Mediaweek

Mediaweek and Mumbrella have spent years covering Australia’s media industry while becoming one of its juiciest stories. The latest argy-bargy centres on Vinyl Media's plans to use AI to dramatically scale its publishing output. The debate has since come down to AI publishing and, somehow, the word “bombastic”. So, naturally, we put the two men at the centre of it in the same room. Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons and Mumbrella publisher Tim Burrowes sat down at Mumbrella HQ in Sydney to discuss their public clash, the role AI could play in journalism and the difficult business of making publishing pay. The conversation is frank, occasionally fiery and surprisingly civil. No furniture was harmed. Think of it as a media peace summit, with microphones. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You probably know Matty Fahd from the Gogglebox couch. But before he was critiquing TV for a living, he spent 18 years working behind the scenes in media, from the agency trenches to helping build TikTok Australia. Then he did something many of us have probably fantasised about: he walked away from the corporate gig. With Gogglebox Australia back for a new season, Matty joins me on Newsmakers to talk TikTok, taking the gamble on becoming a full-time creator, and why leaving the job he always wanted ultimately gave him something much more valuable: time with his family. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Google gets the click. Meta gets the conversion. But did either of them actually create the demand? New research from SCA and Seven suggests that by the time a consumer searches, clicks, or buys, much of the hard work is already done. The research looked at almost $73 million in media investment and more than 615,000 customer outcomes, and raises some big questions about how marketers measure what’s actually working. On this episode of Mediaweek Newsmakers , I’m joined by SCA’s Olly Newton and Kim Loasby to talk attribution, what consumers say versus what they actually do, and why performance marketing can’t work without brand building behind it. Read more here: https://www.mediaweek.com.au/sca-seven-attribution-research-newton-loasby See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We here at Mediaweek wanted this chat to be a little bit different from our usual ones. We all know about the bust-up with Jackie, the court case and the new show, Kyle Sandilands Live , which launched today. And while we touch on some of that, I wanted to go somewhere else. Full disclosure: I’ve known Kyle for around 15 years. I first met him when he and Jackie were at SCA, before coming back into his orbit when they moved to ARN. So I wanted this conversation to be about the Kyle I’ve observed over those years. The boss his employees know - and the one many remain fiercely loyal to, following him from one chapter to the next. Because it raises an interesting question: if Kyle really is as nasty or vile as some of his critics claim, why do so many of the people who work closest to him keep choosing to do so? Having spent a long time working in radio myself, I’ve always found Kyle something of an anomaly. He can be brutal on air, but off air, he’s often the opposite. With some other broadcasters, that switch gets flicked the other way. Make of that what you will. This conversation is looser than most. A little more personal, too. And, quite frankly, that’s probably exactly how Kyle would like it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've ever wondered whether marketers are giving far too much credit to the last click, this episode is for you. In this episode of Newsmakers, I’m joined by Seven's director of sales, Katie Finney , and Prophet CEO Jordan Taylor-Bartels to unpack why the industry is moving beyond last-click attribution, what actually drives demand, and why TV, audio, podcasts and digital work best when they're working together, not competing for credit. We also dive into what the Seven-SCA merger means for advertisers, why live moments still matter in a search-first world, and how better measurement is helping marketers make smarter decisions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simon Ryan has seen this industry from both sides of the table. He used to run things inside a legacy global holding company - now he's the one building a business, giving those same networks a headache. Kind of poetic, honestly. He's the founder of RyanCap, which he built fast and sold to Cosmo Five in Paris in about three years. So when he talks about why the big guys are struggling, he's not guessing - he's lived it. And he does not hold back. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Antoinette Lattouf has become one of the defining figures in Australia’s media and political landscape - not just because of the Federal Court case against the ABC, but because of the broader questions it raised about journalism, power, and what happens when reporters become the story themselves. In this episode of Mediaweek’s Newsmakers , Lattouf speaks candidly about the legal battle, the personal fallout, and the moment her career changed overnight. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are journalists who cover the news, and then there are those who somehow end up standing in the middle of history as it unfolds. Michael Usher has spent the better part of three decades doing exactly that. From the chaos of 9/11 in New York to the Iraq War, the London bombings, royal weddings, federal elections and some of the most defining moments in modern television news, Usher has built a career that reads less like a résumé and more like a timeline of global events. So, it’s no wonder he’s become one of the country’s most trusted broadcasters. But what makes this conversation fascinating isn’t just the headlines he’s covered - it’s hearing how it all started. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Securing millions of eyeballs during prime time looks great on a network press release. However, monetising those streaming audiences at the speed of live television, presents a completely different challenge. Behind the screen, Connected TV (CTV) and programmatic advertising serve as the vital plumbing that turns those viewers into revenue. This unseen engine dictates exactly which ad plays to which household in a matter of milliseconds. On this episode of Mediaweek’s Newsmakers podcast, we caught up with Julia Edwards , director of programmatic sales at Nine, and Maddy Mewing , director of platforms at Magnite, to unpack exactly how this technical wizardry works. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom Malone didn’t set out to run a national audio network, but he sure built his career like someone who might. In this episode of Mediaweek’s Newsmakers , the Tapt Media CEO traces his path from newsroom floor to the top job, unpacking the decisions, discipline and industry shifts that now sit behind the launch of the new independent audio business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The term ‘thought leader’ is often loosely applied across marketing and media, but at its most effective, it plays a defined role in shaping brand direction and influence. That’s the focus of the latest episode of Newsmakers, featuring Jenny Haggard, Head of Global Brand Strategy and Thought Leadership Lead at Spotify. In the episode, Haggard outlines how the role operates in practice – and how it has evolved alongside Spotify’s own growth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He’s been described as a comedic dark genius. But beneath Anthony Jeselnik’s acerbic wit lies a mind shaped by the power of literature. Fiction, to be precise. In fact, Jeselnik’s appreciation for the written word is so great that he’s even started a book club. Called ‘The Anthony Jeselnik Book Club’ - the only prerequisite for membership is … well, nothing really. And, to be honest, that’s the real genius of the club - it’s open to anyone and everyone who wants to read. There’s no deal in it for him, no movie tie-ins or kickbacks, making it probably one of the more PURE things in the world right now. In this chat, we talk about Jeselnik’s education at Turlane, why he walked away from his first job writing jokes for Jimmy Fallon, and why nothing hits the human spirit like fiction. Novels mentioned in the podcast below: Glama Rama - Brett Easton Ellis American Psycho - Brett Easton Ellis No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton Departure(s) - Julian Barnes Lost Lambs - Madeline Cash Crux - Gabriel Tallent Discipline - Larissa Fa Heap Earth Upon It - Chloe Michelle Howorth White River Crossing - Ian McGuire The Violet Hour: A Novel - James Cahill Among Friends - Hal Ebbott Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy Stoner - John Williams Chain-Gang All-Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah The Glass Hotel - Emily St. John Mandel Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger On the Road - Jack Kerouac Faithless - Alice Nelson See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, the media industry considered out-of-home advertising the blunt instrument of the media mix. Planners bought giant billboards and hoped people would drive past. Those days are officially over. MOVE 2.0 has finally launched. The new $20 million measurement tool leaves its cage to shift the industry from simply buying panels to genuinely understanding people. In the latest edition of the Mediaweek Newsmakers podcast, Elizabeth McIntyre , chief executive officer of the Outdoor Media Association and MOVE , joins Brittany Crowley , national head of investment at Universal McCann , to unpack the reality of the release. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you get when you invite six of ad land’s most powerful women into a room to talk candidly about what it means to be a woman in the industry? It might sound like the start of a riddle. After all, coordinating the diaries of six CEOs and senior leaders is no small feat. Amazingly, Mediaweek managed to do just that. In the aftermath of International Women’s Day, the Newsmakers podcast brought together a group of Omnicom’s most influential female leaders for an unfiltered conversation about leadership, change and the realities of navigating advertising’s power corridors. The line-up includes Laura Nice , CEO of PHD; Jo McAlister , CEO of Initiative; Liz Wigmore , Managing Director of Hearts & Science; Sian Whitnall , CEO of OMD; Sue Squillace , CEO Mediahub; and Stevie Douglas-Neill , CEO of UM. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marc Fennell has a knack for finding the stories that make you double-take. From art heists to stolen colonial artifacts, he has carved out a niche as Australia’s preeminent chronicler of the weird and the wealthy. His latest project, Australia’s Greatest Conman , dives into the surreal world of John Friedrich and the National Safety Council. Marc joined Mediaweek's Newsmakers to talk behind the scenes on the doco series that investigates Australia’s biggest fraudster. A guy who built a private counter-terrorism base, gave helicopter lifts to Bob Hawke , and was awarded an Order of Australia. And he paid for absolutely none of it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Veteran news anchor Mark Ferguson joins Mediaweek’s Newsmakers to reflect on his journey from a teenage cadet in Tamworth to the face of 7NEWS Sydney . Ahead of his 60th birthday, Ferguson opens up about the pivotal moments, global assignments, career risks, and lessons learned across four decades in Australian television news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when a journalist who’s spent decades in the newsroom goes head-to-head with a futurist who believes AI could save it? In the very first Mediaweek’s Newsmakers Debate , Joe Hildebrand and Rita Arrigo face off over one of the biggest questions in modern media: Is AI destroying journalism, or helping it evolve? It’s a fiery, funny, and surprisingly hopeful exchange about truth, trust, and the future of storytelling — and it’s one every media professional should hear. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There aren’t many journalists who can say they’ve gone from covering crime scenes to coaching CEOs - but Shelly Horton can. After three decades in the media, she’s swapped newsroom chaos for the boardroom floor, turning her sharp instincts and trademark humour into a mission: helping leaders find their voice and women find their power. In this episode of Mediaweek’s Newsmakers , Shelly talks about I’m Your Peri Godmother - her funny, fearless guide to perimenopause - and the advocacy work that’s taken her from TV studios to Parliament House. She also reveals the secret behind her “five Ps” for public speaking (spoiler: they’re not exactly HR-approved). It’s classic Shelly - smart, bold, and brilliantly unfiltered - proving that good preparation (and a solid sense of humour) can take you just about anywhere. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Simon Cahill, the intersection of music and technology has never just been work - it’s been a lifelong obsession. From tinkering with VCRs as a kid to helping launch SXSW Sydney, he’s built a career that reflects the same passions that once kept him glued to Saturday morning music shows. In this chat, Cahill details the golden thread that seems to have woven his career together, and explains how a hobby turned into a dream career. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mitch Churi is a broadcaster who’s never been afraid to put himself out there. From squatting in a KIIS FM studio clucking like a chicken in front of Kyle and Jackie O , to winning awards and hosting national shows, Mitch has carved out one of the most colourful journeys in Australian radio. When ARN cut him loose earlier this year, he didn’t sit still. Instead, he doubled down on what he loves most: connecting with audiences. Now he’s launching The Mitch Churi Chat Show with Acast - part late-night talk show, part internet playground, and all Mitch. In this episode, we talk about the hustle, the setbacks, and the leap from traditional radio to independent creator. You can check out Mitch's new show here: https://www.youtube.com/@MitchChuriChatShow See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.