Switched On: Conversations with influential women in the Australian media
John Wiley, $29.95 pb, 247 pp
Switched On: Conversations with influential women in the Australian media by Catherine Hanger
Switched On showcases the careers of twenty-nine ‘influential’ women who work in the media. Catherine Hanger, interviewer and former editor of Vogue Australia, believes that Switched On ‘connects two major spheres of influence in our society – the media and the women who work in it’ – and argues that the influence of these women is ‘very powerful indeed’. While the title promises ‘conversations’, Hanger, strangely, omits her questions. Perhaps she asked just one: ‘How did you become editor of Australian Women’s Weekly/an SBS news presenter/a film reviewer/a PR adviser to PBL/host of Media Watch?’
While mentors and networks clearly maketh the woman, ‘conversations’ can become reminiscent of gushing acceptance speeches and lists of names quickly become tedious. One significant name that pops up throughout the book is ‘Packer’. A story by the Australian Women’s Weekly editor-at-large, Lisa Wilkinson, illustrates the ease with which Kerry Packer wielded his power. Wilkinson initially preferred the ‘safety’ of the ‘cardigan-wearing Fairfax board’ to the editorship of Cleo, but agreed to meet the media mogul. Whisked away in a helicopter (flown by a future organ donor), she was delivered onto a helipad covered in a foot of bird-droppings and told she wouldn’t get lunch until she agreed to the job. The deal was done.
Continue reading for only $10 per month. Subscribe and gain full access to Australian Book Review. Already a subscriber? Sign in. If you need assistance, feel free to contact us.
Leave a comment
If you are an ABR subscriber, you will need to sign in to post a comment.
If you have forgotten your sign in details, or if you receive an error message when trying to submit your comment, please email your comment (and the name of the article to which it relates) to ABR Comments. We will review your comment and, subject to approval, we will post it under your name.
Please note that all comments must be approved by ABR and comply with our Terms & Conditions.