Rob Aumend is calling it a day as general manager of Southern Cross Austereo’s (SCA) Townsville operations.

He is slated to go on April 5, 2019. In explaining his exit, Aumend said he was moving on to run his own business, based on his experience helping out the local business community through SCA. He had been with the company for four years.

“SCA has been an incredible company to work for allowing me to build a great network in Townsville due to the company having such an emphasis on supporting the local community. I’m going to miss my amazing team but I know SCA will continue to support and promote Townsville more than ever,” he said.

SCA has begun searching for Aumend’s successor. 

Music publications company Seventh Street Media has rebranded to The Brag Media.

Company CEO Luke Girgis said the change in business name was warranted as all its publications – The Industry Observer, The Brag Dad, Don’t Bore Us, JPlay, Brag Gaming, The Brag, and Tone Deaf – have been experiencing strong success on the content marketing front.

The work included assembling content geared toward specific musicians and to also network them with event promoters and other brands while making the content relatable to younger audiences, he added.  

The online versions of the titles were also reorganised under a single thebragmedia.com.au domain.

A new health TV channel geared towards Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal Health Television (AHTV), has been officially launched.

Led by Tonic Health Media with funding support from the federal government, AHTV aims to educate First Nations communities on various health topics to aid them when seeking consultation or treatment with the nearest licenced practitioner.

The content is being developed in consultation with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) in Australia and leading professionals in the Indigenous Australian health sciences community.

The initial rollout already covers 50 locations, with the South West Aboriginal Medical Service in Bunbury, WA as the first beneficiary. Tonic Health Media co-founder Dr Norman Swan said all ACCHOs in the country will be able to access the network.

“The new network is an exciting step forward, built on local engagement, including local production of health and wellbeing stories, to reach the hearts and minds

HT&E has executed a round of redundancies on its own management staff as well as those at ARN.

Under a new staffing plan, chief revenue officer Tony Kendall and partnerships director Greg Tremain will exit the company, as a result of HT&E selling component company Adshel to Ooh! Media.

Current ARN-Melbourne/Adelaide commercial director Peter Whitehead is now promoted to chief commercial officer, with incumbent CCO Emma-Jayne Owens stepping down. She was hired for the post in 2017.

Mason Rook is also redundant as commercial director for ARN Sydney and Brisbane operations.

“These changes are a result of our objectives to optimise the cost structure, reduce corporate costs and ultimately set the business up for ongoing operational effectiveness and further growth,” explained HT&E CEO/managing director Ciaran Davis.

“ARN underpins HT&E as a market leading radio business and I’m looking forward to working with all our team to achieve ARN’s

Presenter Dylan Alcott is now in action with the Hit Network.

He is slated to work the Weekend Breakfast show with Tanya Hennessy and Angus O’Loughlin. Alcott recently finished two years at Triple J.

Hit Network content head Gemma Fordham admits it took some time to negotiate Alcott making the jump.

“I’ve been keen to get Dylan in the Hit family for some time now – finally he said yes! Dylan is a sensational broadcaster and all-round brilliant guy. I’m really excited about this show and I believe Australia will love waking up with Dylan, Tanya and Angus every weekend,” she said.

Stay tuned with Alcott on Twitter @DylanAlcott.

NewsCorp Australia’s NewsLocal community newspaper division has started 2019 with a different look and feel for its publications under a new branding campaign.

Under the revamp, 14 community newspapers (pictured) have been changed into tabloid format with a masthead under a common font. The change required several months’ research, including reader feedback, advertiser consultations, and upgrades to the printing presses.

The branding component is centred around the tagline “Get Closer With Your Local,” which is based on a community’s pride in a local newspaper being their prime voice.

“While the size of our publications is changing, our commitment to our local communities is not. In the years ahead we will continue to be a trusted, proud voice in our community, advocating on behalf of our readers,” said NewsLocal publisher John McGourty.

New Zealand company Mediaworks is set to debut its new channel, Magic Talk, on January 19, 2019, under 702 AM in Auckland.

For Magic Talk, Duncan Garner, Mark Richardson, and Amanda Gillies start off the day with The AM Show from 6AM to 9AM. Former TVNZ mainstay Peter Williams takes the wheel until 12 noon when Sean Plunkett goes into the afternoon booth until 3PM.

Ryan Bridge has his drive show going from 3PM until Newshub goes on simulcast at 6PM. Leah Panapa has her 7PM-11PM primetime show. Tony Amos takes up the graveyard shift from midnight to 6AM.

Magic Talk will also feature Rural Exchange and Home and Garden on the weekend schedule.