Media Observed
Lachlan Murdoch cancels Christmas bash
Sam Buckingham-JonesMedia and marketing reporterIt is the annual staple of the News Corp Australia calendar, and a handy metric for which chief executive and politician is in – and who’s not. Every year, a photographer stands out the front of Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch’s palatial Bellevue Hill mansion to see who’s going to his Christmas party.
But not this year. We’re told by a source close to News that Murdoch will be in the United States for some time – and the annual knees-up is off.
Alan Joyce arriving at the Murdoch family Christmas party last year. Louie Douvis
That means no Johannes Leak-drawn invitations this year. No drinking Dom Pérignon with Macquarie’s Shemara Wikramanayake, former Qantas boss Alan Joyce or Commonwealth Bank’s Matt Comyn.
It’s been a big year for Murdoch. First, there was a pitch to merge Fox Corporation, which he leads as chief executive, with News, which he co-chaired. That fell apart.
Then Fox settled with US voting machine firm Dominion for $US787.5 million ($1.2 billion), after which its star presenter Tucker Carlson was punted.
Murdoch’s 92-year-old father, Rupert, stepped down from his roles as chairman of News and Fox, leaving the eldest son as executive chairman of Fox and chairman of News. Murdoch snr has been enjoying semi-retirement, gallivanting with his rumoured girlfriend and crates of wine. Meanwhile, Murdoch jnr went to Ukraine to meet Volodymyr Zelensky.
After all that, it might be time for a break. And a crate of wine or two.
In other news
Cuts: While media companies have been announcing hard numbers and layoffs over the past year, Nine Entertainment has held the line that it is diligently trimming other costs. Nine cuts have hit staff. About 15 roles have been made redundant, a Nine spokeswoman confirmed, which has resulted in at least seven people leaving the business. Nine is the publisher of The Australian Financial Review.
The ABC political editor role advertised in the Canberra Times.
Adult services: Not all that many readers make it to the adult services ads buried in the back of the Canberra Times. And the crossover between those people and potential ABC editor politics would be even smaller. Still, that’s where the public broadcaster’s advertisement to recruit a full-time replacement for Michelle Ainsworth, who left in October, has appeared. Not to be confused with former political editor Andrew Probyn, who was made redundant in June.
Grand designs: It was a mostly uneventful all-staff call at News on Thursday. But one detail piqued our interest: the Holt Street bunker may be getting a reno. It’s been 24 years since there was a refurbishment of the building. Execs said that could be coming soon. Then on Friday, it was announced Darren Davidson, The Australian’s former media editor, had been promoted to the broadsheet’s managing editor shortly after returning from a stint in New York.
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