Don't let self-serving News Corp frame the debate on our ABC

Date November 29, 2014 - 12:15AM
Martin Flanagan

The battle for the ABC is a battle for the centre of Australian society. As Coalition members with rural seats now know, the rhetoric about the ABC being an enclave for Greens and the hard left is simply not true. The ABC has broad support.

The first thing to be said about the ABC is that there is such a thing as quality in the media. Anyone who tries to raise a defence of the ABC on the grounds of quality gets shouted down as a mouthpiece of the Greens and the left, the idea being that you support the ABC only because the ABC supports your politics. This is another attempt to mislead.

No media outlet is perfect but some are better than others. In Britain, no one on any side of politics would seriously argue that The Times, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, is not a better quality newspaper than The Sun, also owned by News Corp. The Sun, it is hoped, is better than the now-defunct News of the World, also owned by News Corp. For an understanding of how the criminal practice of phone hacking grew out of that newspaper's culture, read Nick Davies' book, Hack Attack.

I support the ABC because it is better in crucial areas such as news and current affairs than its commercial competitors. Some people will argue loudly with that, but polls show that the ABC is the most trusted news source in Australia. The BBC is the most trusted in the world. Last year, in a tweet, Rupert Murdoch described the BBC as a "massive taxpayer-funded mouthpiece for tiny circulation leftist Guardian".

Murdoch is possibly the most successful right-wing radical in the world. At Oxford University, where he smarted against the sense of inferiority projected upon him as a colonial, he had a bust of Lenin in his room. Rupert is one of those left-wing radicals who morphs into a right-wing radical and embraces conservative Catholicism for spiritual ballast.

Murdoch publicly champions two freedoms: freedom of expression and free markets. The worth of the first of these freedoms is acknowledged universally; the second is intensely disputed. Nonetheless, his journals – in this country, particularly The Australian – act as vehicles for his beliefs.

The government-funded ABC, by its very existence, offends Murdoch's free market beliefs, a position shared by other right-wing ideologues. But the ABC also operates in valuable markets Murdoch wants. The problem for the right-wing radical in Australia on this issue is that public sentiment is not with him. Hence, The Australian's relentless campaign against the ABC which has the character of a medieval siege and succeeds in confusing a simple issue.

The ABC, an institution valued by many Australians, is under attack from an international media corporation which is dominated by a man who traded his Australian passport for an American one to further his business interests. In between is a Prime Minister who hops about on policy matters like a kangaroo with a bushfire in the next paddock.

The issue of how ABC management has chosen to make the cuts imposed upon it is a legitimate matter of debate. All country services need to be restored. Integral to the ABC's identity and raison d'etre is the fact that it reaches and services the whole of Australia.

I fully expect the News Corp blitzkrieg against the ABC to continue unabated. News Corp has the right to pursue its legitimate business interests, but those of us who believe the ABC is an Australian institution with a creditable history also have the right to protest. Something is being taken from us, our children and their children, not a perfect service but the one we most trusted.

Martin Flanagan is a senior writer at The Age.

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/dont-let-selfserving-news-corp-frame-the-debate-on-our-abc-20141128-11vf0i.html

There is a politics thread already, Joffa.

Lewis report on ABC canvasses role for minister in directing how cuts be made

Date November 28, 2014 - 11:30PM 72 reading now

Read later



Anne Davies and Mark Kenny


EXCLUSIVE

The federal government would gain new powers to set out what it expects from the ABC, raising fears of political interference in the national broadcaster, under a recommendation of the confidential Lewis review.

And some services now provided for free may attract a user charge as the government looks to rein in costs and clip the ABC's wings.

The Lewis review into the ABC and SBS has recommended the Minister for Communications issue each broadcaster with "a statement of the government's expectations" relating to "financial management and transparency".

A leaked copy, obtained by Fairfax Media, also reveals Peter Lewis identified a number of efficiency measures that have not been taken up by the ABC or SBS, which would be highly controversial with viewers and within the broadcast industry.

These include outsourcing most of the ABC's production, scrapping the retransmission of the ABC and the SBS on Foxtel's cable services (which could have implications for viewers with poor reception), scrapping digital radio and charging for the ABC's iView service.

The proposed "statement of the government's expectations" will fuel suspicions of potential political interference in editorial policy given the Coalition's well documented hostility to the broadcaster's approach.

In February this year, Prime Minister Tony Abbott used a radio interview in Sydney to complain, arguing "a lot of people feel at the moment that the ABC instinctively takes everyone's side but Australia's".

Greens senator Scott Ludlam said the suggestion "really crosses the line, especially with all the 'Team Australia' talk Mr Abbott has engaged in".

As the debate over the ABC's announced cuts continues to cause angst within the Coalition, notably for members from rural areas, Mr Turnbull is expected to release the Lewis report on Monday, when Senate committees hold more hearings.

In his speech announcing a cut of $207 million over four years from the ABC 10 days ago Mr Turnbull made an oblique reference to the controversial proposal. "An interesting insight from the efficiency study was that the ABC and SBS boards would benefit from a clearer understanding of the government's budget priorities and the outcomes that the government is seeking from its annual investment of taxpayers' money," he said

The proposal has been raised privately with the ABC board, which is understood to be strongly opposed to this level of intervention because it fears directions on where cuts should be made would amount to editorial intervention.

The Lewis report acknowledged that "a ministerial statement of expectations would be controversial and could give rise to concerns that the government is intervening in the ABC and SBS for political reasons".

But the report went on to say that such a statement "would assist boards to clearly understand the efficiency and financial outcomes the government is seeking".


The minister already has power under the ABC and SBS Acts to bring policy considerations to the attention of the board. This has mainly been used in relation to industrial relations matters.

The Lewis recommendation appears to contemplate a mechanism where the minister can direct the national broadcaster on a more granular level, including where cuts should be made.

Senator Ludlam said he was mystified by the role of the Nationals in the ABC funding controversy because it was "always obvious" that regional services would be trimmed if cuts were made.

"That's why you have a national broadcaster, so not every decision is made on profit and loss critieria but on social needs also," he said.

Other highlights of the report are:

* A strong preference towards outsourcing programming production. The reason why the ABC spends a much higher proportion of its budget on staff is that it makes a higher proportion of its programming in-house than the commercial networks. The Lewis report found that outsourcing production facilities would save $0.4 million a year and $90 million in capital costs (the cost of studios) but would cost $21.6 million.

* A recommendation that the ABC and SBS get out of digital radio and instead build up streaming on the internet and mobile. This would save $3.8 million a year for the ABC and $2.1 million for SBS, though it would cost $20 million to implement. The move would deeply upset the commercial radio industry, which has made big investments in digital radio and would require legislation.

* Charging for iView. The report suggested this service should be "monetised" by charging after a short period of free access, particularly as its popularity meant the bandwitdth cost would increase rapidly.

* Ceasing retransmission of the ABC and SBS on Foxtel. This would save $6 million a year for the broadcasters, but the ABC is committed until 2017 and SBS warned termination might affect its income earning channel, World movies.

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/lewis-report-on-abc-canvasses-role-for-minister-in-directing-how-cuts-be-made-20141128-11w5ja.html

Thank you for your observation.

I really think this needs it's own thread....cuts to Aunty affect us all

ABC sacks Quentin Dempster

DateNovember 28, 2014
Anna Patty


Quentin Dempster to go out with a 'bang'

Sacked host of ABC 7.30 NSW told viewers on Friday night next week will be the final edition as the national broadcaster cuts local TV current affairs shows.


When veteran ABC broadcaster, Quentin Dempster, says "bye-bye" in his Queensland, boy-from-the-bush way next Friday night, it will be for the last time.

After more than 30 years with the national public broadcaster, Dempster told viewers on Friday night that he plans to go out with a "bang".

"Next Friday will be the final edition of 7.30 NSW," he said.

"I will be leaving the ABC after 30 years to return to the private sector. It has been an honour to work with Australia's great and unique public broadcaster."

The ABC is abolishing local TV current affairs programs including 7.30 NSW.

"I think the ABC is making a big mistake in axing these shows and will have to revisit the deficiency in future years," Dempster said.

Within two hours of ABC managing director Mark Scott's announcement to staff on Monday that 400 jobs would be lost around the country, director of news, Kate Torney, called Dempster into her office to tell him he had no future role at the ABC.

"I will be among 300 staff retrenched in the first round of the ABC's cuts," he said.

"This is a very emotional time for me.

"I have worked extremely hard for the ABC to faithfully use the opportunity it has given me."

On why he was being "sacked", Dempster says he "only ever sought to uphold the integrity of Her Majesty's institutions, the Parliament and the police, in Queensland and NSW."

"That's not left-wing," he said. "There could be nothing more conservative.

"Why isn't Rupert Murdoch being sacked for phone hacking, invasion of privacy, intimidating the politicians, his tax havens and all those tits on page three? Just asking."

In what has been described as a "Hunger Games" approach to staff culling, colleagues with similar skill sets have been grouped into small pools and told that some within that group will be among 300 to lose their jobs by Christmas Eve.

"This has been a brutal and bruising process for all affected people," Dempster said.

"During this week I have been assisting and comforting staff as they go through what's called a 'pooling' process and made to scramble among each other for available jobs in skills categories."

Ms Torney confirmed she had met with Dempster on Monday to inform him he would have no future position with the ABC.

"It is with deep regret that we lose someone with the experience, integrity and reputation of Quentin and viewers and colleagues alike will greatly miss the enormous contribution he has made over such a long period," she said.

Ms Torney said Dempster's "deep understanding of the mechanics of government and his extensive contacts on all sides of politics have put 7.30 NSW - and before that Stateline - on top of issues in NSW and ahead of the pack in reporting on them".

"The public is aware of Quentin's outstanding track record as an award-winning journalist," she said.

"What they don't see is his commitment behind the scenes, mentoring, encouraging and guiding colleagues. He is passionate about the craft and role of journalism and is always keen to share his experience with those around him."

Dempster, 63, hosted 7.30 Report until he vacated the chair for the late Andrew Olle in 1994. It was was turned into a national program hosted by Kerry O'Brien in 1996.

He later became a part-time presenter of a program called Stateline at 6pm on Fridays.

"With executive producer Murray Travis [the late Paul Lyneham's producer] we worked hard to make the program relevant even with a timeslot which put us up against Brian Henderson's 6pm news on Nine and the Channel 7 news with Ross Symonds," Dempster said.

Stateline moved to a 7.30pm Friday slot in 2001 and was renamed as 7.30 NSW in 2009.

"Since then the show was seen to make a very valuable contribution to localism, even though I have been agitating since 1997 to have local current affairs returned to a nightly schedule, preferably at 6.30pm weeknights [with 10 minutes] of local news," Dempster said. "While the ABC acknowledged there was a deficiency the reinvestment could not be approved because of cost."

In 1992, Dempster was awarded the Order of Australia for services to the media, "particularly in the fields of journalism and current affairs". Ten years later, he was honoured with a Walkley Award for the "most outstanding contribution to journalism".

Dempster started his journalism career in newspapers and was chief political reporter at The Telegraph in Brisbane before joining the ABC in 1984. Within three years he was fronting 7.30 Report in Queensland.

While covering the Fitzgerald inquiry into police and political corruption, he wrote daily re-enactments and analysis to break down its complex evidence in a way that was easy for viewers to understand.

In 1990, after moving to Sydney to host 7.30 Report in NSW, he turned his attention to police corruption in NSW while covering the Wood royal commission.

He is the author of several books including Honest Cops, Whistleblowers and Death Struggle.

An active member of MEAA, the journalists' union, he was also a staff-elected director of the board of the ABC.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/abc-sacks-quentin-dempster-20141128-11voj4.html#ixzz3KRxWN6fO

Triple j was my entry point to the ABC having never watched/listened to it as a child... my

Now I religiously listen to ABC radio and get my news from the ABC news app.

Whether there needs to be as much programming to fill 3-4 tv channels is probably a fair debate but there is certainly a need for a national network of news and current affairs/investigative coverage.

Oh and peppa pig...

Bummed out they scrapped the Australia channel which was being shown across Asia. My daughter loved play school it was helpful with her English too.

Oh please, get a grip......been expanding at a unrealistic rate, and costing in excess of $1 billion a year, lets just make sure that the cuts don't effect the rural communities and they are targeted at the fat cats who are sucking the flesh off the bones

Get a VPN so you can access iView (though the libs want them to gimp that service a bit too).

Off topic but do the taiwanese channels offer a similar service (like CTV, TTV, CTS etc)?

Thanks for the heads up I hadn't heard about VPN/Iview before I'll defiantly be looking into it further. It's hard to be the sole source of English in an environment where everyone else speaks mandarin.

I'm not sure what CTV, TTV & CTS are but the Taiwanese free to air is pretty fantastic but the stuff in English isn't suitable for a 2 year old. There's a couple of hundred free to air channels the English channels include HBO and about 5 movie channels, CNN, Discovery, TLC, fox, softcore porn, a bunch of BBC channels and an American sport channel of the top of my head. The sport channels leave a bit to be desired it's mostly basketball, baseball & golf but you get the odd La Liga game & Starcraft tournaments which I enjoy.

ABC and SBS and their radio stations are the only channels of note here. The commercial ones are load of shit and it's deeply saddening that we are seeing them pillaged.

How much would the cuts affect your day to day life and any joe tax payer public ?

"They took our jerbs!"

Has thought that David and Margaret getting the chop might have been attributed to... :-k

well at a $billion a year it's out of control spending

Is it? How so?

I can't help but think that whoever is deleting all the posts in this thread has never heard of The Streisand Effect.

As tax payers we should support more $$$$ ?

With the ABC and SBS though you are providing a service that very few of the commercial channels do. I watch them because I am not bombarded by advertising, absurd "News" Stories, and because they provide far better online content which I stream very regularly.

What a $billion a year is getting us at the ABC/sbs:

- Funding local australian shows
- news which isn't decided by the super rich
- The future of online programming and streaming
- access to a multitude of programs for free, and I consider free not having to pay with my time to watch ads.
- Regional programing which is forgotten by the commercials. I find this part very important.
- An international service which was providing education, and building knowledge about australia overseas.

In the last couple of weeks the cuts have meant that Newcastle's ABC have had to down grade as they were reclassified from metropolitan to regional, losing 9 jobs, 8 full-time and one part-time. This is particularly frustrating because Newcastle ABC has twice the reach in numbers that Canberra does, however it maintained its "Metro" Status. Newcastle's local programming has made it one of the highest rating stations in the hunter. (11.8% of listeners actually, only beaten by the murdoch KOFM which had 16.4%)

It also means that another job pathway for students graduating from Newcastle University (The largest outside the capital cities) has been removed. With students having to look elsewhere for work.

As a tax payer I would much rather continue to fund the ABC at its current levels than lose significant portions of what I, and I am sure many others consider, to be an effective and efficient alternative to "shovedownyourthroatmedia"

Thanks Blackmac, good to read where the ABC actually does benefit/provide great service as it should in the first place, importantly Regional but also future employment opportunities, maybe not now what your reporting of but I'm sure still elsewhere around the country.
It definately serves a purpose to the nation but I'm sure their is expenditure that goes awol at the same time just as many gov depts, reduction forces every business to dot the i's cross the t's.
I've been advised by some the many radio stations they have some hardly have an audience for eg.

Most of the stink by the commercial conservative media is because they're moving so much into online content. Most can see this is where the future is and TV and Radio over the airwaves as a broadcast medium is going to die a death over the next 10 to 20 years. I know this will be misinterpreted but what I mean is that peoples' desire for more and more wireless data bandwidth will mean more and more of the broadcast spectrum is going to have to be sold off and dedicated to it. Especially now that there's the alternative to broadcast TV and Radio online this is inevitable.

Problem is that it brings them in competition with them more closely than ever though I'd suggest that ABC will always offer content that the commercials will never touch.

I would say 50% of what I watch is through the online medium, I have a connected system and watch a huge amount of iview and sbs on demand because they are the two that offer the best volume and diversity of full programming online. Importantly they offer it free! Without sign ups

Should also say that the ads that are on sbs on demand don't worry me. This is because I am choosing to watch what I want, not what the program director wants me to watch. I have chosen the program and so an ad (15sec mostly) every 10-15min is pretty good