Hot Topic - Media in Austria

Interesting Tips Arrive At Interesting Times - May 20, 2019
Good investigative reporters have sources in high places and low places. And they are not waiting for a phone call. Nor do they wait to spring into action. Decisions must be made. Details must be collected. Great investigative reporters have the trust of the best sources and never forget.

Journalists Warned To Lock All Doors, Front And Back - May 15, 2019
Media workers have no doubts that their every endeavour, professional or otherwise, is under scrutiny. Faith that press freedom and other conventions offer a level of protection has dissipated as authoritarian leaders continue to diminish the media’s role in civil society, if not civil society generally. We have seen this movie before.

Populist Playbook: Bash News Media Early And Often - July 9, 2018
A government investigations agency looking into corruption conducted searches without warrants and compiled files classified secret. An oversight committee requested details and were given redacted files or none at all. The head of the government department to which the agency reports went on television and said it was no big deal, blamed news outlets as fake news and suggested investigating journalists.

Digital Future Just A Shout Away - April 3, 2015
Chasing the digital dividend comes at no small expense. Costs always seem to rise with each new exciting advance in technology. For years, decades even, the chorus repeats “the future is digital,” arrival expected any day now. As with any investment there’s anxiety. And the best cure for anxiety, say the doctors, is more money.

Paywall Champions And Skeptics At Crossroads - July 15, 2013
Every new path bares exploration in the search for that digital dividend. The straight and narrow gives way to the winding and worrisome. No ideas are bad but some can go terribly wrong. Sifting through the good, the bad and, yes, the ugly, of online revenue models keeps the conference venues filled.

Listening Drops, Commercial Stations Surge - July 26, 2010
In almost every market, recent radio ratings have shown significant changes. Audiences, it appears, have become unpredictable. Programmers and media buyers will have much to think about over the summer.

Broadcaster losses better than expected, dread remains - February 18, 2010
We are now accustomed to great cheering when a media company posts smaller than expected losses. Stock, however that’s viewed, generally rises. Mix in a contentious new media law and there’s no good news.

Mergers Examined and Approved - September 18, 2009
The urge to merge is more powerful than ever for media companies in Europe. Of course, there are the inevitable synergies. While regulators take a very hard look, the economics favor more consolidation.

Long dominant public broadcaster falls on hard times - November 24, 2008
Caught between rising costs and falling ad revenues, broadcasters are cutting wherever they can. With this financial trap exacerbated by the wave of far broader economic woes, cutting services is next. If that isn’t enough to quell the mounting red ink, selling assets is all that’s left.