Marie-Louise to sign-off from Ten News

Celebrities / Personalities, Television

Brisbane Ten News reader Marie-Louise Thiele has announced she is leaving the Ten Network in December, having negotiated an early end to her contract.

Speaking on ABC radio, Thiele feels she needs more time with her family:

“At this stage, it is just all about the gut feeling, doing what’s right, doing what feels good and it just feels right,”

“I’m just ready to have some time in my home, doing more things with my kids and just kicking back for a while. That’s absolutely where my head is at.”

Ms Thiele’s career began at ABC before moving to the Ten newsroom in Brisbane. Her career also included a two-year stint reading the news alongside David Johnston at Ten in Melbourne before returning to Ten in Brisbane.

Ms Thiele made headlines in mid-2000 when caught on camera having a conversation with colleague Geoff Mullins in which she referred to her husband as “…this arsehole I’m married to”, but Thiele said the incident was little more than a “blip on the radar”:

“The thing about it was, it was one of those situations where anyone who saw it could see it was a joke. When it appears in print it looks a lot worse than it was. In the big scheme of life everybody has moved on.”

Source: The Australian
MediaSpy discussion: Ten News, Marie-Louise Thiele

ACCC gives thumbs up to MMG acquisitions

Industry, Television, Radio

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has given its approval to the Macquarie Media Group purchase of Southern Cross Broadcasting Ltd and nine Fairfax Media radio stations.

ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said the decision came after they accepted court enforceable undertakings from the company.

Samuel said the acquisitions were likely to result in a reduction of competition in Bundaberg, Port Lincoln, Spencer Gulf, Launceston, Burnie and Devonport, and part of the undertaking, Macquarie will sell stations in those markets.

“In all of the regions where divestitures are to occur, the undertakings require an independent manager to be installed to operate the divestiture assets as independent ongoing businesses,” Mr Samuel said.

Samuel also said the ACCC has accepted a condition that Southern Cross’s syndication arm would sold to a third-party independent of MMG should the sale of that division to Fairfax doesn’t go through.

The deal would see Macquarie purchase Southern Cross, and sell its metropolitan radio stations, amongst others, to Fairfax, who would then sell its nine regional radio stations to Macquarie.

“This undertaking addresses the competition concerns that would arise in the event that MMG retained Southern Cross Syndication, despite its intention to on-sell the assets to Fairfax,” he said. “Southern Cross Syndication is a key source of content for MMG’s competitors, giving rise to the possibility of competition concerns in the relevant radio content markets.”

MMG owns and operates 85 commercial radio licences in 44 licence areas in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. The deal will add the Southern Cross Ten and Southern Cross Television networks to its portfolio.

Source: The Age

MediaSpy discussion: Macquarie Media Group, Regional TV, Southern Cross Radio, Takeovers and name changes, Southern Cross Broadcasting ownership - sell out?,

Minister gives PBL split his blessing

Industry

The proposed split of Publishing and Broadcasting Limited is back on track, with the company to seek court approval this afternoon to split the company into two following a favourable tax decision.

It was announced yesterday that the split was put in doubt due to tax law amendments revealed late last week by Revenue Minister and Assistant Treasurer Peter Dutton. The amendments would have exposed PBL to capital gains tax liabilities, but Dutton said that the amendments would not be applied to deals that have already been announced. The uncertainty forced PBL to delay a hearing in the Federal Court scheduled for Monday, but the company said the matter would now be heard this afternoon at 3pm.

“PBL had adjourned this court hearing . . . to permit the PBL board to assess the impact on PBL’s scheme of arrangement of an announcement made last Friday by the Minister for Revenue,” the company told The Australian Stock Exchange.

“In the interim, the Minister has clarified his announcement will not apply to listed entities undertaking corporate action by takeover bid or schemes of arrangement announced to the ASX before 13 October 2007.

“As PBL first announced its proposed demerger by schemes of arrangement in May 2007, the PBL Board is satisfied the demerger proposal is not affected by the Minister’s announcement and can proceed for consideration by the Federal Court, and if acceptable to the court, by PBL shareholders.”

Should shareholders approve, each PBL share would be exchanged for a share each in gaming company Crown Limited and media company Consolidated Media Holdings, and shareholders would also receive $3 per share in a capital return.

Source: The Age

MediaSpy Discussion: Channel Nine Changes

Nine to “worm” its way into debate

Television Programmes, Talking Points

The Nine Network is set to risk upsetting Prime Minister John Howard and use the “worm” to pronounce the winner of the live election debate on Sunday night.

Nine’s head of news and current affairs, John Westacott, said yesterday that 100 undecided voters would “worm the debate and select who won” from Nine’s studios, with the worm to be shown immediately after the 90-minute live debate ends.

The Australian Labor Party has written to the Liberal Party, who barred the use of the worm during the live broadcast, and argued that the use of the worm should be up to the networks.

“Why punish the worm?” Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd said yesterday. “Everyone in Australia likes the worm”. He later called on those involved to “be friends of the worm.”

Westacott said attempting to ban the worm was “undemocratic and an attack on free speech and political comment”. He later added that Nine generally followed the debate with the worm, except in 1993, where it had been done live.

Sky News Australia, the ABC and Nine will air the debate live and commercial free from the Great Hall at Parliament House on Sunday night, with Sky’s political editor David Speers moderating. Seven and Ten will cover it in their news bulletins in lieu of taking the debate.

The National Press Club announced yesterday that the panel that would post questions to the two leaders would comprise of one senior journalist each from the ABC, Fairfax and News Limited, as well as one radio and television reporter. Where is more than one nomination, the name will be drawn out of a hat.

Source: The Australian

MediaSpy discussion: Election Coverage, ELECTION 2007

Seven gets the jump on the others with new HD channel

Digital Television

The Seven Network has gotten the jump on the Nine and Ten networks and launched Australia’s first high definition multichannel last night at 10.30pm.

The new channel, known as 7HD, will initially operate during the late nights and weekends with separate programming.

The new station launched with the network television premiere of the movie 25th Hour and Seven is planning the scheduling of first release movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights. Across Tuesday and Thursday, Seven will schedule a first-run high definition US series The Grid. On weekend daytimes, Seven’s significant sports schedule on its primary channel will be complemented by children’s and family programming through its output agreement with The Walt Disney Company.

It is unknown when the network’s regional affiliates, Prime Television, Golden West Network, Southern Cross Television and WIN Television South Australia, will take the new service.

Source: Seven Network press release via eBroadcast

MediaSpy discussion: HD Multichannels

Minister puts PBL de-merger plans on hold

Industry

A little known federal minister has unwittingly halted the split of Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, putting James Packer’s plans to get his hands on a capital return worth $785 million dollar on hold.

The company has been forced to defer its planned de-merger because of uncertainty over tax law amendments announced by Peter Dutton, the Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer, just two days before the federal election was called. PBL was forced to seek the postponement of a hearing in the Federal Court yesterday, which it would’ve asked for permission to allow shareholders to vote on the split next month.

The minister’s office said it wasn’t aware that the changes would affect the deal, and had to reverse their position last night.

Dutton said the timing of the announcement is not related to any current specific commercial activity. After a barrage of calls, he said late yesterday that “businesses which have made an announcement” prior to October 13 would not be affected.

The changes to tax laws are the latest in a series of hiccups related to the de-merger, which was announced in May and had already been delayed twice as the company battled the Australian Tax Office over the treatment of a $3-a-share cash return that would come with the deal.

While that issue has been resolved, there is no agreement if the ATO will treat the PBL split as a tax-friendly de-merger, or a sale of assets into two new companies, gaming company Crown, and media company Consolidated Media Holdings. Should they fail to win, it could expose the company to the tax law changes.

Under the minister’s plans, companies would no longer be able to adjust the tax value of their assets to market value when selling them into such new entities. As a result, Crown or Consolidated Media might incur higher capital gains taxes in any future deal, hurting their returns.

The company said the implication needs to be assessed to determine whether the proposed de-merger remains in the best interests of shareholders. Tom Bathurst, QC, for PBL, told the Federal Court yesterday it was a “mystery” how the new law was to be applied.

The amendments will have to be ratified by the new Parliament next year. If approved, they will take effect from last Friday.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

MediaSpy Discussion: Channel Nine Changes

Hines threatens to quit Idol

Television Programmes, Celebrities / Personalities

Australian Idol judge Marcia Hines has threatened to quit the Ten Network’s talent show after a series of angry comments on Sunday night’s show. The former Queen of Pop lost her temper on air, declaring she “had the shits” with fellow Idol judge Mark Holden over his harsh criticism of contestant Ben McKenzie.

McKenzie, one of this season’s most popular performers, received the lowest number of votes after his performance Stevie Wonder’s Higher Ground. Hines said Ben was “a shining light” and told him “I don’t think this is the end for you Ben.”

“The travesty is you want to be here when there are certain people who don’t want to be here, and that’s what’s really bugging me,” Hines said.

Another judge on the show, radio jock Kyle Sandilands, added to the fire when he interviewed Holden on Sydney radio station 2DayFM yesterday. News Limited reports that Holden didn’t hesitate to push the 54-year-old diva further to the edge, saying she should leave the show if the judging panel was scaled back to three judges.

“I’m leaving because I don’t like being in company that don’t (sic) like me, Mark,” Hines told Sandilands after calling into his show.

Hines is seen as the mediator on the panel among brutal male judges Sandilands, Holden and Ian “Dicko” Dickson. But it isn’t only Hines who is getting disgruntled over Holden’s sharp tongue.

In August, Holden sought police assistance after a series of late-night phone calls sparked fears he was the target of disgruntled contestants who were eliminated from the show.

”In an earlier season some cars were damaged by a contestant who would not take no for an answer,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.

Source: NineMSN

MediaSpy discussion: Australian Idol

Seven slams Nine/Foxtel Olympics swoop

New Media, Subscription Television, Television

The record-breaking $117 million dollar bid for the 2010 and 2012 Olympics from the Nine Network and Foxtel may have given the troubled network a shot in the arm but has raised questions on whether Nine and Foxtel have paid too much for the rights to the games.

The price is believed to be $28 million above what the current rights holder, the Seven Network, has paid for the games, and is more than 60% higher than what Seven paid for the 2006 Turin winter Olympics, and next year’s summer Olympics in Beijing.

While Seven chairman Kerry Stokes was disappointed in losing the rights for the games in Vancouver (2010) and London (2012), Seven sources say he wasn’t prepared to pay as much as Nine and Foxtel signed up for. (continued…)

Triple M’s “Get This” axed

Celebrities / Personalities, Radio

Tony Martin’s Get This program on Triple M will finish in six weeks for the last time.

TSR understands that Austereo have shifted focus for Triple M to the breakfast timeslot.    No replacement for Get This has been announced.

Today’s TV and Radio News from the SMH (15-10-2007)

Industry, Television Programmes, Television, Radio

KIDS ARE FOR LIFE
Channel Ten is developing a sitcom for Australian Idol co-host James Mathison. Called Life of Leisure, it follows a guy who’s having a “quarter-life crisis” and wants to move back in with his parents. The problem is, they’ve moved into a retirement village. A pilot has been produced by David Maher and David Taylor for Fox Australia. It was written by Jaime Brown and Kris Mrksa, who co-wrote The King.

HOLT DRAMA BEGINS
Production begins this week on the docu-drama The Prime Minister is Missing, which re-examines the events leading up to the disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt in waters near Portsea in late 1967. Written and directed by Peter Butt, it will air next year on the ABC. Butt’s previous project, Who Killed Dr Bogle and Mrs Chandler?, was the highest-rating show on the ABC last year and its top-rating documentary ever.

ON THE MEND
Robson Green (Wire in the Blood) has signed up for a new Foxtel drama, Make or Break, written by Mike Bullen (Cold Feet) and filming in Sydney soon. Green plays a man who moves from the UK to Sydney with his wife in an effort to mend their relationship. It is said to be similar in style to Cold Feet.

(continued…)