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Murdoch and conservative rivals circle Spectator and Telegraph

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Original article by Thomas Seal, Sabah Meddings, Alex Wickham
The Age – Page: Online : 15-Jun-23

News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch could be among the potential bidders for the UK’s The Telegraph newspaper and The Spectator magazine. They have been put on the market after the holding company for the two publications was placed in receivership earlier in June. Sources have indicated that Murdoch made an offer of about Stg50 million ($93 million) for The Spectator two years ago, and he is said to have long desired owing the 195-year-old magazine. However, a Murdoch bid for The Telegraph may face antitrust concerns and political opposition. Other potential contenders for The Spectator are said to include Paul Marshall, the co-founder of hedge fund Marshall Wace, while the Daily Mail & General Trust is seen as a possible buyer of The Telegraph.

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NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MARSHALL WACE LLP, DAILY MAIL AND GENERAL TRUST PLC

ABC job cuts: corporation to make as many as 100 roles redundant amid major restructure

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Original article by Amanda Meade
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 15-Jun-23

The ABC has declined to comment on reports that it is set to announce job cuts ahead of the public broadcaster’s restructuring that takes effect on 1 July. ABC MD David Anderson recently flagged the likelihood of job losses when the three existing divisions are scrapped in favour of two divisions focused on news and content. There is speculation that up to 100 jobs will be cut in the ABC’s biggest restructuring since 2017. The restructuring is part of the ABC’s transition to a digital-first model.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

ABC Radio listeners in key city tune out

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 3 : 7-Jun-23

GfK’s latest radio ratings survey shows that the ABC’s audience share across all timeslots in Melbourne has fallen by 0.2 percentage points to 6.0 per cent. This compares with an audience share of 10.1 per cent in December 2021. ABC Radio Melbourne has shed an average of 26,000 listeners in the latest survey period, with the broadcaster’s flagship morning, afternoon and drive timeslots recording a loss of audience share. In contrast, ABC Radio Sydney’s audience share rose across the key timeslots; the ABC’s audience share in Adelaide and Perth also rose, but its audience fell across all timeslots in Brisbane. The GfK ratings include streaming data for the first time.

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GFK PTY LTD, ABC RADIO, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Aussies tipped to spend $9.3 billion on mid-year/EOFY sales

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 6-Jun-23

Research from the Australian Retailers Association in collaboration with Roy Morgan shows that shoppers are tipped to spend $9.3bn on mid-year and End of Financial Year sales in 2023. This is $500m higher than in 2022, although the number of Australians who are planning to shop during these sales is expected to fall to 5.8 million, which is 400,000 lower than previously. Those who plan to shop in the mid-year/EOFY sales will each spend an average of $1,616; this is up almost $200 per person from 2022. The 50-64 age demographic are set to be the biggest shoppers, encompassing 37.6% or $3.5 billion of the overall $9.3 billion spend. Meanwhile, 51 per cent of Australians will shop online during the mid-year/EOFY sales. The ARA-Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted from May 19-24 with an Australian-wide cross-section of 3,187 Australians aged 18+.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION

Gloves off: ABC goes to war with News Corp

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 25-May-23

ABC MD David Anderson has defended the public broadcaster’s coverage of King Charles III’s coronation. He has told a Senate estimates hearing that the coverage was "justified, relevant and appropriate", and criticised Rupert Murdoch’s media outlets for their sustained attack on the ABC’s coverage. Anderson and the ABC’s head of news Justin Stevens highlighted the negative reporting from News Corp Australia mastheads and Sky News, noting that Indigenous presenter Stan Grant in particular was targeted. Anderson indicated that he will seek a meeting with News Corp Australia’s executive chairman Michael Miller; he added that they have a "respectful" working relationship.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SKY NEWS

Australia’s critical minerals crunch

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 25-May-23

The issue of processing rare earths and critical minerals in Australia was a key issue of discussion at a mining summit in Perth on Wednesday. Iluka Resources MD Tom O’Leary flagged the potential for a domestic critical minerals reservation, which would allow projects to be approved on the condition that a certain proportion of the output would have to be processed in Australia. He noted that a similar gas reservation scheme has been successful in Western Australia. Former WA premier Richard Court in turn suggested that state governments could encourage increased downstream processing of critical minerals by introducing differential royalty rates.

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ILUKA RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX ILU

ABC staff lead bogus claims against News

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 24-May-23

The ABC’s somewhat controversial coverage of King Charles III’s coronation continues to attract scrutiny. Critics of News Corp Australia in turn have made false claims about the extent of the Rupert Murdoch-controlled media group’s reporting of the ABC’s coronation coverage. The Guardian Australia recently claimed that The Australian and Sky News had mentioned the public broadcaster’s coronation coverage and presenter Stan Grant more than 150 times in the last two weeks. This unverified claim has since been repeated by other left-leaning media outlets, but independent research has shown that shown that the Guardian’s figures are incorrect. Despite this, the ABC continues to contend that it is "under attack" from News Corp.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SKY NEWS, THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA

ABC digital users plummet – but the money keeps coming

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 13 : 10-May-23

The ABC had 17 million weekly active digital users in 2021-22, and the budget papers show that it had a target of 18.3 million active users for 2022-23. However, the public broadcaster is now expected to boast just 13.4 million active digital users in the current financial year. In contrast, SBS is expected to have 13.1 million digital registrations in 2022-23, well ahead of its target of 11.6 million. Meanwhile, the federal government will allocate additional funding in 2023-24 to ensure improved access to broadcasting services for Indigenous people in remote communities.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS)

Seven downgrades its TV ad market forecast

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 3-May-23

Seven West Media CEO James Warburton estimates that the TV advertising market fell by 11 per cent during the March quarter, and he expects a similar decline in the June quarter. Seven West had forecast in February that the advertising sales downturn in the March quarter would be in the "mid to high single-digits". However, Warburton notes that the TV ad market often rebounds quickly after a downturn. Warburton has also advised that Seven West now expects its operating costs for 2022-23 to be within the range of $1.2bn to $1.21bn, compared with previous guidance of $1.22bn to $1.23bn.

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SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Regional journalist jobs go in News Corp restructure

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 13-Apr-23

News Corp Australia has declined to comment on reports that it may downsize its regional newspaper staff as part of a push to reduce costs. Sources have claimed that more than 100 regional journalist and editors were asked to attend an unscheduled video meeting on Tuesday afternoon which was hosted by national community masthead network editor John McGourty. He is said to have told them that jobs may be cut and some mastheads could be merged, but stressed that these are only proposals at this stage. News Corporation recently revealed plans to cut five per cent of its global workforce.

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NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS