MediaLand

A year of mergers, successions and scandals

It's the final MediaLand, for the year and well, ever!  Vivienne and Tim look back at the big media stories of the year and what they mean for what will be landing on your screens and radios in 2026.  From huge media mergers to who is actually in charge of the big media families now, all the way over to whether commercial radio can't afford three hosts a show any more, we've got you covered.  Guest: Rob Kelly, producer of MediaLand and freelance journalist  You can binge more episodes of the MediaLand podcast with media insiders Tim Burrowes and Vivienne Kelly on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find interviews with the big media bosses, the journalists on the ground and the hacks who hunt for the big media scoops.  Please email us at Medialand@abc.net.au [Medialand@abc.net.au] if you would like to get in touch, we read them all and love hearing from you!

Social media ban bites!

The social media ban is almost here! And so are the legal challenges, while a lot of the country begins to wind down, the media landscape is about to experience an earthquake. The new regulations kick into effect formally on Wednesday the 10th of December, although some companies have gone early with their age gating attempts. How did we get here and what is actually happening on the ground, or in the cyberspace, as the new rules come into effect?  What is going on with media company ownership?!? In a week worthy of a Succession plotline media companies have been shedding stock in each other, which we presume means some major ownership changes might be coming down the pipe.   The media killing season continues with high profile axings across the broadcast industry this week. It's not unusual for this time of year, but why is it so harsh and enduring in 2025 and what does it mean for our local media diet in 2026?  Guest: Cam Wilson, Associate Editor of Crikey and co-author of Conspiracy Nation  You can binge more episodes of the MediaLand podcast with media insiders Tim Burrowes and Vivienne Kelly on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find interviews with the big media bosses, the journalists on the ground and the hacks who hunt for the big media scoops.  Please email us at Medialand@abc.net.au [Medialand@abc.net.au] if you would like to get in touch, we read them all and love hearing from you!

Gambling advertising under the spotlight

What are you really gambling with? You may recognise those words from the very brief window of advice which has to follow gambling advertising now. But the amount of advertising for gambling, where it’s allowed and the tone it has to take has been a political and business football for decades in Australia. The current Government is following its predecessors in saying it’s going to increase regulation, but critics say we shouldn't be holding our breath.  Quentin Beresford has written books on everything from the hunt for the Tasmanian Tiger to the rules and regulations that bind our environmental laws. His recent obsession has been the gambling industry in Australia and his latest book Hooked investigates the impact of gambling on our daily lives.  It's a great time to buy a media company if you're in the market. A new twist in the tale for the beleaguered Telegraph sale opens door to new buyers and Warner Bros. Discovery wants a bit more cash than people have so far thought it is worth. Are we eventually going to just have one big international media company?  The Walkley Awards for journalistic excellence took place this week! We take a look at the runners and riders and ask whether awards for journalism are particularly useful.  Guest: Quentin Beresford, author of Hooked: Inside the murky world of Australia's gambling industry [https://unsw.press/books/hooked/] You can binge more episodes of the MediaLand podcast with media insiders Tim Burrowes and Vivienne Kelly on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find interviews with the big media bosses, the journalists on the ground and the hacks who hunt for the big media scoops.  Please email us at Medialand@abc.net.au [Medialand@abc.net.au] if you would like to get in touch, we read them all and love hearing from you!

Whistleblowing to media under threat

Whistleblowing has long been a key part of the ability of media to hold governments and corporations to account, but the toll on the whistleblowers and journalists involved can be extremely heavy. The Federal Government's proposed public sector whistleblower reforms, including the establishment of a Whistleblowing Ombudsman, are working their way through the legal process and experts are concerned they won't provide the right protections for people wanting to sound the alarm.  Can Australian public servants be summoned to Washington? E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant has been asked to appear before a United States Congressional Committee, but it remains unclear if she'll go. It's a busy month for the commissioner and many others as the social media restrictions loom in early December. Meta announced they're starting with restrictions a week early. Are they going too soon or is everyone else behind?  The ABC closed out the 2025 media upfronts season this week with its content showcase for 2026. Its Managing Director Hugh Marks also took to the dais of the National Press Club on Wednesday to exhort ABC journalists to "stick to the journalism". What's in store for public broadcasting in 2026?  It's been another tough week for the staff at the media behemoth Nine with the head of their broadcast division promising to "squeeze" more out of the beleaguered department.  Is the season of the cuts particularly harsh this year?  Guest: Dr Rebecca Ananian-Welsh, Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, Executive Director of Public Law with the Centre for Public International and Comparative Law (CPICL), and Chief Editor of the University of Queensland Law Journal  You can binge more episodes of the MediaLand podcast with media insiders Tim Burrowes and Vivienne Kelly on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find interviews with the big media bosses, the journalists on the ground and the hacks who hunt for the big media scoops.  Please email us at Medialand@abc.net.au [Medialand@abc.net.au] if you would like to get in touch, we read them all and love hearing from you!

Hannah Ferguson: indie media flourishing in tough times

We’re always talking about media companies trying to get bigger in order to survive. But that may not be the only way to do it. Hannah Ferguson set up Cheek Media in 2020 and has been building an independent media powerhouse without outside investment or selling off parts of the company. Does being small help and are there gaps growing between big media companies and their audiences?  Will big tech companies have to pay to play with local news makers again? The Federal Government released a document this week suggesting that the long talked about New Bargaining Incentive may kick into gear in 2026.  It’s been a pretty turbulent week for domestic media companies, who are all in their own ways reacting to a softening advertising market. Job cuts at Nine are the most obvious symptom, but it's going to be a tough end to 2025 right across commercial media. And we found out this week that The Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions will not charge Kyle and Jackie O or Mamamia with contempt for potentially prejudicial comments made during the trial of Erin Patterson. Can these media companies breathe a sigh of relief yet?  Guest: Hannah Ferguson, CEO and Founder of Cheek Media Co., co-host of Cheek’s podcast The Big Small Talk and the author of Bite Back and 2024’s Taboo.