Mr. Stokes told Seven’s AGM on Monday:

“Should they ever decide they wanted to, I think there would be certainly at least two very enthusiastic buyers.”

“I’d expect News to be an interested party and I can certainly say on our behalf that we would be an interested party, but I don’t hold out much hope for that eventuality.

“I personally doubt that very much that Telstra would ever, ever dispose of its interest in Foxtel.”

NITV currently broadcasts on the digital channel 44 datacast trial in Sydney, which may be forced to come to an end due to the funding upgrade.

“We welcome the government’s decision to give temporary use of spectrum to the community TV sector,” Broadcast Australia’s managing director Graeme Barclay told The Australian.

“But there are a number of other potential free-to-view users who are not being provided with any certainty or clarity as to what will happen to them.”

“We would seek clarity on how other potential content providers could also be carried,” he said.

Fuel and oil have leaked into the flood water in the town, creating what the State Emergency Service (SES) is calling a “potentially explosive situation.”

The fire brigade HAZMAT crews and the SES are now starting to pump the contaminated water out of the car park.

Fire Brigade spokesman Paul Randall has told ABC News three crews are on the scene.

“At the moment what the guys are doing is just rendering the area safe, ” he said.

“They’re cleaning up those spilled fuels and also they’ve evacuated the building as a precaution at this stage due to the fact that obviously when fuel vapour mixes with air it can explosive.”

The program, called Scammers, is based on a UK format, and warns people of some of the scams or confidence tricks doing the rounds.

It is expected to air next year.

Werbeloff knocked back a tilt at the seat of Bradfield, vacated by Dr. Brendan Nelson, which would have been funded by ZOO magazine.

“It will be easier for me to walk away knowing I’m leaving the job in such good hands. Chris Bath is such a great communicator and a presenter who already enjoys the respect and affection of Sydney’s TV audience. She has nothing to prove. I wish her all the luck in the world and hope she enjoys the experience as much as I have” said Ross.

It is expected that Bath will also remain a presenter on the network’s current affairs show Sunday Night. Sydney news director Chris Willis also confirmed the appointment of former Nine weekday presenter Mark Ferguson to present weekend bulletins.

“This is a bittersweet moment,” said Peter Meakin, the network’s director of news and public affairs. “On the one hand, we are sorry that Ian is leaving. He has led Seven News to victory for five consecutive years and we are hugely in his debt. But we rejoice that someone as talented and popular as Chris is available to replace him.”

Media Spy members are discussing Roscoe’s resignation in the forums. Image credit.

Brad Crane found the girl of his dreams Stacie Marmion on the show and has popped the question to the bubbly brunette after a six-month romance.

Cattle farmer Crane proposed to Marmion over take away fish and chips, The Herald Sun reports.

“Her lips started quivering and luckily she said yes,” Crane said.

“To be honest, I went on the show for a bit of fun.

“I didn’t think there would be much chance of finding a bloody wife on national television. I still can’t believe my luck.”

A Prime Television spokesperson could not confirm if or when the channel will be seen in Newcastle, The Newcastle Herald reports, despite claims in The Canberra Times that southern New South Wales viewers would receive the channel in January 2010.

This would mean hit programs Heroes, Lost and 24 would not be seen across the region, and gives further ammunition to those who download their favourite programs off the internet.

Regional ratings for multichannels will be released in January, with ONE HD and GO! both appearing on the Ten Network and Nine Network affiliates Southern Cross Ten and WIN/NBN respectively.

MediaSpy discussion

“I am sure one of them will emerge,” Mr Murdoch said in an interview with Sky News.

“It would be nice. Every parent likes to see that.”

A committee discussed succession at News Corp every three or four months, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

His family, with about 40 per cent of the voting rights, would “have a lot of say”.

Media analyst Ken Doctor says any successor would look at the business structure and may decide the company’s future lay outside of the newspaper business.

“Does a post-Rupert News Corp hold on to the newspapers or say, ‘That’s really not a business we want to be in’? Any successor will take a fresh look.”

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Davies, 55, passed away at 1.30pm yesterday (Saturday), five months after being diagnosed with cancer.

A former copywriter for radio commercials, Davies landed a job at Triple J in 1984.  The comedy show Club Veg, hosted by Davies with Mal Lees, featuring song parodies and comedy sketches, began on Sydney’s 2SM in 1987 and moved across to Triple M in 1989.  The show was cancelled in 2002.

Stuart Matchett, a former colleague of Davies in the ’80s, remembers him as a humble star with a talent for comedy:

“They were so popular because Club Veg was really funny, and the reason why it was really funny was because of Vic.  He was incredibly fast at doing the parodies and recording multiple vocals.”

“He was such a nice guy, everyone liked him.”

Vic Davies is survived by his wife, Jodie, his children, Harmony, Carrie, Rick and Jamie, and grandchildren Domenic, Jaxson, Thomas and Mia.

MediaSpy: Triple M

Nine today announced that McGuire, host of Hot Seat and a long-time sports program anchor, would host the primetime coverage of the Games, while Sutcliffe would present the daily live coverage and Weekend Today hosts Leila McKinnon and Cameron Williams would “keep viewers up to date with all the results and news from the Games throughout the day and night.”

The Games begin on Saturday, February 13 (AEDT), with McGuire and McKinnon commentating the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

In a statement, Nine’s head of sport, Steve Crawley, said: “This is an outstanding group of talented presenters, commentators and reporters set to bring Australian viewers all the action and excitement of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

“Nine is committed to providing more than 130 hours of exceptional coverage across 17 days of elite competition.”

Nine’s commentary team will be:

Aerials: Alisa Camplin (Gold medallist) and Eddie McGuire

Moguls: James Brayshaw and Michael Kennedy (former international moguls competitor, CEO of Ski and Snowboard Australia)

Ski Cross: Michael Kennedy and Eddie McGuire

Snowboarding: James Brayshaw and Jay Onley (three-time Australian snowboard chapion)

Alpine skiing: Phil Liggett

Slalom, Giant Slalom, Downhill, Super Combined, Super G: Phil Liggett and Steven Lee (three-time Olympian)

Luge, Skeleton, Bobsleigh: Andrew Voss and Roger White (Australia’s only male luge participant)

Figure skating: Belinda Noonan and Warren Smith

Short-course Speed skating: Steven Bradbury (Gold medallist) and Mike McCann

Speed Skating: Carla Zijlstra and Dwayne Russell

Reporting on the latest Games news will be Grant Hackett, Giaan Rooney, Tony Jones, Tim Sheridan and Tim Gilbert, while Nine News will be represented by Damian Ryan and Peter Stefanovic.

Media Spy discussion: 2010 Winter Olympics

Ross, who is affectionately known as Roscoe, will hand over to weekend newsreader Chris Bath at the end of the ratings season, with his last bulletin to be read on November 27.

Bath is expected to read Monday to Friday in addition to her Sunday Night co-hosting duties, while new Nine recruit Mark Ferguson, who officially joins Seven this week, will present Seven News on Saturdays and Sundays.

Ross, 69, told the Sunday Telegraph: “I had thought about quitting last year but [he and Seven] came to a mutual agreement that I would do another year.”

Bath, 42, had been expected to replace Roscoe whenever he retired, however that plan was put into doubt earlier this year, when Seven announced Ferguson would defect from Nine to take up an unannounced position. Many predicted Bath would be once again overlooked and Ferguson would assume the role of Roscoe, his former rival.

The Use of Social Media policy distributed via email this morning sets out four formal guidelines that all staff and contractors should follow on websites such as Facebook and Twitter:

1. Do not mix the professional and the personal in ways likely to bring the ABC into disrepute.
2. Do not undermine your effectiveness at work.
3. Do not imply ABC endorsement of your personal views.
4. Do not disclose confidential information obtained through work.

The ABC’s guidelines are relatively more loose than comparable standards established by other organisations, some of which have enforced stringent policies whereby social networking in connection with a journalist’s professional capacity is off limits.

ABC managing director Mark Scott – who himself has almost 3,000 followers on Twitter – announced the policy while speaking at the Sydney Media 140 conference today. The global Media 140 events, which have been scheduled around the world, are part of “an independent global movement creating unique multimedia conferences and events to explore the future of the real-time web”.

Scott has consistently argued that news organisations must seek to incorporate new media and user-generated content in order to remain relevant to audiences.

The community stations will use the previously reserved “A” channel in their respective locations to simulcast their services until the switch to digital television is completed.   In order to allow the stations to fund the simulcast, financial support totaling $2.6 million will be made available to the stations.

“Community Television is an important component of the Australian media landscape and I am very pleased that it now has a pathway to digital transmission,” said the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy.

“I am delighted that by working closely with the Community TV sector, we have identified suitable spectrum and necessary funding to enable Community TV stations to begin digital simulcasts.”

In making the announcement, Conroy took a swipe at the previous Government for their inaction to support conversion to digital for the community stations:

“Unlike the previous government, the Rudd Government greatly values the role of community television. It provides hundreds of hours of truly local content every month, and reaches more than a million viewers each week”

CEO at Sydney station TVS and the Secretary of the Australian Community Television Alliance, Laurie Patton, welcomed the announcement saying that the Rudd Government has kept its promise not to leave Community TV behind.

“I look forward to seeing Community Television grow and thrive now that it has the certainty to be part of Australia’s digital television future.”

The intention after 2013 is still unknown.

Seven Media have recorded a loss of $1.9 billion with their private equity partner KKR announcing they have plunged into “negative equity” as the liabilities for the company outstrip their assets, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.   Seven Media have also written down the goodwill on their television assets to nothing, not much of a surprise after the Seven Network wrote down its 47 percent interest in the company to zero earlier this year.

Meanwhile, PBL Media’s results show a loss of $913 million after a write-down of $851 million in both the company’s television and magazine businesses.   PBL Media are also carrying a $4.2 billion liability in loans, while Seven’s loan liability is smaller at $3.5 billion taking their total liability to $4.7 billion.

Sydney: 2GB is again the market leader on 13.7 per cent (up from 13.3 per cent in the last survey), followed by 702 ABC (10.5 per cent), 2Day (9.8) and 2UE (7.8).  2Day’s breakfast show, following recent Kyle and Jackie O controversies, is up this survey from 9.8 to 11.0 per cent.

Melbourne: Another win for 3AW, though dropping this survey from 16.2 per cent to 15.5, followed by Fox (13.4), 774 ABC (12.6) and Nova 100 a distant fourth (7.1).  Fox’s drive-time boys Hamish And Andy are steady on 22.0 per cent, and 3AW’s Ross Stevenson and John Burns fell slightly to  20.0 per cent.  Austereo station Triple M continues to fall, now at only 3.9 per cent overall and 3.6 per cent at breakfast – though the new breakfast team headed by Eddie McGuire was only present for the last two weeks of the eight week survey.

Brisbane: Nova 106.9 wins the survey on 12.3 per cent, followed by B105 (11.3), Triple M (10.7) and 97.3 (10.5).  612 ABC wins the breakfast shift on 12.2 per cent, followed by Nova on 11.9.

Adelaide: 5AA wins with 14.3 per cent of the audience, followed by SAFM (13.6), Mix 102.3 (12.9) and 891 ABC (12.6).  5AA’s breakfast is steady on 17.0 per cent, followed by 891 ABC (14.9).  While SAFM’s Hamish And Andy still sitting high on 20.4 per cent, dropping only 0.1 from the last survey.

Perth: Mix 94.5 has not only won the survey, with 17.7 per cent, but has now notched up eighty consecutive survey wins – a decade’s worth of surveys having taken out every survey since Survey 8, 1999.  Today’s result also has Mix’s sister station 92.9 in second place on 13.2 per cent, up by over a point, followed by 96FM (9.8), 720 ABC (9.7) and Nova (9.3).

MediaSpy: Metro Ratings – Survey 7, 2009.

The Sunday Herald Sun reports that The Story Of Maria Korp, based on the book The Maria Korp Case by Herald Sun journalist Carly Crawford, will feature Packed To The Rafters star Rebecca Gibney as Maria Korp and Vince Colosimo as her husband, Joe.

Maya Elliot will play Joe Korp’s mistress, Tanya Herman, who later admitted to the attempted murder of Maria Korp.

Maria Korp, a mother of two, was left to die in the boot of her car which was discovered near Melbourne’s Shrine Of Remembrance in February 2005.  Korp died in hospital weeks later.

Despite the Melbourne-based storyline, the telemovie is being produced in Sydney.

The revised version of the Free Flow of Information Act would strengthen protections to prevent journalists from being fined or imprisoned under federal law if they refused to disclose sources for stories deemed to be in the public interest. In addition to journalists, shield protections would also extend to unpaid bloggers engaged in the collation or composition of news stories.

The bill has received strong backing from reporters and the newspaper industry at large, which have been clamouring for better protections to preserve confidentiality.

The Obama Administration last month expressed concerns about the extent of the shield laws, arguing for exceptions in cases where there was a risk of “significant” harm to national security. At the time, Democratic Senator Arlen Specter described the White House’s stance as “totally unacceptable”. The compromise bill now requires the government to prove in court that a future terrorism threat could be prevented if a source were to be disclosed.

Senator Charles Schumer, one of the key proponents of the new measures, said that the new version of the bill struck a balance between the intent of the legislation and the Administration’s concerns.

“We’ve come a long way in these negotiations and have now reached a compromise that strikes the right balance between national security concerns and the public’s right to know.

“This new version preserves a strong protection for reporters interested in protecting their sources, while also making sure that the government can still do the job of protecting its citizens.”

Earlier this month in its annual report on international press freedom, advocacy organisation Reporters Without Borders said that the passage of a shield law would be a major step toward guaranteeing the freedom and integrity of America’s media.

In Australia, there are few frameworks that protect confidentiality: measures introduced by the Government earlier this year were skewered in the Senate, with critics inside and outside Parliament arguing that the proposed legislation did not go far enough.

Media Spy discussion: International Journalism and Media

News.com.au reports that the deal with Seven comes as word is out that Nine tried to poach Ghidella, a former Nine newsreader, to replace Andrew Lofthouse as the reader for its 6.00pm news. 

A Nine spokesperson denied the claim:

“Andrew is doing a fantastic job, we are very happy with his performance.  The Nine Network discussed a multitude of opportunities with Sharyn Ghidella’s management.  We believe Sharyn’s decision to stay at Seven is a financial one. We wish her all the best.”

Nine News rates below Seven News in Brisbane.  Seven’s weekend bulletins, read by Ghidella, rate particularly well and she is also a presenter on the national Weekend Sunrise program, based in Sydney.

Rumours also suggest that long-time Seven newsreader Kay McGrath, reportedly on a considerably lower salary than Ghidella’s newly-signed $600,000, may be moved aside for Ghidella “within 18 months.”

Meanwhile, one of the first newsreaders to appear on Queensland television, Brian Cahill, will take to the newsdesk beside Ghidella on Sunday night to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the first newscast from BTQ7 Brisbane.  BTQ7 was Brisbane’s second commercial channel when it launched on 1 November 1959, and, as Cahill recalls, he read the news for a lot less than $600,000!

MediaSpy: Seven News

The Northern Territory News reports that the new channel, which launches this Sunday on Seven in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, will be carried by Darwin’s local affiliate, Southern Cross Television, a month later.  It will be the first of the new range of Freeview channels to enter the top end capital, with Network Ten’s One HD and Nine’s GO! yet to be launched there.

Southern Cross Television group general manager Craig Davies said that 7TWO will bring a range of new and classic titles to Darwin screens:

“Iconic programs including hit The Sopranos, much-loved drama Six Feet Under and comedy Murphy Brown will screen on the new channel alongside new primetime episodes of The Jay Leno Show.  There is a great strategic balance in the program schedule of 7TWO that will deliver audience growth across both of our channels.”

7TWO will also screen new episodes of US series including 24, Lost and Ugly Betty.

Mr Davies said that Alice Springs viewers will also be able to access the channel via Southern Cross.

The announcement of 7TWO’s launch into Darwin follows earlier reports that Southern Cross will also broadcast the channel in Tasmania from December.

Meanwhile, the Seven Network’s largest regional affiliate, Prime Television, has yet to announce its plans for launching 7TWO to viewers in its coverage areas.

MediaSpy: 7TWO

NBN’s latest breach relates to coverage during the Victorian bushfires in February, which according to NBN was caused by the lack of a live captioning service and incomplete scripts provided by Channel Nine’s Melbourne station where the news items were sourced from.

After NBN’s first breach in July 2008, an automated caption generation system was implemented, which NBN have committed to expanding in order to cater for live captioning in January.

MediaSpy Discussion: NBN News

CASPA On-Demand will deliver broadband video content under a “pay-as-you-use” system for premium content, while other content will either be free or advertiser funded.   Hybrid Television Services, who hold the licence for TiVo in both Australia and New Zealand have confirmed that Telecom New Zealand customers will be able to access content without affecting their download quota.

Meanwhile, Australian TiVo’s will get a software upgrading in the next twelve months to allow them to be used in NZ on Freeview|HD, which is MPEG-4 rather then the Australian standard of MPEG-2

Can I use a TiVo media device from Australia/USA?
No, the TiVo media device has been specifically adapted for the New Zealand market.
By December 2010, all of the current Australian TiVo devices will receive a software update that  allows them to work in both countries.

Telecom NZ will be the exclusive agent for TiVo in New Zealand from November 6th.   No launch date for CASPA has been announced in Australia.

MediaSpy Discussion: TiVo

According to The Australian, the new children’s edition will arrive in the last quarter of 2010, following the screening of the second series of MasterChef Australia. Ten has already indicated that Celebrity MasterChef will not be returning next year.

Ten’s programming officer David Mott said that he envisaged a great deal of interest in the Junior MasterChef series.

“We’re very keen to do a junior version because it’s a great opportunity to look at the benefits of healthy eating and good food and produce and things like that and we think that’s really important,” he said.

The Australian indicated that the series will primarily involve nine- to twelve-year olds as contestants, but that “the hosts hope younger children will be featured as well”.

The news that Ten will be adding Junior MasterChef to the series from next year comes two months after the BBC indicated that it would reviving its own version of Junior Masterchef, which first aired in the 1990s. MasterChef Australia was based on the BBC’s Masterchef series, but with significant format changes.

Media Spy discussion: Junior MasterChef

The system outlined in the National Broadcasting Legislation Amendment Bill involves the communications minister of the day making appointments from a shortlist provided by an independent advisory panel. The shortlist would exclude current or former politicians and senior political staff. The ABC chair would be appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the opposition leader.

The procedure was first used in March this year, but the Government says that it wants to formalise it through legislation. Cabinet minister Anthony Albanese told Parliament today that a “lack of due process” had led to concerns that the boards of the ABC and SBS were being politicised. According to communications minister Stephen Conroy, the system would ensure that the appointment procedure was as open as possible.

“The new selection scheme will ensure that all future appointments to the ABC and SBS Boards are conducted in a manner that fosters independence, transparency, accountability and public confidence,” he said.

Friends of the ABC has welcomed the amendment, saying that it would improve the independence of Australia’s public broadcasters, and prevent governments from using the boards to further political agendas. According to spokesperson Glenys Stradijot:

“Prior to the present government putting into practice its new board appointment process, stacking of the ABC Board was in danger of spiralling out of control, damaging public trust in the national broadcaster’s independence and the integrity of government.

“Now, legislation is important to ensure there is not just a pause in inappropriate appointments to the ABC and SBS boards. The new appointment process must become law. The position of staff-elected director must be restored. It ensures there is at least one member of the ABC Board who has intimate understanding of public broadcasting and is entirely independent of government.

Conroy said that the amendment bill will restore the staff-elected position on the ABC board, which was abolished by the Howard Government in 2006. He added that the position was “an important enhancement to the ABC’s independence”.

Media Spy discussion: ABC/SBS board appointments

Prime are yet to commit to a start date and have told interested viewers inquiring about the new service that an announcement will happen soon.

“Thank you for your enquiry. PRIME hopes to make an announcement on its multi-channels in the near future”

Meanwhile, The Canberra Times report that 7TWO will not start until at least January next year.

Seven Queensland will commence broadcasting 7TWO from Sunday and as reported yesterday, Southern Cross Television have confirmed that they will commence broadcasting 7TWO from December 1st.

MediaSpy Discussion: 7TWO

Stations such as Melbourne-based Triple M, 3AW and Fox FM will join regional broadcasters from all parts of the state to provide emergency warnings at the request of the state government. This will mean that in addition to the ABC’s coverage of emergency events, another 47 radio frequencies used by commercial stations will be able to deliver emergency warnings and broadcasts.

The agreement means that broadcasters agree to interrupt programming to broadcast warnings and in some cases go to continuous coverage should an urgent threat exist.

This means that now the ABC television and radio services, Sky News and Victorian commercial radio will all provide emergency warnings. At this stage, no agreement has been reached with the commercial television broadcasters.

A list of all stations included is available in the Premier’s Press Release.

Discussion of the Victorian bushfire coverage and aftermath is taking place in this thread.