MediaLand

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.  Gues...

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...

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 regula...

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...

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 tec...

Tuesday the 11th of November marks a big date in the political history calendar in Australia. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the dismissal of the Gough Whitlam government, heralding a blizzard of political change. What was it like in the press gallery on that day and what impact did the events of 1975 have on Australian political journalism? Tom Mcllroy has been speaking to political jour...

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Regional news in Australia has been in a decline for a while, in quantity at least. Between 2019 and 2024, there were 358 contractions and 174 expansions of news outlets across Australia, that’s a loss of at least 184 outlets. It’s been a struggle and ultimately it's audiences who end up missing out. The Public Interest Journalism Initiative says that as of last year there were at least 29 local g...

It's October and that means radio killing season is underway. It's that special time of the year where radio stations and TV channels decide what their next year will look like and make sudden and sometimes shocking changes to their hosting line ups. We've already seen a few quick dispatches this killing season and it's likely to heat up over the next fortnight. Former KIIS FM Nights host Mitch Ch...

If you weren’t reading the newspapers in Victoria and Queensland in 1980s you could be forgiven for not knowing the name of fallen media mogul Christopher Skase. It's a problem Mark Humphries is trying to solve with a new podcast from ABC Radio National Rewind - Skase Fall of a Tycoon. We dig into why media personalities are so interesting to Australians when they're at their peak, and decades lat...

In a major move in the race for media consolidation Seven West Media and Southern Cross Austereo are proposing a merger which would make them a major broadcast and print player on both sides of the continent. But will shareholders and regulators be as thrilled as the executives and if this does go through what does it mean for the Australian media we consume?  Media regulator ACMA threw a whole bo...

With a new season of Big Brother in the wings, what’s the future for reality TV in Australia? Host of reality TV podcast So Dramatic Megan Pustetto is in to discuss the powerhouse of Australian reality television.  It's late night redemption for Jimmy Kimmel as his late night show returns to ABC, but not the affiliate stations who are hoping for a merger deal approval from the FCC. Is free speech...

American President Donald Trump is on a media warpath. He's filed a new defamation lawsuit against the New York Times and had a run in with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's America's Editor John Lyons. That's not even mentioning the demise of Jimmy Kimmel Live. Are local journalists "hurting Australia" by asking questions on the world stage?  How hard is it to make Australian drama and do...

A settlement deal has been reached between Rupert Murdoch and his four oldest children, with billions of dollars changing hands. It leaves Lachlan Murdoch firmly in charge but with watered down ownership of News Corporation and Fox.  Can we expect a swing to the right in the Murdoch press or is it business as usual?  How are journalists affected by what they cover and is it getting worse? A landma...

Why is the government trying to further restrict Freedom of Information laws? The proposed changes include the introduction of fees for FOI requests, a 40 hour time cap on processing a request and widening the definition of cabinet papers, which cannot be requested under the transparency law. What impact could these changes have on journalism in Australia?  Does reporting on extreme views fan the...

Free to air television is at a tipping point as Australians flock to international streamers. The commercial television broadcasters are heading to Canberra next week to lobby the returned government to change the rules they're under. But is it the government's job to support commercial media?  Is one of our biggest audio studios for sale? It depends who you ask. There's a reporting buzz going on...

Everyone thinks they know how the ABC should spend its money, but there's only one person at the top of the decision making tree! New (ish) managing Director Hugh Marks is five months into a five year term, is he ready to start making some big calls?  Domestic basketball and international UFC media rights deals mark a new chapter in streamers and broadcasters competing for lucrative sporting title...

More journalists have been killed in Gaza, adding to the highest ever media death toll recorded. Why are journalists being killed in such high numbers and are conflict zones like Gaza and Sudan becoming black holes for news coverage? Former foreign correspondent Peter Greste is adamant that foreign correspondents are necessary, but we're fighting a losing battle.  New "Post and Boast" legislation...

Reports of the death of print newspapers have been exaggerated. The Australian Financial Review is reporting that Nine Entertainment and News Corp are poised to sign a new contract to print newspapers across the country. The Murdochs are so bullish they’re launching a new paper! The California Post. Is there life in the old newshound yet?  The Sydney Harbour Bridge protest drew the attention of Au...

On this week's episode, it's media mayhem in Australia as the Albanese Government’s surprise move to include YouTube in the national social media ban sparks global headlines — and a possible lawsuit from Google. Is this the moment big tech stops pretending to be the good guy? Meanwhile, Bondi Rescue might be quietly cancelled, leaving fans wondering why some shows vanish without a trace.  And in t...

It’s media mayhem in the states as Trump takes on the Murdoch media empire, political machinations are accused of being behind the cancellation of a beloved late night TV show and big media companies are settling all over the place. What does mass media in the states look like under Trump 2.0?  Who is the most family friendly app of them all? Big tech companies are announcing 'family friendly' fea...

Are magazines dead? Australia's biggest magazine publisher Are Media is seeking buyers and the future of the publishing industry is up in the air.  The Emmy nominations were released this week and it’s been a bumper crop for highly produced fiction on the big streamers. Have the 'disruptors' become what they once displaced?  The radio wars are losing a key general this year, Southern Cross Austere...

Media mania descended on Morwell this week for the murder trial and verdict of Erin Patterson, are the victims being forgotten?  SBS is celebrating fifty years of broadcasting this year, but is it still meeting its mandate? Managing Director of the Special Broadcasting Service James Taylor is adamant that it is.  Thirteen years on from the prank call that shocked the world, radio host Michael Chri...

Is AI writing your news? Is it a problem if it does? Artificial intelligence in journalism researcher Dr Phoebe Matich is trying to discover the extent to which AI is being used in our newsrooms, and how journalists and audiences feel about it.  Community radio stations across Australia are fighting for survival against a rising tide of costs and limited funding. The Managing Director of FBI Radio...

The fog of war is an old term but it has very modern applications. In the conflict between Israel and Iran there have been plenty of false images and videos doing the rounds and it can be tough for foreign media to know what’s accurate. So how do you tell the real from the fake?  Antoinette Lattouf won her employment case against the ABC on Wednesday. Daany Saeed was in court and reflects on the m...