Crikey says: News is that Ten needs probing
Channel Ten boned its chief and handed a Murdoch ally the job. The states are revolting against education reform. (It’s been a big weekend; we’ll catch you up.) Plus, the Kevin Rudd-challenging, NBN-loving Lib. The latest WA election numbers. And the sad demise of science journalism.
Not one of the lucky few 100,000 viewers nationally to catch Meet The Press on Channel Ten yesterday morning? Let us provide a synopsis …
There was a scintillating discussion on the latest federal polling numbers with Martin O’Shannessy from Newspoll (owned by News Ltd) and David Briggs of Galaxy Research (which supplies News Ltd tabloids). Political journalist Stefanie Balogh (from News Ltd’s The Australian) joined the discussion. There was an important consumer segment on getting a better deal on your health insurance via One Big Switch (a News Ltd-backed campaign) with Lachlan Harris (a former News Ltd columnist) and journalist John Rolfe (from News Ltd’s Daily Telegraph). And there was an “exclusive” interview with jockey Mitchell Beadman (published in News Ltd papers that morning) by Jessica Halloran (a journalist at News Ltd’s Sunday Telegraph).
If you don’t want to watch a TV version of News Ltd newspapers (Ten “outsourced” production of the program this year) you don’t have to tune in, of course. Most didn’t. But the weekly News Ltd infomercial is indicative of a widening and worrying influence the Murdoch family has on the beleaguered TV network.
Late on Friday Ten dumped another CEO and installed Hamish McLennan — a former News Corporation executive and chairman of News Limited real estate arm REA — into a very hot seat to turn the network around. Remember: News Corp director Lachlan Murdoch chairs the company and owns 9% of shares, and much of the network’s programming is delivered by News Corp entities Fox and Shine.
But the choice of chief poses the same question more strongly: should Australia’s most powerful media family effectively control one of three free-to-air TV networks given their dominance of the print and pay TV sector (not to mention Lachlan’s ownership of the Nova FM radio network)? That the federal government is now apparently showing concern will be seen as part of a no doubt concerted move against a company whose editors regularly rail against the government. But if it’s serious about media diversity it must start asking the question publicly.
That Channel Ten is a corporate basketcase is a matter for shareholders. That it is increasingly a Murdoch family plaything is a matter of public interest — perhaps one for corporate regulators.
“Plaything”? More like another “Murdoch Family Plot”?
As Acton was wont to note :- “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely….”?
Why is the government so reluctant to change the media control laws. Considering the fact we now have a mogul who controls more than 70% of the media and wants more, why on earth would Australia put up with that sort of dictatorship?
Yep another Fux News in the making. We’ll have a O’reilly, Hannity. Huckabee and a parade of good looking blondie-bimbo types. Can’t wait to reach that depth of dumbing down.
For the first time in months on Sunday I actually tuned in to Meet The Press - but not for long, minutes later the experiment was over.
@ dazza : yes, why doesn’t the government shove it to Murdoch - it’s not as though News Ltd has been keeping its powder dry and has plenty ammunition remaining. Gillard & Co aren’t exactly in danger of getting on his wrong side.
I’m looking forward to “Weather in the Nude”? Based on the NZ “Wether in the Raw”?
Hmm, maybe the new Meet The Press, is a cunning plan to make the Bolt Report look less biased.
Whoops, I don’t think that’s possible, is it?