Musical Chairs: December 1
HAMISH & ANDY BOW OUT OF HIT
Hamish Blake & Andy Lee bow out today from the Hit Network with a show at Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena.
Entertaining the 7,000-strong crowd are Peking Duk and Vance Joy, while the duo’s cover band Cool Boys and The Frontman will perform the Queen classic ‘We Are The Champions’.
TRIPLE M EXPANDS TOM & OLLY’S MARKETS
From mid-January, Triple M’s Tom & Olly’s night time show Tom & Olly Have Questions will be heard not only in Sydney and Melbourne, but also Brisbane and Adelaide.
LAURA KROETSCH JOINS DARK MOFO TEAM
Laura Kroetsch is Program Director for Tasmania’s Dark Mofo new Dark and Dangerous Thoughts (DDT) initiative, which makes its debut next year when the festival runs June 15-24 in Hobart.
DDT will look at “challenging and dangerous: themes in 21st century literature, film and ideas. “We’ll be looking at a broad range of issues, but it’s unlikely we’ll stray too far from the core themes of fucking and killing,” says Dark Mofo Director Leigh Carmichael.
Kroetsch was most recently Director of Adelaide Festival’s Writers’ Week program, serving seven years with it, and presenting her final one in March.
Recruitment for her replacement will begin this month.
EMMA HART AT CBAA AS WOMEN’S REP
Emma Hart is the new Women’s Representative at the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia.
Hart, a musician and worker’s rights activist, has used her radio roles on Melbourne’s 3CR and 3PBS for women’s and gender non-conforming people’s issues,
According to the CBAA website, Hart’s work at 3CR includes radio training, serving as a Director on its management committee, produces its long time national feminist current affairs show Women On The Line and Sweet Dreams which spotlights the music of women, gender non-conforming and queer people.
She is also Interviews Coordinator at PBS.
COLUMBIA UK APPOINTS TWO CO-MDS
Columbia UK has appointed two Managing Directors sharing the role.
Stacey Tang joined the label in 2012, and became its General Manager in 2015. She worked closely with Calvin Harris, Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters, Harry Styles and Rag’n’Bone Man.
Manish Arora comes from Polydor, where he as Director of Promotion he spearheaded campaigns for Ellie Goulding, Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga and Years & Years, among others.
NEW HEAD OF LICENSING FOR ASCAP
Performing rights organization ASCAP announced the appointment of Stephanie Ruyle as Head of Licensing and EVP. Her role encompasses digital services, television, radio, concerts, retail and restaurants.
With a background mostly in television (she was 17 years at Viacom), she replaces Vincent Candilora who has had the role since 1995 and is retiring this month.
WATSON MOVES FROM JUNKEE TO CRIKEY
Youth publisher Junkee Media Editor Meg Watson departs this month to take over as Associate Editor of Crikey from January, replacing Cassidy Knowlton.
Watson started at Junkee in 2013, first as a freelancer and then staff writer, and moved up to the top job when founding Editor Steph Harmon moved on.
TERRITORY FM DROPS PETE BUTLER
Charles Darwin University’s Territory FM has told anchor Pete Butler his contract will not be renewed in 2018.
Butler said he had no inkling that his time on the station had come, and was given a termination letter ten minutes after he ended his shift on Friday.
DAVE CARTER EXITS CROCMEDIA
Dave Carter winds up his role as Content Director at Crocmedia today. He’s embarking on a number of new projects.
BRISBANE FESTIVAL EXTENDS AD TENURE
Brisbane Festival announced that Artistic Director David Berthold, who was to finish off his four-year term next year, had his contract extended until 2019
Not surprising: this year’s festival set a new attendance milestone of 1 million (and bringing up its percentage of those under 40 to half) to see 540 performances across 60 productions, including five world premiere commissions, 11 Australian premieres and 25 Queensland premieres.
Over three weeks, it also clocked up $2.6 million at the box office, a new milestone.
AEG OGDEN ANNOUNCES NEW HIRE
Australian based global venue operator AEG Ogden announced Thomas Ovesen as Vice-President – Programming for its latest venue, the 17,000-seat Dubai Arena which is set to open in 2019.
Ovesen has been a major player in the Middle East’s growth in the past 17 years, especially as CEO of live events company 117 Live.
Dubai Arena’s Chief Executive, Guy Ngata, was GM of Qudos Bank Arena (then Allphones Arena) in Sydney from 2012 to 2015.
TUMBLR FOUNDER LEAVING
David Karp, CEO and founder of blogging platform Tumblr, is leaving this month and will be replaced in the role by COO Jeff D’Onofrio.
Karp set up Tumblr ten years ago, and had an instant success with it: 100,000 users, 380 million blogs and 155 billion posts. He sold the company in 2013 to Yahoo for $1.1 billion.
LEEDER HEADS TO NEW FM
Jade Leeder has landed an on-air role at NEW FM Newcastle. She winds up today in her latest role as announcer and NSW MD at Power FM Nowra.
BEYONCE GM JUMPS TO MAVERICK
Lee Anne Callahan-Longo, who helped build up Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment as its EVP and GM and oversaw all her business interests, is now at Live Nation’s artist management division Maverick.
Maverick’s firepower clients include U2, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, G-Eazy, Florida Georgia Line, Lil Wayne, Jason Aldean, Jill Scott, The Roots, Fifth Harmony and Rascal Flatts,
NEW HIRE AT 9HONEY
Digital publisher 9Honey has brought in Claire Isaac as Deputy Editor. She was Editor for Bauer Media’s OK! and Executive Editor of Woman’s Day.