Nine CO Hugh Marks says the impact of the coronavirus on the media group will be substantial and far reaching.
In an email to staff, he urged them to accept a new normal.
"The world has changed," he says.
"All ad-funded media have been hit by the economic shock caused by COVID-19 and this has far reaching impacts on the way we operate our businesses – including a focus on managing costs and limiting our investment in the short-term."
However, he and Nine's leadership team have been impressed with how, across all of Nine’s various businesses, staff have addressed the challenges presented by COVID-19.
"I’m proud of how our media brands have all stepped up and showcased the strength of our content and our people," he says.
The full text of the note to employees:
Dear Colleagues,
The impacts of this global pandemic have been profound in both a health and economic sense, but I and the whole Nine leadership team have been impressed with how, across all of Nine’s various businesses, our people have addressed the challenges presented by COVID-19.
In particular, I’m proud of how our media brands have all stepped up and showcased the strength of our content and our people. Not only do we have unique breadth – across television, radio, publishing and digital – but in a commercial sense it is this diversity that positions us well to trade through current events.
This is not to say we are immune to the downturn. Far from it. The impact will be substantial and far reaching. We must accept our new normal – the world has changed. All ad-funded media have been hit by the economic shock caused by COVID-19 and this has far reaching impacts on the way we operate our businesses – including a focus on managing costs and limiting our investment in the short-term.
I know many of you have been asked to take steps to reduce leave balances or find other steps to reduce the cost structure of your business units. All these are important to our long-time viability and I thank you for your efforts here.
Also each of us must take personal responsibility for managing the difficult balance of remaining productive while many of us work from home. Leadership doesn’t just come from the top. It’s the little things that we each do to proactively address new challenges and solve problems, that will make a significant difference as we continue to trade through what is a heightened period of uncertainty and financial challenge.
And it is likely this will be our new normal for some time to come. With these constant changes and added pressures, we must be more mindful than ever of how we interact with our colleagues – choosing to support and uplift one another to do our jobs to the best of our abilities.
Now is the time to think creatively and redesign what we do to suit the unique environment in which we are now operating. This will be key in the coming months as it will be our ability to work differently through this period that will define us, define our brands, and fundamentally reshape Nine to be ready for whatever the longer-term impacts on our community and our economy are.
Nine is the sum of all of us and no one else knows our business better than we do, so if you have suggestions and thoughts that you feel could be of operational benefit, please don’t be afraid to speak up. While we are not able to predict the shape the future will take, we are able to get our business structurally ready to respond and prosper.
We all know that together we are stronger and better able to ride out this storm. I hope you all have a safe, quiet and peaceful holiday period over the break this weekend. Wash hands and keep your distance.
Cheers
Hugh
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