This week Netflix lifts the veil of secrecy and enters ratings war in Australia and a potential class action law suit adds to mounting pressure on Google’s advertising business.

Commercial TV spending on ‘light entertainment’ is skyrocketing but drama and kids’ programming remain in the doldrums, and the publication of a TV salary rich list shows age of big bucks for broadcast stars might be coming to an end.  

Guest: Dr Anna Potter, Professor in Digital Media and Cultural Studies in QUT’s School of Communication and a Chief Investigator in the Digital Media Research Centre 

The Coalition break-up has been like media Christmas this week but is the hour by hour reporting as interesting to audiences as the journalists producing it? 

New gender pay gap reporting on public broadcasters SBS and ABC shows plenty of work still to be done. 

How we teach kids media literacy in Australia in 2025 and why Europe is pouring millions of euros into it. 

Will 2GB and 3AW be up for sale?

Guest: Bryce Corbett, Creator of Newshounds, the media literacy program for primary-school kids and Director of the Squiz Kids daily news podcast for kids. 

The challenges facing incoming Communications Minister Anika Wells and Arts Minister Tony Burke. 

The BBC will stop broadcasting and move to fully online by 2035 - will Australia follow suit?

From 'mommy bloggers' to product floggers - how influencers became a gendered word.

Guest: Lauren Meisner, Founder and Director of youth media brand, Centennial World 

Election wash-up: has Newscorp's ability to influence election outcomes waned? Adam Bandt's parting shot: the media don't take the climate crisis seriously. 

Donald Trump's film industry tariffs could drive content onto streaming services - and push up their profits.  

Mushroom mania - how the Erin Patterson trial took over the podcast world - and why newsrooms are pivoting to this format. 

Why an ad for soy milk has just been banned. 

• Guest: Maria Rae, former court reporter, true crime podcast producer and senior lecturer in politics and policy at Deakin University.  

In the final week of the election campaign the media's attention turned to debating Welcome to Country ceremonies, some decrying Neo-Nazi behaviour while running Trumpet of Patriot ads calling for an end to the practice.

The journalist's union calls for an investigation into allegations ABC Chair Kim Williams pushed local stations to give air time to comedian Austen Tayshus. 

Denis Muller examines how well the media held political parties and candidates to account during the campaign and how relevant election newspaper editorials are in the era of influencers.

And AI DJ Thy wins her time slot in the ratings. 

Guest: Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne

Will the US be able to force tech giants Meta and Google to break up their businesses? Divestment trials are underway but the outcome may never be enforced. 

The major commercial media companies have launched a “Stand up to hate” campaign, showcasing Kyle Sandilands as a signatory. So who is behind the campaign?  

The world’s media dedicated a lot of time and attention to marking the death of the pope. Not everything went according to plan.

• Guest: Alan Sunderland, former Editorial Director of the ABC  

Social media influencers are having a field day with politicians this election - but are pollies bending the rules? 

The internet is flooded with false advertising on social media, but the government is yet to compel the tech giants to step in. 

Without content quotas the Australian screen industry is in dire straits; jobs are disappearing and projects folding, and it seems the US trade wars are behind it all. 

Guest: Matthew Deaner, Chief Executive Officer of Screen Producers Australia. 

It’s election time and the leaders are coming out swinging - but Sky News couldn't quite believe the results of their own debate. 

There's been a media scandal about how much Mamamia’s Mia Freedman pays her son - but are the rumours true? Tim and Viv find out the real data on what women get paid in the Australian media.

Dawn Singleton's family are suing Nine and the SMH for using her image in reports of the Bondi Junction killings. It's a case which could have huge ramifications for the media.

• Guest: Petra Buchanon, Strategic Advisor, Women in Media and Project Lead on WiM’s Industry Insight report 

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has demanded excellence and efficiency from the ABC if he wins the election, while not committing to any specific cuts. To that, ABC Chair Kim WIlliams says “game on”. Tim and Viv parse out what the sparring could all mean for Aunty.

News outlets are trying all sorts of approaches to tackle rising news avoidance, from explainers and TikToks to AI personalisation, we look at what's actually working.

April Fool’s Day media pranks have a long history, but in a media environment rife with misinformation and outlandish headlines, are the jokes still landing?

Guest: 

Professor Monica Attard OAM, Co-Director, Centre For Media Transition, UTS 

What's a journalist to do when they accidentally get added to the US government’s war planning Signal chat? Tim and Viv dissect The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg's strange scoop and the process of reporting classified information. 

Netflix and Stan turn 10 in Australia as Max enters the market. We look at how the state of streaming has changed viewing habits and homegrown content production. 

Plus, the first gfk radio ratings survey for the year yields interesting results for the ABC’s big lineup changes, and the ALP turns to a bizarre AI cat video to sell its Medicare election message.

Guest: 

Dr Alexa Scarlata, Lecturer in Digital Communication at RMIT University and co-leader of the Streaming Industry and Genres Network.