Mumbrellacast

Welcome to this week's Mumbrellacast, where Abe Udy, Hal Crawford, and Nathan Jolly -- who some are calling the best power trio since Nirvana -- discuss the Federal Budget's impact on the media world, the new SBS managing director, and the job losses and bidding wars at Ooh Media. We open with the Federal Budget, easily the best 990-page document to be released so far this month. AAP is being given a cool $15m to keep the newswire ticking along, while the ABC and SBS both got their budgets increased. But it's the capital gains tax changes that have start-ups in the media and marketing space worried. Is it just post-budget panic, or will the new rules make it less attractive to start -- or continue -- a small business in Australia? Also this week, Jane Palfreyman has been named the managing director of the SBS, a job she's been doing for around nine months already, taking over from James Taylor, who is now at Ooh Media (more on him, shortly). As we discuss, the SBS has a reputation for promoting from within their ranks -- and for largely avoiding the "our tax money pays for this garbage" garbage that the ABC seems to cop every time they report something slightly impartial or show a boring re-run of The Bill. Is it time to apply more scrutiny to the SBS? As we were going into record this podcast, Ooh Media was just wrapping its annual general meeting, during which CEO James Taylor announced 82 job cuts -- around 9% of staff -- and $12m in annual savings. The shareholders seemed quite impressed with the way the company is being ran -- possibly because two recent takeover bids have seen share prices soar in the past few weeks. Taylor and co. also seem largely unconcerned about Nine's recent acquisition of outdoor media rival QMS, which seems to have appeased the shareholders somewhat. And finally, Eleanor spoke to Gavin McLeod, chief creative officer at Emotive, about the new campaign they created for Four Seasons Condoms entirely with AI. It's worth watching the ad before you start typing "AI slop" into the comments box below... Get the latest episode every Thursday. Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

"Once a marketer, always a marketer," declares Thomas Barta. "Marketing is about creating change and desire, and I'm still in it." Later this month, Barta is flying to Sydney from Cologne to present a keynote at Mumbrella 360 around the "catalyst" theme of the conference. He aims to provide a framework to close the gap between knowing what needs to change, and actually making change. His overriding premise is that “companies don’t create the future — people do”, and that individuals inside organisations are the ones who propel change. "If you wanna be a catalyst ... it's not about some skills you were born with and then you suddenly are that. "It's that you need to very simply learn how to do two things very well. The first thing is ignite ideas that lead to growth ... second, you also need to learn to rally an organisation. "We have a lot of people who have lots of good ideas that go nowhere. We have a lot of people who execute like hell and maybe are hitting a wall because they're in the wrong direction, and they have lots of people who do none of the above because they just tick along. "But then there are these few people who lead the company and that is the role you can take, even if you are 21-years-old, and you are starting out in this profession. "That's what we need to learn: How do you ignite and how do you rally? And if you take these two themes and you work on them a little ... your career will clearly take a positive turn." Listen to the entire podcast to learn why Barta thinks the terms 'performance marketing' and 'brand marketing' are "complete bullshit"; how marketers can treat the infux of AI in marketing as akin to choosing the red pill or the blue pill; and why Donald Trump is the best marketer he's ever seen. Mumbrella360 runs from May 26-28 at Carriageworks in Sydney. Get tickets here. Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

Welcome to this week's Mumbrellacast, where Tim Burrowes joins us live from the Qantas lounge but swears he isn't compromised. The reason we mention this is because this week, it was revealed that ABC managing director Hugh Marks has accepted a membership to the Qantas Chairman's Lounge, one of the most exclusive clubs in the country -- and one where memberships are dealt out -- and rescinded -- by one of the biggest corporations in the country, one which has had a horror PR run since the pandemic. We discuss why this is potentially a huge problem when it comes to the perception of the national broadcaster as an independently minded news outlet, and why other media outlets aren't slamming Marks for this decision, when lesser ABC scandals seem to be beaten up. Dentsu Australia has ditched its Carat and iProspect brands and reduced its Australian operation to one brand. Why did this happen, and what does it mean in a wider sense? These aren't just rhetorical questions: we attempt to provide answers. Now onto radio (or the 'wireless' for our older listeners; don't the kids dress weird these days?). This week, Heith Mackay-Cruise stepped down as chair of Southern Cross Media. He will be replaced by Teresa Dyson, a long-time Seven West Media board member, and a portent of the shifting power dynamics in this newly merged media company. A week or two ago, Seven’s former chief operating officer Rohan Lund was named CEO and managing director, and it seems that SCA's John Kelly -- who seemed to be the frontrunner for the top job -- will remain as audio boss. Stay tuned to this end of the dial, as we turn to Kyle Sandilands' defence against ARN defence against Kyle's defence against his sacking -- we've gotten hold of Kyle's Federal Court filings this week, and it might be the only legal document in the history of the courts to feature the word "arse-licker". Kyle is somewhat throwing Jackie under the bright-pink Kiis bus, claiming she was just as offensive on-air as he was, and contributed to the tone of the show -- and that ARN's producers not only encouraged this, but actively monetised it. Finally, Trinity P3’s latest State of the Pitch report reveals that “abusive” pitching practices are becoming normalised across Australia’s advertising industry – and, according to Trinity P3’s CEO Darren Woolley, agencies share some of the blame. Over to you, Darren.... Get the latest episode every Thursday. Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

On May 1, Australia's biggest talk-radio network Nine Radio shut down and in its place sprung up Tapt Media, as hoteliers the Laundy family officially took over Sydney's 2GB, Melbourne's 3AW, Brisbane's 4BC, and Perth's 6PR. Former Nine Radio -- and now Tapt Media -- CEO Tom Malone and chief commercial officer Brian Gallagher both speak with Tim Burrowes in the latest episode of Mumbrella’s Unmaker Series podcast, about what the new ownership means for the future of its talkback radio empire.  "This is a hundred-year-old startup", Malone notes, "and there's a huge opportunity ahead of us." Coming from Nine, Malone says that the network "understood that the best way to run this business would be as a standalone entity", and it's clear both he and Gallagher agree with this sentiment. "Having your own bespoke sales team commercialising with a singular focus on audio — linear, streaming, podcasting — is gonna drive a better result for the business," Malone notes. He lists off short and long form video and audio, on and off-platform plays, third-party reseller agreements, and even a subscription offering as possibilities that are in the pipeline.  "There's lots of different avenues that we can explore. That's really exciting for us as a business, harnessing the power of our content, but also the power of our connection between our broadcasters and our listeners." There's also a neater demographic fit between the Laundy's hotel empire and the stations' audience. "We're not playing top 40," Gallagher notes. "We're getting to core issues and we're connecting community. We're connecting them beautifully with clients as well. So it's a real opportunity. "Look, in all fairness to the power of Nine, which is the preeminent Australian media company, the ability for this business to actually maximise its revenue opportunities in that umbrella were very limited ... That's a business that trades very effectively in a 25-54 marketplace ...  We deal with slightly different demos that don't make the CPM (cost per mille) cut in the analysis from time to time. "So it's a really hard thing to  be competitive and achieve the right kind of market share." Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

Welcome to an early edition of the Mumbrellacast, hot off the audio presses, where we dissect the recent developments in the media and marketing space -- as we do. Tim Burrowes, Hal Crawford, and Ben Willee from Spinach Advertising react to this morning's news that Pacific Equity Partners has made an offer to buy outdoor advertising company Ooh Media --  an offer worth around $750m according to the AFR. The government released its draft version of the News Bargaining Incentive yesterday, which it is hoping will sail through parliament this winter. According to Anthony Albanese, the proposed legislation will encourage “deal making between the platforms and news organisations”. But who exactly is being incentivised to do what? We know some of the smaller publishers aren't happy. In light of Henry Innis' piece on Mumbrella this week about how Australia’s coming housing crisis will impact marketers, there's also a rather downbeat conversation about the economic outlook, if bad news is your thing. Happy listening! Get the latest episode every Thursday. Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

Two decades ago, James Donald was working on an oil rig in Norway. This month, Ideally -- the market research platform he co-founded -- raised over $13m in an investment round that will help the NZ-based startup push into the US, and launch a new product Ideally Canvas. Donald speaks with Tim Burrowes in the latest episode of Mumbrella’s Unmaker Series podcast, about his journey from oil to artificial intelligence and consumer research, and how he helped build a company worth north of $90m in a few years. He also discusses his company's new product, Ideally Canvas, which gives brands a real-time, continuously updated consumer profile rather than a static snapshot; the limitations of synthetic data; and how Ideally is able to offer a nimble consumer insights service that competitors will routinely charge ten times more for. Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

This week on the Mumbrellacast, we parse the second book of the radio ratings, look at M+C Saatchi Australia's fall from grace, and speak to Spotify's global head of thought leadership, Jenny Haggard. First off, we look at the first radio ratings survey since every single network decided to lay waste to their Sydney breakfast radio plans. Kyle and Jackie O are gone, Jonesy and Amanda are gone, Fitzy, Wippa, and Kate are gone, even 2Day's "the hits before they hit" format has gone out the window. We take a look at a survey where everything changed -- but mostly stayed the same. Next, we look at M+C Saatchi's dive. The global agency delivered its worst ever yearly results this week, and the Australian operation has copped the blame for the fall. It was so bad that the company presented its full-year results, minus Australia. Gulp! What's the story? And finally, we convinced Jenny Haggard, Spotify's global head of thought leadership, to take a three-month tall-ship from her Los Angeles office to our converted 1800s wool shed office in Sydney just to appear on the podcast, which is the type of commitment to cause we should all expect from our Swedish tech giants. Jenny has been with Spotify for 12 years, which is much longer than Taylor Swift and Neil Young have been. She chats about how the company is letting users become more active in how their own algorithmic recommendations work, the delicate balance between being a company that is chasing both subscriptions and advertisers –- and the struggles they’ve had educating the market on its ad offering -- what sets Spotify apart from social media platforms, despite being on the same pocket-computer, and how Australia's under-16s social media ban may impact them in the future -- and what they'll do if it does. Happy listening! Get the latest episode every Thursday. Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

Welcome to a special relationship issue of the Mumbrellacast, where we look at the delicate dance between creative agencies and clients, and the harried, hurried waltz between media agencies and media salespeople. BMF and Westpac announced their divorce this week after just one year. Both are claiming they initiated the breakup, due in no small part to Mumbrella's own investigations into the matter. BMF fired the first shot, as far as we can tell, but isn't it rather unusual for an agency to fire a client? We discuss. A nicely timed study from marketing consultancy We Grow came out this week, examining the fragile relationships between those who buy the ads and those who sell the ads. Small talk is out of fashion these days, it seems, with each meeting needing to have a clear, concise point -- and hopefully nouns used as verbs and vice versa. There is increasingly no tolerance for salespeople reaching out just to reach out, meetings with no clear agenda, and God help the media seller who tries to book a boozy lunch without any concrete pitch. It's a pressure cooker situation, the agencies say, and salespeople who fail to understand this are doomed to annoy agencies into eternity. But aren't relationships built mostly on pointless chit-chat? There's a massive disconnect here, and we delve into it. Within 24 hours this week, Snap, BBC, and Disney announced around 4,000 job losses between them, with AI being blamed for a lot of the redundancies. But is that just an easy excuse to get rid of staff, and save some money during a period of declining traditional media, soft advertising spend, and mass uncertainty around what technology will bring next? And we wrap up this week's podcast by asking the question: Why in the world is News Corp launching an 87-year-old fashion title into the Australian marketplace? The mobile-first, social-first play seems at odds with a classic glossy magazine brand, but there may be method in the madness -- especially given the Myer partnership and the e-commerce side of things. And just for the hell of it, we close with an impromptu magazine-based pop quiz. Happy listening! Get the latest episode every Thursday. Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

Welcome to the Mumbrellacast, where chances are you're about to win. We open this week's podcast by parsing the new gambling advertising restrictions announced last week by Anthony Albanese, more than one-thousand Earth days since a parliamentary inquiry recommended a total ban. While this isn't a total ban, in-stadium advertising at sporting events is no longer allowed (including on teams jerseys), TV stations are limited to three ads an hour, celebrities can no longer promote betting companies, and kids will be spared the footy odds blasting through SEN 1116 during school pick-up times. But do the new restrictions go far enough? Is Albanese's focus on protecting children from the evils of hearing about a same-game multi missing the point, when we live in a country with the most gambling losses (and wins!) per capita in the world? And what does this mean for the NRL's pending broadcasting deal, which footy boss Peter V'landys still believes will beat the AFL's current $4.5b seven-year deal? For that last question, we pass the mic to gambling and sports media rights expert Lachlan Gepp, who channelled Daryl Kerrigan in saying, "tell him he's dreaming". This week, Daily Mail Australia hired a new head of digital subscriptions, who has the modest task of driving the transformation of the company's revenue stream. We discuss how the Mail's increased focus on chasing subscription dollars instead of web traffic marks a big shift in the global media landscape, and ask whether they will be successful in retraining and retaining legions of readers drawn to its entertainment-heavy content. Also, Ooh Media had an eventful week, with the departure of its chair Tony Faure -- as well as most of the staff within its retail media arm Reo, which will be shutting down by the end of June. While retail media is booming at the moment, there appears to be no room at the inn for third-party companies trying to team up with brick-and-mortar businesses to help them sell retail media assets, advertising, or both. And, just for fun, we press rewind on a snippet from an February interview with Ooh CEO James Taylor, where he talks about the future of Reo. Happy listening! Get the latest episode every Thursday. Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

Welcome to a special Easter edition of the Mumbrellacast, where you don't have to search high and low to find the treats. We start with the news that Telstra's chief marketing officer Brent Smart has left the company, after launching one of the most memorable campaigns seen on Australian television in years. We couldn't confirm news that he left the offices leaning back and whistling a Bee Gees tune, but we do look at what's next for the country's biggest telco. And while we're on the subject of telcos, Vodafone has managed to upset a lot of Australians with its newest campaign by suggesting that regional and rural areas are devoid of life, culture, and phone service. Plenty of emus though, apparently. American Ali Wong stars in the commercial, and her claim that "nothing's out here" has made national news. Is the ad elitist, funny, or a bit of both? (Or neither?) This week, Mumbrella broke the news that Virgin Australia is quietly building its own retail media network, hiring the former McKinsey and VML digital leader Scott Moore to drive its development. Retail media is becoming a major money spinner for brick-and-mortar stores, neatly wrapping together their physical and digital locations to sell you cat food and Zooper Doopers, but how exactly will it work for an airline? And will Qantas board the retail media plane next? The eSafety Commissioner’s first report on the under-16s social media ban is rather damning. It has found that, close to four months since the implementation of the ban, Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Youtube still have “major gaps” in their compliance, and that more than two-thirds of children under 16 who already had a Facebook account in December when they bans came into play, still do, despite two-thirds of kids also believing Facebook is "totally lame, Mum, gross!" (okay, that final stat isn't from eSafety). We unpack the report. Finally, Jackie Henderson has filed suit against her former employee ARN, claiming that the termination of her contract “constituted adverse action". Henderson is arguing that her initial complaint letter, where she said she can no longer work with Kyle Sandilands was simply her exercising her workplace rights, and that the contract was terminated because of this, in contravention of the Fair Work Act. Happy listening!

This time last year, Publicis Group completed its landmark acquisition of Atomic 21 2, bringing one of Australia's biggest independent media success stories into its fold. In today's interview episode of the Mumbrellacast, Rory Heffernan, CEO of Atomic 21 2, and Michael Rebelo, CEO of Publicis Group ANZ, unpack the year-long integration process, including what's worked and what comes next.

We've crossed the picket line to present this week's episode of the Mumbrellacast. Around the time of recording this episode, ABC employees were returning to work from their 24-hour strike -- the first in 20 years -- which means the skeleton staffers won't have to dust off those old Seachange episodes just yet. But nothing has been resolved, so it remains to be seen if another strike is on the cards. We break down what the workers want, why they haven't gotten it -- and why managing director Hugh Marks is acting as if working for Aunty is akin to doing national service, with lines like: "I understand that in the current climate higher pay would help many individuals, but we must also remain focused on the long-term sustainability of the ABC and its relevance to all Australians." Kyle Sandilands filed suit against ARN last Friday, and we got hold of the "concise statement" lodged in Federal Court on his behalf, which we've published in full on the website, and which we unpack on the podcast. The document also reveals, for the first time, the exact amount that Kyle is earning, and under which financial column each of those "services" falls under. There's a curious "consultancy fee" for ARN's hip hop-based digital station CADA, which caught our collective eye. Our guess is Kyle isn't instructing them on which ASAP Rocky album tracks to playlist. We also talk press releases, following Medianet's Amrita Sidhu's declaration at CommsCon on Wednesday that 73% of journalists told them they "often or occasionally" receive what they suspect to be AI-generated pitches. "Make no mistake about it though," she said. "Our thematic analysis shows the majority will lose trust in the pitch ... For them, an AI generated pitch is a lazy pitch. It's a non-researched pitch. It's a potentially false pitch. There goes the trust." We debate whether journalists can detect an AI-generated pitch, and the rising use of press releases in journalism. Finally, we hear from Tumbleturn Marketing Advisory’s Jen Davidson, who feels we are ready for what she dubbed "Naked Communications 2.0", referring to the storied agency that pioneered unbundling strategy from execution. Happy listening! Get the latest episode every Thursday. Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

The highest paid radio host was officially terminated from his job this week, after his equal-highest-paid co-host Jackie Henderson was let go a few weeks back. We're talking about Kyle Sandilands of course, which is where we begin this episode of the Mumbrellacast. Is this the end of the saga, or just the beginning? Or the long, long middle? We pick apart the wording from Kyle's impassioned media release, issued a few minutes before his ex-bosses at ARN made the news official on the ASX on Wednesday morning. He has called the lawyers in, and is claiming that his former bosses made it impossible to actually remedy the alleged breach. Surely Sandilands won't give up his $100m pie without a dragged-out, knock-'em-down legal battle. We speculate wildly on what might happen next. And sticking with radio, we parse the year's first radio ratings survey, where the main take-away message seems to be that -- in the world of radio -- change takes time to stick. Christian O'Connell replaced Jonesy and Amanda in Sydney breakfast for ARN's Gold, and the listeners were not willing to stick around for the shift. A few stations changed names, and listeners ran away. It's early days though -- we still believe. Finally, a bunch of top executives in Australia’s advertising industry are facing a future of falling financial returns, as consolidation, shrinking remits, and hordes of sentient robots that love a good em dash have killed off the million-dollar leadership salary -- perhaps for good (in every sense of the word). But where do all these executives end up when the well runs dry? Maybe they can join Kyle at Lowes? Happy listening! Get the latest episode every Thursday. Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

Chris Howatson has called out the mass consolidation of advertising agencies sweeping the global holding company sector, describing it as a confusing strategy that could hamper long-term growth. Speaking to the Mumbrellacast, the founder of Howatson and Co said the approach focuses on merging creative brands that don’t scale, while media operations, where scale actually delivers efficiency, are the parts that make financial sense. He added that holding companies may continue to make extreme margins on media through principal trading, but this will mask the declining value of their creative businesses as more top talent leaves for independent agencies. Howatson’s comments come as the agency marks its five-year anniversary, with the founder outlining his long-term commitment to remaining independent, keeping headcount under 200 even at the cost of taking on new clients, and explaining why he believes the industry is entering a creative renaissance despite consolidation and AI disruption.

Four years ago, Tim Burrowes came up with the idea of the Unmade Index, which tracks daily the fortunes of 14 Australian publicly listed companies, ranging from once-mighty media companies like Seven through to tiny (read: $40m) businesses like Gumtree. Unfortunately, since its January 6, 2022 inception, the index has tracked the massive decline of the local media industry, with the total value dropping by more than 60%. If maths isn't your strong suit, that's a big fall for stocks -- which investors generally prefer to increase in value. As discussed in the podcast, the past four years have been absolutely transformative, just not in a good way.

Good things come to those who wait, and the out-of-home advertising industry, and the media buyers who book the campaigns that grace billboards and bus shelters across the country, have certainly been waiting for the next iteration of Move for quite some time. Originally called Move 2.0, then reverting to simply Move, the long-awaited and much-touted out-of-home audience measurement tool is finally live, having been in development since 2021, and teased numerous times along the way. Elizabeth McIntyre, CEO of the Outdoor Media Association, appears on the Mumbrellacast, where Tim Burrowes quizzes her on the future of out-of-home advertising, the granular new Move system, and what's happening within the OMA. Burrowes also asks McIntyre about her own plans, now the big project has been completed and delivered. For the uninitiated, Move tracks audience data from around 180,000 outdoor advertising sites around the country, by modelling a synthetic audience of 2.2 million Australians and their daily movements. This system was built after tracking the movements of 5,000 people over a fortnight across more than 280,000 different routes. It then predicts the likely audience of each out-of-home advertising point. This information is calibrated against independent data sources for further accuracy, and is available in hourly increments. Listen to the whole conversation on the Mumbrellacast, by subscribing on your favourite podcast app, or clicking on the player above.

Welcome to this week's Mumbrellacast, featuring zero serious misconduct breaches -- aside from references to both Alan Bond and Donald Rumsfeld, of course. It's been quite the week in radio-land, with ARN using the dump button on Kyle Sandilands for "serious misconduct" which is, of course, legalese for "teasing his co-host for believing in star charts". We smashed the glass and issued an emergency podcast on Tuesday evening shortly after ARN dropped the bombshell that the Kyle and Jackie O show is no more -- you can listen to that here -- but today we investigate what is likely to be a long and drawn out legal battle between Sandilands and his former station. Victoria-Jane Otavski from Blackbay Lawyers unpacks all the legal elements for us, and looks at whether or not the network actually has a case for alleging serious misconduct in breach of his contract. As she asks, how can someone remedy a behavioural breach that's already happened -- without using some serious time-space misconduct. This week Mumbrella broke the story that Australian content platform Envato was sacking up to a third of its workers. Envato has flown under the radar for many, but for certain creatives it provides songs, sounds, stock imagery, and photography -- paying billions out to the creatives who made the original pieces, while providing a rich content library to those who need it. It was bought by Shutterstock last year for a whopping US$245m, so this is a major Australian start-up success story gone slightly pear-shaped. We look at why it needed to make such a drastic downsizing, and whether or not AI has reared its mechanical head (spoiler: it has). Finally, we look at Vinyl Group's acquisition of Val Morgan Digital, which will see the media company add Buzzfeed, Ladbible, Popsugar, Vox Media, and Choctop Monthly to its growing stable of brands (fair enough, I made up Choctop Monthly). We wonder aloud whether the $7m (plus $3.5m in Vinyl stock) was too much to pay, or if this is all part of the masterplan to build a media stable to fuel the company's music tech dreams? Happy listening! Get the latest episode every Wednesday. Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.

"What I uncovered as I tried to get my team set up time sheeting ...  was that not only are they incredibly frustrating for the people doing them, and the people chasing them, but the data that comes back from them is not very accurate." That's Freddie Mckenzie, co-founder of Manifest, a startup using AI to automatically construct timesheets at agencies. Mckenzie, speaking with Tim Burrowes in the latest episode of Mumbrella's Unmaker Series podcast, says he's well aware that many in the industry think billable hours is a broken model: but that doesn't mean it's irrelevant.  "The agency model and the whole industry runs on time: time's a really important component at the moment. It's becoming less important as we go into the future, but ultimately it's a service-based industry ... [and time remains important for] understanding your costs, understanding your resourcing, understanding your team, and understanding your business." Manifest began as an internal tool ("Shutterspeed") built inside Mackenzie's Auckland production company Vivid Creative (now Chameleon). The system uses machine learning to automate time sheet tracking, and Mckenzie says that pricing model will initially be based on standard per-seat SaaS models. McKenzie told Burrowes that while some people may have privacy concerns about the software, it was probably worth it even on an individual basis because for many agency people, timesheeting is the worst part of their job. Manifest is not a simple timesheeting stand-in: it's designed to give managers a better understanding of their own operations.  "Charging based on time is definitely becoming obsolete really fast -- it de-incentivizes agencies to use AI tooling because it's supposed to make us faster."  "What Manifest is designed to do is help you understand how outputs are created and how value is created inside the agency," he says.

The news that the Kyle & Jackie O Show is coming to an end is a consequential one. The sudden and dramatic axing of FM radio's biggest show of the last two decades has enormous consequences not just for Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson, but also for ARN Media and even rival Southern Cross Austereo. Tonight's ASX announcement also sets the stage for a legal battle between Sandilands and ARN. In an emergency edition of the Mumbrellacast, Tim Burrowes was joined by Ben Willee, executive director for media and data at Spinach Advertising to unpack the consequences of the media story of the year. What next for the two presenters, and how on earth will Kiis FM fill the breakfast shows in its tow biggest markets? Ben Willee has a bold suggestion: Beg Gold FM's Brendan Jones and Amanda Keller to return to breakfast, and ask Chrsitian O'Connell to switch networks to Kiis.

It’s results season, and this week Nine, SCA, and ARN all reported the various fortunes of their companies. The night before they announced their financial results -- and the very next business day after the retirement of chair Kerry Stokes -- SCA's board decided to dump boss Jeff Howard, who used to run Seven, and was very briefly CEO and managing director of the newly merged Seven/SCA. The timing of this decision sent quite a message to the market. Former SCA boss John Kelly (back when they were "all about audio") is now interim CEO of the company's TV and audio divisions, and decided to use the SCA investor call as a gentle audition to shareholders for the top role. He looks in with a good shot. After all, it was very clear which of the two companies involved in the Seven/SCA merger is doing the heavy lifting in financial terms, and it's not the one that screens three hours of Home and Away each week ...

Hundreds of thousands of hateful comments are sitting on the Facebook feeds of Australian news publishers, according to a scan from a social media startup that is using multiple AI models to understand comment intent and context. “Conversational intelligence” company Sence scanned 4.8m comments on 114 publisher pages and found virulent racism and violent threats among around 400,000 harmful comments attached to news stories. The New Zealand operation — which has signed up The All Blacks, NZME and Radio New Zealand in its home market — is now pushing into Australia and is using the scan as an illustration of the extent of the problem.

Apple has shaken the world of podcasting again this week (let's not forget the "pod" part of the word comes from the iPod) with the announcement that it is adding videos to its podcasting platform, with an option for listeners to toggle between video and audio-only. Youtube is the top platform for podcasts in the world, and Spotify has been focusing on video-led podcasts of late. Yet, CRA's Podcast Ranker -- the"only official measurement system" for podcasts -- doesn't count video plays in its count, meaning it's leaving a lot of the audience out of the equation. Eleanor Dickinson wrote about this topic, speaking to Karl Stefanovic's podcast producer Keshnee Kemp and Spotify ANZ head of podcast Prithi Dey. We discuss the topic further on the show. Also discussed is Joe Aston's investigative commentary publication Rampart which, he disclosed to Tim, is making “multiples” of $500,000 in revenue after its first year, and was profitable by month two. It's an example of a thriving media company in a market that has seen so many others fail of late. (You can listen to that full interview here.) Is it good business sense for a business publication to sue its own subscribers? That's what Todd Scott, the owner and publisher of New Zealand premium finance masthead NBR is doing, taking some of its biggest customers to court if they don't ensure their employees all have their own logins. Scott reckons he's make “hundreds of thousands of dollars” from publicly shaming these companies -- so it appears to be good business sense, indeed. And finally, Tim chats to newly minted Ooh Media CEO James Taylor about whether his out-of-home business is being undervalued by the market.

Former Australian Financial Review columnist Joe Aston sat down with Mumbrella's Tim Burrowes for an Unmakers Edition of the Mumbrellacast. The pair covered a lot of ground, including a probing discussion on the economics of Aston's operation, his interview guest list, the character of former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, and his plans to expand beyond "the Joe Aston Show".

12 February 2026 In this week's Mumbrellacast, our hosts discuss the spray ACMA chair Nerida O'Loughlin copped from Sarah Hanson-Young over the media watchdog's lack of regulation regarding the Kyle and Jackie O show's continued infringes; the merging of WPP's creative agencies; NZ retailer The Warehouse's eight-week advertising blackout; and Hal's conversation with The Guardian Australia's Liz Wynn on the publication's move to require its most dedicated users to log-in to the site to access its news. Join Hal Crawford, Nathan Jolly, Eleanor Dickinson, Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

4 February 2026 Thanks to Earmax Media for sponsoring this episode. Click the link HERE to see podcast advertising campaigns that really work, or email [email protected] directly. Be sure to check out Tim's chat with the team at Earmax — Andy Maxwell and Ralph van Dijk — HERE. In today's Mumbrellacast, our team reviews new advertising work for Coopers, Mirvac, Westpac, Bupa and Colorbond; discusses a spate of closures in Australian print media; and Eleanor interviews ex-Clemenger BBDO talent, Vinne Schifferstein, who co-opened a new AI agency, MC&V. Join Hal Crawford, Eleanor Dickinson, Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

30 January 2026 We are interrupting our normal schedule to bring you an emergency Mumbrellacast, after both Nine and Nova delivered major news to end the working week. Join Nathan Jolly, Tim Burrowes, Hal Crawford and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

28 January 2026 For this week’s Mumbrellacast, we have a live recording from the Perth edition of the Compass roadshow, where we heard from the cream of the Western Australian media and marketing community. At The Globe, Tim Burrowes moderated a panel where Block Branding co-founder and creative strategy director Mark Braddock; Social Meteor managing director Luke Whelan; chief marketing and growth officer at HIF Australia Kristina Green; and marketing consultant Alice Manners discussed ChatGPT's impact on the world, whether bravery still exists in marketing, and the reliance on gambling advertising dollars in the media.

21 January 2026 In this week's Mumbrellacast, we head to Adelaide for the Compass event, where four of the city's leading lights in the marketing and media world talk about recent changes in government policy, the struggles of running an agency, and how Adelaide is a bellwether for the rest of the industry. From the surrounds of the wonderfully named Elephant British Pub, Tim Burrowes moderates an all-star panel that features Sean O’Brien, managing director at Nine Adelaide, Katheryn Korczak, co-owner of Nation Creative, Michael Healy, CMO of the Royal Automobile Association, and Adele Gibb, managing director at Carat.

This week’s Mumbrellacast is a live recording from our Compass Melbourne event, where a panel of media and marketing insiders discuss the challenges of the year ahead. The panel — Thinkerbell's chief executive officer, Margie Reid; Southern Cross Austereo's head of marketing, Naomi Gorringe; Atomic 212's chief strategy officer, Asier Carazo; and Mondelez International's vice president, marketing ANZ, Ben Wicks — talk about the opportunities and challenges around the encroachment of AI, how to capitalise on a viral moment, the gaps in diversity hiring, and the perils of attracting younger generations to an unsteady industry.

7 January 2026 This week’s Mumbrellacast is a live recording from our Compass Brisbane event, where a panel of media and marketing insiders speak about the compounding challenges — and opportunities — in the industry. The panel — Andrew Kolb, head of strategy at VML; Kirsty Lucas, senior vice president of marketing and partnerships at Brisbane Airport; Remy Brassac, co-founder of Rumble and Rumbletown Ventures; Kelly Healy, general manager of News Corp Australia; and Eliott Bledsoe, arts marketing consultant — discussed doing more with less, the negative impact AI will (and is) having on journalism's future, the advertising industry's undervaluation, and how the upcoming Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games will be the sector's "north star".

31 December 2025 This week’s Mumbrellacast is a live recording from our Compass Sydney event, where a panel of media and marketing insiders talk about a tough 2025 – and look ahead with optimism. The panel — Christina Aventi, chief strategy officer at BMF; Bel Harper, chief product and marketing officer at Ooh Media; Anita Ayres, head of brand and marketing at Teachers Mutual Bank; and Clare Pickens, chief executive officer at Leo Burnett — discussed the toughest challenges they faced in the year, how "value-based compensation" should be quantified now that AI is destroying hour-based billing, the controversial conversations the industry should be having, and reasons to remain optimistic (there's even a poem recommendation).

24 December 2025 This week’s Mumbrellacast is a live recording from our Compass Hobart event, where a panel of media and marketing insiders talk about an industry in flux. The panel — Amr Elsayed, head of digital business at Kings Digital; Danika Porter, senior marketing leader and former head of brand and marketing at Federal Group; Clive Dickens, managing director at Meliora; and Craig Herbert, editor of The Hobart Mercury at News Australia — discussed workforce challenges such as the redundancy crisis and shrinking marketing teams, and cultural issues including workplace support for women, mental health and neurodiversity.

17 December 2025 In this week's Mumbrellacast, our hosts discuss the latest leader movements at ARN; Christian O'Connell's introduction to Sydney; the media coverage of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack; and the biggest developments in AI this year. Join Nathan Jolly, Tim Burrowes, Cat McGinn and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

10 December 2025 Thanks to Earmax Media for sponsoring this episode, click the link HERE to see their maximum impact podcast advertising campaigns or email them directly at [email protected]. On this week's Mumbrellacast, the hosts discuss the newly arrived social media ban for teens, communications minister Anika Wells' expense account, AI assistants having a bad week, the media fight surrounding Warner Brothers Discovery, and Mumbrella turning 17. Join Nathan Jolly, Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

3 December 2025 Thanks to Earmax Media for sponsoring this episode, click the link HERE to see the latest maximum impact podcast advertising campaigns or email them directly at [email protected]. On this week's Mumbrellacast Tim Burrowes, Hal Crawford, Nathan Jolly and host Abe Udy unpack the 2026 upfront presentations, which started with SBS, wrapped with ABC, and saw ARN get involved for the first time.

26 November 2025 Thanks to Earmax Media for sponsoring this episode, click the link HERE to see maximum impact podcast advertising campaigns or email them directly at [email protected]. In the latest episode of the Mumbrellacast, the hosts discuss the final radio ratings survey of the year; Mutinex declaring that it will only work with technology platforms that uphold “transparency, independence, and the best interest of the advertiser"; Roblox's CEO David Baszucki and his trainwreck interview with a New York Times podcast; and the latest developments in the merger of IPG and Omnicom. Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Nathan Jolly, Eleanor Dickinson and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

19 November 2025 This week, radio industry body CRA launched its unified audio ID for buying and selling ad inventory across podcasts and radio. We also discuss the fallout between Nielsen and its long-time leader in this part of the world, Monique Perry, who has been sacked and is now suing the analytics company for unfair dismissal. Elsewhere, we chat to IAB's global CEO Anthony Katsur, and look at which Australian reality TV shows got the biggest audiences for their finales in 2025. Join Nathan Jolly, Eleanor Dickinson, Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

17 November 2025 In this special episode of the Mumbrellacast, Tim Burrowes sits down with Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) boss, Lizzie Young, to discuss CRA's Audio ID launch, expensive legal battle with the music industry, and more.

12 November 2025 It's Wednesday evening, which means it's time to pour yourself a glass of warm popcorn, fire up your wireless, and settle into another episode of the Mumbrellacast. After splashing out an estimated $1.5 million on its first-ever upfront presentation late last month to tout the future of its 'entertainment' company, this morning ARN provided the market with a sobering financial update, forecasting a full-year earnings drop of between 25% and 27%. On Monday morning, Amanda Laing, the newly minted boss of Nine's streaming and broadcast arm, informed nervous staffers that approximately 50 roles in her division will be made redundant -- some people will be redeployed elsewhere, but contractual roles will not be renewed, and some empty positions slated to be filled will remain empty. Elsewhere, on the Mumbrellacast, we discuss how M+C Saatchi's future has suddenly become unsteady, and it's all because of pesky activist investor Harwood Capital, which recently increased its stake in M+C Saatchi from 3.6% to 4%. This week also saw the relaunch of Big Brother, which started in 2001 on Ten, was revamped by Nine in 2012, then resuscitated by Seven in 2020. As they say, fourth time's a charm, and Ten have stripped the show back to its essence: chaotic live TV with every chance of nudity, bawdy language, unbridled fighting, and housemate boredom. Join Nathan Jolly, Eleanor Dickinson, Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

In this special episode of the Mumbrellacast, Tim Burrowes sits down with Paramount Australia's Beverley McGarvey, Rod Prossor, and Tamara Simoneau to talk about the network's future plans under a new owner, the death of Think TV, Rebecca Gibney's game show mode - and whether they'll punt for the NRL.

In this week's Mumbrellacast, Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Nathan Jolly, Eleanor Dickinson and Abe Udy dig into the new legislation that will require streaming services, such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime, dedicate 10% of their total local expenditure to Australian content. You can get up to speed with the proposed law here. Isn't it great: Australian screen production just won a $300m+ lottery Meanwhile, 'tis the season for Christmas campaigns and Woolworths launched its 2025 platform using last year's creative. Eleanor asks whether the move is really all about saving money, and notes that arch rival Coles Christmas campaign dropped today. The hosts also observe that Coke's current Christmas TVC, generated entirely by AI, is severely zoologically challenged ... Finally, Southern Cross Austereo and Seven West Media's proposed merger was given a thumbs up by advisors yesterday. So, why is investor Sandon Capital mad? Tim and Hal analyse the situation.

29 October 2025 In this week's Mumbrellacast, Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes and Nathan Jolly discuss ARN's packed upfront. Having taken over the Star Casino in Sydney, the radio network announced a slew of new content. Check out Nathan's breakdown here. Yesterday, leaders of the Australian publishing industry gathered for Mumbrella's Publish conference. Nicholas Gray, News Corp Australia's MD and publisher of The Australian and Prestige, took to the stage with Mumbrella's Hal Crawford to discuss a range of topics, including AI, the News Media Bargaining Code, and News Corp's culture. The session is included in full. Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella.

22 October 2025 In this week's Mumbrellacast, Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Nathan Jolly and Abe Udy discuss Mumbrella's widespread changes as part of a larger project to bring Mumbrella and Unmade content together on the one platform. We also look at Seven West Media's upfront event in Sydney, which features the launch of a partnership with Westpac to link 7plus advertising and real-world sales, and 7 Geo Plus for location-based targeting. Seven's chief content officer Brook Hall tells Mumbrella there's a new spirit of collaboration between broadcasters, and the hosts unpack what audiences and marketers can expect from the company over the next 12 months. Meanwhile, OpenAI released a new web browser overnight -- ChatGPT Atlas. AI-powered browsers have been around for several months -- Perplexity's Comet was launched in July -- but the launch of Atlas is a big deal for the tech landscape. For a deeper dive into OpenAI's browser see Tim's analysis on our website.

17 October 2025 In this very special episode of the Mumbrellacast, the show has moved from its headquarters in Glebe to the sunny halls of SXSW Sydney. Last night, it was Nine's turn to wow advertisers and agencies with its 2025 Upfront. The broadcaster's played it safe, continually reassuring the crowd that it has everything they need to market themselves effectively. And despite the lack of fresh content, the reactions have been positive. Was the effort, or lack thereof, worth it? Meanwhile, Vinyl Group's CEO Josh Simons announced that the publishing heavyweight would be using AI to hit its break-even target by the end of the year. We discuss if the strategy will work, or if it will add to the "AI slop" already out there. In the latest round of radio ratings, 2GB climbed back to the top; Kyle and Jackie O's grip on Sydney loosened; and old-school talk radio may not be dead yet. We assess the results to see how radio's faring, and ask Mat if the medium is effective for brand building today. Dentsu's revolving door has kept spinning with its media CEO Fiona Johnston leaving, in the wake of Kirsty Muddle's departure. The holdco's ANZ CEO Rob Harvey promises "simplicity and less duplication" moving forward, but is it all smoke and mirrors? Join Tim Burrowes, Cat McGinn, Mat Baxter and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

8 October 2025 Last week, marketing luminary Mark Ritson published an article for Mumbrella about Qantas, arguing that the airline's low trust scores haven't done anything to hurt it financially. In the same piece, Ritson poked the Roy Morgan bear, saying that the research organisation's views on brand trust need "to be taken with a massive dose of salt" — Roy Morgan's CEO Michele Levine responds on the Mumbrellacast in person. Yesterday, Ten and LG announced a partnership that will see the former's live streaming channels have a prominent place in LG's TV range. Nathan breaks down the deal and explains why the industry should care. Meanwhile, News Corp's Michael Miller addressed the Melbourne Press Club, rebuking AI's "big steal" while calling for faster action from the government on the News Media Bargaining Incentive. We discuss if Miller's points were hits or misses. Also, music streaming giant Spotify released six songs to educate marketers on how to use its advertising tools. It's baffling, it's very much real, and we're here to unpack the strategy behind it — and rate the songs of course ... Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Natahan Jolly and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

2 October 2025 Southern Cross Austereo and Seven West Media’s proposed merger is fascinating: a power move or alliance between two disrupted businesses? We go over the merger’s details to determine which company’s culture — TV or radio — will dominate. Last week, Mumbrella ran a story on the redundancy crisis that has struck the marketing and media sector in recent times. One of the leaders we spoke to, Edelman’s former chief client officer Amber di Scotto Perta, chatted with Hal about her experiences. Meanwhile, ChatGPT has a new buying feature in the US that allows users to purchase items directly from the bot’s answers. According to Celia Harding — the founder of language engine optimisation advisory agency Leoprd — the tool will shake the foundations of online shopping. Should brands be worried? Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

24 September 2025 This week: Yesterday's Remade event put retail media under the microscope. In separate sessions, Zitcha's Alberto Vergara shared his theory that impulse buying is going to be destroyed by AI agents, and Jonathan Hopkins of Sonder and Commbank's Patrick Crowley dove deep into Commbank's journey of building its own retail media network. So, does retail media have a bright future? Meanwhile, this week saw Donald Trump drop a Tiktok bombshell, claming that Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch were considering investing in the short form video platform in the United States. Fresh off exploring the deal in Unmade, Tim unpacks the details to see if the arrangement actually makes sense. Last Friday, Optus found itself in the most serious crises of its recently troubled history. CEO Stephen Rue held a press conference late in the day to admit the telco's emergency call service failed in several regions the day before — and had contributed to at least three deaths. Communications expert Peter Wilkinson shared his thoughts of the incident with Hal. Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Cat McGinn and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

18 September 2025 Expert marketer Mat Baxter rolled out a tattoo luxury skincare line, Skingraphica, after finding that popular cosmetic brands didn't supply products specifically for tattoo skincare. He spoke with Hal about the new venture, and revealed the unorthodox marketing practices he's going to deploy for it. Meanwhile, Mumbrella360 2026 has been officially announced. "Catalyst" is the theme for Australia's top media and marketing event, and our head of curation, Cat McGinn, is here to share what delegates can expect. The government has elaborated on the under-16s social media ban, publishing guidelines that explain how digital media platforms can successfully enforce the ban. The question is not so much what's in the guidelines, but what's left out. Earlier, Asha Dooley, the president of Funerals Australia, chatted with Hal about how she goes about marketing a distressing business. It's something no one wants to face, so how does Dooley make it work? Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Cat McGinn and Abe Udy for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

11 September 2025 Youtube marked its 20th birthday by gathering 600 industry personnel in Sydney and dazzling them with its own version of a TV upfront. The video streaming platform shared its latest products with the crowd, and Hal was there to see if it was all worth it. The latest radio ratings are in, and Nine Radio climbed back in Melbourne. Kyle and Jackie O have also gained some ground in the Victorian city. We go over the results to see who's currently on top. In this week's Upfronts season, Mamamia announced a refreshed strategy spanning shows and written content. We examine the network's stated strategy shift to a "house of brands". Meanwhile, Omnicom's Eleven has officially absorbed Mango Communications Sydney, and TBWA named Kimberlee Wells as its Australian CEO. Freelance journalist and old friend of the show, Lauren McNamara is back to give a rundown of what happened on both fronts and what this means moving forward. Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes, Lauren McNamara and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.

4 September 2025 The bosses of the Australian TV industry flooded Canberra this week to lobby the government for tax relief and to put an end to gambling ad restrictions. Tim was there too, and he's here to share all the details of the event - and the conversations he had with the industry's most powerful people. Upfronts season has finally arrived and SBS is the first out of the gate. We discuss what the country's multicultural public broadcaster has up its sleeves, and if it'll be enough to wow media buyers. Meanwhile, fresh off delivering its full-year financial results, Vinyl Media has made just under 10% of its workforce redundant, including its head of editorial and head of publishing. The media giant described the move as "a small adjustment", but with a looming deadline to break even only four months away, we have to ask: will Vinyl Group make breakeven by its deadline of December? Join Hal Crawford, Tim Burrowes and Nathan Jolly for a look at everything under Australia’s media and marketing umbrella.