Abstract
Hirers and firers in Australian television news: using oral history to mark generational change
A small group of senior news managers controls the hiring of television journalists in this shrinking area of employment in Australia . This paper examines the career and educational histories of key members of this managerial group - as collected in a series of interviews - reflected against their roles in selecting journalists for hire. The national heads of news and current affairs at all the free-to-air networks and pay television news channel Sky News have taken part - along with the Sydney news directors at all the free-to air-networks. The information gathered suggests that generational change is occurring between the most senior TV news executives and those who are to follow them. All of those interviewed started work in another form of journalism before television. Only two of the news directors and heads of news and current affairs interviewed have completed journalism training at a tertiary institution. Of the more senior rung - the network heads of news & national news and current affairs directors - only one has completed formal tertiary study. However, all but one of the news directors (the second rung of news management) has completed some form of university study, either before entering journalism or since. This would suggest the start of a generational shift at the level of senior hirers: those journalists trained through traditional cadetships are only just beginning to be replaced by those with tertiary qualifications. This suggests we are seeing the last generation of non-university trained journalists wielding hiring and firing power over television journalism in Australia before they make way for the next (university-trained) generation.
Kay Nankervis
Charles Sturt University