new era of news begins as the west australian and seven perth
TRANSCRIPT
TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2015SPECIAL EDITION
POWERHOUSE
New era of news begins as The West Australian and Seven Perth join forces under one roof
PERTH
A PERFECT MATCH P10 NOBODY KNOWS NEWS LIKE US P12 WINNING WEB P14
CEMENTING A NEW FUTURE P16 TELETHON TREASURES P28
2 44 Years since Fat Cat made his TV debut 2
INSIDEThe TVW evolution 4Sporting force 8Dynamic duo 10Integrated news power 12Building a future 16Early memories 20On the record 24Aerial view 26Telethon phenomenon 28Recipe for success 30
THE TEAMFEATURES EDITOR Mark Mallabone 9482 [email protected]
EDITOR Jenni Storey 9482 3787
ADVERTISING Terence Tay 9482 9706
Cover picture: Geoff rey Thomas, Basil Zempilas, Rhianna King, Rick Ardon, Mark Duffi eld, Susannah Carr and Angela Tsun inside the newsroom at the The West Australian and Seven Perth offi ce in Osborne Park. Picture: Mogens Johansen
THE WRITERPam Casellas has been a professional television critic, commentator and interested observer of the local and national television industry for 35 years, as well as a devoted consumer of countless television hours.As a reporter for The West Australian she followed the many changes to the industry in terms of ownership, structure and technology, as well as the waxing and waning of diff erent programming trends, including the fi rst mini-series and the emergence of reality TV.
There is incremental change,the kind that moves slowly andno one really notices thedifference. And then there ischange that is so profound thatthe old ways are gone for everand the new reality is a field ofdreams and opportunities withno limits.
Welcome to this brave newmedia world where the skills,experience, passion andcommitment of two once-separate news-gatheringorganisations come together totransform how information inthis State is presented to readersand viewers.
The West and Seven Perth,colleagues since 2011, are nowfirmly united in a sharednewsroom to bring theircombined talents into a brightnew media world, the first of its
kind in Australia and rare in theworld, the busiest and the mosttechnologically advancednewsroom in the country.
The new opportunities acrossall platforms — print, television,online, radio, regionalnewspapers and regional TV —are immense. It’s a mediamonster, in one place, with allthe efficiencies that come withthat and the multitude of skillsthat exist in a combined staff of
800. It puts our rivals in theshade and sets up an enviablecompetitive advantage.
A redesigned newsroomenveloping a “superdesk”complements a highlysophisticated studio built withinNewspaper House. It is fromhere that Seven News bulletinsare now presented. The studioopens up new opportunities fora bigger local production slateacross all platforms.
Bob Cronin, editor-in-chief ofThe West and a newspaper manall his life, sees it as a perfectmarriage of news gathering,where the stories which arebetter covered on television willbe shown there and those whichhave their most impact in wordswill be in the newspaper.
Where staff can move betweenthe two media, if they wish, or
stay where they are the mostcomfortable. Where the mostup-to-date technology allows theever-increasing movement ofnews between the variousplatforms, with ever-increasingspeed. Where staff will, in time,have the skills to contribute toall platforms, from reporters incountry towns to photographersfrom the cabin of Seven Perth’shelicopter.
Back in 1962, when Cronin
was a raw 19-year-old, he wasoffered a job in television, amatter he discussed with hiscadet counsellor. He was advisedthus: “Son, this TV thing is anine-day wonder . . .”
While the media has alwaysbeen a rollicking, ever-changingbeast, neither he nor hiscounsellor could have imaginedthe scope of change.
The inky smell and thumpingmachines of a 1950s printingroom have been tamed into acleaner, quieter, computerisedplace where the old crafts arelong gone. In a television studio,the cans of film, thecumbersome cameras androom-sized editing machineshave been replaced by digitaltechnology and robotic cameras.
Fifty years ago film took daysto arrive by plane in Perthbefore it went to air. Pressphotographers transmittedtheir pictures back to the office,in painstakingly laborious anderratic fashion, via a “pic-gram”unit attached to a publictelephone. Reporters, for whomthe prospect of a mobile phonewas science fiction, dictatedtheir stories to copytakers.
In 2015, the media world isinstant and voracious. Toprosper it needs skill,commitment and passion.
Welcome to our new mediaworld, where print andtelevision are combined inbringing you the news in a wayyou had never imaginedpossible.
The West Australian editor-in-chief Bob Cronin, centre, and editor Brett McCarthy oversee news conference at Newspaper House. Picture: Iain Gillespie
Brave new media world
A redesigned newsroom enveloping a ‘superdesk’complements a highly sophisticated studio builtwithin Newspaper House. It is from here that SevenNews bulletins are now presented.
3at ut 22 Titles in the West Regional
newspaper network
The West Australian and Seven Perth areimportant parts of the fabric of the livesof all West Australians.
Four years ago, West AustralianNewspapers’ acquisition of the SevenNetwork was a significant step for thecompany and those it serves: our readersand our audiences. It was atransformational move for The West.
The decision to bring together two greatmedia companies created a new companythat has Australia’s best-performingmedia businesses. It was a bold stepforward and today that company, SevenWest Media, has the scope and scale tocontinue to build our businesses andinvest in our companies, our content andpeople.
Today, we embark on an important nextstep: the bringing together of The Westand Seven Perth in the one place.
Under the leadership of Tim Worner,the chief executive of Seven West Media,and Chris Wharton, chief executive, Seven West Media WA, a great group ofpeople has created a world first: an
integrated single newsroom withstate-of-the-art digital technology thatallows us to gather and deliver news tothe people of Western Australia on anydevice: from newspapers to online tobroadcast television.
It’s perhaps the most excitingdevelopment that secures The West’sfuture in this great State.
The West’s strengths in publishingcombined with the Seven Network’sstrong media platforms — includingleadership in broadcast television, amarket-leading magazines publishingbusiness and commitment to securing itsfuture through the development of itspresence in online and newcommunications technologies — providessignificant opportunities for us to engagewith you, our audiences.
It is our people, and their talent,creativity and commitment that drivesSeven West Media, and it is you, ourreaders and our audiences, who define us.We do not take your engagement with uslightly.
Kerry Stokes AC says the integrated newsoom is a world first.
Integrated newsroompaves way to futureKERRY STOKES CHAIRMAN, SEVEN WEST MEDIA
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4 20 Years since the fi rst Today Tonight went to air
There is much in history whichunites The West Australian andSeven Perth, the company whichbegan life as TVW-7 in 1958 as afledgling TV pioneer under theauspices of WA Newspapers Ltd, anambitious gleam in the eye of itsmanaging director, JamesMacartney.
He had no real idea what thisnew-fangled medium was really likewhen the board of WAN, made up oflocal businessmen, applied for theState’s first commercial televisionlicence.
When the bid was won, there wasno studio, no programs and no staff.Few people in Perth had ever seen atelevision picture.
Jim Cruthers was at The WestAustralian when he was sent across
the Nullarbor to examine this thingcalled television, and report back tohis board on whether the newmedium would work in WA. He wasfilled with enthusiasm, not just fortelevision itself but for the role hethought WA Newspapers Ltd shouldtake in setting up the company torun it.
The board agreed and in June 1958announced the formation of a newcompany called TVW Ltd. Thecompany was registered, to raiseone million pounds by selling twomillion shares at 10 shillings.
Equipment had to be bought andshipped from England, the site for asuitable line-of-sight transmitterhad to identified and acquired,production staff found, auditions foron-air talent held. And the
purchaser of the first TV licence inWA, a Mr J.A. Redmond, anIrishman who’d seen televisionoverseas, handed over his fivepounds.
As the first broadcast approached,The West Australian remarked in aneditorial that the arrival oftelevision would make a profoundchange to people’s lives. A lot of rot,it said, had been talked about TV’spower to pervert young minds anddull the senses of the old. “Weshould remember that when all isboiled down, TV will be as good orbad as we make it.”
In the 57 years which followedTVW-7’s opening broadcast, onOctober 16, 1959, the two companiesseparated, their origins a matter oflocal media nostalgia. But theycame together again in 2011 whenKerry Stokes — who had arrived inPerth in the year that TVW-7 went toair for the first time and found workas an installer of television aerials— acquired first the Seven Network and then WA Newspapers
Ltd, to form Seven West Media.Now that formal association is a
physical one, after Seven Perth’s100-plus staff moved to The West’sNewspaper House in Osborne Park,forming what is Australia’s first,and one of only a few in the world,fully integrated print and televisionnewsroom.
In the wider media world, thespeed of change has been just asrapid. New owners have come and,in some cases, gone. New allianceshave been formed and, in somecases, fractured. Governmentlegislation has been tightened, thenrelaxed.
The media industry, facingchallenging times both in Australiaand overseas, is watching theintegration with great interest.
In 2015, 136 years after The WestAustralian appeared for the firsttime and 58 years after SevenPerth’s first pictures went to air, twoproud West Australian companies,with a shared heritage, are backtogether again.
Partnership comes full circle
1. Linotype operator J.S. Ashton helps produce The West Australian circathe 1960s. 2. Captain Menzies, C.G. Friend, Sir Charles Gairdner and JamesCruthers watch the first broadcast at TVW-7 in 1959. 3. The Goss press atWest Australian Newspapers. 4. Laying out page plates at WA Newspapers. 5. TVW-7’s first TV program, featuring Leave It to Beaver at8pm. 6. The original home of The West Australian — Newspaper House inSt Georges Terrace.
In 2015, 136 years after The West Australian appearedfor the first time and 58 years after Seven Perth’s firstpictures went to air, two proud West Australian companies,with a shared heritage, are back together again.
1 2
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It is no small matter to build a newtelevision studio, from scratch, in anarea designed for a newspaper andits associated activities. However, inthe brave new world of technologywhere smaller also means moreefficient, there are correspondinglybig benefits.
Andrew Anderson is generalmanager, broadcast services, for the Seven Network and the manychanges both to technical and staff operations fell into his ambit.
It is obvious that the space oncedevoted to the production andpresentation of television at the oldsite is far greater than at OsbornePark.
“Television equipment hasreduced in size, especially in thecontrol rooms and desktops,” MrAnderson said. “The big controlpanels in many cases have beenreplaced by a keyboard, mouse andscreen. At the same time a change inworkflow has also occurred.
“Digital technology has allowedfor a faster operation.
“The advantages of the technologynot only provide better quality and
faster delivery but also allow peopleto make more considered andcreative editorial decisions.”
The edit suites may be smallerbut, according to Mr Anderson,their power is incredible comparedwith the systems used 15 years ago.
“In the 80s and 90s an edit suitewith the creative power of astandard digital news edit suite costhundreds of thousands of dollars,took several people to operate andwas slow,” he said.
“The options are immense, as wenow have better storytelling toolsand the volume of stories can behigher. The material used in oneedit suite can be accessed andrepurposed by other people usingdigital edit suites and workstations.
“This is especially importantduring rolling news coverage ofimportant events or disasters wheremany people are creating contentfrom the same material.”
There are two main drivers of thespace requirements in a televisionoperation. One is the humanoperational area itself, which is thedesks, control rooms and
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workstations; and the equipment,which resides in a temperature-controlled “rack room”.
“Everything has decreased in sizeand power requirements, so the rackroom is smaller and the humanspace has been reduced to more of aworkstation-based operation insteadof huge control rooms,” MrAnderson said. “Cabling has alsoreduced because digital technologyallows interconnection of equipmentby LAN cabling instead of big“multicore” cables.
“In the old days, televisionoperations were dominated byequipment and cables. These days,
television operations are dominatedby the people with the digital toolsaugmenting the space.”
The most challenging part of theprocess was the human change witha new location and a new system.
He said that the smaller studiowas simply a reflection of the newertechnology and equipmentavailable.
“The lighting systems are simplerLED-based devices that use lessenergy and are more reliable. Thismeans that air-conditioning andpower requirements reduce. Thatreflects on space requirements in astudio, in particular overall height.
“As well, we are able to use newcameras and automated pedestalsthat have a smaller footprint (and ofcourse are high definition so thepicture quality is superb). We havealso introduced virtual settechnology so that we can augment(electronically) the environmentaround the Seven News anchordesk.
He regards the changes made inPerth as the next step in the digitalera.
“In 2000 the digital era began inAustralia and we are seeing theevolution of digital about every fiveyears. The changes we are
implementing in Perth take fulladvantage of this evolution.”
However, for all the wizardry nowavailable, some things never change.
“Human communication andworkflow is at the heart of anystudio and television operationaldesign. While we depend ontechnology to tell our stories we area people-based operation.”
The smallerstudio reflectsthe newtechnology andequipmentavailable. ThePerth changesalso mark thenext step in thedigital journey.
“While we depend ontechnology to tell ourstories we are apeople-based operation.”
8 1968 Employees now working at Newspaper House 7
editor Craig Nitschke said WAsports fans would be the big winnersfrom the new joint newsroom.
“We now have a greater pool ofjournalists to cover sport in thisState which will benefit readers ofThe West Australian andthewest.com.au and viewers ofSeven News and Today Tonight,”Nitschke said. “Seven will addanother dimension to The West’sinternational and national stories,as well as providing extra value toour already extensive local content.
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The coverage of sport — State,national and international — is amajor focus for both television andthe newspaper. Engagement withsports lovers has long been centralto the work of both organisations.That engagement now is evenbroader.
Seven Perth’s sports editor ChrisYoung says: “The combining ofresources happens just as the newAFL season is starting and for thefirst time in 20 years the WAFootball League coverage is back onSeven.
“This means our coverage of thelocal league will be second to none,and spread across all platforms,newspapers, online and television.”
There are world events, too, inwhich he expects the combined teamto shine.
“The Rio Olympics are a littlemore than 12 months away and arethe first of three for which the SevenNetwork holds the rights,” he said.
The key components to Seven’scoverage of live sport are tennis,including the Australian Open,Wimbledon and the local HopmanCup; horse racing (all the big springraces, culminating in the MelbourneCup); the AFL Premiership seasonplus all finals and the BrownlowMedal, and this year the WAFLfootball.
In 2014 at the Australia Open, theSeven Network pioneered the use ofHBBTV to stream live coverage fromeight courts simultaneously via theSeven Sport app. The app was thenumber one free app on iTunesduring January and saw a recordnumber of Australians watch theOpen.
Looking ahead to Rio 2016, for thefirst time Aussie sport fans will beable to watch what they want whenthey want it from any of theOlympic venues via a 7Sport app ontheir tablet or mobile device.
And for the first time since 1986WAFL football returns to Seven in2015 with 18 home-and-away gamesplus finals broadcast on Seven and7Mate. Today Tonight’s MarkReadings will head up thecommentary team.
Seven Perth sports presenter BasilZempilas is part of the network’sAFL commentary team and theAustralian Open and MelbourneCup Carnival hosting teams whileveteran WA-based broadcasterDennis Cometti will be behind themicrophone for his 29th season in2015. The West Australian’s sports
“We have already dipped our toein the water in the past year withChannel Seven reporters writing forThe West Australian and online andjournalists from The WestAustralian providing some qualitycontent for television.
“Now we are on the same floor wecan share ideas and continue toraise the bar in all platforms. It is avery exciting time and offers somewonderful opportunities for thetalented team of sports reporters wehave at our disposal.”
‘Now we are on the same floor we can shareideas and will be able to continue to raise
the bar in all platforms.’CRAIG NITSCHKE SPORTS EDITOR
The AFL and the Olympics are covered comprehensively by Seven and The WestAustralian. Pictures: Iain Gillespie, Daniel Carson/AFL Media
9ng 70,000 People watched TVW-7’s fi rst broadcast
Fifty-six years ago West AustralianNewspapers was awarded the firsttelevision licence in WA and TVW-7 —now Seven Perth — was born.
Studios were established on what was,at the time, the outskirts of Perth andthe area became the city’s commercialtelevision hub.
Nearly six decades later, the wheelhas turned full circle and Seven Perthhas moved back in with West AustralianNewspapers at Osborne Park.
We have made a considerableinvestment in new state-of-the-artstudios and facilities, including thenewsroom “superdesk”. Our broadcastfacility uses the most technologicallyadvanced equipment available.
It is high definition running the1920/1080 50i standard.
In excess of 250 vision monitoringscreens are used in the operationalareas and control room.
More than 30km of cabling have beeninstalled.
The tower above the studio is 43mfrom the ground. Its main purpose is tomount the microwave dishes thatprovide a transmission path from the
studio to the transmitter sites in thePerth Hills.
Seven West Media WA (SWM WA)is the largest media centre in Australia.
With changing consumer mediahabits, people want their news andinformation in many different forms.
At SWM WA we are leading the wayin accommodating those demands.
In the big State, SWM WA is the go-tomedia source. Its newspapers (The WestAustralian and 22 regional mastheads),television, online, digital and regionalradio cover the complete spectrum forreaders, viewers and listeners.
With the integration of the combinedsales forces of The West Australian,Seven Perth, Red FM, Spirit RadioNetwork and thewest.com.au, and as apreferred partner of Google AdWords,SWM WA provides an unparalleledopportunity to reach customers acrossthe gamut of media in WA.
To quote our chairman, Kerry StokesAC, on the challenging consumer andmedia landscape “we confront thesechallenges with confidence and seethem as opportunities for us to driveour future”.
Back to the future
Chris Wharton says the combination offers unparallelled opportunity. Picture: Michael Wilson
‘With changingconsumer media habits,people want their newsin many different forms.’CHRIS WHARTONCHRIS WHARTON
CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SEVEN WEST MEDIA WA
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You know it’s serious when you move in together.
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10 140 The number of ‘good signal’ miles from TVW-7 in 1959 5
Susannah is one of those rare people who connectswith everyone.
And our connection has been special because, whilewe’re different people, we both have a continuingexcitement in being side by side, presenting live newsthat’s always changing.
I remember being excited back in the mid-80s whenI learnt Sue was coming from the ABC to join us atSeven. I had already admired her mellifluous readingstyle, and marvelled at her polished presentation.
Such is Susannah’s professionalism, she adaptedfrom the almost-British ABC to the moreconversational world of commercial TV in the blink ofan eye.
We’ve been sitting smoothly side by side at SevenPerth for 30 years now, longer than both of us havebeen married.
And it may surprise some to know that I findpresenting the news at six the most relaxing part of theday, such is our ease at the newsdesk together.
If there’s an on-air glitch, we’ll cover for eachother. If there’s a speed bump in a script to beread, we’ll always find it for each other.
Yet we’re different, with contrasting livesaway from work that still interconnectbecause of similar interests. These includea love of great food, art, our beautifulbeaches and travel.
We are often your typical yin and yangbut have similar very high standards innews gathering and presentation. Mytraining as a young journalist at TheWest Australian included the almost-biblical code of ethics, which has mademe passionate about getting it rightevery time. Sue’s training at the ABCwas different as a presenter andannouncer, yet she has the sameembedded values enhanced by Aunty.
Perhaps we’re perfectly paired asperfectionists, scrutinising scripts forsyntax and spelling. Yet Sue’s always ontime and I’m sometimes a little late, tryingto cram too much into my day.
While I love covering breaking stories onlocation, Susannah is unrivalled in her abilityto deliver under pressure, with empathy, at thenewsdesk.
The recent Sydney siege showed howprofessional she is . . . hosting the live coveragearound Australia from our Perth studio, at shortnotice because Sydney was out of action. Suead-libbed for three hours live on air, with anaccurate and measured description of whatwas happening in that cafe. That won herpraise Australia-wide.
And why does the relationship work sowell? Wikipedia sums us up: “In Chinesephilosophy, yin and yang describes howapparently opposite or contrary forces areactually complementary, interconnected, andinterdependent in the natural world, andhow they give rise to each other as theyinterrelate to one another.”
Long may the yin and yang continue.
Rick Ardon andSusannah Carr. Picture: Mogens Johansen
I remember the first time I met Rick.It was at a Clear Speech Award night back in the
early 1980s.We were both contenders.I was reading ABC news at the time and Rick was the
good-looking young Channel 7 reader who had a legionof fans.
He’d left the world of print media for the shiny lightsof television news and made his mark early.
My life at the ABC was so different, mixing radiowith television.
I loved the variety it had to offer . . . reading TVnews one day, hosting a music program on radio thenext, compering a classical music concert in theevening.
But a couple of years later, our worlds joined.Channel 7 was revamping its news, moving to a
two reader line-up, and changing from 6.30pm to6pm.
It asked me to be part of the team and, 30 yearslater, I’m still here, with Rick, reading Seven
News Monday to Friday.It’s been a fantastic partnership for all
concerned . . . I like to think of it as awin-win-win situation.
We love doing the job, the publicseem to like us and the Seven Networkis happy . . . what could be better?
Why does it work?We’re different in many ways but
similar in others.A love of news and knowing
what’s happening in the world areshared.
We both love travel and unusualplaces.
On the other side . . . Rick is apassionate surfer and footballplayer.
He has great sports knowledge.I’m more likely to swim laps at
the local pool, walk the dog andthen hit the kitchen to try out anew recipe that’s been brewing inmy head.
Our careers at the SevenNetwork have been fantastic.
Back in 1987 when Channel 9 triedto poach us, we made a commitmentto each other to stay as a team. Weloved where we worked, the people,the feeling at Seven Perth. It was adecision we’ve never regretted.
On February 23, we beganbroadcasting from our newstudios in Osborne Park as partof our merger with The West.
The State’s first TV stationhas moved into a new era.
Oh, and that Clear SpeechAward all those years ago? Iwon that one!
Perfect matchRICK ARDON SEVEN NEWS PRESENTER
SUSANNAH CARR SEVEN NEWS PRESENTER
’It’s been a fantasticpartnership . . . I like tothink of it as awin-win-win situation.’SUSANNAH CARR
11l’ 5 Hours on air during the fi rst TVW-7 broadcast in 1959
For Monika Kos, presenter of TodayTonight, the arrival of Seven Perthstaff at Newspaper House is businessas usual. With extra benefits.
“We’ve long worked collaborativelywith people from The West,” she said.“The bond was always there.
“Many reporters from The West —Geoffrey Thomas, Rob Broadfield,Gary Adshead and Ray Jordan are justsome — have been involved indifferent projects for TT,” she said.
They were used to working on TVas well as in print, she said, and theircontribution was valuable.
“The style of writing for TV andnewspapers is different — we knowpics, they know words — so betweenus it works well.”
She thinks the effect of having thetwo newsrooms physically close willsee more local stories unearthed — TTmay well come up with ideas for thenewspaper and the other way roundas well.
“It’s like having extra hands on thejob,” she said.
“We’re a content-driven program.We survive on having great localcontent.”
These days TT’s content is almost100 per cent local, a change from thedays when at least one story a daycame from the network. With TTkilled off in Sydney, Melbourne andBrisbane a year ago, the pressure ison Perth to fill from its own resources
Special reports from TT are alsoshown on The West’s website.
Kos has presented Today Tonightsince 1997. She’s excited by thechallenge of moving to a new andtechnically sophisticated studio, andto experience the reality of Australia’sfirst integrated newsroom.
And TT will be the only localcurrent-affairs program in the countryto come out of the same newsroomthat produces a newspaper and TVnews bulletins.
Monika Kos believes the integrated newsroom will mean more local stories.
Extra hands on the jobMONICA KOS TODAY TONIGHT PRESENTER
‘The style of writing for TV and newspapers is different —we know pics, they know words.’MONICA KOS
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12 43 Metres is the height of the Seven Perth tower at Newspaper House 3
newspapers. They have needed tolearn from each other and tounderstand the strengths andweaknesses of each area.
McCarthy says he’s learnt howquickly and efficiently televisionnews gatherers work, whereasnewspapers, generally with kindlierdeadlines, can afford to take moretime. Newspapers are better at long-term planning, the results of whichcan also be useful for TV.
One of the things they learnt ontheir European visit is theimportance of a central desk, calleda superdesk at Newspaper House.This is where the heads ofdepartment of both organisationssit, making instant communicationpossible so that everyone knowswhat is happening.
There are now nearly 200 peoplein the newsroom, in all areas fromgeneral news for both The West andSeven Perth, as well as sport,features and production.
“What we have created,”McCarthy said, “is a great mediahub. There is enormous energyhere, as well as an impressive mediabrain.”
Gretton said: “I can’t wait for areally big story to happen. Thepower of the room, from journaliststo photographers and cameramen,will be amazing.”
They do not underestimate theuncertainty which the mergednewsroom created in some minds.
“Newspaper people may be a bitfearful of television,” Grettonsuggested. “What they don’t know isthat television people are just asuncertain about writing for anewspaper.”
And then there is thequestion of where particular storieswill be placed. “The best answer isthere is no blueprint,” Gretton said.“We will decide where the story fitsbest.”
It might be a story told better inpictures on TV and followed up inprint the next day. It might be astory promoted on television andtold in full the next day.
“There are no rules,” McCarthysaid. “But generally, whoever getsthe story will keep it.”
Some stories will be joint efforts,and the case of Geof Parry andGareth Parker’s work on the TroyBuswell car crash is a glowingexample of how two minds can bebetter than one. Some newspaperreporters will appear on TV fromtime to time, some TV people willwrite occasionally for thenewspaper.
Gretton sees the new newsroom asa vast computer where only 10 percent of the power is being used. Thiswas just the beginning, he said, ofan enormous change in the waynews was gathered right aroundWA, also using The West’s regionalreporters.
More than that, it is a welcome,optimistic acknowledgment that, ina difficult media landscape, there isenthusiasm and passion for a newway forward.
“We’ve both been in the media for30-odd years and we’d neverimagined being part of somethinglike this,” McCarthy said.
It is, they agree, a privilege to besteering this immense new ship intowaters which will be watched veryclosely by competitors.
New era ameeting oftwo minds
‘I can’t wait for a really big story tohappen. The power of the room, from
journalists to photographers andcameramen, will be amazing.’
HOWARD GRETTON NEWS DIRECTOR
1. West reporterSteve Pennells inSri Lanka withlocals after atsunami killedthousands ofpeople. Picture:Barry Baker2.The newsroomof TVW-7 studiosin Tuart Hill in thedays oftypewriters.Picture: RayOgborne3. The Seven Newschopper in action. 4. Seven Newsreporter AmeliaBroun.
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Two men, in particular, have driventhe vision of an integratednewsroom at Newspaper House, TheWest Australian’s editor BrettMcCarthy and Seven Perth’s newsdirector Howard Gretton. Initiallyinterested but unsure how toproceed, they headed overseas tovisit some of the few newsrooms inother parts of the world which havebecome integrated.
“On the first hour of our first visitto the first integrated newsroom Iwas convinced we hadn’t beenthinking about it in the right way,”McCarthy said. They bothrecognised that the embryonic plansfor moving Seven Perth’s staff to theOsborne Park headquarters of TheWest would need revision.
The initial plan, more than twoyears ago, had been to move SevenPerth to one floor of the building,leaving the two newsrooms to runindependently.
But the two men saw instantlythat joining the newsrooms offeredenormous potential for newsgathering, the like of which hasnever been seen in this country.They were thankful the chiefexecutive of Seven West Media WAChris Wharton had had theforesight to send them to explore thepossibilities.
The newspaper which convincedthem was the Helsingin Sanomat inHelsinki, Finland’s biggestsubscription newspaper. Thesituation was not quite comparableto Seven West Media in that thepartnership was more newspaperdriven, with TV as a smaller add-on.
But it was apparent to themimmediately that putting in oneroom the collective experience, skill,wisdom and news-gatheringexpertise would create a powerful,peerless organisation able toprovide material across allplatforms, from newspapers andtelevision, to radio, digital andonline services.
The advice they were given there,reinforced by other newsrooms theyvisited, was to let everyone involvedin the merger find their own way —no one should be forced into eithertelevision or newspapers.
The two men come into theprocess far apart in experience.Gretton has worked only intelevision, McCarthy only in
13n se 3300 TV sets in private homes when
TVW-7 went to air in 1959
Nothing exemplifies the potential benefitof an integrated newsroom better thanthe work of The West Australian’s GarethParker and his political counterpart atSeven Perth, Geof Parry, in the story ofTroy Buswell’s final fall from grace.
By pooling their knowledge, gainedfrom separate contacts and after a greatdeal of digging around, they were able tobring the story to both readers andviewers, first by Parry on Seven News’6pm bulletin on Sunday night, thendeveloped by Parker in the following day’sissue of The West.
It might never have become the newsevent that it did but for some luck — goodfor Parry and Parker, bad for Mr Buswell.
A member of the public had seen a carbeing driven erratically in Subiaco late ona Saturday night and called the police. Thepolice attended but, by then, there wasnothing to see and their investigationwent nowhere.
With Mr Buswell on unexplainedpersonal leave, that witness had reason torevisit what he saw.
On the night, he told a police call-centreoperator that the driver “looked like TroyBuswell” but that information was neverpassed on to attending officers.
The witness thought he might havesome information that was connected toBuswell’s absence and, when the policemade no further contact with him, hecalled Parry.
Parry’s initial story mentioned only thatthe car was believed to belong to MrBuswell and that other cars parked in thearea had been hit, as had the gatepost atMr Buswell’s home. Parker’s story the nextday took it further, after his and Parry’sinvestigations revealed Mr Buswell hadbeen drinking at a wedding on the nightof the accident.
By then the matter had become public
and the Premier, Colin Barnett, was forcedto hold a press conference to announceMr Buswell had left the State and wasreceiving medical care in Sydney.
The reporters recall with someamusement their frustration at not beingable to see the front, and possiblydamaged, part of Mr Buswell’s car while itwas parked behind gates in his driveway.
“I’m taller than Geof,” Parker said withsome understatement. “So I took a run-upand jumped high enough to see that thefront bumper was hanging off.”
Both Parry and Parker understood thefine line they were walking in pursuing astory about a man with health concerns.
“I’m really proud that at no stage did wesensationalise anything,” Parker said.
Both note that, when Mr Buswell wasready to resign, he asked that theyconduct his final interview, Parker withthe initial news and then Parry with aninterview the next day.
He had never, they point out,complained about the media’s treatmentof him and both have run across himsocially, with no hint of recrimination. Ameasure of the man, they think.
While the Buswell story happenedbefore the two newsrooms werephysically joined, Parker and Parry believethe outcome was a good example of howbreaking news is enhanced by combiningtheir efforts.
The new political team they are part ofnow numbers five, with Parker also havingan on-camera role.
‘I’m really proud that at nostage did we sensationaliseanything.’GARETH PARKER
Talented tag teamget Buswell scoop
Political reporters Geof Parry and Gareth Parker. Picture: Bill Hatto
Rhianna King, BasilZempilas, AngelaTsun, Rick Ardon,Mark Duffield,Susannah Carr andGeoffrey Thomas atthe office. Picture:Mogens Johansen
3
4
14 30 The number of years Susannah Carr and Rick Ardon have been reading the news together $
Online editorChris Manly in theintegratednewsroom.Picture: MichaelO’Brien
For The West’s online editor ChrisManly, the integration of the twonewsrooms could not come quicklyenough.
“It’s been talked about for a longtime,” he said. Now it’s a reality andhe couldn’t be happier.
The superdesk arrangement,which has all department headsphysically close by, means thateveryone knows what is going on atany moment. While the twoorganisations have been workingco-operatively for some time, thechance for a “one team” approach
means wider news coverage,enhanced ability to run breakingnews and more efficient use ofresources across all platforms.
“Our thinking becomes wider,” hesaid.
He sees the thewest.com.au as the“breaking news” aspect of theintegration.
“The website is the ‘whathappened’ and the paper the nextday asks why and offers analysis.”
While the newsrooms willcontinue to operate independently,online is an area where those
operations merge. This means thereare effectively more reporters atwork, each filing news and picturesto the website.
Add The West’s countrynewspapers and Seven’s GWN7, andthe footprint becomes Statewide, hesaid.
“We can be first to the scene of abreaking story and get pictures onthe website very quickly, too.”
Seven’s news bulletins arereplayed online and constantlyupdated. Live streaming on thewebsite, from sporting events, newsconferences and coverage ofbreaking news, offers furtheropportunities for co-operationbetween the two newsrooms.
News video filed through socialmedia by Seven News reporters atthe scene are embedded in reportswith pictures and reports from TheWest’s news team.
Manly has had plenty ofexperience in the print version ofnews gathering:
“There is a time in newspaperswhen it’s over for the day, the edition
is done. But this never ends and it’svoracious.”
Keeping a close eye on whatstories are put on the website andlinked via social media isimportant. The brands of bothorganisations need to be protectedand any temptation to use“clickbait”— cheap, unsubstantiatedand titillating stories to attractonline traffic — must be resisted.
The interactive nature of socialmedia can be a valuable addition tothe website. The recent visit toPerth by the Giants gave people thechance to take their ownphotographs and share them onsocial media. The photos werecollected and promoted on TheWest’s website and the result was awonderful illustration of thecommunity joy the visit provided.And the fact that it attracted trafficwas proof that the public enjoyedthe coverage.
Thewest.com.au, relaunched in2009, continues to grow each yearand Manly can see nothing butexpanded opportunities ahead.
‘One team’ approachperfect for website
‘There is a time in newspapers when it’s over for the day,the edition is done. But this never ends and it’s voracious.’CHRIS MANLY
In just a few years, thewest.com.auhas collected a swag of local andinternational awards for onlinecontent and presentation as well ascommunity involvement.
At home the website has won WAMedia Awards for its FrontlineAfghanistan coverage and its packageon the Perth Hills bushfires, AfterThe Flames.
In 2011, thewest.com.au’s coverageof the Christmas Island asylum boattragedy received a WA Media Awardfor best online series, with judgescommenting on the depth andaccuracy of the content and thewebsite’s “rapid delivery of material”.
Recent global honours includegongs from the Asian Digital MediaAwards for three consecutive years.
Last year, thewest.com.au wongold at the prestigious Asian awardsfor its powerful anti-drink-drivingcampaign, Pledge for Nate.
In 2013 its coverage of Syria’srefugee crisis also achieved gold inthe Cross Media Editorial category, aswell as the silver award for BestOnline Video for Bali Remembered.
Video presentations were alsohonoured in the 2012 Asian DigitalMedia Awards.
Online editor Chris Manly said theawards were testament to thededication of a tight-knit team.
WEBSITE WINS
15n $2,976,477.35 Worth of gold found at TVW-7 as part of the Perth Mint swindle
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For a newspaper with a 182-year history ofserving this State there have been manychanges at The West Australian over theyears.
But the revolution that has unfolded inthe past few weeks within our newsroomis the biggest and most exciting changethis newspaper has seen.
We now publish The West fromAustralia’s only fully integrated newsroom,also producing commercial TV newsbulletins, a public affairs show, websitesand digital products. This has been madepossible by the coming together underone roof of The West and Seven Perth.
The planning of the integratednewsroom has been happening for morethan 18 months and to see it cometogether successfully has been a greathonour.
This revolution brings The West rightinto the digital age and helps to securethe future of the newspaper.
By bringing together the bestjournalistic brains in this State, we aim toproduce even better journalism for ourreaders and viewers across all platforms —the printed newspaper, our website,Seven News and Today Tonight.
We will not only have the ability toquickly and efficiently cover the bigbreaking stories here in WA but also wewill be able to spend time examiningissues that matter to our State in depth.
The results will be able to be read in theprinted newspaper, online and in otherdigital formats plus often seen on TV.
We are proud of our 182-year history asthe State’s daily newspaper and excited bythe future that lies ahead.
Brett McCarthy says benefits will be seen across all platforms. Picture: Sharon Smith
‘We aim toproduce evenbetter journalismfor our readersand viewersacross allplatforms — thenewspaper, ourwebsite, SevenNews and TodayTonight.’BRETT McCARTHYEDITOR
History in the makingBRETT McCARTHY EDITOR, THE WEST AUSTRALIAN
As a proud partner of The West Australian, we congratulate you on the achievment of the two companies coming together again, in yet another exciting step forward in West Australia’s media landscape.
WRH Global Australia Pty Ltd.Unit 3, 73 Beauchamp Road
Matraville NSW 2036Phone +61 2 8336 2700
Fax +61 2 8336 [email protected]
All the best for the future.
Congratulations to the major media powerhouse
16 200 Staff on The West Australian/Seven Perth news fl oor 1
Cementing a new future
’The bringing together of Seven Perthand The West Australian in one place isan exciting development that securesThe West’s future in this great State.’
SEVEN WEST MEDIA CHAIRMAN KERRY STOKES
Moving Seven Perth into Newspaper House involved a complexrenovation and state-of-the-art studio fit-out over 16 months.Pictures: Ben Crabtree, Simon Santi, Gerald Moscarda
17n/ 1980 Telethon topped the $1 million mark for the fi rst time
TOWER FOCAL POINTThe landscape at Osborne Park changedwith the installation of a tower as part ofthe relocation of Seven Perth’s studio.
The height of the tower itself is 36.4mand it sits on top of the studio which is6.6m, providing an overall height of 43m.
It was constructed off-site in two mainsections, with the upper being craned onto the lower during the on-site installationphase. The tower’s primary purpose is toprovide a backup transmission path toSeven Perth’s other transmitters, which areat Bickley and Carmel.
Towards the top of the tower are two,2.4m microwave-link dishes which providea line-of-sight connection to these sites.
The microwave links can be fed eitherwith fibre-optic or satellite — the latter,also on the studio roof, is controlled by a4.8m satellite dish.
18 43 The number of years the Christmas Pageant has warmed Perth hearts 1
One of the founding visions ofTVW-7 when it was formed in 1958was that it be the people’s channel.
The then managing editor of WANewspapers, James Macartney, toldJames Cruthers, founding generalmanager of TVW-7, that he wantedthe station to have a strongcommunity base, not just among
shareholders and with a slate oflocal programs but in itscontribution to the local community.
And so it has always been, fromearly events such as the Pet Parade,which brought 20,000 cats and dogsto scenes of mayhem at LangleyPark, the Birdman Rally, the TeddyBears’ Picnic and the Milk Carton
Regatta through to newer eventssuch as the growing Mandurah CrabFest.
And, of course, the biggest of themall are Telethon and the ChristmasPageant. Telethon was first held in1968. The Christmas Pageant — thisyear will be the 44th — now has TheWest as a partner in bringing 300,000people, mums, dads and kids, to thecity at the start of the festive season.
This support adds to The West’sexisting community commitmentand the closer association withSeven Perth presents options acrossall platforms for even moreengagement.
The West’s longstandingcommitment to events, such theHBF Run for a Reason and theWestBusiness Pinnacle Awards, nowpacks an even bigger punch.
ReouAuThtw
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LEFT: HBF funrunners start inthe city. Picture:Dione DavidsonHeart of the community
ABOVE: The CrabFest has growninto a huge event. Picture: TravisHayto
19s 10 The number of shillings it cost to buy an original TVW-7 share
Reporter Steve Butler has already workedout how to combine his words in The WestAustralian with pictures on Seven News.The trick, he thinks, is to realise when thetwo will combine effectively.
“The integration opens up newchallenges and opportunities. You justhave to find your place in it,” he said.
He points to the package he did withSeven News on Neil Brooks. A nice storyin The West followed by pictures shot inscenic Bali, where Brooks was living, toadd another element to the piece.
He was also in New York last year, tocover former Eagle John Worsfold’s run inthe New York Marathon, also providingcoverage for Seven News.
Another example is the package hepresented in which he went back to thefamily farm in the Barossa Valley withcurrent Eagle Shannon Hurn, an effectivecombination of words for the paper andpictures on Seven.
“In some cases, it just works foreveryone, though I do still find my main
motivation in the newspaper,” he said.“I think we’re really lucky to have the
chance to work in both, when theopportunity is there. It’s certainly the casethat you start to think about the differentpossibilities of a story.
“As long as you keep everyone in theloop, and I have a good relationship bothwith The West’s chief-of-staff Ben Spencerand Seven’s news director HowardGretton, I think the integration will workreally well.
“It’s brought a new level of activity andlifted the mood of the newsroom.”
He also has a good relationship withToday Tonight, for which he did a weeklyfootball segment while working in TheWest’s Melbourne office.
Butler crosses easily between sport andgeneral news and, having been based inBunbury early in his career, has legendstatus for the vast range of contacts hemaintains in the South West.
He’s been a political writer, too, butthere’s another thing he holds dear — theSouth Bunbury Football Club with itsrousing motto cede nullius, or yield tonone.
Steve Butler, Adrian Barich, RyanDaniels and Mark Readings. Picture:Danella Bevis
Challenge and opportunitySTEVE BUTLER REPORTER
‘It’s certainly the case thatyou start to think about thedifferent possibilities of astory.’STEVE BUTLER
:
ab
nt.
Proud to have partnered with the Seven
West Media Group in providing Project
Management and Superintendent
Services for the new Channel 7 Studios
Development and Relocation Project.
We wish to congratulate and thank
everyone who contributed to the
successful delivery of this
exciting project.
www.ausmaid.com.au(02) 9960 1868
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20 28 Years since the fi rst West Coast Eagles game was televised 9
The memories of TVW-7’s opening night in1959 burn brightly for those who werethere, with all their nervousness andrelative inexperience, yet the knowledgethat this night was a piece of history.
One of them is Richard Ashton who,with fellow camera operator GordonMcColl, helped put that first telecast to air.
And last month he returned to SevenPerth to watch the last bulletin go to airfrom the Dianella studios.
Recalling the first broadcast, Ashtonsaid trumpeters from the Fifth MilitaryDistrict band ushered in the governor, SirCharles Gairdner, as he left his Daimlerand strode into the new studio about toplay his part in history.
Rehearsals were, of course, extensive butthey went one better. To ensure that everyelement was correct, a week before the bigday the studio’s clocks were set to the timeof the opening night and the entire telecastrun through.
All segments had to be in place,including commercial breaks and thevarious segments. Nothing was left tochance, Ashton said.
And so, when it was time for the realthing, there was a fair degree ofconfidence that it could be achievedwithout a hitch.
And so it was, down to the governor’s“Tonight is a very important one for ourState, certainly a milestone in ourprogress which would have profoundeffects on the lives of all of us . . . ”, beforedeclaring commercial television in WA offand racing.
There’s a little memento, however, if youlisten carefully to the telecast. You mighthear a little tinkle at one point.
“I had two lens caps on my cameraplatform and the cable knocked one ofthem to the ground,” he said. “I saw JimCruthers’ eyes flicker — he used to remindme about it for years.”
It’s certainly one way to make anunexpected mark in history.
Nothing left tochance at debut
Richard Ashtonbehind the TVcamera.
‘I had two lens caps on mycamera platform and the cableknocked one to the ground.’RICHARD ASHTON
1879The West Australian islaunched as abroadsheet,emerging fromprevious locallyowned publicationsbeginning in 1833
1958WA Newspapersawarded the firstcommercial TVlicence in WA
1959First picturestransmitted onTVW 7
1968First Telethonheld
1969Melbourne’sHerald andWeekly Timesbuys WANewspapers Ltd
1980Telethon passes $1 million mark for the first time
1987Robert Homes a Court’sBell Group buys WANewspapers Ltd
1988Alan Bond’s BondCorporation winscontrol of WANewspapers Ltd
1989Last papersprinted at 125 St GeorgesTerrace, withprint worksmoved to newfacility atOsborne Park
1990The Daily Newscloses
1992WA Newspapersbecomes apublic company
1998WA Newspapersleaves itssecond StGeorges Terracehome forOsborne Park
2011 Seven West Mediacreated2015Seven Perthmoves toNewspaper House
Then and now
Telethon cracked $1 million mark in 1980.
Daily News editor Jack Harrison, left,and a staffer wait for a decision onthe fate of the afternoon newspaper.They are told that after 108 years thepaper will be closing. Picture: Nic Ellis
R
st 2197 The number of WA mine sites reached by the Redfm/Spirit Radio network.
The West’s group business editorBen Harvey sees much potential forgrowth in the association betweenthe newspaper and Seven News,particularly in the field ofsuperannuation and retirementplanning.
“With the first of the babyboomers retiring and millions morepreparing to stop work, this area offinance journalism is moreimportant than ever,” he said.
“The Business section at The Westhas a long history of working withSeven. Financial reporting is anuanced field and the technicalabilities of The West’s businessreporters have been sought bytelevision producers regularly.”
The frequency of the newspaper’s
business journalists appearing onSeven News has increased in theshort time Seven Perth has been inNewspaper House and this trendwill continue as the media groupincreases its focus on retirementplanning and superannuationstrategy.
He said that the creation of aneight-page Your Money personal-finance liftout in February was seenby some as the culmination of thiseffort. “In fact, it was just the firststep,” he said.
In conjunction with financialcommentator Nick Bruining, TheWest holds regular RetirementMasterclass seminars.
“We have increased the amount ofradio airtime devoted to this field at
Redwave radio and through apartnership with 96FM.
“Each August, we publish anannual magazine called SecuringYour Future, which coincides withFinancial Planning Week.”
The West’s personal finance editorNeale Prior appears regularly onToday Tonight to talk about thestories being covered in print andBruining has become a fixture ofSeven News’ weekend bulletins.
“The combined newsroom hasmade these two commentators far
more accessible for Seven,” Harveysaid.
“The fact that Bruining can cometo Newspaper House for a meetingwith me about Your Money and thenwalk across the hall to Redwave tovoice five scripts for 6PR and finishthe afternoon in Seven’s studiosdoing a piece to camera on what heis writing about in The West andtalking about on radio is a real-world example of how well thesystem works.”
LEFT: Ben Harvey launching the Your Money liftoutin The West. Picture: Steve Ferrier
Retirement issues a growth area
‘The Business section at The West hasa long history of working with Seven.’BEN HARVEY GROUP BUSINESS EDITOR
BELOW: Nick Bruining’s Retirement Masterclass atthe Hyatt. Picture: Mogens Johansen
Welcome to your new home.
22 1998 The West Australian moved to Newspaper House in Osborne Park 1
1. Former SevenPerth colleaguesAlison Fan andJeff Newmancatch up overcoffee inClaremont.Picture:Danella Bevis2. Jeff Newmanin 1967, the yearhe joined SevenPerth. 3. Over and outfor legendaryweathman JeffNewman, right,as Ric Ardon,Geof ParrySusannah Carr,Basil Zempilasand Alison Fancelebrate the endof an era. Picture:Barry Baker
Their collective experience in themedia, both in print and ontelevision, is without peer in Perth.Alison Fan and Jeff Newman — aduo so recognisably part of SevenPerth it is difficult to imagine thembeing anywhere else. Theircombined years of experience takeus over the century mark.
In fact, for both of them the storydid begin elsewhere. Fan as a cadeton the WA Newspapers Ltdafternoon paper the Daily News andNewman, via radio in Geraldton andthen 6PM to Nine, where hepresented that channel’s first nighton air in 1965. A technical disaster,he recalls.
Fan was a columnist on theWeekend News, the weekend editionof the Daily, when the companychanged hands. As a contributor shewas, she says with an equanimityshe may not have felt at the time,“sacked on Friday afternoon. OnMonday, Darcy Farrell (then newseditor at TVW-7) offered me a job”.That was in 1968.
She left again for a couple ofyears, to accommodate a growingfamily, to work at the ABC (whereshe met her good friend SusannahCarr) and then returned to SevenPerth. She has not budged, despiteovertures from other organisations,including Nine’s 60 Minutes.
Newman left Nine in 1967 after adisagreement with management and
“was unemployed for two days”before being approached by MaxBostock to join Seven Perth. “I hadno phone at home and GarryMeadows knocked on my door whenhe heard I’d left Nine,” he said.
Their careers have beendivergent, their experiencesdisparate, linked by solid friendshipand their loyalty to TVW-7.
Newman’s long, varied andillustrious career encompassed suchprograms as Reach for the Stars, It’sAcademic and, from 1968, Telethon,for which he was presenter for 37years. He was also a newsreader andin 1982 became Seven Perth’sweatherman, a position he helduntil retirement in 2009. Between1978 and 1991 Fan was hisnewsreading colleague.
She was, she thinks, initiallyassigned “the fluffy stuff ”, thelightweight material. But she provedher worth time and again with theheavy stuff. Not much different fromthe Daily News really, she recalls,where she was constrained tofashion and the social pages and acolumn called The Scene, about ayoung woman’s view of lifestyleissues.
“It was case of doing the job betterand working harder,” she says, as itwas for many women then. Shebegan Seven Perth’s court coverage,which led her to many landmarkPerth crime stories.
In Telethon’s early years, Newmanwas in charge of finding the talent tofill up the 24-hour telecast.
“One year, I ran out of acts at2.30am,” he says. “There was agaping hole until 6am, when thekids’ stuff started.” Some swifttalking with the remainingperformers and they stayed on thejob, going through their materialagain and again.
Over coffee and hilarity, thememories keep coming. The thingsthat went wrong, the things thatwent surprisingly right. The thingsthe public never saw. The franklyawful Telethon guests, the laborioustechnology of the early days. Andthe particular joy in being part of anemerging industry which ran onpassion and a love of the job.
They have seen the rapid changesin technology, from film to video andthe end of splicing, the emergence oflive crosses and the end of thenecessity for “line of sight” with theBickley transmitter before picturescould be sent.
They were there when our screensmagically turned from black-and-white to colour and Newman recallshow premier Sir Charles Court wasprevailed on to flick a switch whichflooded the screen with colour forthe first time.
He was also production managerat TVW-7, making Spellbound withMartin St James and doing a dealwith Alexandra the Great 48 (neverheard of her, never mind . . .) tointroduce movies for men in the latehours. And there was Perth’s New
Faces, Letterbox and What in theWorld. Add the beauty pageants, theone-off programs, the communityevents and his place in the birth oftelevision in this State is assured.
It is a particular joy that, after somany years of doing stories of badpeople doing bad things, Fan hasturning her attention to TodayTonight and some of the State’s mostgenerous individuals.
“We had no mobile phones, ofcourse,” she says of those early days.“It was a matter of finding a publicphone booth to communicate withthe station.
“Then we had pagers but wecouldn’t use them because Ninecould listen in. Then we had thosebrick-sized mobile phones.”
She can lay solid claim to beingone of the country’s mostexperienced TV news gatherers,covering the toughest stories goingin WA, including royal commissionsand the trials of former premiersBrian Burke and Ray O’Connor. Shealso covered the Birnie murders andthe Claremont serial killings. And,long before that, while working inthe US she was tear-gassed duringanti-Vietnam War protests.
In 1989 she had the extraordinaryexperience of having a milliondollars’ worth of gold sent to her atSeven Perth, an odd sequel to thestories she’d done on one of thecity’s most famous stories, the trialof the Mickelberg brothers for thePerth Mint swindle.
Her hardest live cross lingers inher memory.
inharosaonov
he
monaAlison and Jeff —
absolute pros
‘I was on the top of a skyscraper in Hong Kong during theBritish handover to the Chinese, filming the royal yacht inthe harbour. Two cameramen were holding on to myankles so I wouldn’t topple over.’ ALISON FAN
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23k 136 Years since the fi rst newspaper was printed under The West Australian masthead
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“I was on the top of a skyscraperin Hong Kong during the Britishhandover to the Chinese, filming theroyal yacht in the harbour,” Fansays. “Two cameramen were holdingon to my ankles so I wouldn’t toppleover.”
She is, she says, hopeless withheights and suffers from vertigo.
She’s banned helicopters from hermode of transport, too, after severalnasty incidents, including a slide
4. Jeff Newmanon Telethon inthe mid-1970s.5. Alison Fan withan Arriflex 16mmcine-camera.
down an embankment which causedher to throw up.
Her numerous awards include theAJA Journalist of the Year Award,Perth Press Club Award and DailyNews Centenary Prize.
For his part, Newman, a TelethonTrustee who is heavily involved inthe development of the soon-to-openTelethon Juvenile Diabetes FamilyCentre, has five Logies and an Orderof Australia to his name.
4
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- Congratulations Seven Perth -From Ron (Dingo) Reddingius and all the people who have worked on Home in WA for more
than 15 years! Channel Seven’s support over our 511 episodes has been much appreciated.
Clockwise from left: On the roof of Castledare Boys Town checking the link back to the studio. Ron recording the Speedway on 2 inch Video Tape. Focused on producing special promos for the 30th year celebrations. Signing the yearly Master Builders partnership with director Michael McLean.
M: 0417 279 103 E: [email protected]
I refl ect fondly on my years at TVW 7. My career there began when I was a young 18 year old in 1969. TV was black and white back then and I started out working in the Video Tapes section and the other technology we used was called Telecine. My supervisor was Kevin Campbell. This provided an excellent grounding for me as I was so young and as was the way back then, you learnt starting from the ground up and from the best people. The corridors of the old building was always abuzz with activity as most of the productions were live in the studios.
In Perth Tonight, Stars of The Future, It’s Academic, Children’s Channel Seven and so many more programmes and telecasts were produced in those studios. Over the years, the 7 team produced the Bath Tub Races and Birdman Rallies at Yanchep Sun City. The Speedway was very popular and we did live outside broadcasts almost weekly. The nightly news was shot on fi lm and edited and processed in time for the evening bulletin. Great skill was needed when the splices failed.
The programmes were produced onto huge reels which contained two inch wide video tapes which arrived from all over the world.
What great times they were and how lucky I was to develop and build a career at 7. Every day was diff erent.
Over my 40+ years with 7 Perth I’ve made lifelong friends, seen many pass, but the soul of Seven Perth remains strong because of the connection with community.
I take this opportunity again to congratulate Channel Seven Perth andThe West Australian newspaper on this milestone of moving back together and a new era beginning.
From all the team at HOME in WA we wish you all the very best.
www.homeinwa.com.auTelevision Programmes | TV Commercials
Corporate Videos
24 29 Years since Alison Fan and Susannah Carr were the fi rst women in Australia to jointly read a news bulletin 7
On the record
Television technicians George Baker, left, and Ray Walsh install a camera at theTVW-7 Tuart Hill studios in the late 1950s.
TVW-7 cameraman and former photographer with The West Australian, Tom Hall, in the field.
DaFa
Th
Printers feed reels of newsprint into the presses in the basement of old Newspaper House in St GeorgesTerrace, Perth.
Crowds gatheroutside The WestAustralian officesin August 1914 aswar is declaredbetween Britainand Germany.
A TWN-7’s pioneering weatherman Vin Walsh chalks his map for his final appearancein 1962.
25n 716 The highest number of pages ever published on November 17, 2007
Alison Fan hands over the Perth Mint gold bar she received in the mail to Inspector Bill Chilvers in 1989.
David Farr reads the news and film editor Jim Healy changes records, cued by DarcyFarrell, during a review being recorded at old Newspaper House.
The Sandover Medal count at TVW-7 in 1964 — the first to be aired from a TV studio.
TWN-7 tests are carried out on a television set in the aircraftof Capt. J. Woods, 3000 feet above Perth.
Sketch of convicted murderer Eric EdgarCooke by staff artist Norman Aisbett.
stesas
A linotype machine operator at work at The West Australian.
The City of Stirling congratulates Channel 7 on its relocation to the
commercial centre of Osborne Park. We are delighted Seven West Media
has taken the opportunity to remain within the City’s boundaries and base
its state-of-the-art media house in this key strategic metropolitan centre.
No other location in Western Australia has a mixture of established
employment, land and the potential for further expansion to grow local jobs
and the economy. Great step forward Channel 7!
Congratulations
Channel 7
26 950,000 Tonnes of newsprint are used annually
The West Australian’s aviationeditor Geoffrey Thomas is already awell-known face to Seven Networkwatchers from his frequent analysesof the airline industry andparticularly his reports on themajor airline disasters of last year.
Now, he thinks, his working lifewill change in many positive ways.
“It’s very convenient for us all tobe in one spot,” he said. “Now, we’retruly thinking in a multimedia wayand we can dovetail our reporting,expanding the written stuff with avisual element.
“We will all start to think aboutstories in a different way. I’mprobably the oldest journalist in thebuilding and I think this movereally focuses our attention on howto cover a story on the many levelsnow available to us.”
His work with both The West andSeven Network, including onSunrise, on the missing and downedplanes last year shows howeffectively a “words and pictures”approach works, expandinginformation which can be given toreaders and viewers in an accessibleway. With more minds workingtogether there are, quite simply,more minds to bring ideas to thetable.
“This is now the best newsroom inthe country,” he said. “We have agreat roster of really goodjournalists at The West and a team ofgreat professionals at Seven.”
Thomas is particularlyenamoured of the new superdeskarrangement, where heads of alldepartments sit together all day. Hethinks that’s where a new level ofenergy has come from, inspired by
the instant communication that isnow possible.
“There’s been a significant changein the level of energy with thearrival, too,” he said, first with thearrival of the superdesk system.
“And that went up a notch withthe arrival of the Seven staff. Thereare some interesting characterscoming in!”
He sees more print journalistsbecoming increasingly comfortablefollowing in his footsteps andcrossing to television, even if only tofilm “a grab” to promote anewspaper story.
Skynews, with whom he alsoworks frequently, is another new
arrival to Newspaper House, furtherstreamlining his working life. “NowI can just walk across the corridorto do a grab for them,” he said.
News was now an instantbusiness, he said, and also amultimedia business across allplatforms, from print, TV, radio,online and social media, and beingable to respond to those demands isimperative. “We have simply becomemore efficient, more focused atdoing what we do,” he said.
There is an attraction, too, inbeing part of the giant leap into thefirst integrated newsroom inAustralia, the first to adopt a trulycross-platform presence.
Blue sky for aviation guru
ABOVE: GeoffreyThomas in the777 simulator atFlight City inJandakot. Picture:Ian Munro
RIGHT: Qantaschief executiveAlan Joyce chatsto Thomas lastyear. Picture:Robert Duncan
‘There’s been a significant change in the level of energy with the arrival, too.’GEOFFREY THOMAS AVIATION EDITOR
The emergence of Seven West Mediaas a multi-platform organisationcreates a raft of new opportunitiesfor advertisers.
Seven Perth managing directorMario D’Orazio says audiences andreaders are becoming moredemanding and more sophisticated.To reach them requires an intelligent,carefully balanced strategy.
“Bringing Seven and The Westtogether again vastly improves anadvertiser’s capacity to make thenecessary impact,” he says. “Our suiteof platforms is the answer for the‘new normal’ in the digital age.”
According to The West’s salesdirector David Bignold, in anincreasingly competitive andfragmented media landscape,traditional media brands continue toperform.
“The West Australian is one of thecornerstone brands of Seven WestMedia, driving the daily news agendaand shaping public opinion in WA,” hesays.
But now the company is anythingbut traditional.
“As part of Seven West Media WA,The West Australian, thewest.com.auand Seven Perth work together withour advertisers to createmultichannel campaigns that connectwith the right people, at the righttime in the right environments,” hesays. “ It’s all about leveraging ourassets and advanced targeting anddata capabilities to ensure yourcampaign is relevant and actionableto your core-market segments.”
“The fully integrated SWM allowsaccess to the dynamic WA market —across print, digital, television, radio,Google, social media, events and,most recently, personalised customerconnections through advanced datacapabilities (RedFusion).”
He says the paper is leading theway in audience delivery, innovativecreative executions, award-winningcolour reproduction and out-of-the-box, cross-platform advertisingsolutions.
“Our message is simple, we’re openfor business with a fully integratedoffering and we look forward topartnering with you to achieve thebest return on your advertisinginvestment,” he says.
New door opensfor advertisers
‘Our suite of platforms isthe answer for the “newnormal” in the digital age.’MARIO D’ORAZIO
Seven Perth’s Mario D’Orazio.Picture: Michael Wilson
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Russell Waterman, network salemanager for Redwave Media, has aconstant reminder of the newarrival at Newspaper House. Hisdesk on the top floor gives him a fineview of the new transmission tower.
It’s happy reminder, though,because it is evidence of increasingco-operation between the threemedia organisations. Redwave, adivision of the Seven West Mediagroup, is geographically the biggestradio network in Australia, covering80 per cent of the State with threeregional radio networks.
RedFM and The Spirit havelisteners from Wyndham to BremerBay, broadcasting to regional WAtowns, a bewildering number ofremote mine sites and some oil andgas platforms, agricultural areasand tourism centres. The Spirit isavailable in the South West.
“We already have some of TheWest’s sporting people — SteveButler, Mark Duffield and CraigNitschke — contributing to ourprograms and we hope that in thefuture we will also be able to tap intothe resources of Seven,” he said.
He said that the radio networkalso worked with regional papers inthe SWM group, cross-promotingstories where possible.
He said the network wasconsidering a magazine-style
program, in association with TheWest’s lifestyle sections. Also on thedrawing board was a travel segment.
“And we already use NickBruining (a regular in The West andon Seven) for finance segments.
RedFM targets the younger, 18-39age group, including 29,000 fly-in,fly-out workers and Spirit the older30-54-year-olds.
Advertising can be tailored to suitparticular markets, with a staff of 38spread across the network inBunbury, Geraldton, Karratha, PortHedland and Broome. Redwave’scombined reach is about 300,000listeners.
Apart from the South West, allnetworks are exclusive commercialservices in the regions.
A very big footprint
RedFM’s RobbieKlitzing, left, andAdam McGuire.
FM Global is proud to partner with Seven West Media, providing innovative and cutting-edge property insurance solutions and loss prevention engineering.
Working together since 2004, we are pleased to have been part of the Osborne Park studio project.
Your partner in business resilience.
John Rutherford [email protected]+61 488 788 304
Russell Carson [email protected]+61 411 438 425
www.fmglobal.com.auLevel 15, 1 Macquarie Place, Sydney NSW 2000 – P: (02) 8273 1400
Level 37, 140 William Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 – P: (03) 9609 1300
Congratulations from
FM Global
For more details contact:
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CONGRATULATIONS FROM NOVA 93.7
Nova 93.7, the radio station with the most listeners in Perth,
congratulates The West Australian,
the newspaper with the most readers,
and Channel Seven,
the television station
with the most viewers,
on being back together
after half a century apart.
1703
2
28 12 Metres per second is the top speed of the web press at the Herdsman Print Centre 1
Telethon. It had humble enoughbeginnings back in 1968 when thelate Brian Treasure, TVW-7’s firstgeneral manager, went to asupportive board with the idea of a24-hour appeal to raise money forthe community.
While it has changed significantlyin the intervening 46 years, theessence of Telethon remainsconstant. It now runs for two days, itoutgrew the studios at Tuart Hilland now is telecast from the PerthConvention and Exhibition Centre.
Brian Treasure’s son Bret, just aboy when the first Telethon went toair, says it was the first time he’dseen his father cry, when it emergedthat the inaugural appeal wouldraise more than $100,000. In fact, theappeal went even better and the firsttotal was $104,829.
The community embracedTelethon, taking enormous pride in
the generosity of West Australians.Visiting celebrities, includingSammy Davis Jr, Michael Jackson,Stevie Wonder, Julian Lennon,Harry Connick Jr and Elton John,lent the appeal their support, too, asdid a very long list of local andnational performers and celebrities.
The total flipped over the annual$1 million mark in 1980 and in 2014raised more than $25 million.
The combined $180 million raisedis now administered by a charitabletrust, chaired by Kerry Stokes,chairman of Seven Network, forchildren’s social and medicalresearch and support. Itsbeneficiaries are the Telethon KidsInstitute, Princess MargaretHospital, Telethon Speech andHearing Centre and about 40 othermedical and social charities.
These offer support for childrenand young adults with cysticfibrosis, cerebral palsy, autism andarthritis, as well as those beinghelped by organisations such asCamp Quality for cancer patients,Legacy for children who have lost aloved one to war and Superfins WA,
which helps those with a disabilityto reach their potential in the pool.
The chief executive of Telethon isSteve Mummery who, with his twofull-time staff members and twopart-timers, have made the move toOsborne Park.
The joining of the two companies,he says, has already paid off forTelethon’s bottom line.
“The West takes care of our
books,” he says, “and also humanresources matters. It created ourwebsite and keeps it up to date. Allthese things help us keep ouroverheads down and put moremoney into Telethon. Sevenprovides us with office space.”
There are also greateropportunities to promote thevarious Telethon activities acrossthe radio, online, magazine, digitaland print platforms.
As well, one of The West’sfundraising events, the HBF Run fora Reason, is now a joint effort andthis year Telethon has the naming
Fundraising opportunitiesopen up for Telethon
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STEVE MUMMERY
Telethon Annual Tallyboard Result
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$15,000,000
$20,000,000
$25,000,000
$0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
$2,867
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$3,017,000
$3,217,437
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$7,535
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Optimizing printing proces automation Consistent high print quality Savings on waste, and labour
to be part of the KBA project at Seven West Media Limited in Osborne Park (NZ).
www.qipc.com www.eae.com
QIPC – EAE ARE PROUD
On behalf of everyone at the Fremantle Dockers,
we wish Channel 7 Perth and The West
Australian all the best in the next exciting phase
of their rich history.
29e 10,000,000 Kilometres annually gives The West Australian the biggest distribution run in the world
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1. Michael Jackson visits sick children at PMH.2. Perth Wildcats captain Damian Martin meets Telethon child Patrick Majewski, whois a massive Wildcats fan. Picture: Nic Ellis 3. The panel celebrates the final tally at Telethon 2014. Picture: Ben Crabtree4. A Telethon Golden Moment from the first Telethon in 1968 when Johnny O’Keefe,Graham Kennedy, Bobby Limb and Stuart Wagstaff shed their shirts for a dare.
rights to the Freeway Bike Hike forAsthma, with funds going toTelethon.
Mr Mummery’s whiteboard isjam-packed with the Telethon eventswhich happen throughout the year,to culminate in the October 17-18weekend telecast.
The money raised by Telethon isastounding, particularly the extentof the annual increases in the pastdecade or so.
Mr Mummery has only one hopefor each year’s appeal: “That weraise one dollar more than lastyear,” he says.
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Great things happen when smart people collaborate.Congratulations to Seven West Media from OMD (WA) and all the people we love to work with.
30 1The year Seven West Media was created through the acquisition of Seven Media Group by West Australian Newspapers2011
Broadfield andvideo journalistClarissa Phillips.Picture: KateFerguson
If a fat, bald, 55-year-old bloke canwork in television, says The West’sacclaimed food writer RobBroadfield, anyone can. It’s his wayof encouraging any reporter whomight be harbouring reservationsabout baring themselves for thetelevision camera.
Not that the partnership betweenthe two organisations is his firstexperience of TV. He was a cadet onBrisbane’s Courier Mail,coincidentally owned by the SevenNetwork, and the transition betweenprint and television was commonenough.
Admitting also to a deep love ofradio, he thinks he’s come full circlenow, with his regular appearanceson Today Tonight and more optionsbeing discussed for the future.
They include cooking segments,which might appear as singlesegments or be packaged into somekind of program. It’s what hedescribes as “the perfect storm” ofopportunity and an exciting way
forward for the industry which is,he thinks, finding a place in a newage.
It helps that interest in food hasgrown into a new dimension, with agreat deal of television, magazineand newspaper space devoted to it.When food knowledge in the shapeof the aforementioned unlikelytelevision star can be shared both innewspapers and on television, theplanets have truly aligned.
“And it’s great fun, too,” he said, ofhis forays into television which, ifToday Tonight’s ratings are anindicator, show a liking for himamong viewers.
One of his proudest moments,though, is the Telethon Dinner withRob Broadfield, now preparing forits fourth year.
What started as a discussion over“a few sherbets” with the HawaiianGroup’s Russell Gibbs, last year sawthe Telethon total boosted by astaggering $350,000. Which, by wayof comparison, is more than threetimes the total raised in the firstTelethon in 1968.
The event has grown since thefirst such dinner raised $125,000.Now it is held over a weekend, withPerth’s prominent andphilanthropic businesspeople flyingto Broome’s Cable Beach ClubResort & Spa for a weekend ofculinary indulgence, fine wines andfundraising.
Last year, chef Neil Perry createda dinner for the event and there wasfierce bidding for auction itemsacross the weekend.
Chefs, apart from Perry, who havebeen involved include GuillaumeBrahimi, Adriano Zumbo, DavidCoomer and Peter Manifis.
Food for thought
‘If a fat, bald, 55-year-old bloke can work in televisionanyone can. And it’s great fun, too.’ROB BROADFIELD
Food writer Rob Broadfield, at home in the kitchen. Picture: Iain Gillespie
Among the many, many stories SevenNews’ former head cameraman BobGoodall has in his professional history, onehas been brought back into sharp focus byevents in Bali. He was in Malaysia in 1986for the execution of drug smugglers KevinBarlow and Brian Chambers.
Chambers was from Perth and themen’s trial, conviction and sentencing todeath by hanging had attracted enormousattention. Goodall, who started withSeven News in 1978, had followed thestory at different times during the two-year legal process and had come to knowthe resolute mothers of the men.
Goodall, whose career spanned 28years with Seven, still remembers the“appalling Pudu Prison” where the mendied, built in the 19th century for 700prisoners and, at that time, holding 6000.He captured some of the most graphicimages of the men’s death when theirbare-footed bodies arrived at the morgue.
On a happier note, he was also in SouthAfrica for Nelson Mandela’s election, avisit which resulted in a favourite piece offootage, a joyful, purple-clad DesmondTutu dancing gaily in celebration.
He was in Seven’s helicopter one day,following a car chase near Williams, whenhe thought the pilot had got a bit close tothe treetops. There was a bit of a thumpand a wobble and, when he managed tolook out, a pine tree had taken a bit of ahaircut.
“The next day a bloke came to thestation with a 2m lump of pine in the backof his ute. He thought we’d like it as asouvenir,” Goodall recalls gleefully.
He’s been a war cameraman in theMiddle East, was based for the SevenNetwork in Los Angeles for a period,covered Olympic and CommonwealthGames, was chief-of-staff at Seven andworked so often, and squabbled sofamiliarly with Alison Fan, that someoneonce asked her what it was like workingwith her husband.
And then there was the Mickelbergstory, surely one of the most remarkableevents in the State’s criminal history. Itwas Goodall who found 55kg of the 86kgof gold stolen from the Perth Mint in 1982and delivered mysteriously to Channel 7 inTuart Hill in 1989.
The Mickelberg brothers, Ray and Peter,
had been charged, convicted andexonerated with stealing the gold. But thegold was still missing.
One afternoon Fan, who had coveredthe trials closely, showed Goodall a lettershe’d just received which said they should“look for the stolen gold behind thehangar”. Initially they thought of Jandakotairport but Goodall thought he’d have awander around the staion’s helicopterhangar. Fan says she didn’t want to ruinher pink suede shoes and let him goalone.
And there it was, in oil drums — andGoodall’s initial fear was that close rivalsand near neighbours at Channel 9 mightsee what was going on and ruin anexclusive. In the event, the police ruined itby holding a 4.30pm press conferenceand showing off the pelletised gold.
And no, he says, firmly, neither he norFan had a claim on the gold, valued thenat more than $3 million.
“The Mint gave us a silver dump, valuedat $50, for our trouble.”
Despite Goodall’s devotion to all thingstelevision, he finds the integratednewsroom an exciting development.
“I think the joint newsroom is a greatthing,” he said.
“It adds value. More journalists, moreresources — you end up with a betterresult.”
Life through a lens
Alison Fan and Bob Goodall at the spot where 55kg ofgold pellets from the Perth Mint swindle were hidden.
Thursday Marc
Scenic
PAGE 3
Plans afoolookout fe
The owners ofRoadhouse are bull by the hornnew eye-catchinherd.
After an eighlife-size Brahmarived at the roaseas last monthpride of place in
Co-owner Matthe pair, one grbrown, had causcustomers since
“Brahmans argion,” he told Ther.
“We initially wout the front buwere too good tthey have foundbar.
“The reactionfar. It’s been pr
Roadhafter K■ Gareth McKnig
Cattle roaminBroome and Devolved in 32 vehthe past five yefatality and amedical attentio
Eighteen Kimwere recorded oern Highway, 12 and two on Broo
And 68 of the dremoved from tof road at the Roads — apart fway — from Jun
Ro■ Glenn Cordingl
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311885 The year Countryman was established
on
The news-gathering footprint acrossrural and regional WA is growing.
Regional publications editorLaura Morris believes it’s a case ofmore eyes looking more widely intorural and regional news.
Morris, who co-ordinates TheWest’s northern newspapers fromNewspaper House, said reporters inthe regions were already filing tothewest.com.au and, where possible,provided video for Seven News.
“We are also working withRedwave (Media) in cross-promotional ideas,” she said.
The benefit of being in the samebuilding cannot be underestimated.
“It’s so good for our youngreporters, who do it hard in theirregions, to be able to work moreclosely with the best in the business.
They can see where their careersmight one day go.”
Seven West Media’s regionalstable of 22 titles includes the125-year-old rural bibleCountryman.
Editor Ray Chan also sees manymutual benefits emerging from theunion with Seven News.
He thinks his team’s knowledge ofrural affairs could easily be minedby Today Tonight, for instance, inthe case of a big rural oragricultural issue, as it could to addcomment to a news event.
A former ABC reporter, he has nofear of television and thinks thepossibility of cross-promotingacross all platforms is an excitingone.
He thinks that a regular segment
Robert Cridge, SteveHurley and BlakeWatson were amongthe local sports starshonoured at the 2014Albany Sportsperson ofthe Year Awards onFriday night. Cridgewon the disabilitycategory, whileHurley won a recordsixth senior title andWatson was crownedjunior winner. Absentveteran winner RobSlattery was the overallSportsperson of theYear.REPORT BACK PAGEPicture: Malcolm Heberle
Stars shineat sportsawards
Readership 19,100 A West Australian Newspapers publication
Tuesday, March 10, 2015 albanyadvertiser.com.au $1.30
Good news HistoryAll-clear messagecelebrated
Farming artefactspreserved
PAGE 3 PAGE 5
The Bayonet Head Shopping Cen-tre project — stalled for more thantwo years — hangs in the balanceas negotiations between the City ofAlbany and Cuscuna Nominees re-main as tangled as ever.
Open since January 2013, a Wool-worths supermarket remains theonly store trading in the centre.
The two parties remain em-broiled in a Supreme Court case af-ter the City appealed a magist-rate’s decision.
Also, Cuscuna Nominees has ap-pealed a Great Southern Joint De-velopment Assessment Panel ret-
rospective planning decision inthe State Administrative Tribunal.
The Bayonet Head Pharmacyhas been unable move to a newshop in the centre after they origi-nally expected to in February 2013.
The Terry White franchisee issuing Cuscuna Nominees forbreach of contract and it is under-stood stock for the new store had tobe sold to other pharmacies, whileother products have expired.
City planning and developmentservices executive director DalePutland said the dispute related toaspects of the centre’s construc-tion not complying with planningdirectives.
“The City is disappointed withthe ongoing delays but remains op-timistic a resolution will be reach-ed and the shopping centre will beable to fully operate,” he said.
Mr Putland said the City pros-ecuted Cuscuna Nominees, alleg-ing it breached the original plan-ning approval several times.
Albany Magistrate’s Court ruledCuscuna Nominees had no case toanswer in May last year and theCity has appealed the verdict in theSupreme Court, which is yet tomake a decision.
Mr Putland said the centre wasunable to be fully occupied untilfire safety issues were addressed,
and Cuscuna Nominees has takenthe issue of fire safety require-ments to the SAT.
He said Cuscuna Nomineesagreed to install alternative fire ar-rangements satisfactory to theCity and Department of Fire andEmergency Services.
In a separate but related issue,Cuscuna Nominees lodged an ap-plication for retrospective plan-ning approval for the centre, whichwas approved by GSJDAP last yearsubject to conditions. CuscunaNominees is now appealing theseconditions through the SAT.
Mr Putland said these includedsafety works at the Bayonet Head
Road intersection and a public artcontribution.
The City will not know the full le-gal costs until proceedings are fin-ished, but it is insured.
Cuscuna Nominees managingdirector Sam Cuscuna said he was“extra frustrated” with the stallednegotiations.
“It’s a service to the communityout there, there are 4000 people inthe area,” he said.
“Minor things have been blownout of proportion.”
Shopping centre in limbo■ Toyah Shakespeare
Tell us what you think. [email protected] orsend us a letter.
SEE PAGE 8
A WEST AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPERS PUBLICATION
ESTABLISHED 1885 Vol. 131 No. 6310 February 19, 2015 countryman.com.au � $1.90
Concerns raised by opponents of theTier 3 rail line shutdowns werestrengthened this week with theforced closure of the Cunderdin-Quairading road because of damagecaused by an increased number oftrucks.
Ratepayers in the CunderdinShire could also be hit with a heftybill to fix the road, which has beenused to cart almost 30,000 tonnes ofgrain since the end of the 2014 har-vest.
Under section 3.50 of the Local Go-vernment Act, the Shire of Cunder-din has closed the road to heavyhaulage traffic for the maximum pe-riod of four weeks.
Shire of Cunderdin presidentClive Gibsone said costings for theroadworks were yet to be deter-mined but an engineer would pro-vide further information in comingweeks on the extent of the damageand the works involved.
He estimated the road had 70truck movements a day during peakcarting periods, equating to a truckmovement every five to seven min-
utes. “We will be requesting fundingassistance from Main Roads WAonce we receive that report,” hesaid.
But Mr Gibsone said since thiswas a local road, it was most likelyratepayers would be forced to footthe bill.
The public notice issued last weeksaid the road was closed because of“severe structural damage to theroad surface and subsurface fromcontinual heavy movements overthe past week in extreme weatherconditions”.
According to Bureau of Meteorol-ogy recordings, the Shire sufferedthree days above 42C early lastweek.
Mr Gibsone said the extreme hotweather had exacerbated the roaddamage.
Cunderdin farmer Frank O’Hare,who owns property on both sides theCunderdin-Quairading road, saidhe had to be particularly carefulwhen moving sheep and machinerybetween his properties.
“I have noticed a considerable in-
Shutdownafter roadcrumbles■ Jo Fulwood
Cunderdin farmer Frank O’Hare with Shire of Cunderdin president Clive Gibsone and local farmer and shire councillorDennis Whisson at a damaged section of the Cunderdin-Quairading road Picture: Jo Fulwood� CONTINUED PAGE 3
Thursday March 5, 2015 broomead.com.au 7724 weekly to Broome, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Kununurra A West Australian Newspapers publication $1.60
Scenic ActionShorebirdsdocumented
Fighters inArnold Classic
In a flap
PAGE 3 PAGE 4 PAGE 23
Plans afoot forlookout feature
The owners of Roebuck PlainsRoadhouse are keen to grab thebull by the horns in 2015 with twonew eye-catching additions to theherd.
After an eight-month wait, twolife-size Brahman bull replicas ar-rived at the roadhouse from over-seas last month and have takenpride of place in the venue’s bar.
Co-owner Matt Sharpe admittedthe pair, one grey and the otherbrown, had caused quite a stir withcustomers since arriving.
“Brahmans are iconic in the re-gion,” he told The Broome Advertis-er.
“We initially wanted to put themout the front but we thought theywere too good to leave outside, sothey have found a new home in thebar.
“The reaction has been great sofar. It’s been pretty funny seeing
the kids sitting on their backs for aphoto.”
Brahmans were introduced intothe west Kimberley last century inan attempt to breed cattle bettersuited to the sub-tropical environ-ment and are now symbolic in theNorth West.
Matt, Brooke and LeelandSharpe took over the roadhouse,which is 30km east of Broome, lastMay and sparked a recent debateon Facebook after the Brahmans’arrival.
With photos posted online, sug-gestions for names for the two newadditions came in thick and fastfrom the Broome community.
However, despite the array ofsubmissions Matt said the final de-cision was a popular choice amongthe roadhouse staff.
Named after famous Broomecrocodile fanatic and wildlife doc-umentary maker, Malcolm andDouglas have found new pastures.
Roadhouse bulls namedafter Kimberley croc man■ Gareth McKnight
Bull rider Harry Sharpe, 2, fuels up at Roebuck Plains Roadhouse with help from Jess Leete. Picture: Gareth McKnight
Cattle roaming free betweenBroome and Derby have been in-volved in 32 vehicle accidents overthe past five years, including onefatality and another requiringmedical attention.
Eighteen Kimberley Brahmanswere recorded on the Great North-ern Highway, 12 on Derby Highwayand two on Broome Highway.
And 68 of the dead animals wereremoved from the same stretchesof road at the expense of MainRoads — apart from Broome High-way — from June, 2013, to October,
2014. The figures released byTransport Minister Dean Nalderin State Parliament have promptedlocal police to warn that stray cowswere a “reality” and have urgedmotorists to exercise caution.
Derby police officer-in-chargeDavid Dench said the most effec-tive way to avoid potential acci-dents with the beasts was to obeythe speed limit and not drive whileunder fatigue.
“This has become a reality in ourregion,” he said.
Broome resident Sam Bettesshad a lucky escape last July whenhis four-wheel-drive struck a cow
about 8pm on the Great NorthernHighway.
“I was towing a boat and had thewife and our two kids in the vehi-cle. It was a very scary experi-ence,” he said.
In response to questions fromMLC Robin Chapple in State Par-liament, Mr Nalder revealed theowner of the animals was un-known.
He said adjoining pastoral leaseswere Yeeda, Roebuck Plains andMowanjum as well as unallocatedcrown land.
Mr Chapple said Main Roads andthe Pastoral Land Board should be
doing more to ensure pastoralistscarried out proper maintenance oftheir fences, especially on majorthoroughfares such as the GreatNorthern Highway.
But Mr Nalder said fenced properties have been known to bedamaged by storms, fires or by the cattle themselves or by gatesbeing left open for extended periods of time.
He said all Pastoral Lands Board directives and notices were issued with regard to specificcircumstances of the case andwould prevail until the board was satisfied — a process he admit-
ted that could take “several years”.“The time it takes for lessees to
comply also varies and can takeanywhere between one month andseveral years,” Mr Nalder said.
Mr Chapple said the statisticsdid not paint an accurate picture ofthe sheer number of cattle roamingfree over this section of highway orthe risk to drivers.
“I recently received a report of 97 cattle counted in just one morning on one small section ofthe Great Northern Highway,” hesaid.
Rogue cattle pose threat■ Glenn Cordingley
� CONTINUED PAGE 2
CACTUS BUSTERSMeet the teamtasked withbattling thepricklyinfestationplaguingWilli t
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PAGE 3 PAGE 7 PAGE 16
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A Boulder family marking the firstanniversary of their daughter’sdeath has been left further deva-stated, after the beloved pet catthey adopted shortly after the trag-edy was mauled to death by twostray dogs.
City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Ran-gers are currently searching forthe dogs, described as tan and darkcoloured “staffys”, which killed“Kitty” and a blue heeler cross inseparate attacks in South Boulderon Friday morning.
Speaking to the Kalgoorlie Min-er, Lauren Copping said the attack
came shortly after her partner leftfor work and let their cat out intothe yard.
“She had been out there for all offive minutes … there are scratchmarks all on the pavement nearour front door so it looks like shewanted to come inside and theycornered her,” she said.
“When I ran out there they bothhad hold of her and were rippingher, there was blood everywhereand she was gasping for air and fit-ting.”
Ms Copping said the dogsdragged the cat along the footpathto the front of a neighbouringhouse.
“I felt so helpless, I got a toweland wrapped her up and sat at thefront door crying as she passedaway in my arms,” she said.
Kitty first turned up at Ms Cop-ping’s house last year, just threemonths after her seven-month-olddaughter Zara passed away.
After the cat refused to leave, andno owner came forward, Kitty be-came part of the family, providingcomfort for Ms Copping and herpartner after their sad loss.
“I was already feeling for Zarathis morning, and then to have thishappen to Kitty, who came to us soclose after her passing, it’s just toomuch,” she said.
“It brought back so many memo-ries of Zara because Zara passedaway in our arms and Kitty passedaway in my arms in a world of painthis morning.”
CKB Ranger Service co-ordina-tor Mike Molyneux said limited de-scriptions and information of theattacks were available and urgedanyone who could assist to comeforward.
“The City takes these incidentsvery seriously, as the safety of thecommunity is at risk while thesedogs remain unfound which leadsto the risk of further incidents oc-curring,” he said.
He said there had been 45 report-
ed dog attacks of varying severityin the current financial year.
“The City has seen a number ofserious attacks, defined as onesthat cause injury or damage to aperson or animal, however thesedogs have been captured and dealtwith,” Mr Molyneux said.
“There have been six dog at-tacks, including these two attacks,of varying degrees of severity sofar in 2015.”
If you saw or heard anythingwhich may assist the investiga-tion, or you are missing a dog that matches any of the descrip-tions above, phone the Rangers on 9021 9697.
VICIOUS DOG ATTACK ■ Tegan Guthrie
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THE death of a Bunbury trades as-sistant has forced the State Go-vernment to propose a majorshake-up of the electrical industry.
EnergySafety, the State Govern-ment department tasked with en-suring safe practices in the sector,
has proposed to ban work on livecircuits which would force electri-cians to either isolate circuits orturn off the power before startingwork on almost all projects.
The proposal follows the death of18-year-old Jayden Zappelli, whodied while working in the roof of anEast Bunbury home in 2013.
He died after his supervisingelectrician did not make sure thepower was isolated before work be-gan.
EnergySafety announced itwould look at the change followingthe South Western Times publish-ing the Zappelli family’s impas-sioned plea on February 12.
Jayden’s father, Greg, who hasbeen campaigning for changes tothe law to prevent another death,said it was a positive step.
“But we still have a way to go,” hesaid.
Jayden’s uncle and former elec-trician Mark Zappelli said the im-mediate focus of any law change
should be on the residential sectorrather than the complex industrialsector.
The family is pushing for themandatory installation of RCDs –an electrical safety device – in allhomes.
Death could change lawFamily’s courageous fight set to make sweeping changes to industry USMAN AZAD
� CONTINUED PAGE 4
WITH less than a week to go untilthe World’s Greatest Shave, nervesare building for Australind manJay Jenkinson as he gets ready toshave off his precious dreadlocks.
Mr Jenkinson’s long locks beganat 13 when he was “lazy and lack-ing the motivation” to brush hishair, resulting in a matted mess.
Now 28, Mr Jenkinson has decid-ed to step up and take part in theWorld’s Greatest Shave alongsideworkmate Harley Kemp, who losthis mother to cancer last year.
Mr Jenkinson and wife Samaramet when they were 15 years old, soshe has never seen him without hisdreadlocks.
“I’ve been hoping he would do itfor a long time, but I am quiteproud he has chosen this event,”Mrs Jenkinson said.
Mr Jenkinson has already ex-ceeded his original target of $1500and is now hoping to raise $3000 forthe charity event.
The Bunbury Forum will hold ashave event from 11am to 12pm on
Jay dreadsthe day heloses his hairCHLOE VELLINGA
Regional input
Pilbara News reporter Tom Zaunmayr. Picture: Peter de Kruijff
Broome Advertiser’s Nicola Kalmar andGareth McKnight. Picture: GlennCordingley
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