🎭 Attention Grabbers (“look at me”)
Some journalists and media figures thrive on visibility. They are headline magnets, buzz merchants, and comedians keeping the nation entertained between crises.
- Ruby Cornish, ABC – High-energy lifestyle segments.
- Natasha Schapova, ABC – Digital creator & podcaster blending fashion and unfiltered takes.
- Sam Pang, Ten & Seven – The Front Bar co-host, cheeky banter master.
- Kamin Gock, ABC – On-the-ground drama reporter.
- Abbie Chatfield, LiSTNR & Ten – Election-year hot takes via influencer channels.
- Robert Irwin, Ten – Wildlife TV star & I’m a Celebrity host, popularity king.
- Samantha Armytage, Seven – Golden Bachelor host; ratings convert entertainment into national chatter.
These figures command attention not just through talent but timing, bringing audiences together in moments of amusement, scandal, or surprise.
🗞️ Agenda Setter (“listen to me”)
Beyond attention, some voices steer the conversation. They influence headlines, ministerial responses, and even political strategy.
- Karl Stefanovic, Nine – Live chaos and prime-time reach.
- Kyle Sandilands, KIIS FM – Shock jock & kingmaker whose feuds shape headlines.
- Andrew Clennell, Sky News – Insider leaks & rapid-fire analysis.
- Leigh Sales, ABC / The Age – Podcasts and quarterly interviews moving markets.
- Patricia Karvelas, ABC RN – 8:10 am ministerial grillings clipped everywhere by 9 am.
Attention-Grabbing Agenda Setter
Karl Stefanovic (Nine) and Samantha Armytage (Seven) aren’t just ratings magnets; their combined reach puts them in the rare club of Attention-Grabbing Agenda Setters, personalities who can flip a light-hearted segment into tomorrow’s national talking point.
Freya Leach was being groomed for an Attention-Grabbing Agenda Setter role until a bacon-and-prophet joke derailed the rise. source
🧠 Thought Leaders (“think like me“)
Finally, some voices are followed for insight rather than spectacle. These analysts and commentators shape elite debates and grassroots discussions alike.
- Laura Tingle, ABC – Forensic political dissection.
- Sharri Markson, Sky News – Election & security analysis shaping elite debates.
- David Speers, ABC – Insiders host framing political futures.
- Matt Bevan, ABC – Podcaster decoding world threats with sharp wit.
- Peta Credlin, Sky News – Commentary shaping reform and international flashpoints.
- Jordan Shanks (Friendlyjordies), YouTube – Viral exposés driving grassroots scrutiny.
Agenda-Setting Thought Leaders
Laura Tingle, David Speers, and Peta Credlin sit above the daily noise as analysts whose columns, interviews, and monologues don’t merely echo the debate, they author it.
