MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

ABC defamation bill hits $1.9 million over four years

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Original article by Calum Jaspan
The Age – Page: Online : 9-Aug-23

The ABC has disclosed its legal costs arising from defamation actions in recent years. Documents filed with the federal government show that the ABC spent $1.94m on legal costs over the four years to 2022-23. This includes legal settlements totalling $753,450 in 2020-21 and 2021-22, and external costs of $1.2m for the two financial years. However, the figures exclude data for the 2019-20 and 2022-23 financial years, as the public broadcaster was only required to disclose its legal costs for years in which there were three or more settlements.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Most loved Matildas smash Ashes

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 2-Aug-23

More than 2.4 million Australians watched the Matildas defeat Canada to advance to the next round of the FIFA Women’s World Cup on Monday night. The match, which was broadcast by the Seven Network and on its 7Plus streaming service, was the first women’s sporting event in Australia to attract an average TV audience of more than two million. The match also had a total reach of 4.7 million viewers, which comprises people who watch at least one minute of content on TV or 15 seconds online. In contrast, the Nine Network’s coverage of the first session of the final day of the fifth Ashes Test attracted just 926,000 viewers; an average of 1.2 million viewers watched later sessions of the match.

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MATILDAS, FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Andrews blindside puts Commonwealth Games broadcast deal on ice

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Original article by Calum Jaspan
The Age – Page: Online : 19-Jul-23

The Seven Network was the official broadcaster of the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and 2022, and it has first-refusal rights to the next two Games. Sources have indicated that Seven had been close to finalising a new broadcasting rights deal, but the negotiations have been put on hold due to uncertainty about the 2026 Games following the Victorian government’s decision to terminate its contract. The source has indicated that the 2026 Games will have significantly less appeal for Seven if they are held in a different timezone.

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SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

‘Grey-BC’: most viewers of 7pm news are over 55

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Original article by Mark Di Stefano
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 17-Jul-23

The ABC’s internal data shows that audiences for its news and current affairs programs are heavily skewed toward older people. More than 80 per cent of people who watch its evening news bulletin are aged 55+, and two-thirds are over the age of 65; in contrast, less than eight per cent of viewers are below the age of 40. Likewise, 75 per cent of the average audience for Q&A is aged 55+ and 70 per cent of Insiders’ viewers are over the age of 55. A spokesman for the ABC contends that the audience shift to older viewers for TV news content is an industry-wide trend; he adds that the ABC’s digital news service is popular among younger audiences.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

ABC hires cultural guidance advisers

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 3 : 5-Jul-23

The ABC has released a 30-page Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Plan. Amongst other things, the public broadcaster will appoint three ‘cultural guidance advisers’ by June 2024; their role will include ensuring that culturally informed decisions are made when producing content. The inclusion plan, which is published every three years, also includes an anti-racism and discrimination statement, with the ABC set to launch a targeted anti-racism and discrimination campaign by the end of 2023. The ABC recently retrenched 120 employees as part of a restructuring program.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

ABC board lays down law on radio fix

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 18 : 3-Jul-23

The ABC’s senior management has been urged to take action to address the decline in the audience share of its radio stations. The ratings of both ABC Radio and Radio National have fallen sharply in the last 18 months or so, and an internal advisory group has made a number of proposals aimed at addressing this, including changes to its on-air presenters and an overhaul of internal reporting structures within the public broadcaster. The advisory group’s report was tabled at the ABC’s recent board meeting in Perth.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, ABC RADIO, RADIO NATIONAL

Backlash to ABC cuts grows as artists, authors and performers urge rethink

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Original article by Linda Morris
The Age – Page: Online : 28-Jun-23

Live Performance Australia has written to ABC chair Ita Buttrose urging the public broadcaster to reconsider its decision to disband its stand-alone arts team as part of a restructuring program. The peak body for the live entertainment industry contends that scrapping the two specialist editorial roles will have a "damaging impact" on the coverage of Australian arts and culture. The National Association for the Visual Arts’ executive director Penelope Benton says the move does make sense given that interest in the arts in Australia has never been higher.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, LIVE PERFORMANCE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS LIMITED

B is for broadcast: Rowland’s ABC dig

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Original article by James Madden, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 3 : 21-Jun-23

The ABC continues to attract scrutiny over a restructuring that includes shifting its focus to a ‘digital-first’ model. The issue was raised in the federal government’s caucus meeting on Tuesday, with Communications Minister Michelle Rowland noting that the ‘B’ in ABC stands for broadcasting. A spokesman for Rowland later clarified her comments, stating that she had told caucus that the ABC has made it clear that broadcasting remains important as it prepares for a future time when most audiences with engage with it via digital channels. The ABC’s restructuring will include the loss of about 120 jobs.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

ABC job cuts: corporation to make as many as 100 roles redundant amid major restructure

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Original article by Amanda Meade
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 15-Jun-23

The ABC has declined to comment on reports that it is set to announce job cuts ahead of the public broadcaster’s restructuring that takes effect on 1 July. ABC MD David Anderson recently flagged the likelihood of job losses when the three existing divisions are scrapped in favour of two divisions focused on news and content. There is speculation that up to 100 jobs will be cut in the ABC’s biggest restructuring since 2017. The restructuring is part of the ABC’s transition to a digital-first model.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

ABC Radio listeners in key city tune out

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 3 : 7-Jun-23

GfK’s latest radio ratings survey shows that the ABC’s audience share across all timeslots in Melbourne has fallen by 0.2 percentage points to 6.0 per cent. This compares with an audience share of 10.1 per cent in December 2021. ABC Radio Melbourne has shed an average of 26,000 listeners in the latest survey period, with the broadcaster’s flagship morning, afternoon and drive timeslots recording a loss of audience share. In contrast, ABC Radio Sydney’s audience share rose across the key timeslots; the ABC’s audience share in Adelaide and Perth also rose, but its audience fell across all timeslots in Brisbane. The GfK ratings include streaming data for the first time.

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GFK PTY LTD, ABC RADIO, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION