Ten surrenders but BOSS hasn’t left court

Original article by Nick Tabakoff
The Australian – Page: 19 : 11-Dec-18

Nine Entertainment Company may still proceed with legal action over the rebranding of the Ten Network’s digital channel despite a backdown by the broadcaster. Ten has advised that its 10 Boss channel will be rebadged as 10 Bold after Nine claimed that its logo was too similar to the "Boss" magazine supplement of "The Australian Financial Review". Nine has issued a statement in which it notes that the trademark dispute is still before the courts.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED, CBS CORPORATION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN

Nine holds its ground over Singo buyout

Original article by Nick Tabakoff
The Australian – Page: 25 & 27 : 10-Dec-18

Nine CEO Hugh Marks says he has held talks with advertising industry veteran John Singleton about buying his 32 per cent stake in Macquarie Media. However, Marks has dismissed speculation that Nine will pay at least $2 per share to take full ownership of Macquarie in the wake of the merger with Fairfax Media. Marks also says Nine is committed to retaining the print editions of Fairfax’s key mastheads. He adds that the websites of Fairfax newspapers are likely to feature more of Nine’s video content, but Fairfax content will in turn largely continue to be exclusive.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, 2GB, 3AW SOUTHERN CROSS RADIO PTY LTD, RADIO 4BC BRISBANE PTY LTD, DOMAIN HILL PROPERTY GROUP PTY LTD, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED

Seven kicks off cricket’s new era

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 7-Dec-18

Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner says there has been a positive response to the Seven Network’s inaugural cricket broadcast under its new rights deal. The first day of the series against India marked the first time in four decades that the Nine Network has not broadcast Test matches played in Australia. Seven will also broadcast selected Big Bash League matches, while Foxtel has exclusive coverage of one-day internationals. The Nine Network in turn has replaced Seven as the free-to-air broadcaster of tennis in Australia.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, BIG BASH LEAGUE, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TENNIS AUSTRALIA, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, IPG MEDIABRANDS

Macquarie Media shares jump as Nine confirms mop-up talks

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich, Bridget Carter
The Australian – Page: 19 : 6-Dec-18

Nine Entertainment Company has advised that it has held preliminary talks about moving to full ownership of Macquarie Media when the merger with Fairfax Media is completed. The enlarged Nine will have a 54.5 per cent stake in the radio stations owner, ahead of advertising industry veteran John Singleton with a 32 per cent stake. Shares in Macquarie rose 12.6 per cent to $2.06 on 5 December. Media reports have suggested that Nine is likely to offer around $2 per share for Macquarie.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, WILSON ASSET MANAGEMENT, HADIAC PTY LTD, 2GB, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, 9NOW

Nine swings axe as Fairfax newsrooms reviewed

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 4-Dec-18

Nine Entertainment Company will comprise four divisions following its merger with Fairfax Media. Nine CEO Hugh Marks has advised staff that about 92 jobs will be lost as a result of the merger, although newsroom jobs will not be affected. Nine’s existing management team will largely helm the new divisions, while key Fairfax executives will exit following the merger. They include CEO Greg Hywood and CFO David Housego. The merger is expected to generate annual cost savings of around $50m.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, STUFF LIMITED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, 9NOW, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED

Don’t kill off mastheads, Nine warned

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 3-Dec-18

David Kirk anticipates further consolidation in Australia’s media sector following the merger between Nine Entertainment Company and Fairfax Media. Kirk, who was Fairfax’s CEO from 2005 to 2008, has urged Nine to retain the media group’s metropolitan mastheads, arguing that they are still a valuable asset. Kirk expects the merger to generate some cost synergies, although he questions its benefits in terms of revenue and profit margins. The newly-enlarged Nine is slated to commence trading on 10 December.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, BAILADOR TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX BTI, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Discount Drug Stores takes the lead in satisfaction

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Dec-18

Discount Drug Stores has taken out Roy Morgan’s pharmacy customer satisfaction award for October 2018, with 91.4% of its customers reporting that they were ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ satisfied with their shopping experience in the chain’s stores. Its nearest competitor was Priceline Pharmacy, with a total satisfaction rating of 90.4%, followed by Amcal/Amcal Max with an overall satisfaction rating of 90%. Breaking down the satisfaction data by age, the group with the highest level of satisfaction with an individual pharmacy brand was the ‘pre-Baby Boomers’, 96% of whom were ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ satisfied with Soul Pattinson. Satisfaction scores use 12-month moving averages to smooth out data volatility, and are based on the Roy Morgan Single Source survey which involves more than 50,000 detailed face-to-face interviews a year with householders in their own homes, including 15,040 in the past year who rated their pharmacy experience.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, DISCOUNT DRUGSTORES PTY LTD, PRICELINE PHARMACY, AMCAL PTY LTD, AMCAL MAX, SOUL PATTINSON

Saltbush Club: Australia should COP-OUT of COP-24.

By Viv Forbes,
Secretary of the Saltbush Club

The growing Saltbush Climate Lobby has called on PM Morrison to make no new commitments at the COP24 climate-fest to be held in Poland in a few days.

The Secretary of The Saltbush Club, Mr Viv Forbes, said that Australians no longer trusted what politicians and officials were doing behind closed doors far from home.

“Nothing of benefit to Australian consumers, tax payers or business will come out of COP24. It will just extend the UN’s war on our cheap, reliable hydro-carbon fuels and the backbone industries that rely on them – primary industries, transport, processing and manufacturing.

“It is effectively a ‘War on the West’.

“Australia is particularly vulnerable with no nuclear power, no geothermal power and limited hydropower. This war on reliable hydro-carbon fuels and the promotion of unreliable wind and solar power will increasingly deny our industries and consumers cheap reliable power.

“There is no justification for the War on carbon dioxide – there is no proof that CO2 drives global temperature and Earth’s climate cannot be tweaked by erecting windmills or putting taxes on carbon dioxide.

“COP24 will descend into a grab for cash, and Australia is one of those pullets they plan to pluck.”

fat-chicken

“Believing carbon dioxide is the planet’s climate control knob is pretty close to believing in magic.” – Dr. Richard Lindzen

Viv Forbes
forbes@saltbushclub.com
www.saltbushclub.com

Developing countries are gearing up for the big pay day, and china still defines itself as a developing country: http://sdg.iisd.org/news/basic-ministers-call-for-just-transition-new-finance-goal-ahead-of-katowice-climate-change-conference/

‘Human error’: News Corp salaries, redundancy entitlements emailed to staff

Original article by Michael Evans
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 29-Nov-18

News Corp Australia has blamed human error for the leaking of confidential salary information. More than 150 News Corp staffers were inadvertently sent an email which outlined the salary packages and redundancy entitlements of several senior employees of the media group. News Corp later issued a statement advising that three of the employees named in the email are leaving or have left the media group; it also said that one of those named "remains a respected member of the team".

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

End of an era: Fairfax bows out of the ASX

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 19 : 29-Nov-18

Shares in Fairfax Media rose 2.3 per cent to $0.66 on 28 November, before the stock was suspended from trading ahead of its delisting. Fairfax’s merger with Nine Entertainment Company is slated to be completed on 7 December, with the combined entity set to begin trading three days later. Fairfax had listed on the stock exchange in its present form in May 1992, with its shares closing at $0.9086 on debut.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, AURORA FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED, AUSBIL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, FIL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN