Andie Crawford joins Thrive as general manager (consumer) Andie Crawford has announced that she has joined Thrive PR as a general manager (consumer).  Crawford joins Thrive from Banter, where she was most recently the head of PR and communications. She expressed her excitement on LinkedIn to join Thrive, an agency that “she has watched and admired for many years.” Snezna Kerekovic, executive director, welcomed Crawford’s appointment: “We are so excited to have you part of our Thrive fam. Here’s to great work, great fun.” Crawford is a seasoned PR and communications specialist with over two decades of agency and in-house experience working across alt/shift/, The Red Republic, Porter Novelli and Blue Planet PR.  Margaux Cowley named business manager at Eleven Margaux Cowley has been promoted to business manager at Eleven.  She was a senior PR consultant at the firm most recently.  In her previous stints, she worked at T

When Article 14 founder-editor Samar Halarnkar posted a public appeal for reader support on June 1, it resonated far beyond his newsroom. The appeal laid bare a challenge confronting many independent media organisations in India: how to sustain quality journalism in a digital ecosystem where audiences readily pay for entertainment but often expect news to remain free. "Article 14 is at a point where its future depends on the people who believe this kind of journalism should exist at all, journalism that takes time, asks difficult questions, and refuses to fall in line," the appeal stated.  It was not a symbolic plea. "Finances have always been an issue, and there is no clear business model for independent journalism in India. There are a few organisations that have not fully cracked the model but are doing reasonably well. We have been struggling for more than five and a half years," Halarnkar told Influencing. According to him, the decision to go public came after months of mou

The question many in the Australian media industry are asking, is what the hell is Vinyl Group doing? This week it acquired both Pedestrian Group and Time Out Australia, which follows a string of acquisitions in the past couple of years including Val Morgan Digital, Brag Media, MediaWeek and Concrete Playground. Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons commented on the most recent acquisition of Time Out by saying: "Time Out is one of the world’s great culture brands. Food, travel, entertainment, city discovery, real-world experiences. It sits beautifully alongside Concrete Playground, Rolling Stone Australia & New Zealand, Refinery29, Mediaweek Australia and the rest of the Vinyl Media portfolio". Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons "Honestly, I am not sure it has fully sunk in yet that BuzzFeed Australia, LADbible Group, PEDESTRIAN.TV and now Time Out Australia have all joined or partnered with the Vinyl ecosystem in such a short period of time". It's fair to say t

Two hundred jobs are expected to be slashed at Southern Cross Media, across both its West Australian newspaper division as well as the Seven Network, according to multiple media reports. Initially reported in the The Sydney Morning Herald and then The Australian, both outlets reported that a consultation process had commenced. The news is not unexpected. Recently appointed Southern Cross Media CEO Rohan Lund has previously flagged likely cuts. Southern Cross Media MD & CEO Rohan Lund According to Calum Jaspen at The Sydney Morning Herald, Southern Cross staff are expected to be receive formal confirmation of the cost-cutting program "in coming days". Jaspen reported that "some staff in the television newsroom have already been informed that their roles will be affected", however added that most of the cuts would be form the Seven West Media side of the business which operates The West Australian and The Nightly. Reporting the news for The Australian, Angelica Snowden and John

Labor moves to curb data centres’ power use at peak times Labor is planning to force data centres to wind down electricity consumption during peak demand, responding to surging AI-driven load and growing grid reliability risks. The policy signals a tougher stance on “big users” as governments try to balance decarbonisation, energy security and the cost-of-living pressures tied to power bills. Covered by: The Age, The Australian. Housing tax shake-up: negative gearing and CGT changes back in focus The Albanese government’s proposed reforms to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount are expected to reshape investor behaviour and modestly slow price growth, but the impact on rents and rental supply remains contested. With housing affordability a defining political issue, the debate is sharpening over whether the changes will free up homes for renters or tighten the market in the short term. Covered by: Sydney Morning Herald. High Court opens door t

Anthony Agius has returned to writing The Sizzle - the daily tech newsletter he created, after a 16-month break. “I forgot how much I enjoy writing for people,” Agius told Influencing. Agius has helmed the newsletter since late April, taking over from his replacement, Cam Wilson, who’s been running the newsletter since December 2024. The opportunity arose after Wilson told Agius he was in the running for the ABC’s National AI Reporter role and would find it difficult to juggle both jobs. “He asked me if I wanted to take it back, and I said ‘Yes, I would love to,’” explains Agius. “When I gave it to Cam, I was burnt out… I thought my time here was done. I had a good run [and thought] Cam would be an excellent person to run it, and he did an excellent job”.  Wary of burning out once more, Agius has been focusing on doing his best with The Sizzle but not caring as much as he once did about it.  “I think forgetting that ‘this is a big mountain to climb

Amar Ujala has launched its Amar Ujala FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) Channel across several Connected TV (CTV) and FAST platforms, expanding access to its Hindi news and infotainment programming. The channel is available on TCL TV, JioTV, JioTV+, Swift TV, Neo TV and YouTube Live, extending the reach of its Hindi news and infotainment content. According to MediaNews4U, the launch is part of the company's digital transformation strategy and aims to strengthen its presence in the fast-growing streaming space. By entering the FAST and CTV ecosystem, Amar Ujala seeks to make its content more accessible to viewers using internet-enabled television services. The expansion comes as Connected TV (CTV) usage continues to rise in India, driven by smart TV adoption, affordable broadband and changing consumer preferences.