PUBLIC BROADCASTING – AUSTRALIA

Guthrie’s fear of looking like idiot

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Original article by Deborah Cornwall, Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 26-Sep-18

The ABC’s former MD Michelle Guthrie defended her performance in the role at a meeting on 13 September at which she was asked to resign. She told ABC chairman Justin Milne and board member Donny Walford that she had made much progress in a transformation program, including a restructuring that significantly cut the public broadcaster’s management ranks. Guthrie asked to be allowed to remain in the role for at least another year so she could complete the transformation program. She may pursue legal action over her sacking only halfway through her five-year term.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEW CHAMBERS, JOHNSON WINTER AND SLATTERY, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Michelle Guthrie sacked from ABC managing director role halfway through term

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Original article by
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 25-Sep-18

ABC chairman Justin Milne says the leadership style of MD Michelle Guthrie contributed to the ABC board’s decision to sack her after less than three years in the role. Milne has stressed that the public broadcaster was not subject to any pressure from federal politicians to remove Guthrie, while Liberal Senator Eric Abetz says the ABC’s board should explain the reasons for her dismissal. The ABC will consider both internal and external candidates to replace Guthrie; the director of entertainment and specialist content, David Anderson, will become acting MD until a successor is appointed. Guthrie has indicated that she is considering her legal options.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SKY PLC, STAR TV

Cash hit halts ABC’s ideas plan

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Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 17-Sep-18

The ABC has put the second round of its Grand Ideas Grant scheme on hold until 2019, in order to focus on delivering the first round of projects to be funded via the initiative. The public broadcaster announced the Great Ideas Grant scheme in March 2017, as part of its ABC Content Fund. To date the ABC has launched only four of the nine GIG projects that it announced in mid-2017, although another three are at the pilot stage. Several of the GIG projects have attracted criticism over claims that they provide similar content to that of the ABC’s commercial rivals.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, MAMAMIA.COM.AU PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, JUNKEE MEDIA PTY LTD, KINDERLING, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Manhunt for intruder after major security break at ABC HQ

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Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: Online : 10-Sep-18

Sydney police are investigating a security breach at the ABC’s Ultimo headquarters on 5 September. The intruder was able to enter the building by following an ABC employee through security gates at the rear. He assaulted a female staff member and then gained access to one of the ABC’s radio studios, causing it to have to cancel a live broadcasting and switch to pre-recorded programming. The ABC closed the foyer at its Ultimo building to public access in June 2017, following a risk assessment by the Australian Federal Police and advice from a private security firm.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

‘China’s a sovereign country’: PM unfazed by ABC censoring

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Original article by
The New Daily – Page: Online : 3-Sep-18

China has cut off access to the ABC’s website and its apps, claiming that they have breached its internet rules and regulations. Access to the website and apps was cut off on 22 August, the day after the federal government announced it would prevent two Chinese firms from taking part in the roll-out of Australia’s 5G mobile network. However, sources within the Chinese government suggest it is unlikely the two events are linked. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was not bothered by China’s censorship of the ABC.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY LIMITED

Call to rewrite ABC, SBS charters

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Original article by Darren Davidson, Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 3 : 25-Jul-18

News Corp Australia has used its submission to an inquiry into the competitive neutrality of the ABC and SBS to argue that taxpayer funding gives them an advantage in the distribution of news content online. The media giant has also called for the public broadcasters’ charters to be overhauled to ensure a "level-playing field" with regard to online news content. In addition, News Corp argues that the ABC should not compete with commercial rivals for contracts to supply news content to third parties.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, SKY NEWS, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

ABC pitches for massive digital grant

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Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 28 : 23-Jul-18

The ABC is seeking a one-off funding boost to prepare it for the eventual termination of traditional broadcasting services and its shift to a pure-play online media company. As part of the public broadcaster’s online-only future, it proposes to establish a database containing its entire archive of audio-visual content. ABC chairman Justin Milne notes that it spends about $200m a year on broadcast infrastructure and spectrum, but it will no longer incur these costs when it ultimately shifts to an online-only platform.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE, AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL, OZEMAIL LIMITED, TELSTRA BIG POND

Staff in shock as SBS boss resigns

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Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 3 : 18-Jul-18

Michael Ebeid will step down as the managing director of SBS in October, after more than seven years in the role. The public broadcaster launched its Food Network channel and the SBS On Demand streaming service during his tenure, while it was accused of breaching its charter by targeting commercial TV audiences with the launch of the SBS Viceland channel. Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has praised Ebeid’s contribution to SBS.

CORPORATES
SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, VICELAND, IBM AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TWO WAY LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Fifield reassures Aunty: we’re not out to destroy you

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Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 3 : 12-Jul-18

ABC chairman Justin Milne has rejected calls by the commercial media sector for the ABC to exit the digital sphere, arguing that doing so would jeopardise the ABC’s future. He also noted that diversity of media voices in Australia has declined in recent years, and this trend would increase without a viable and competitive ABC. Milne added that Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has assured him that privatising the ABC is not on the Federal Government’s agenda.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN AUSTRALIA, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, APPLE INCORPORATED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

ABC, SBS distort market: Fairfax

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Original article by Dana McCauley
The Australian – Page: 24 : 9-Jul-18

Fairfax Media has used its submission to the competitive neutrality inquiry to criticise the ABC for aggressively promoting and expanding its online digital news service at the expense of commercial rivals. Fairfax has also warned that the sustainability of commercial news journalism is being threatened by the ABC’s growing push to secure content supply deals with third parties. Free TV Australia has noted that the ABC and SBS have an advantage over commercial networks as they are not subject to local content quotas.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, COMMERCIAL RADIO AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED