What this meant for broadcasters at home was not only a local face to put on the air, but also more of a reason for doing so.
Updated at 8.35am GMT 8.11am GMT Julia Baird on a remarkable day in Australian politics Oliver Laughland has spoken to the broadcaster and author Julia Baird about what today's leadership spill means for Australian politics.
He told the Irish broadcaster, RTE: "We will have to break that news to them and we will also be explaining what that means for them into the future.
The outcome in Houston, which could spill over to other places, including New York City, will be closely watched for what it could mean for future negotiations between broadcasters and cable operators and how networks might use the growth of satellite television service as leverage.
The spread of niche channels means smaller audiences for broadcasters, and thus less money to spend on reporters.
There is no precise definition of what "fit and proper" means for a broadcaster, but a "series of questions" will be asked about the people who apply for the license.
Besides, fragmented viewing behaviour means that broadcasters need to look away from traditional advertising models for new sources of revenue, so why not perfume?
In practice, the cultural exception means broadcasters must meet quotas for French music and television programming, for example, and prices for books are set by regulators.
At the same time, cable channels are increasingly emulating the "broad" aspects of what the broadcasters do by picking up series meant for wider audiences.
As The Associated Press pointed out, "The online reaction to Costas' segment was swift, with many people criticizing the broadcaster for expressing his personal views on a program meant for entertainment".
