Nine Publishing

How do you figure that out when they’ve practically only mentioned where they studied?

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Not to mention the fact Nine has turned the Age and SMH into right wing reactionary papers.

Perhaps a perception of the front page headline now and then.

The content as I mentioned has so far strayed from its support base of the pre Rural Press merger that it’s unrecognisable.

And in a PS to @JBar, you can easily tell by their background and what areas they’re keen to pursue.

Very presumptuous conclusion.

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Journalists at the Sydney Morning Herald , The Age , The Australian Financial Review , Brisbane Times and WAtoday have today voted to stop work for five days, including the opening weekend of the Paris Olympic Games

The editor-in-chief of the Australian Financial Review, Michael Stutchbury, will step down after 13 years in the role, amid a shake-up at Nine Entertainment that will see 200 jobs cut across the media company.

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Michael Stutchbury steps down from leading the AFR, James Chessell appointed Editor-in-chief

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James Chessell has been appointed Editor-in-chief of The Australian Financial Review after Michael Stutchbury called time on his extraordinary 13-year leadership of Australia’s premier business, financial and political publication.

Managing Director of Nine Publishing, Tory Maguire, said Stutchbury, 67, was leaving the Financial Review in a powerful position and deserved enormous credit for building the masthead into arguably the most successful digital subscription publication in the country.

“Michael Stutchbury’s legacy at the AFR is immense, having led the newsroom through a period of ever-accelerating change in the way audiences consume and pay for journalism. He did this by ensuring the AFR is essential reading for anyone with an interest in corporate life, finance and politics,” Maguire said.

“Everyone in corporate Australia knows that to be in the conversation they need to read the AFR. You can see this when you look around at any AFR event and spot the countless decision makers in the room.

“Stutch’s fierce belief in what the AFR should be – high quality, relevant, fair and energetic – drove his approach to pushing the masthead to its full potential, including the development of the Financial Review’s highly successful Ventures events business. He is a giant of Australian journalism.”

Stutchbury is the Financial Review’s longest-serving editor or editor-in-chief in the masthead’s seven decade history. Along with his previous five and a half years as editor of The Australian, he is Australia’s longest-ever serving national newspaper editor or editor-in-chief.

After taking a break he will return to the Financial Review in a writing role as Editor-at-large later in the year.

Stutchbury said the Financial Review’s achievements rested on its reporters, photographers, artists, designers and editors, including former long-time Editor Paul Bailey and current Editor Fiona Buffini along with Managing Editor Cosima Marriner.

“After facing a potential loss just over a decade ago, the Financial Review has never been more profitable as it has built a business model around premium digital subscriptions,” he said.

“As the team has managed the shift out of print, the masthead has never had more paying subscribers. It has doubled its audience share compared to its national rival. It has been judged Australia’s most-trusted newspaper brand.

“This fundamentally rests on the Financial Review’s high-quality journalism that has never won more plaudits and awards than in the past year. This has been led by the story of 2023, the PwC tax leaks scandal, that is now being capped by the story of this year, the CFMEU investigation.

“It is not easy to walk away from the privilege of leading a newsroom that has delivered so much. But, after 13 full-on years, now is the right time for someone with fresh energy and new ideas to lead the Financial Review’s next phase of growth.

“As a Walkley award-winning former Europe correspondent and Business editor for the Financial Review, James Chessell is the ideal person to take on this exciting challenge. The Financial Review is his natural home.”

Chessell was until January the Managing Director of Nine Publishing and prior to that Executive Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He has also worked for The Australian and was part of Financial Review teams that won the 2014 Walkley Award for Business Journalism and the 2013 Citi Journalism Award for Excellence.

Maguire said Chessell’s experience, including editing two of Australia’s biggest mastheads combined with his time running the publishing business, makes him uniquely qualified to step into such an important role.

“Having worked for James for more than five years while he was both executive editor and managing director I know him to be the most energetic, talented and determined person to take the AFR on the next phase of its growth. He understands audiences and believes in storytelling of the highest standard.

“He also has the best contact book of any journalist in business, which is essential for the Editor-in-chief, and his love of being in a newsroom is boundless. The publishing team is incredibly lucky James is willing to return to Nine and lead the AFR.”

Stutchbury’s last day leading the Financial Review will be August 9 and Chessell will start on August 12.

“I’m very excited about taking over from Stutch who is the best editor I’ve worked for bar none,” Chessell said.

“He made the Financial Review sharper and smarter than at any other time in its 73-year history and I’m delighted he will be writing for the masthead for many years to come. The AFR has done an outstanding job exposing corporate and political profligacy under Stutch without forgetting its mission to champion authentic innovation, entrepreneurism and success.”

“The Financial Review has always been a critically important voice in the financial and political conversations that matter in Australia through rigorous news, analysis and public interest journalism. The current media landscape means the work is not without its complications but there is no better editorial team to face up to these challenges than the Financial Review newsroom.

“I’m also very excited to be reunited with Tory and the Nine Publishing team, who are the best in the business. I’m incredibly lucky to be stewarding a masthead in such great shape but there is still plenty of work to do and I can’t wait to get started.”

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Nine’s previous offer of a yearly 2.5 per cent increase over three years was improved to a 3.5/4/3 per cent split across the three-year deal. Maguire admitted the offer was “as close to [the rate of inflation] as I could”. The Consumer Price Index was 3.6 per cent as of March this year, rising 1 per cent across the quarter.

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This intended dig at their arch rival went viral today but seemed to have back-fired, with the majority of comments seeming happy the journalists will disappear and seem to be siding with Nine management :eyes:

News Corp social media post and link about Nine Newspapers staff going on strike upon the Olympics:
https://x.com/newscomauHQ/status/1816381680829227029?t=AmwnFNJDdN-F2ZuBU9M8fA&s=19

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Not saying it’s right or wrong to send Scott Cam, but this will always cause friction when you try to amalgamate two different businesses with two originally different objectives into one. The print journalists will be wondering why where the TV side of the business will see some value in him being on the ground.

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These sort of complaints come across as somewhat sour grapes IMO - “If I can’t be there, why is {X} there”.

That said, unless the next series of Le Bloc is being held in France or they’ve made a late addition of Speed Bricklaying to the program, its really hard to see what value he has being there as Nine talent beyond it being offered as a junket.

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Agreed on both comments.

I mean, what are they doing, just getting him in at random times with whoever is in the host position to plug The Block, like at 9pm tomorrow in-between events with Brace and Ally in the studio, maybe have a giggle and banter, show a few sneak peek behind the scenes ‘shocks’, followed by a throw to break with the ‘after the Olympics’ promo?

Seems a huge waste of money actually sending him over. Maybe Cam negotiated that, being one of the network’s high paid big stars. So I see why, some value, but also don’t see why :man_shrugging:

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If you’re sending over a lot of people, sometimes one more isn’t really that bigger of an investment.

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It’s a bit like a politician getting in hot water for taking a private jet where they could have done without - realistically the net overall impact to the bottom line is next to nothing, but the optics of it are terrible.

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tend to agree, yeah.

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The problem is also Scott Cam is so arrogant and unliekable and thinks he’s the main person at Nine and would’ve just tried to get over there to think he’s involved somehow and it’s under the guise of promotion. He’s a ridiculous person.

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It also ignores the dynamics of most businesses.

Talent from profit-making division gets great gig, but loss-making division sees cuts. There’s no doubt anger at the management, but at the end of the day Nine are making business decisions.

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