Uncategorized

Lacaze puts struggling Lynas back on track

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 21 : 17-May-16

Shares in rare earths producer Lynas Corporation were trading at about $A0.14 when Amanda Lacaze became CEO in mid-2014, compared with a peak of $A2.25 in 2011. The stock is currently trading at around $A0.07, but Lynas has increased its output, reduced its operating costs and scaled back its workforce during Lacaze’s tenure. The group’s sales rose by 43 per cent rise to $A93m during the second half of 2015, and its operating loss fell to $A40m.

CORPORATES
LYNAS CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX LYC, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, COMMANDER COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED, NESTLE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, ORICA LIMITED – ASX ORI, MOLYCORP MINERALS LLC

Think global, act local, Miller says

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 16-May-16

News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller says the nation’s major media companies have the capacity to expand internationally. He adds that the best media companies think on a global scale, and notes that 11 of the 25 websites that boasted more than one million Australian visitors in March 2016 were international sites. The newly-launched News Media Index shows that newspaper advertising revenue totalled $A2.4bn in 2015.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, WEST AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HOLDINGS LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, NEWSMEDIAWORKS, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, BUZZFEED PTY LTD, DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA, THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA

Murdoch’s clout the big query

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 36 : 16-May-16

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has traditionally been regarded as having a significant influence on the political landscape in Australia and abroad. However, some experts believe that the power of the Murdoch press to influence election outcomes is waning amid the rise of digital disruptors, and the 2016 federal election may reinforce this perception. Former News Limited CEO Kim Williams argues that all newspapers are losing their power to influence election outcomes.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, BUZZFEED PTY LTD, TWITTER INCORPORATED, LABOUR PARTY (GREAT BRITAIN), CONSERVATIVE PARTY (GREAT BRITAIN), UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, SKY NEWS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Bundled reforms await return

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 26 & 28 : 16-May-16

The Australian Government will have to reintroduce its bill on cross-media ownership reform to Parliament if it wins the 2016 election. It is likely to package the reforms with a bill to reduce TV broadcasting licence fees, changes to the anti-siphoning for sports events and the pricing and allocation of broadcasting spectrum. The Government has previously ruled out introducing separate bills to abolish the "reach rule" and the "two-out-of-three rule".

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

TV still a strong ad earner: Howcroft

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 22 : 13-May-16

The Ten Network’s executive general manager in Melbourne, Russel Howcroft, will become the inaugural chairman of Think TV. The industry body has been established by Australia’s free-to-air commercial networks and Foxtel in order to promote the benefits of traditional TV to advertisers in an era of digital disruption. Statistics highlight the continued market power of broadcast TV, which was viewed by 87.4 per cent of Australians each week in the December 2015 quarter.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, THINK TV, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, THINKBOX, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, OZTAM PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

APN, Fairfax fast track NZ news retreat

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 19 & 22 : 12-May-16

APN News & Media has confirmed plans to dual-list its NZME business on the New Zealand and Australian sharemarkets, as well as a $A182m rights issue. APN has also advised that it is holding talks with rival Fairfax Media regarding a merger between NZME and the latter’s own New Zealand business. They aim to complete any such merger by the end of 2016, although it may face opposition from the NZ Commerce Commission.

CORPORATES
APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, NZME, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEW ZEALAND. COMMERCE COMMISSION, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, MACQUARIE SECURITIES PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Publishers unite to spread the good word

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 19 & 22 : 11-May-16

A new report shows that the print and digital advertising revenue of Australia’s major news publishers fell by a lower-than-expected 6.7 per cent in 2015, to $A2.4bn. The News Media Index report outlines the advertising revenue of News Corp Australia, Fairfax Media, West Australian News­papers and APN News & Media, which account for around 90 per cent of the sector. Traditional media groups have been able to offset a decline in ad revenue with growth in digital subscriptions.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, WEST AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HOLDINGS LIMITED, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, THE NEWSPAPER WORKS LIMITED, NEWSMEDIAWORKS, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD

‘Fairfax news business can survive’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 11-May-16

Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood has stressed that the group is still primarily a media company rather than a digital real estate business. He is also confident that Fairfax’s news operations would be able to survive without the revenue contribution of the Domain property division. Fairfax’s revenue from its publishing operations has fallen by six per cent so far in the second half of 2015-16, while Domain’s revenue has grown by nine per cent.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, DOMAIN.COM.AU, THE NEWSPAPER WORKS LIMITED, NEWSMEDIAWORKS, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD

APN, Fairfax mulling NZ assets merger

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 10-May-16

APN News & Media will outline details of a proposal to spin off its New Zealand division at its AGM on 11 May 2016. The listed newspaper, radio broadcasting and outdoor advertising group also intends to undertake a capital raising worth up to $A200m. Meanwhile, Fairfax Media has downplayed speculation that it is also looking at demerging its NZ operations. However, Grant Samuel is said to have been commissioned to advise on a potential merger of the two groups’ NZ businesses. The firm is also advising APN on its demerger and capital raising.

CORPORATES
APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NZME, FAIRFAX NEW ZEALAND LIMITED, GRANT SAMUEL AND ASSOCIATES PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Aly collects big in Logies’ night of voter power

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 11 : 9-May-16

The Ten Network’s current affairs show "The Project" was among the big winners at the annual Logie awards. It took out the award for the best news, panel or current affairs program, while co-presenter Waleed Aly won both a Silver Logie and the covered Gold Logie. Noni Hazlehurst became just the second woman to be inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, RADIO NATIONAL