[LINK] FW: MR33/2011: Southern Cross Media Group undertakes to divest Nambour radio stations [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

[Tom Koltai]

With the decline of publisher and Broadcasting fortunes; in favour of
personally programmed and alternative content sourced digital devices,
surely, it must be time to overhaul the antiquated Broadcasting Services
Act 1992.

A reading of the act suggests that persons are prohibited from
controlling too much of the media.

Encouraging competition is a great idea, I'm just not so sure it is any
longer relevant in the older forms of broadcast media.

Google and Facebook leap to mind as being examples that would be in
breach of the intent of this act. Although to be fair they don't fall
under the bailiwick of Broadcasters.

Just as well they don't appear overly interested in playing politics in
Australia.

Never one to promote additional unnecessary legislation I consider
nevertheless, what with our local publishers and broadcasters now
becoming almost inconsequential, it might be time to look at the
influence that American owned companies could have on the id of
Australian socio-economic well being.

I'm afraid that all they have managed to give us so far is a love affair
with debt that must eventually cause default.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: media at acma.gov.au [mailto:media at acma.gov.au]
> Sent: Friday, 25 March 2011 3:44 PM
> To: tomkoltai
> Subject: MR33/2011: Southern Cross Media Group undertakes to 
> divest Nambour radio stations [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
> 
> 
> 25 March
> 
> Southern Cross Media Group undertakes to divest Nambour radio stations
> 
> The Australian Communications and Media Authority has
> accepted an enforceable undertaking from Southern Cross Media 
> Group Limited (SCMG) and related companies to divest the 
> radio network's two commercial radio licences in Nambour RA1. 
> 
> The undertaking was offered to the ACMA in support of the
> application on 1 February 2011, by SCMG, its related 
> corporate entities and their directors for prior approval 
> -under section 67 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (the 
> Act) - of temporary breaches of the control and directorship 
> limits (sections 54 and 56).  
> 
> The temporary breaches arise from SCMG's acquisition of a
> controlling interest in Austereo Group Limited (Austereo). 
> The ACMA has approved such temporary breaches and required 
> that action be taken to ensure such breaches cease within one year.
> 
> 'The ACMA is satisfied that the enforceable undertaking
> offered by SCMG will be sufficient to ensure - as required by 
> the Act - that necessary actions will be taken to remedy the 
> relevant breaches within the appropriate time,' said ACMA 
> Chairman, Chris Chapman.
> 
> The breaches arise because section 54 provides that a person
> must not be in a position to exercise control of more than 
> two commercial radio licences in a licence area. Related 
> restrictions apply in relation to directorships under section 56. 
> 
> However, as a result of its acquisition of interests in
> Austereo, SCMG is now in a position to exercise control of 
> four commercial radio licences in the combined Brisbane 
> RA1/Nambour RA1 licence area.
> 
> Under the Act, the overlapping Brisbane and Nambour
> commercial radio broadcasting licence areas are treated as a 
> single licence area for the purposes of sections 54 and 56 
> because more than 30% of the Nambour RA1 licence area 
> population is attributable to an area that overlaps with the 
> Brisbane RA1 licence area. 
> 
> After the ACMA gave its temporary approval of breaches of
> section 54 and 56, SCMG, its related corporate entities and 
> their directors came into breach of those sections 
> (respectively) by acquiring company interests exceeding 15% 
> in Austereo. 
> 
> That gave SCMG control of Triple M/4MMM and B105 FM/4BBB in
> the Brisbane RA1 licence area.  At that time, SCMG was also 
> in a position to exercise control of Sea FM/4SEE and MIXFM 
> 103.5/4SSS in the Nambour RA1 licence area.
> 
> The undertaking has been published on the ACMA's website.
> Details of temporary breaches approved by the ACMA are 
> provided in the Register of Notices and Approvals under Part 
> 5 of the Act.
> 
> Further information on media groups and media operations, and
> their controllers, in each licence area in Australia is 
> available at Register of Controlled Media Groups and Media 
> Diversity Report. 
> 
> For more information or to arrange an interview please
> contact: Emma Rossi, Media Manager, on (02) 9334 7719, 0434 
> 652 063 or media at acma.gov.au.
> 
> ________________________________________
> The ACMA is Australia's regulator for broadcasting, the
> internet, radiocommunications and telecommunications. The 
> ACMA's strategic intent is to make communications and media 
> work in Australia's public interest. For more information: 
www.acma.gov.au. 
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