David Swan

Our subscribers are reading exclusives about Forbes' pre-sale battle with Google, Australia's brilliant men's site, Future's digital plans, the Covid 'hidden' impact on trade shows and Reuters' big launch. Why not subscribe now and join media industry leaders every Friday?https://lnkd.in/eNYM2GAy Flashes & Flames: The Global Media Weekly

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📻 📻 📻 On RNZ this week with Kathryn Ryan I discussed: That public boardroom tussle between Vista Group and shareholder Potentia Capital. Potentia wants seats on the board, it is facing stiff resistance. Direct Capital turns 30 - looking forward to the shindig this week. And why Pacific Equity Partners does so much business in NZ, including its first ever deal for a then-little energy drink brand called V.

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I’m a little sad to hear the news that the Wairarapa Times-Age has been sold out from local ownership. Andrew Denholm and his team have executed a wonderful vision of local journalism/business, in which they use Wairarapa suppliers wherever possible, and their photographers and reporters get out there on the ground and meet people face to face. There’s still a touch of the tabloid about the Times-Age. They break important, shit-hot stories with neither fear nor favour. I’d single out former editors/news directors Emily Ireland and seamus boyer as good journos I’ve loved working/dealing with. I’ve enjoyed popping into the newsroom on my odd visit to Masterton, still in the wonderful old art deco building across from the town hall. Almost inevitably, there will be cuts to staffing as the new owner Stuff consolidates its resources across the region. With diminishing media revenues, there will be no choice. And the Times-Age has maintained a higher staffing than in comparable NZ regional newsrooms; that won’t be sustainable. But I also want to acknowledge Stuff for showing an ongoing commitment to maintaining a network of local mastheads, local newsrooms, and most importantly, local journalists. At a time when trust in journalism is faltering more than ever (rightly or in my view, wrongly) our best opportunity to maintain the credibility of our profession/trade is by being out there and visible in our communities, meeting people, letting them see our working. The Wairarapa Times-Age has done that with integrity and pride, and I believe it will continue to do so. So my message to New Zealanders: if you want good journalists investigating important issues, telling stories you care about and holding the feet of those in power to the fire, then you need to pay for it. Donate. Better still, buy a newspaper or take out a digital subscription. Take out 10 of them, to your favourite local news, to your key industry publications, to the sports and business and politics media outlets that you think are doing the best job. And my message to journalists? Get the fuck out from behind your desks and go and meet people in person. Talk to them, listen to them, try to understand their priorities and their concerns. We want trust? We have to earn it every day. I know we can.

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New Zealand Media (and marketing) Industry appears to be in free-fall. This latest announcement from NZME, cutting regional reporters roles is another hole in an already sinking ship. This comes on top of TV3, TVNZ and Stuff having made major structural changes in recent times. Having spent many years inside the media and marketing industry its hard to watch this collapse, but you would hardly say its a surprise. Similar changes are happening world wide. I'm not going to jump on the "if you go woke - you go broke" bandwagon" but going to suggest that this is a business model problem. For the last 100 years (give or take) the media industry has relied on the sale of advertising to fund journalism (essentially subsiding this part of the business). Advertising relies on reader / viewership, and in the past two decades (give or take) traditional "channels" have seen a massive shift in how, when and where people consume media. I have a copy of Broadcast (a weekly newspaper for the TV and Radio Industry, published in the UK), dated 13 August 2004 (its cover price was 2.80 pounds). The headline reads: Subs overtake ads as TV's main earner. 20 years ago, Subscription TV (in the UK) took 50%+ of all revenue. At the time I was working for TVNZ and was on attending an industry conference in Europe. I saved this "relic" because I could see 20 years ago that the market had already changed. Today, this is the fall out for business not adapting. Make no mistake, the "media" industry isn't over, but it has changed. In the same way as Netflix replaced the Video Store. Adapt or Die.

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BUILDING COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE AND ENGAGEMENT ON HYDROGEN—COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA SPECIALIST SERVICES The South Australian Government, through the Office of Hydrogen Power SA (OHPSA) is seeking specialist communication, media and engagement organisations to collaborate with a cross-jurisdictional group to collate hydrogen information from across Australia for the Building Community Knowledge and Engagement on Hydrogen project. The collation of existing materials and the development of additional resources aims to foster social license for renewable hydrogen infrastructure developments. The key targets are traditional owners, landholders and communities. THE COMMUNICATIONS PROJECT The successful provider will develop a comprehensive resource package (or toolbox) that will be accessible to all jurisdictions. It will serve as a shared resource with agreed uniform messaging to educate the community about hydrogen and its positive impacts, with an emphasis on safety. The successful provider will engage with identified stakeholders to consolidate existing communication and engagement resources from Commonwealth, state and territory governments. The task will include: ☁ identifying information gaps and opportunities ☁ providing strategic advice on the creation of a communication and engagement toolbox ☁ developing an agreed communication and engagement toolbox for use by all jurisdictions. PHASE—INFORMATION GAP ANALYSIS Funding was agreed for the delivery of Phase 1, with all Australian jurisdictions contributing. Phase 1 was led by Tasmania. It identified that there is low awareness and familiarity with hydrogen in the Australia population. Thus education is necessary to ensure the community becomes engaged. They also found that Australians are interested in learning more about hydrogen production. It is also clear from the research that once people are provided with detailed information about hydrogen, interest in hydrogen increases. Increased positive attitude to hydrogen is seen across all community segments, with the highest increase in segments with the lowest hydrogen knowledge levels. ABOUT OHPSA OHPSA aims to leverage South Australia's renewable energy resources to foster the growth of the hydrogen industry. The objective is to establish a globally competitive export offer and maintain the state's leadership in the clean energy transition, ensuring the safe and sustainable generation of energy and low-carbon products for the future. The Commonwealth Government agreed that South Australia through OHPSA would project manage phases 2 and 3. TENDER DETAILS The tender is due Wednesday 25 September 2024 at 5:00pm (ACST). If you need help with your proposal, Madrigal Communications has been successful in renewable project tenders and marketing communications tenders. #madrigal #renewables #infrastructure

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This is the article that has taken by far the longest to put together of any I've ever written. Over a month's worth of research, data scraping, analysis and visualisations (cheers for the graphics Lachlan Avil ) and then actually writing the bloody thing on top of that. It's the launch of 'Reasonable Recruitment', an ambitious series we're hoping to push over at Round Ball Australia discussing all things football transfers through the lens of feasible, practical and reasonable suggestions. First installment? Well, Adelaide United, of course. I put together a list of 5 defenders they could take a look at, analyse their stats and discuss how they fit into United's team. If you haven't given it a read already, go check it out:

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When a policy review comes along, it's not just about change for the sake of it, but about ensuring we don't dismantle what's already working. In my column for The Land News & Livestock, I look at the current review of the working holiday visa, and the potentially devastating ramifications of removing it. I invite you to read more on why this matters for our farmers, rural businesses and communities: https://lnkd.in/gtgvegey

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With ASIC (deservedly) under fire for being comprehensively broken, it's worth remembering the government is very much part of the problem (ICYMI): https://lnkd.in/gvBzKefX

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Melbourne! Apply now for this ✨FREE✨ presentation skills workshop that Women In Media Australia are partnering on with Bastion Reputation. Learn how to engage your audience, craft a compelling presentation, and manage the dreaded nerves in a safe and encouraging environment. This workshop is for anyone looking to sharpen their presentation or public speaking skills - whether it be for in-person or online meetings, pitch sessions, talks, interviews, presenting in front of live audiences or in digital content, or something else. The half day workshop includes an exercise in presenting to camera so you can see what you've learned and receive direct feedback - all in the company of a likeminded cohort and supportive facilitator. This presentation skills workshop will be presented by the wonderful Katrina Shute. It's aimed at early to mid-career women and is valued at over $2k per person. Apply now and tell your boss you've taken the initiative to seek free PD! And if you're a manager, quickly tell your team to sign up - or sign up yourself and elevate your preso skills! Spaces are limited for maximum learning. Applying is super easy. Fill out the quick online form which has a few simple questions. Successfully matched applicants will be contacted early July. Don't miss this opportunity! Link in first comment to apply. #WomenInMedia #WiM #WiMVIC #MelbourneWorkshop #PresentationSkills #PublicSpeaking #CareerDevelopment #AudienceEngagement #ProfessionalDevelopment #PD #ConfidenceBoost #ProfessionalGrowth

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The NZX 50 managed to eke out another gain on Friday, ending the week up 3.1%, with some chunky trading of Spark New Zealand (more than 12 mln shares) – the telco-cum-data centre developer has been beat up of late and rose for a second day. Infratil’s charmed run on bubbly data centre valuations and energy empire-building as it snapped a seven-day rally, having notched up new records. Fonterra’s Shareholders’ Fund led the benchmark index higher. The manufacturing PMI got a little less depressing today and General Mills found some willing buyers for its North American yoghurt businesses which the NZ dairy exporter’s investment bankers will factoring into their own sale ambitions. Meridian Energy rose with its latest operating metrics showing some heady inflows to its hydro dams in August. Other gentailers were off the boil today. The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) house sale figures didn’t offer much succor to Fletcher Building, which was down today. The house price index was down 0.8% from year earlier while sales volumes dipped and it took 50 days to sell. Developers Winton and CDL Investments were also weaker today. Rising gold prices kept a tailwind behind mining hopeful Santana Minerals Ltd, which gained 9.4% this week. Air New Zealand ended the day unchanged. Boeing’s West Coast factory workers rejected a deal and voted to strike for the first time since 2008. In FX land, the kiwi was trading around 61.80 US cts with the Federal Reserve’s upcoming interest rate review front of mind. No sign of Solution Dynamics' response to Being AI Group's takeover posturing, but you've gotta applaud the firm's chutzpah as it put Google's search in its sights... https://lnkd.in/gZAwcNwt

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Oct 24, 2024 How much of central government's increasing involvement in local government has to do with an attempt to centralise control over water assets owned by councils? In response to the government's decision to appoint a Crown Observer at the Wellington City Council mayor Tory Whanau told RNZ, "What I've seen in the last hour is a lot of punching down. We need assistance, not punching down." Victoria University law professor Dr Dean Knight described the move by the government as an "over-reach.' He said, "If this low bar is applied in the future, the government’s going to be sacking councils all over the country over the next year or so. "Unless there’s something else going on about Wellington which is more political and less about good governance," he added. Good point. There is increasing evidence the government is making decisions that are, "more political and less about good governance." An amendment paper introduced two days ago (22 October) by the government preventing councils from adopting Water plans until a new National Policy Statement on freshwater is developed isn't exactly sacking the Otago Regional Council or other councils - but it could be said the effect isn't far off. Otago Regional Council Councillor Elliot Weir didn't hold back when RNZ interviewed him in response to being prevented by central government to adopt a Land and Water Regional Plan. "Cr Weir said they had been 'cornered' by central government, despite having done 'everything we possibly could' to pass the plan" and that it was, 'pretty clear they're trying to prevent us, specifically', from passing a freshwater plan." He was also reported as saying for a, "government so focused on promoting localism, 'they can't handle not getting what they want". Everyone should be concerned not only because water is essential to life, but because control over water assets is emerging as the "more political" reason for the government's increasing involvement in councils. [Sources: 1 'Middle finger to localism' as freshwater plan blocked https://lnkd.in/eJY4fsBA 2 https://lnkd.in/eVd3Fnpd 3 https://lnkd.in/eyuVMNde]

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NEW: Beam Mobility executives allegedly plotted to expand its alleged e-scooters scam to Perth, fresh documents suggest, as Townsville City Council and Canberra (ACT Government) become the latest cities to dump the company over the allegations. #qldpol #auspol #micromobility #canberra #perth #townsville City of Perth The Australian michael mckenna https://lnkd.in/gxSsGXn4

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Exciting Update: Motion for a Select Committee on Live and Local Creative Venues Did you know we are seeing live music venues lost in SA (and across the nation) at an unprecedented rate since Covid? Last week, I introduced a motion calling for a Select Committee to be established to investigate and report on South Australia’s live and local venues. Why This Matters: Live and local venues are the heartbeat of our creative culture in Adelaide, from our live music to our art galleries. They are more than just physical spaces, brick and mortar; they fuel creativity, build community and offer vital opportunities for emerging artists. Yet, these venues are facing unprecedented challenges. South Australia’s venues are closing at an alarming rate, with 27% fewer licensed live music venues since 2018. We have the second highest venue closure rate of states in Australia. It is crucial that we take action before it is too late. What the Committee Will Do: - Investigate Loss: We must understand the reason behind the recent decline of live local venues in South Australia. - Understand the Cultural Impact: We know that these venues are important. This Committee will provide an opportunity to take a deep-dive into the cultural, social and economic contributions that live venues bring to our community. - Assess Infrastructure and Supports: We will assess what exists and what is needed to support and protect our venues and our local talents who rely on them. Our creative ecosystem in South Australia is in crisis – the fight must not end with the Cranker. Let’s work together to give culture the home it deserves! 

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Great topic Melbourne Press Club. Australian Associated Press (AAP) Factcheck and global factcheck outlets came to our aid in 2022 to set the record straight when it came to incorrect claims on social media about 'sudden arrhythmic death syndrome' or 'sudden adult death syndrome' and COVID-19 vaccines. As an organisation that prides itself on providing evidence-based information, this was really concerning for our Institute, not to mention the researchers at the coalface dealing with the brunt of this. One option is not to engage but in this case, there was an avalanche of misinformation. And, as per the discussion today, it was of a consequential nature and there was evidence to show it was false. The learning for us in this situation when facing such a significant amount of dis/misinformation, which quickly took on a life of its own on social media, was to proactively reach out and engage with factcheck organisations as one lever to help set the record straight. Interested in the views and experiences of others? Catherine Butterfield Christine Elmer SCMP MAICD Melea Tarabay Ursula McGinnes

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I see Doughnut Economics and Strategic Doing as complementary resources for creating an effective local Regen network for the Greater Brisbane region. (or any other region) Doughnut Economics forces us to look at the interlinked nature of the climate crisis. It tells us where we are going. Strategic Doing provides proven methods of working out how we get there, how we create our localised solutions, and how we manage our collaborations. What do you think? Are they a good match?

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