Catie Low

LESS than two hours north of Perth is a stretch of coast that’s on the verge of a major tourism redevelopment.Accessible only by four-wheel drive, the long, white beaches and clear blue waters have remained virtually untouched for generations.

SOME of the sparkle fell from the silver screen in Australia last month following the successful bid by Television & Media Services for the Media Entertainment Group, effectively creating a monopoly in cinema advertising.

THE Brand Agency’s successful bid for the $5 million Burswood Resort Casino account is a hard blow for both Marketforce and the Shorter Group.

THE view from the driver’s seat of a taxi on a busy Friday night provides an interesting insight into human nature.Amorous couples, lonely drunks and abusive or even violent customers take their place in the back seat of the car.

A WAVE of positive announcements and a firm commitment from the Government have swept aside the dark clouds that have hung over the tourism industry since the election.

THE State Government may not achieve the $6 million worth of savings through the posting of annual reports online because of a failure to consult with the local industryOnline publications will still incur the big preproduction

SADLY, the long lunch seems to have wound up some time ago. But wining and dining still play an important role in the media and marketing industries, although now more than ever the headache that follows has more to do with tax than wine.

AN old barrel store at Leeuwin Estate has been put to work as the new home for one of Australia’s most impressive collections of contemporary Australia artThe gallery, housed beneath the Leeuwin Estate Restaurant

PPR Australia has bought local public relations firm RHK as part of a major shift in the public relations scene in Perth.The move follows the announcement that PPR WA has stuck a $600,000 deal with the CHROME Global Group.

A GOOD business plan and a successful online venture were not enough to save Giraffe Online or former editor Robert Taylor from the ongoing fallout from the tech crash.

THE final countdown has begun. With the great stair climb now dauntingly close, fear has given way to real concern about my competitive ability.

OVERWHELMING demand for flights out of South Africa for the international Rugby Union test match between the Wallabies and Springboks in Perth in August has forced Qantas to divert an international flight through Perth.

A DRAMATIC facelift proposed for one of Perth’s oldest sports clubs has put former tourism chief Shane Crockett back in the spotlight, sharing centre court with tennis great John Alexander.

RED FM’s $4.5 million acquisition of the North West Radio Network last week has stolen the spotlight from another major development in the regional radio market, which will give the population of the Mid West access to local

THE team at Access 31 has made a decision to seek legal advice in a bid to maintain their brand recognition and growing audience numbers across Perth.

THE revival of a classic television quiz show and a fishing show developed for women to enjoy are just a couple of ideas that have struck a chord with WA audiences keen to switch onto locally produced programs.

MONKEYS and music may evoke images of organ grinders on street corners, but clever marketing, corporate investment and a bold new vision for the Perth Zoo means the zoo’s colourful residents increasingly are being used to promote

CHANNEL Seven Perth might just have found the answer to surviving winter 2002 without the footy.

WITH our supermarket shelves increasingly filled with goods flying the Aust-ralian flag, one of the key companies behind this patrio-tic marketing push is taking its buy local message to investors through a public float.

IF you’re a little confused about digital television, datacasting, the digital broadcasting Act, interactivity or any number of technolgoical terms being bandied about by the media, rest assured … you’re not alone.

AS we approach the half-way point of the 2001 Australian Football League season, intense local media focus on the Docker’s dismal season has overshadowed the high level negotiations taking place behind the screen.

THE embattled Australian Tax Office could be looking to the cosmetics counter to sort out its ailing client relations, including dealings with taxpayers.

MOST shoppers have probably never heard of Kevin McQuay, but if you mention Big Kev, everyone seems to know the cleaning products and the buy Australian message.

NATIONAL online employment solutions provider Seek Communications is preparing to clean up the profile of another infamous Australian personality with the launch of new television advertisement later this year.

INTERNET radio in Australia is struggling to keep its head above water with the demise of Austereo’s live audio stream and the threat of lengthy litigation by voiceover talent similar to that which has paralysed the US market.

WESTRALIA Airports Corpor-ation is hoping to secure a deal with Virgin Blue to service the WA market by utilising existing infrastructure originally developed for Compass Airlines.

A SIMPLE remote control device and a black box are poised to empower millions of viewers across the nation and radically change the face of television advertising forever.

LOCAL publishing group Consolidated Business Media has taken the plunge into the competitive women’s magazine market with the launch of the quarterly publication Perth Woman.

DESPITE widespread criticism in the media, Network Ten’s Big Brother series is proving a winner with audiences and advertisers alike.

IONA Technologies’ Perth office has axed the research and development arm of its business as part of more than 175 redundancies worldwide.

FAMILY responsibilities are shaping up as the next discrimination front line, substantially widening the pool of employees likely to take such cases, just as business was coming to grips with this highly emotive issue.

MAJOR additions to Network Ten’s sports programs, including the AFL from season 2002, has prompted a management split between news and sport.