’
ABC’s political chatfest show, Q+A, hosted by RN Breakfast presenter Patricia Karvelas, has been on the nose, ratings-wise, for a while and it now appears its fate is all but sealed after comments made by ABC managing director David Anderson at Senate estimates last week.
The number of episodes was cut this year from 40 to 24, and Anderson was far from enthused when quizzed by Liberal senator Dave Sharma in Canberra on Thursday.
Asked about “the plans for the program’s future”, Anderson said: “We’re using that time to think about the program’s future and, look, I think Q+A as a concept, what it’s there and it’s meant to do, is an important one.
“It’s important, it brings people together to have conversations.”
But then the truth serum began to kick in.
“We are looking at what it is that we might be doing for the future, if there is something that we can do for that program,” Anderson mused.
“I’ve been keen to explore if there’s another way to do that format.”
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson chimed in with what many have been thinking for some time.
“So, Mr Anderson, it sounds like Q+A might be on the chopping block, is that a fair characterisation based on the evidence you have just given?” she asked.
“It’s not on the chopping block. At the moment,” Anderson quickly replied.
“Certainly, my background in television shows you are always looking at programs and looking at if there is a better way of doing something.”
The ABC boss kept digging.
“You never shy away from trying to explore new ideas for things,” Anderson said, unconvincingly.
In other words, in the unlikely event that Q+A does return in 2025, the program won’t look anything like it currently does.
No Tim-Tams for Tingle
There’s a time and a place for everything but for high-profile ABC political journalist Laura Tingle, last week certainly wasn’t the best time to be having a casual cuppa and a chat with colleagues, in her capacity as the organisation’s staff-elected board member.
Tingle dominated the headlines last week after The Australian reported her extraordinary appearance at the Sydney Writers Festival where she labelled Australia a “racist country” and verbally belted Opposition Leader Peter Dutton over his migration and housing policies.
As it happened, Tingle had been scheduled to visit colleagues last Thursday at Canberra’s Northbourne offices, so she could gather feedback for the board about the vibe at editorial level.
Needless to say, the only thing vibing at the ABC last week was Tingle, and not in a good way.
On Wednesday afternoon, news director Justin Stevens’s issued a public statement, rebuking Tingle over her comments at the festival, which he said “lacked context, balance and supporting information”.
Around the same time, Tingle was also granted permission by ABC management to publish a 1400-word essay on the broadcaster’s website, in which she defended her weekend speech.
Just like The Fonz, Tingle found it hard to say sorry.
Wisely, the ABC’sdeputy editor in Canberra, Louise Willis, read the room and dropped a last-minute note to staff ahead of the Thursday meet-and-greet event, announcing Tingle’s planned visit to chew the fat about pressing staff matters had to be postponed.
“Hello ABC Canberra friends,” Willis’s leaked note to staff said.
“Just postponing this event (Tingle’s visit) to another day.”
Willis’s original invite said Tingle’s planned visit would involve her “wandering around the building chatting to people and teams”.
“She (Tingle) wants to hear how things are going, and what the board needs to know,” Willis said.
“No big meeting, just informal chats.”
Willis signed off: “Please just bowl up to her if you see her.”
Just imagine if Tingle’s office visit did go ahead!
Would anyone have been brazen enough to “bowl up” to Tingle to ask her what on Earth she was thinking when she labelled Australia “racist” and bizarrely accused Dutton of encouraging abuse towards migrants at open home inspections?
When we contacted Tingle to find out why the highly anticipated chat with staff was postponed, we received no explanation. But ABC managing director David Anderson made his feelings about Tingle’s performance known at Senate estimates last week, admitting it “hurt” the broadcaster’s “ability to be impartial”.
Bravely, ABC Melbourne Mornings host Raf Epstein decided to open up the talkback line last week, to hear listeners’ views on whether we are a racist country.
Nicole from Ballarat told Epstein: “Laura Tingle is so biased it’s unbearable, she cannot be believed when reporting, as her view is so anti-LNP it’s not funny.”
Caller Julie blamed Stevens for the hoo-ha. “We shouldn’t be shutting down people like Laura Tingle, I don’t particularly like Laura Tingle but that’s not the point,” Julie told Epstein.
“Justin, your head of news, I think was wrong in his statement about the fact that it doesn’t abide by ABC rules.”
Then there was one-time Insiders host and former Labor hack Barrie Cassidy, who moderated the writers festival event at which Tingle unleashed.
He took to social media platform X to voice his disgust at News Corp journalists rolling up at writers festivals.
How dare they!
“It’s disturbing to see the Murdoch media turning up to the writers festival to attack free speech,” said Cassidy.
Actually, Barrie, we turned up because we thought Tingle might have something newsworthy to say.
I agree with that. And that’s why it’s disturbing to see the Murdoch media turning up at writers festivals to attack free speech. https://t.co/IsOvEuXlwR
— Barrie Cassidy (@barriecassidy) May 28, 2024
Turns out we were right.
Blade runners
Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins married partner David Sharaz on the Gold Coast on Saturday, but not without some fanfare and disruption from the waiting press pack.
Travelling from their lavish French chateau back to Australia to tie the knot, there was plenty of media circling The Valley Estate in Currumbin to catch a glimpse of the loved-up pair.
The Daily Mail even sent up a chopper with snapper Nathan Richter on-board to try to get some sky-high snaps, but the Higgins/Sharaz camp was one step ahead.
Security managed to whip out a sea of black umbrellas to hide the couple’s shimmy down the aisle, thus ruining the Mail’s chance to get a photo scoop of the bride and groom.
Diary hears Higgins and Sharaz were determined not to let their magic moment be hijacked by a pesky paparazzo, despite at least one member of the happy couple having form in strategically tipping off press photographers when it (white) suits them.
The wedding was due for a 3pm kick-off but was delayed until 3.45pm, with one theory being that the couple knew the chopper couldn’t hover forever.
“Higgins was totally paranoid. Never seen so many umbrellas covering them. It was a hard one to cover. Very dark. Richter had the security freaked out by 10am,” one snapper said.
Diary contacted Daily Mail editor Felicity Hetherington about the Mail’s use of the chopper and how much it set it back. “We used a chopper, which would explain the pics of the security team and umbrellas,” she said.
Diary was told the Daily Mail shelled out $1500 for two hours up in the air, but Hetherington certainly wasn’t giving away those details.
The Daily Mail wrote: “Mr Sharaz was surrounded by an entourage of groomsmen, security workers and venue staff, and shrouded by a sea of big black umbrellas to shield him from the media circus waiting beyond the gate.”
The snapper told Diary this only made matters worse.
“The umbrellas doubled when the chopper came over. I believe if there was no chopper they would have been more relaxed,” he said.
“Look back at the Ardern wedding in NZ.”
To remind readers, back in January when former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern walked down the aisle with long-time partner Clarke Gayford, the Daily Mail embarrassed itself.
NZ’s Weekend Herald had media insider Shayne Currie write a lengthy article about how the “former prime minister pulled a cunning move as a snooping chopper buzzed overhead at her vineyard wedding”.
And who was in the chopper? You guessed it. Richter.
Diary reached out to the newly married Sharaz on Sunday to find out if he and Higgins had any magazine deals from their big day but he responded: “No deal.”
Instead the couple took to Instagram to share some romantic pics from the day. Certainly a different approach to their engagement at Byron Bay’s lighthouse on New Year’s Day last year when the media was tipped off about the proposal and was conveniently captured by waiting snappers.
ABC for kids
Regular readers will know Diary has been all in a lather in recent weeks about a game of “tag” that’s been heavily promoted by ABC Sydney’s Breakfast radio program, hosted by comedian Craig Reucassel.
Reucassel invited his dwindling band of listeners, the majority of whom either have jobs or are of retirement age and have creaky knees, to play the “biggest game of tag, ever”. The game was spruiked by Reucassel on his show, and on social media, and there was even going to be a prize (paid for by you, the taxpayer!).
It’s still unclear a) whose idea this was, and b) how many people entered this harebrained competition, although Diary suspects the answer to b) will forever remain a secret for fear of industrial-scale embarrassment.
The plot thickened when ABC Sydney Mornings host Sarah Macdonald last month asked Reucassel who was the lucky winner of the ridiculous game on the day he promised he would announce it. But old mate Craig told listeners he “totally forgot” to reveal the triumphant tagger!
Was he teasing, or was he hoping all memory of the massive promotion would slip out of our collective memories overnight, like the Y2K bug?
Diary kept asking the ABC’s communications department, only to be openly mocked by the “no comment” professionals. Something about chasing “all the big stories”?
But we weren’t deterred, and finally last week we got word as to who did actually win. So, drumroll, please … it was the year 4 class at Artarmon Public School, on Sydney’s north shore.
Reucassel even sent a video and a trophy for the class’s efforts.
Does this mean the ABC’s strategy to attract younger audiences is actually bearing fruit? Sure looks that way!
Anyway, a hearty congrats to the dedicated ABC listeners at Artarmon, and the schoolteachers for identifying a very winnable competition.
The third radio ratings survey of the year is out on Tuesday, and there’s no doubt all eyes will be on the ABC as it has been shedding listeners across the country for the best part of two years, despite an overhaul at management level and a reshuffling of on-air talent.
In the last survey, Reucassel recorded an audience share of 7.1 per cent and was sixth in the prestigious Sydney breakfast slot, while Macdonald had an audience share of just 4.4 per cent and was eighth in her timeslot.
In Melbourne, the focus will be on the newly arrived KIIS101.1 FM breakfast duo, Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ”O’ Henderson, who will have three weeks of ratings calculated in the results, which covers the period from February 25 through to May 18.
Nick Tabakoff is on leave
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