Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead.

STW: How Nine’s pitch ranges from $500 self service ads to $12.5m Olympics sponsorship packages

Today:

* Dissecting Nine’s Upfronts promises, RTLX, and their AI offering;

* News Corp warns of AI-induced job losses;

* Rough seas ahead for publishers as News Media Bargaining Code negotiations restart;

* Our program reveal for REMade next month;

Today’s episode feature Tim Burrowes, Seja Al Zaidi, Abe Udy and Cat McGinn.

Further reading:

* Unmade: Upfronts are always big and glitzy. Nine's was consequential too

* The Australian: News Corp chief Robert Thomson predicts significant job losses due to the growing threat from AI

* Australian Financial Review: Facebook traffic to news publishers has plummeted 50pc this year

* Australian Financial Review: Nine banks on bumper Olympics advertising package spend

* Australian Financial Review: Jim Chalmers’ conflict of interest for the media bargaining code fray

Time to leave you to start your week.

Production was by Seja Al Zaidi with editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.

Message us: [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade.

Today’s edition of The Unmakers features Tony Simmons, founder of audio technology startup Sonnant. Anyone interested in understanding how spoken audio content will be monetised in the future will find it a fascinating listen.

In today’s edition of the Unmakers, Unmade’s Tim Burrowes talks to Tony Simmons, CEO and founder of Sonnant, an Australia-founded AI platform for broadcast and podcast audio that is set to become a major player in the monetisation of digital audio.

Sonnant uses AI to automate many of the manual processes taking place behind the scenes in audio businesses including Southern Cross Austereo, ARN, Nova and Nine. In the future it offers the prospect of real time insertion of advertising that fits within the context of the conversation.

Simmons doesn’t come from the traditional radio world. He hails from a tech and data background and started his career as a commercial lawyer before founding and selling several software businesses over the last 15 years.

“We were doing AI before it was sexy,: says Simmons. “Maybe we weren't doing podcasts before they were sexy, but we were right ahead of the curve in terms of blending the two together.”

Sonnant converts content into data for a variety of functions - including indexing content to make recalling clips of words or phrases from the archive instant, AI-powered content summaries, asset creation including clips and audiograms, permanent clip housing and automated speaker identification.

“Behind every word, there's energy, there's sentiment, there's how long you pause for, there's volume, there's gap between previous word, gap between the next word. If you look at human communication and try to turn that into data, that is a massive exercise. In order to automate things effectively and replicate human endeavour, data is the building blocks to be able to do that from a technology point of view,” Simmons explains.

“So the starting point for us was understand what data points are there and then what data points are going to be relevant to automate manual work and increase the lifeblood of this industry, impressions and advertising dollars.”

The software is also developed to identify how advertising can help be contextualised for optimal relevance.

The product is also adept at creating social media-ready content like audiograms that are contextually relevant without needing zero human input or editing. “Everyone's seen how ChatGPT can create web pages and summarize content. So being able to turn one long-form piece of content into all your tweets and all your YouTube shorts and Instagram posts is a no-brainer as far as producing long-form content. Pulling out the relevant hashtags, putting your headline in this can all be done through incredible automation at scale.”

Audio production was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.

Message us: [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead.

Today:

* Upfronts season arrives - what to expect from Nine, Seven, Paramount, Foxtel, Are Media, YouTube and the independents;

* Another payday for Clemenger Group shareholders as Omnicom increases its stake again;

* Understanding how much online news content is worth;

Today’s episode feature Tim Burrowes, Seja Al Zaidi and Abe Udy.

Further reading:

* Unmade: Hard to find a Voice

* Australian Financial Review: Media giants line up to pitch to advertisers at this year’s Upfronts

* Australian Financial Review: ‘Get rich slowly’ scheme pays off again for Clemenger

* Australian Financial Review: How much is news content worth to Google? Swiss researchers found out

Time to leave you to start your week.

Production was by Seja Al Zaidi with editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.

Message us: [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade.

Today’s episode features an interview with one of Australia’s most storied media figures - former Insiders host Barrie Cassidy, who shares his unfiltered thoughts on the state of the Australian media landscape, the ABC, Michelle Guthrie’s turbulent tenure as ABC boss, the devolution of the prime minister’s press office, and the unhealthy coziness between politicians and journalists that’s developed in recent years.

If there was ever someone to offer an authoritative account on the evolution (or devolution) on the state of Australia’s media, it would be Barrie Cassidy, former foreign correspondent and original host of ABC’s Sunday morning Insiders program for 18 years.

In conversation with Unmade’s Seja Al Zaidi, Cassidy offers a candid analysis on the state of political journalism, the ‘arrogance’ of the ABC when it comes to outside criticism, and his loss of faith in editorial judgments across the media industry after the Robodebt Inquiry was poorly covered.

The conversation begins with Cassidy’s scorching assessment of how prime ministers’ press offices have devolved in how they try to manage the media. Cassidy was former PM Bob Hawke’s press advisor from 1986 to 1991. He believes the decline began in the Kevin Rudd years, as political operators began to see an opportunity to fill the void created by 24 hour news.

"“And that's a very different way of operating now than what exists today, where they have so many press secretaries that they're able to get so heavily involved in media manipulation,” says Cassidy. “They get to the point where they really do think they can manage the media.”

He warns that journalists are now reluctant to hold politicians to account the way they used to, because of the fear of being frozen out from information.

“The end result of this - and I think it's a sad development in terms of how political journalism works - is the coziness of the relationship between the politicians and the journalists. They all depend so much on one another and it becomes this bubble, this club where where there's an attempt to mutually benefit one another,”

While Cassidy classifies the biggest change in the Australian media landscape in the last decade as News Corp becoming “more blatantly propagandist”, he doesn’t spare his alma mater, the ABC, from criticism either.

Though he believes the ABC to be ‘the most important public institution’ in the country, he also says it's “become just a little too arrogant and authoritarian in some respects” He’s also critical of proposals to move some ABC operations to Parramatta as “tokenism”.

On the topic of the ABC, Cassidy also explains why he believes former managing director Michelle Guthrie’s tenure was such a failure, and made her predecessor Mark Scott so successful.

Today’s podcast was produced by Seja Al Zaidi and edited by Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.

We’ll be back with more tomorrow.

Message us: [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead. Today: Streaming battles; Dodgy dealings at the TMH; and the verdict on Ita.

* Ritson’s call to put the I back into AI

* Ousted Market Herald boss Jag Sanger has harsh words about The Market Herald management;

* Telstra unveils its move across to Fetch for home streamers

* Telsyte reveals that while Netflix still dominates local streaming sits numbers are falling

* SBS boss James Taylor joins ABC boss David Anderson in quietly signing new contract

* The verdict on Ita Buttrose

Today’s episode feature Tim Burrowes, Seja Al Zaidi and Abe Udy.

Further reading:

* Australian Financial Review: Ousted founder accuses Market Herald executives of tanking the company

* Unmade: In the Market Herald boardroom, shame is in short supply

* Australian Financial Review: Telstra escalates platform wars with $50m Fetch TV bet

* Australian Financial Review: Netflix loses subscribers in Australia for first time since 2015

* Sydney Morning Herald: Scoring Ita Buttrose’s five-year tenure as chair of the ABC

* Sydney Morning Herald: The quiet reappointment of the men who run Australia’s public broadcasters

* The Australian: Another five years for ABC managing director

Time to leave you to start your week.

Production was by Seja Al Zaidi with editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.

Message us: [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade.

Today’s AI-centred edition of the Unmade podcast features an interview with Arpit Jain, global president of Publicis Groupe’s AI engine Marcel.

While most holding companies have been increasingly reluctant to talk about how they are using generative AI as the risks around intellectual property and confidentiality began to outweigh the buzz, Publicis has enough points on the board to talk about its achievments.

Publicis earned drew widespread scepticism, and even derision, back in 2017 when it announced it was withdrawing from entering awards and redirecting the budget towards developing a new AI operating system, Marcel.

Six years on, Publicis has been vindicated, with Marcel now functioning as the organisation’s operating system. Marcel connects 80,000 Publicis employees and enables them to connect over an intranet of sorts that is optimised by artificial intelligence.

The name is a tribute to Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, who founded Publicis in 1926.

In today’s interview, Cat McGinn, curator of Unmade’s AI-focused event HumAIn talks to Arpit Jain, global president of Marcel.

In the conversation, he explains how Marcel works for staff and clients and also tackles the question of how AI will change the evolution of the workforce in the communications industry.

A mechanical engineer by trade, Jain spent 12 years at Publicis before the Marcel era, with roles spanning technology, strategy, product management and client services. he returned to the organisation in 2021 to take the helm of the Marcel project.

Despite concerns expressed elsewhere, Jain argues for optimism about jobs, workflow and creative output.

“My philosophy is, how do you take advantage of it? This is all created by humans. Technology is created for your benefit. We are enabling everyone to learn. See how it helps you to be a better version of yourself and do your job better. It’s in our hands to use this to our benefit and learn new skills.”

"It will create tons of new jobs. You need to give it time. It’s not going to happen overnight. Keep learning new things and keep using it to your benefit - that’s what we’re doing at Publicis Groupe.”

Find out more about Marcel here.

Today’s podcast was produced by Seja Al Zaidi and edited by Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.

Message us: [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead.

Today:

* A rubbish start to earnings season;

* The week in results;

* A twist in the government’s sports siphoning laws;

Today’s episode feature Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy.

Further reading:

* Unmade: Seven sets course for an unremarkable decade

* Unmade: SCA disappoints the market

* Unmade: Enero uncovers another Photon legacy to tidy up

* Australian Financial Review: Fewer sports behind TV paywalls under proposed reforms

* The Australian: Australia’s big banks sharply cut back their advertising for home loans

* The Australian: ABC advertising spend hits $8.92m as it works to fix radio, TV ratings

* Sydney Morning Herald: Delta flies high as Netflix increases Australian content

Production was by Seja Al Zaidi with editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.

Message us: [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead.

Today:

* Matildas mania;

* Is the uplift in Tassie tourism because of the ads?;

* Could a QMS sale be on the cards?;

Today’s episode feature Tim Burrowes, Seja Al Zaidi and Abe Udy.

Further reading:

* Australian Financial Review: Football Australia chases record TV deal after Matildas success

* The Australian: Matildas’ historic success a bargain for Seven with record audiences tuning into the World Cup

* The Australian: Tourism Tasmania’s marketing campaign attracts visitors, boosts local economy

* Sydney Morning Herald: QMS boss bats away suggestions of sale

Time to leave you to start your week.

Production was by Seja Al Zaidi with editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.

Message us: [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade.

Today’s episode features an interview with Adam Ferrier and Jim Ingram, co-founders of full service agency Thinkerbell. The agency recently bought back consultancy PwC’s stake in the business, returning it to full independence.

It’s been six years since the launch of Thinkerbell, a communications agency with foundations in creativity, media strategy, public relations and until recently a foot in the consulting world too. Back when Russel Howcroft was leading PWC’s marketing consultancy arm, the company took a ten percent in the fledgling Thinkerbell which started with the simple proposition of “measured magic”

That part of Thinkerbell changed direction last month when the founders bought back PWC’s stake in the agency as the consultancy struggles with its own existential crisis.

Now that Thinkerbell is fully independent, it was an ideal time for Unmade’s Tim Burrowes to speak to founders Adam Ferrier and Jim Ingram to try and discover why Thinkerbell has succeeded when so many others have not.

The discussion ranges from Thinkerbell’s new start, to the future of the CMO, the rationale for Ferrier’s above-the-parapet TV profile, AI in Thinkerbell, and the secret sauce of their ‘Tinker’ and ‘Thinker’ agency structure. They also tackle some of the agency’s defining work including February’s show stopping '“Tall Poppy” mini film for CGU.

“The marketing science meets hardcore creativity was a really obvious meeting place for where we started the agency,” Ingram says, explaining the synergy of the varied backgrounds of co-founders Ferrier, and Ben Couzens along with Margie Reid who brought order to the agency when she joined soon after launch.

"When the ideas are being had, the concept of how they’re going to be executed and bringing them to life, all starts to happen at the same time as part of the creation process,” Ingram adds.

On the PwC departure, Ferrier says "It feels like the right time to leave.

“We’re now enjoying being 100% rather than 90% independent. Transparency of process is absolutely fundamental to good business today.”

Ferrier also did his best to avoid offering advice on how PWC should tackle its own PR crisis, despite being pushed.

He was more frank about his motivations to be on TV so often. “It must be my ego that drives it. That’s not mutually exclusive to good business sense. Will Leach once told me there’s no business model in flying under the radar.”

Today’s podcast was produced by Seja Al Zaidi and edited by Abe’s Audio the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.

We’ll be back with more tomorrow.

Toodlepip…

Tim Burrowes

Publisher - Unmade

Message us: [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead.

Today:

* Our thoughts on Advertising Week APAC;

* TV bosses lobbying in Canberra;

* Earnings season predictions;

* News Corp kills ad platform project;

* Another editor departs Mumbrella;

Today’s episode feature Tim Burrowes, Seja Al Zaidi and Abe Udy.

Further reading:

* Unmade: Television’s audience decline goes main stage

* The Australian: TV bosses head to Canberra as lobbying efforts heat up

* Sydney Morning Herald: Smart TV showdown on cards as networks fine-tune pitch to Canberra

* Australian Financial Review: News Corp kills major Accenture-advised advertising platform project

* Australian Financial Review: Mumbo jumble

Time to leave you to start your week.

Production was by Seja Al Zaidi with editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.

Message us: [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe