Today, “power” lists show the declining power of print, a new PR agency opens with interesting connections, Russell Howcroft on why the flag is a poor ad for Australia, and much more.

Premier makes the power list

Premier Jay Weatherill has been named the 12th most “overtly” powerful person in Australia.

However, the Australian Financial Review Magazine’s list – published today – has inadvertently provided yet another example of the fading relevance of print media.

The magazine’s “overt power” list has former Prime Minister Tony Abbott at number one, in a similar print deadline snafu that made the latest edition of the Australian Women’s Weekly an historical relic before it was even published. The Weekly has named Abbott’s long-term chief of staff Peta Credlin as the most powerful woman in Australia.

Both Abbott and Credlin lost their jobs last week.

The AFR magazine did attempt to fix the problem, quickly whacking new PM Malcolm Turnbull on the cover and including a special insert to reflect the new hierarchy.

But the glossy mag’s beautiful layouts still include Abbott in pole position, with Credlin at number three.

Weatherill comes in at 12, just ahead of Julie Bishop (which, again, is awkward), after he failed to make the ranking at all in 2014.

The magazine’s rationale for Weatherill’s inclusion is his newfound willingness to challenge traditional Labor thinking.

“For a Labor leader he’s been prepared to take unorthodox policy stands for the sake of his state’s economy,” the magazine wrote. “By raising the nuclear issue, calling for GST reform, proposing ending the half-hour time difference with the east, he’s shown a refreshing willingness to tackle sacred cows.”

NSW Premier Mike Baird was the only other state leader on the list, coming in at a surprisingly high number two.

The Press Gallery opens its doors

Adelaide newest PR outfit has been born – and it has notable connections.

The Press Gallery, headed up by former Ten news producer and Sunday Mail journalist Leisha Bond, has been formed by two associated consultancies – Metric and Property & Consulting.

Property & Consulting is the brainchild of former Property Council boss Nathan Paine and former Labor political adviser Matt Clemow, while marketing company Metric, run by Bec Marshall and Melanie Scott, is focused on the property sector.

Bond explained to Media Week that both of these associated companies were getting plenty of interest for general PR services. The Press Gallery was formed to fill this void.

Bond has been joined by former Ten news presenter and experienced journalist Belinda Heggen, who is running media training for The Press Gallery.

She’s pitching their very recent experience in working newsrooms as a point of difference.

“We thought a lot of the players are well-established and older, and there was room for a company that has current connections with the media,” Bond said. “The way newsrooms operate has transformed vastly in the past few years.”

Russel’s open advice

Network Ten management executive and Gruen regular Russel Howcroft showed again yesterday what a different character he is to other media high flyers.

Howcroft was at the SA Press Club lunch to spruik a new book – When it’s Right to be Wrong – and he’s continuing his practice of making his mobile phone number available to just about anyone.

He put the number on a slide at the beginning and end of his presentation, and invited anyone to call or text him with messages and ideas (not many people in the room seemed to be noting down the number – but a few did, including your columnist).

He gave a breezy, entertaining talk about the power of selling and the coming “renaissance” of television (but he would say that, wouldn’t he?), among other topics.

But one of his most interesting observations was about the Australian flag – and the New Zealand push to update its very similar national banner.

Flags, he argued, were an advertisement for a nation – and the Union Jack on the Kiwi and Australian flags sent the wrong message.

“I’ve always been worried that they’re going to get a new flag before we do. I’m actually quite serious – I desperately think we need a new flag,” he said.

“They’re going to do it; they’re going to have a vote on it. And it doesn’t surprise me that they’re going to get there first.

“They’re a creative country, a very innovative country, not particularly conservative, a very progressive country, and I think that they understand that the flag they’ve got, and the flag we’ve got, is an advertisement to the world that we’re a colony.

“If you see the flag as an ad – as I do – surely we’d want to change it?”

Searching for journalists made redundant

A collaborative university research project wants to hear from journalists in regional South Australia who have been made redundant.

The researchers from the New Beats project, a study of journalists made redundant after 2012, are having trouble tracking down local regional journalists who’ve lost their jobs in the past three years, including in the recent Fairfax Regional round of cuts in South Australia.

If you fit the category, get in touch via the research project’s blog here.

Naughty corner

The media spin around star Crow Patrick Dangerfield’s decision to leave Adelaide needs more than the few paragraphs we can spare in this column.

Suffice to say the way the saga played out in the media doesn’t make anyone look particularly good – the Adelaide media, the Crows, the AFL and the player himself. The Victorian media called it long ago – that Dangerfield would walk at the end of this season. Here in SA, the footy media was, generally, much more circumspect for reasons probably to do with the symbiotic relationship between journalists and the local AFL clubs.

It became clear this week that the Adelaide Football Club and Dangerfield himself had known before the finals that the All Australian midfielder had decided to leave. It took a report this week in Melbourne’s Age to reveal this, now obvious, truth.

Top of the class

Adelaide-based Classic FM presenter Julia Lester presented her final show last night after more than a decade in the Drive shift – and she was all class right to the end.

The ABC radio veteran, who will be replaced by an interstate announcer, had a farewell live broadcast last week, but continued for another four days presenting her show, which is a haven of peace and beauty in the noisy radio Drive shift.

She signed off last night with simple thanks to her colleagues at Classic FM.

“You’re a great bunch of talented, creative, knowledgeable, loyal, classical music tragics and what could be better?”

The final piece of music she played was John Tavener’s “Song of the the Angel”, performed by Jane Sheldon.

Listen to her final hour of radio here.

Media Week is published on Fridays.