A couple of really common questions I get asked in regards to media are, ‘what are you watching at the moment?’ and ‘what does the future of Australian media look like?’.
The first question is pretty straight forward and at the moment, my answer consists of Bump (on Stan), Hidden (also on Stan) and the tennis, when I can sit down and concentrate. I’m also watching lots of YouTube if you’re interested.
The second question is obviously where things aren’t as clear cut. I’s also something I muse on a lot as I am attempting to prepare my students for the Media industry whilst teaching them about the media.
Just this morning I was at the gym where Today Extra was being played on one of the screens. And it was here I saw an image, that to me, sums up the state of the Australian media:
Here we have host David Campbell and fill-in host Jayne Azzopardi wearing a snapback and a cap with cat ears (respectively) to interview an Australian Hip-Hop dance group who have just come back from competing overseas. I know they say one picture is worth 1000 words but this one has exceeded its word limit- it has way too much to say.
Now, I feel like I’m going to struggle to articulate this but let me try. Much of the discussion about the future of the media industry looks towards short form content, social media and streaming services for music, movies and shows. Yet, much of where Australian media seems to put its energy is into media that people would suggest is ‘dying’ such as the free to air sector. This is where I feel Australian media companies have the most influence and control, but it seems like much of them are happy to continue doing what they’re doing, pinning everything on one flagship show that works right now, with little attention paid to what might happen when this show no longer works, or wants to exist anymore. To fund this one show whether it be Married at First Sight, MasterChef, Kyle and Jackie O, or whatever, all resources are pulled or pooled, with everything else being very thin on the ground. This often leads to the rest of the shows being networked, or shall we say, less exciting and experimental. Further to this, there are no ‘training ground’ for younger personalities, producers etc. to work their way up the ladder. As a result, you have a bank of talent and workers who have been in the industry for a long time resulting in a very top-heavy scenario. Australia is a relatively small media market and the networking leads to homogenisation, even smaller towns receiving shows which project a lifestyle drastically different to the one they’re living. If you compare this approach with the huge amount of alternative, personalised and more relevant and ‘in the public sphere’ content, it’s no wonder that this media is stuck in a no man’s land which isn’t looking past the current calendar year. Although, one of the biggest radio duos in Australia, the previously mentioned, Kyle and Jackie O, just signed a ten-year deal. I didn’t even know Radio’s calendar went that far into the future.
I have no beef with David and Jayne, our hat wearers above, even though the hats confuse me. I do however have concerns with this Media being made for a very declining number of Australian audiences (and I’m not just talking about elderly people here…) at the detriment of other media being made that will future proof the media industry in this country.
Many predictions are being made about the future of this industry, and perhaps today’s piece is more of a vent than a constructive look at ‘where to from here’. I am aware of the conversations around AI, the reactive media laws and the slow to react understanding of what is happening online, from a legislative and consumer perspective, and how advertising keeps lights on, and media quotas keep more lights on. The future of The Influencer appears to hang in the balance whilst more and more people seek to develop their own personal brands to have the working life they want. I am increasingly hearing complaints about the number of podcasts being made yet am hearing of new podcasts just as frequently. I’m curious about content creators on TikTok making moves to long form content like YouTube (or the aforementioned podcasts) whilst other content creators appear to be disappearing off platforms all together.
Throughout 2024 I hope we can unpack these things and see how top-level decisions are impacting us by the time we are consuming through one of many screens. I am hoping to bring you interviews and good recommendations, as well as insightful and analytical commentary about what we consume and why.
And as for Today Extra? Well, maybe they can redistribute some of that prop’s budget to more original content…