Archives: Media Releases

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have released their annual Impact Reports, detailing the mastheads’ incredible contribution to the fabric of Australian society through ground-breaking investigations, fearlessly holding the powerful to account and celebrating our cities.

Now in its third year, the Impact Report is developed to illustrate the breadth, quality and balance of journalism featured across the two mastheads. They highlight the deep significance journalism has played in keeping Australia a vibrant democracy, told in the words of award-winning reporters who give readers a behind-the-scenes insight into the impact their stories gained.

The reports are an immersive dive into the year’s biggest stories covered by each masthead and show the true impact of subscribers’ support. These include highlighting the results of the Herald’s investigation into the NSW Government’s mismanagement of the Lismore floods response; The Age’s revealing expose into human trafficking; Nick McKenzie’s investigation into Star Entertainment; a year-long investigation into corrupt Chinese state-linked mining in Africa; Victoria’s triple zero system crisis and cowboy-esque practices plaguing the cosmetic surgery industry.

The mastheads’ investigations have held power to account, resulting in real-world change and numerous Walkley Award nominations. The past year has been yet another massive news year, with journalists from the Herald and The Age covering everything from the war in Ukraine, political bloodshed and economic turmoil, to the deaths of Queen Elizabeth II and Shane Warne, climate change and natural disasters.

The Impact Reports also shine a light on the positive lifestyle and culture reporting. As our cities re-awaken after Covid restrictions, the teams from Good Food and Traveller fuelled our desire for travel and food while Good Weekend continued to hold the gold standard in long form journalism. 

With a growing portfolio of newsletters and podcast investigations – including the groundbreaking Liar, Liar Melissa Caddick and the Missing Millions by Kate McClymont and 60 Minutes’ Tom Steinfort – 2022 has once again seen the Herald and The Age expand the way they tell stories.

The 2022 Impact Reports are available here: https://impact-report.smh.com.au/2022 https://impact-report.theage.com.au/2022

For further information, please contact: 
Adrian Motte
Senior Communications Manager – Trade & Publishing
amotte@nine.com.au

Monday, November 14, 2022

9News political reporter Chris O’Keefe has been named as the new host of 2GB’s Drive program, commencing on 9 January 2023. 

O’Keefe is a multi award-winning journalist, with more than a decade of experience in television news, reporting on some of our country’s biggest stories, including his work on exposing a deadly gas mix-up at the maternity ward at Bankstown Hospital which earned him a Walkley Award in 2016.

Already familiar to listeners on 2GB radio, and Nine’s radio stations around Australia, O’Keefe has most recently served as fill-in presenter in 2GB Drive for the past year and is now looking forward to taking on the role full-time.

O’Keefe said: “It’s very rare to be given the chance to be a part of a radio station that has been broadcasting to our city for almost a century. The history is rich at 2GB, and I’m aware of the responsibility that legacy brings and delighted to be given the opportunity.”

“My past experience behind the mic has shown me that radio is deeply personal, and it has to be. We have a one on one conversation with hundreds of thousands Sydneysiders at the same time they are juggling kids, battling traffic, or in their kitchens cooking dinner – that’s a serious privilege.

“Growing up in the suburbs in the St George area of Sydney and now with a young family, a big mortgage and a passionate Dragons supporter, I understand what’s important in this town. I know what we care about, what we can have a laugh about, and what’s worth fighting for. And more than anything, I’ve tried to build a reputation that when I tell you something is happening, you can take it to the bank.”

2GB Content Manager, Luke Davis said: “If it’s happening in Sydney, you’ll hear it first on 2GB, and nobody has their finger on the pulse of our city more than Chris O’Keefe.”

“Chris has proven to be a popular contributor and trusted news-breaker across our network and we can’t wait to have him join 2GB in a full-time capacity. Get set Sydney, with Chris O’Keefe, it’s going to be a fresh, informative and entertaining drive home in 2023!”

O’Keefe started his career at Network Ten as a TV news producer, before moving to Channel 9 on the Gold Coast and Brisbane. He returned home to Sydney where he has reported on state and federal politics, covering four elections.

He is a Walkley Award winner and three time nominee. He was also named NSW Journalist of the year in 2017 and has been awarded five Kennedy Awards for excellence in journalism.

O’Keefe is married to Fox League broadcaster Yvonne Sampson and is a father to their baby boy Henry.

For further information, please contact: 
Caitlin Lynch
Senior Communications Manager
clynch@nine.com.au 

Monday, November 14, 2022

Tennis Australia has announced a momentous five-year extension of its broadcast partnership with the 9Network, ensuring Nine is the home of tennis until 2029.

RIGHTS FREE IMAGES OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT HERE

The new five-year deal (from 2025 to 2029) includes a $425 million cash component plus considerable additional value in contra, retained rights and promotion, making it the biggest in the history of Tennis Australia.

The agreement will continue to fuel the growth of the sport across the country, the Australian Open and other major events.

“Nine has shown a serious year-round commitment to continue to grow tennis,” Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said today.

“Together we have regularly set and exceeded targets for ourselves in what has been a highly productive partnership thus far. This new deal further strengthens that relationship in which our organisations work as a true co-operative on the broadcast, production, innovation and promotion of our events and sport. It will ensure we are reaching audiences of all ages and backgrounds across multiple platforms with high quality product.

“We want to show our sport at its best to continually excite tennis fans, while also appealing to a new generation of fans and players across Australia. This new deal will certainly help us do that.”

“We are pleased to announce the extension of the partnership between Nine and Tennis Australia,” Nine CEO Mike Sneesby said.

“Tennis attracts both a broad and very passionate following, and is a perfect fit with Nine’s schedule, audiences and advertisers. The Australian Open has delivered some of Australia’s most iconic sporting moments and largest television audiences and together, we are committed to bringing these great moments to all Australians live and free.”

The five-year deal gives the Nine Network the domestic broadcast rights for the Australian Open and summer of tennis lead-in events, including the brand-new global teams competition, the United Cup and other special events.

This year’s Australian Open women’s final was the highest rating of all time, watched by an Australian television audience of 3.835 million.*

The men’s final was the highest rating in four years, with a domestic TV audience of 2.333 million* viewers.

The all-Aussie men’s doubles final was the highest rating Australian Open men’s doubles match of all time, with 2.482 million* tuning in across the country. And on 9Now, more than 657 million minutes of Australian Open coverage was streamed, representing a year-on-year increase of 171%.

The new agreement follows extensive negotiations and some spirited competition, with a big focus on having content in the right places for ease of consumer access as well as promotion of the sport.

*According to OzTam

For further information, please contact: 
Prue Ryan
Tennis Australia
pryan@tennis.com.au

Friday, November 11, 2022

Sunday Life is marking 25 years of publication this weekend with a special anniversary issue featuring an exceptional cast of female change-makers.

Twenty-five Australians are being recognised for their influence and positive contribution to society in a first-of-its-kind cross platform execution which sees each “Trailblazer” receive her own digital Sunday Life magazine cover.

Dual athlete Ellyse Perry, First Nations woman and AFL executive Tanya Hosch along with ovarian cancer campaigner Camilla Freeman-Topper appear on the cover of the print edition published with The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age newspapers this weekend.

“At the core of Sunday Life’s philosophy is a celebration of women, so it makes sense to recognise the women who have inspired us in the past 25 years, and those leading the charge in the future,” says Sunday Life editor Pat Ingram.

Penny Wong, Magda Szubanski, Zoë Foster Blake and Ash Barty are also among those commemorated in the anniversary issue. 

Sunday Life columnist Jamila Rizvi says: “In a fast paced world and 24 hour news cycle, we rarely take a moment to pause and reflect. But these diverse and distinguished 25 women and their many achievements are so very well worth your time to discover, to consider and to celebrate.”

Rizvi and fellow Sunday Life columnist Brooke Boney, along with senior editors Monique Farmer, Damien Woolnough and Ingram served as judges during the nomination process.

“We drew on the vast experience of journalists across the newsroom for their nominations and these were narrowed down and hotly debated until our judging panel reached its final conclusion,” says Ingram.

Rizvi adds: “A list such as this is never complete. Its purpose is to begin the work of wondering, to spark debate and discussion, to start a conversation that continues well into the night, over a shared bottle of wine, reflecting on the many and vast achievements of Australian women these past 25 years.”

Sunday Life’s The Trailblazers issue will be available in this Sunday’s edition of The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age. You can see the full list of 25 women, as well as their digital magazine covers, from Sunday 6am at smh.com.au/sunday-life and theage.com.au/sunday-life, as well as brisbanetimes.com.au/sunday-life and watoday.com.au/sunday-life. Readers can also step behind the scenes of the anniversary cover shoot via Sunday Life’s Instagram and hear from some of the trailblazing women themselves.

For a high res image of the Sunday Life cover, click HERE

For further information, please contact: 
Adrian Motte
Senior Communications Manager – Trade & Publishing
amotte@nine.com.au

Friday, November 11, 2022

Respected journalist Monique Farmer has been appointed to a newly-created strategic role as National Managing Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times and WAToday, it was announced today. 

The appointment will see Farmer work closely with the commercial, marketing and product teams to make a material difference to the running of the metro newsrooms across the country, and will report to Executive Editor Tory Maguire. 

Farmer has worked in media in Australia and New Zealand for more than 30 years. She joined The Sydney Morning Herald while she was at university and worked her way up through reporting and editing to become Managing Editor (Sections) for six years. From 2008 she spent four years at Fairfax New Zealand where she launched an award-winning weekly magazine, then was Associate Editor of a national Sunday newspaper, the Sunday Star-Times. In the past decade back in Australia, Monique has focused on digital growth and content innovation as head of the Herald and The Age’s culture and lifestyle content, including Good Food, Traveller, Spectrum and Sunday Life. 

“Since becoming Executive Editor I’ve come to rely on Monique’s strategic mindset, attention to detail and experience to help navigate the complexity of our newsrooms,” said Maguire. “She is an incredible team player, who always puts the best interests of the mastheads and her colleagues first. In this new role we will all be able to benefit from these attributes and I am in equal measure both excited and relieved to have someone of her calibre assist in running the place.”

Farmer, who will start her new role in 2023, said: “It’s been a privilege to lead such a talented team of editors, journalists and contributing writers. I’m so proud of the calibre of content we’ve delivered across the Life portfolio, creating smart and entertaining culture and lifestyle journalism for our highly-engaged audiences.

“Now I’m excited to step up to the challenge of being National Managing Editor of the best mastheads in the country.”

Farmer’s new position has opened up the opportunity for future appointments in the newsroom to build on the mastheads’ key pillars to grow subscribers. A Head of Food position working across the editorial, commercial and events teams will be created and a replacement for Farmer’s previous role Head of Life, working across the lifestyle, culture and travel teams, will be announced in due course.

For further information, please contact: 
Adrian Motte
Senior Communications Manager – Trade & Publishing 
amotte@nine.com.au

Friday, November 11, 2022

Nine has today announced that one of Australia’s most respected marketers, Nicki Kenyon, has been appointed to lead its full service creative solutions division Powered with a singular purpose of creating even bigger ideas for clients.

Kenyon has a wealth of experience in senior management roles across the APAC region and has been a Director of Powered Enterprise for the past two years based in Melbourne. 

She joined Nine after holding high profile roles including Chief Marketing Officer for Visit Victoria, and previous to that was Vice President of Digital & Marketing Transformation at Visa APAC. She has also held senior roles at MasterCard and Facebook in the region, and holds numerous board director positions including the Australian Grand Prix Corporation.   

“Sometimes you meet someone and you just know that they are brilliant. That’s how I felt when I first met Nicki at Visit Victoria,” said Michael Stephenson, Nine’s Chief Sales Officer.  

“Nicki is one of Australia’s most senior and respected marketers and over the past two years she has changed the conversation that we have with our clients and partners. She believes in the power of creativity and big ideas and the importance of marketing as a lever for growth. She understands the language of the boardroom and I know that under her leadership, Powered, our full service creative powerhouse, will go to another level,” 

Of her appointment, Kenyon said: “It’s a privilege to be taking on the role of Director of Powered and leading such an incredibly talented team. Making a difference to our client’s businesses through the amazing big ideas developed by Powered is an opportunity I’m excited to take on. My first two years at Nine have been rewarding and inspiring, and I look forward to contributing even more over the coming years.”

Kenyon will begin her new role on November 15.

For a high res photo of Nicki Kenyon, please click HERE

For further information, please contact: 
Adrian Motte 
Senior Communications Manager – Trade and Publishing 
amotte@nine.com.au 

Friday, November 11, 2022

Starts Wednesday, November 16, at 8:40pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.

Take a peek behind the curtain of Byron Bay’s luxury property playground with Dream Listing Byron Bay, where the market is red-hot and Hollywood A-listers and Instagram influencers are all living the dream. 

This brand-new series premieres Wednesday, November 16, at 8.40pm on Channel 9 and 9Now, and follows eight competitive Bryon Bay agents who’ll beg, borrow and steal to seal the deal for their rich clients. 

Dream Listing Byron Bay is your access-all-areas pass to the property playground of the pedigreed and prosperous in one of Australia’s most exclusive real estate markets.

Set against a backdrop of spectacular beaches and beautiful bodies, our agents take us into some of the most awe-inspiring and dreamworthy properties in the country, with unparalleled access to how the other half live. 

Byron Bay’s property prices are smashing through the roof and still climbing, with the market  seeing one of the most significant recent property booms in the world – rising up to 14.6 per cent in 12 months.

This means that even decrepit beach shacks can rake in the millions – and that’s really no surprise given the average Byron house goes for $2.8 million, compared to Sydney’s already expensive $1.3 million average. 

Only a chosen few are up to the job in such a cutthroat market. 

Buyers’ agent extraordinaire Amanda Gould will inspect only the best Byron has to offer; Byron Bay and Hinterland Property’s Rez Tal and business partner (and former stripper) Dave Eller will ruffle some feathers; “The barefoot agent”, Frank Mlikota from Parkinson Prestige, doesn’t look like your typical realtor; Byron Beach Realty’s Traviz Lipshus is a local boy at heart; and Braden Walters, Elizabeth James and Adam Jones from Belle Property are determined to bring some big-city professionalism to back to sleepy Byron Bay. 

Amanda Gould, buyers’ agent from HiSpec Properties, said: “Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers offer beautiful beaches and lush, verdant rural properties just a short drive to the town centre. As a child I spent my holidays here with my parents and have continued this tradition with my husband and child since buying my own property in Suffolk Park.

“HighSpec Properties is a multi-award winning buyers agency that has been recognised by our peers for excellent customer service and dedication to building relationships with local real estate agents.”

DREAM LISTING BYRON BAY
STARTS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, AT 8.40PM ON CHANNEL 9 AND 9NOW
 
EPISODES AVAILABLE TO PREVIEW AT NINE MEDIA ROOM
IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE

For further information, please contact: 
9Network Publicity 
Callum Griffin
callum.griffin@nine.com.au

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Investigative podcast ‘The Confession’ lifts the lid on grisly murder case and how the justice system failed a prime suspect.             

Chilling new details about one of Australia’s most remarkable legal cases of a grisly murder involving a statue of the Virgin Mary, a tin of mangoes, and four murder trials that has resulted in no convicted killer, are revealed in a powerful new investigative podcast The Confession from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.   

The seven part series by award-winning former Age investigative journalist Richard Baker, delves into the disturbing 2005 murder of Victorian widower Eliah Abdelmessih, 69, and the desperate fight for freedom by Katia Pyliotis, 40. 

Featuring exclusive access to witness statements, rare courtroom audio recordings of police being cross examined and fascinating interviews with Katia talking for the first time, The Confession is a harrowing story of what happens when a murder case implodes.

Since Katia’s arrest in 2016, she has faced four murder trials, an appeal and an application to the Supreme Court of Victoria for permanent stay on the murder charge after the discovery of a lost police diary changed her fortunes and put the focus on her accusers – the police. 

“How Katia came to be a convicted murderer is one of the most bewildering and at times hard to believe stories I’ve ever heard,” says Baker. “Her story is as important as it is fascinating because it takes us inside the workings of the justice system; the complex organism our society relies upon to uphold the rule of law to provide us with structure and stability.”

Eliah was found dead in his Kew East home in September 2005 after a frenzied attack. Lying close to his body was an array of items, including two wrenches, a tin of mangoes and a broken and bloodied statue of the Virgin Mary. Nearby was a single black glove and a used condom. 

Despite the media coverage, the case soon went cold. Eleven years later, in May 2016, Katia was arrested at an Adelaide charity shop where she worked, and soon charged with murder.

At first, it appeared the past had finally caught up with Katia. Having worked at a McDonalds restaurant that Eliah frequented – where the lonely man was known to try to convince young women to come back to his house for sex – Katia was placed at the scene of the crime. 

Adamant that Eliah was already dead when she discovered him yet unable to escape the fact her DNA was all over the crime scene, her failure to report his death in 2005 and stumbles when first questioned by police ended with her receiving a 19 year jail sentence for murder in 2018 which was quashed on appeal two years later.

“I tried to kill myself in jail,” reveals Katia, who speaks for the first time about her six year ordeal. “I gave up hope. It got to a point where I was saying to myself that I’d rather die than be in jail for something I didn’t do. For something that’s so bad.”

The series hears never-before-heard recordings of homicide detectives being crossed examined in 2020 about their investigation of Eliah’s murder, and an alternate suspect, Susan Reddie. This suspect – cognitively impaired and addicted to alcohol – had confessed to a carer that she’d assaulted Eliah in his house on the weekend he died.

The homicide detective leading the investigation, Warren Ryan, repeatedly testified that Reddie had told him she had made up her confession and that notes of his conversation in his 2005 police diary which would support his evidence. But his diary had been lost and was not available for any of the trials.

Katia’s lawyers argued that the presence of a viable suspect made it impossible for her to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The turning point in the case was in mid-2020 just before another trial was due to begin, when Ryan’s missing diary turned up. It failed to show what he or prosecutors had been hoping for and called into question the initial investigation.

Katia applied for a permanent stay on her murder charge, arguing the police evidence had been compromised and that continuing the case would be an abuse of process. During that application, the prosecutors abandoned their attempt to have another murder trial. The case was suddenly over. 

The Confession is available now, with episodes released every Friday wherever you get  APPLE, SPOTIFY and wherever you get your podcasts.

For further information, please contact: 
Adrian Motte
Senior Communications Manager – Trade & Publishing 
amotte@nine.com.au

Thursday, November 10, 2022

In line with National Scams Awareness Week, 9Podcasts has partnered with the Commonwealth Bank to launch Anatomy of a Scam, a new weekly podcast series hosted by Deborah Knight that dives deep into the world of scams.

Anatomy of a Scam explores the technology and psychology used by scammers, and by the people working to protect our money and information. Each episode targets a specific aspect of scams in a fascinating, and at times, scary series.

The podcast breaks down some of the more prevalent scams to expose their anatomy and explain their inner workings. Episodes feature experts in cyber security and law enforcement, as well as real scam victims who share their personal experiences in a bid to warn others.

Worryingly, more Australians are falling for the con. Three in five people are either scam victims themselves or know someone who is. Financial losses are on track to double year on year, after doubling again last year. But the true cost of scams amounts to more than lost dollars as emotional damage is inflicted on individuals, families and businesses.

“Try as authorities might, we cannot arrest our way out of this scam epidemic, so education is key. Understanding how scammers target us is the first step towards recognising a scam in the wild and taking the necessary steps to stop it in its tracks”, said Deborah Knight.

“The scammer’s playbook is evolving to include tricks more brazen, techniques more sophisticated, and tools more advanced. Cyber breaches, phishing scams, ransomware attacks, email fraud, ID spoofing, fake investment schemes – and we’ve only scratched the surface. The method may change but the intention is the same: lure us in, rob us blind.”

Nine’s Director of Sales – Total Audio, Ashley Earnshaw, said: “Anatomy of a Scam is a perfect example of an ideal brand partnership, leveraging Nine Audio’s core pillars of expertise: News, Sport, Opinion.”

“At Nine we create great content, distribute it broadly to engage audiences and advertisers. It’s no different within Nine’s podcasts. The partnership with Commonwealth Bank is aligning on the interests and concerns that Australians have to protect themselves against fraud and scams, with a platform at scale to tell that story.”

Anatomy of a Scam is available from Tuesday 8 November, on all leading podcast platforms. Episodes drop weekly.

For further information, please contact: 
Caitlin Lynch
Senior Communications Manager
clynch@nine.com.au

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Respected broadcaster and senior journalist Jim Wilson has announced he’s stepping down as host of 2GB Drive to pursue other opportunities with Nine television.  

Jim made the announcement on his Drive program this afternoon thanking his listeners for their support over the last couple of years. 

“I’ve been so lucky to have been given this opportunity and my listeners have been incredible, I’m going to miss them. They’ve taken me into their lounge rooms, into their cars and to have been the #1 talk show, in a super competitive slot, three out of the last four ratings surveys is something I’m very proud of achieving.”

“In my 35 years in broadcasting, my mantra has been all about being fair and reasonable and true to myself. We’ve managed to help people and given them a voice on my program and that’s been the most satisfying part of the job –  getting people a fair go. I love what I do and I’ve still got the passion to do more in the future, there’s nothing like live broadcasting and I say bring on the next chapter.”

Jim took over the Drive shift in July 2020, and has been a source of trusted information and great comfort for his listeners through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Nine Radio’s Managing Director, Tom Malone said: “I want to thank Jim for his hard work, professionalism and passion over the past two and a half years. He is a person of the highest integrity and he’s championed so many great causes for our listeners during his tenure. I look forward to seeing Jim back on our TV screens, and he leaves radio with our good will and best wishes.” 

Jim will host his final Drive program tomorrow afternoon. An announcement about a new permanent host will be made in due course.

For further information, please contact: 
Caitlin Lynch
Senior Communications Manager
clynch@nine.com.au

Thursday, November 10, 2022