Are Media Editor Nicole Byers On “The New Bauer”, And Why It Continues To Support B&T’s Women In Media Awards

Just because COVID-19 reared its ugly head and disrupted life as we know it, life shouldn’t go on hold.

Exceptional work should be celebrated, and people should continue to be recognised for their outstanding contribution to the industry we all love and work in.

In many instances, social isolation has seen women pick up the brunt of home schooling, in addition to trying to keep their full time jobs – unfairly putting women at a disadvantage. There is also evidence to suggest women are more likely to be in contract roles and at greater risk of losing their jobs.

These are just a few of the reasons why, more than ever, B&T is incredibly excited about the 2020 Women in Media Awards, presented by one of our biggest and greatest supporters, Are Media.

Are Media has continued to support B&T and its WIM Awards for some time now, and in light of that, we wanted to chat to Are Media editor Nicole Byers (pictured) on the media company’s unwavering backing of the Awards, as well as a little insight into the new direction of the soon to be renamed group.

You’ve run two campaigns in the past to address issues facing women – both have been massive successes. Why is Are Media so passionate about supporting women? And can you let us in on what we can expect from the 2020 campaign? 

While I can’t share specific details about our activist agenda for 2020 at this stage, I can say we are tackling an issue that we at The Weekly are particularly passionate about and one that impacts as many as 1 in 4 women in this country. We believe it’s an issue that needs urgent attention, and as a company with a strong track record in agitating for and achieving change, I look forward to throwing the weight of The Weekly behind it wholeheartedly.

As with our “No GST on Gender” and “Stop Elder Financial Abuse” campaigns we will harness the great thought leadership work done by our Story 54 division along with the power of all our brands – reaching almost 6 in 10 Australians every month across print, social, digital, experiences – to achieve our goals. We have seen how Covid-19 is disproportionately impacting women, but the pandemic has also shown us how quickly politicians on all sides can rally together on important issues that improve lives. This gives me great confidence that we will once again succeed in having our message heard and in helping drive positive change.

Why is sponsoring B&T‘s Women in Media Awards so important to Are Media?

Women make up over 70% of our workforce, so naturally supporting and celebrating women in media is of vital importance to us as a business now and into the future. As a company we have shown we can passionately and successfully fight for equality and promote the voice of women across the country, but it’s equally important that we continue to champion women within our own industry.

What is the media industry getting right when it comes to gender equality? Where could it do better? 

I think we are continuing to have the right conversations about gender equality in the industry and, encouragingly, we are starting to see the hard work done in this area over the past few years translate to actual change. We are getting closer to pay parity in like-for-like media roles, and seeing more and more worthy women elevated to top jobs.

However, there is no denying that we still have a way to go. Women are still significantly under represented at board level, and while they make up 60% of media agency personnel, women only hold 37% of all management roles. While this figure is slightly up on the national average across industries, it highlights the need to continue the good work being done.

Are Media is on the cusp of becoming a new entity – what is the general feeling around this new era for Are Media – soon to be named something else?

I can honestly say that there is a renewed energy within the business as we head into this next chapter. After what has been a challenging time across the industry, teams are now looking forward to helping craft and execute a strong new direction for the business.

While we have had to do some sharp pivoting in reaction to the downturn in the advertising market, our print brands have been experiencing strong retail and subscription sales and some of our digital sites have hit records numbers during the pandemic. It feels like we are now well positioned to harness the experience and support that comes with our new ownership to help drive the company on to a positive future.

Have you entered the Awards yet?

On-time entries have closed, but you can  submit your late entry here.

You can also get tickets to the event here, which will be held virtually on Wednesday 28 October 2020.

And, if you’d like more information, head to this website.

Other key information 

Thanks again to our amazing other sponsors!