PUBLIC BROADCASTING – AUSTRALIA

ABC plan to ramp up iView output

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 5 : 2-Nov-16

The ABC’s 2017 TV program line-up will include a number of new drama shows and documentaries, while it has confirmed new seasons of 16 current shows. The public broadcaster will also produce some 200 hours of original content for its iView video-on-demand service. ABC MD Michelle Guthrie recently stressed the need for the broadcaster to adapt in response to changes in the way viewers consume media.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Public service union wins ABC staff pay rise

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 5 : 28-Oct-16

The Community & Public Sector Union’s national secretary, Nadine Flood, has welcomed a new enterprise agreement for ABC employees. She notes that while not all of the union’s demands have been met, the new pay deal is much better than the initial offer from the public broadcaster’s management. The ABC put the pay deal directly to staff after negotiations with the union broke down. Amongst other things, ABC staff will receive an annual two per cent pay rise over three years, domestic violence leave and a two-week increase in paid parental leave.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION

Guthrie’s ground rules: an ABC of inclusiveness

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 28-Jul-16

ABC MD Michelle Guthrie will be one of the speakers at the Creative Country conference in Melbourne on 28 July 2016. Guthrie will outline the need for the public broadcaster to extend its multi-platform audience reach beyond its current level of about 71 per cent. She will also outline plans to increase the ABC’s diversity in terms of both staff and content, and significantly increase the proportion of its annual budget that is allocated to content production.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, STAR TV, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

Voelte to pay ABC legal costs after defamation case fails

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Original article by Misa Han
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 20-Jul-16

A jury has rejected a defamation lawsuit against the ABC over a news story that was broadcast on "The Business" in November 2014. Former Seven Group Holdings CEO Don Voelte had alleged that the story on Seven Group’s takeover of Nexus Energy was defamatory. The story claimed that the former Nexus chairman had "dudded" shareholders and that he had "switched camps". Voelte has been ordered to pay most of the public broadcaster’s legal costs.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SEVEN GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SVW, NEXUS ENERGY LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

ABC boss expands Netflix content deal

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 29 : 4-Jul-16

ABC MD Michelle Guthrie has told the Crawford Australian Leadership Forum that the public broadcaster must continue to establish alliances with third parties to ensure that its content is accessible on any platform. The ABC has made more of its contents available to Netflix’s Australian subscribers, while some of its programs are also offered by Netflix in the US. Some of the ABC’s content is also available via Netflix’s local rivals, Presto and Stan.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, WORKING DOG PRODUCTIONS PTY LTD, BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION, APPLE INCORPORATED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Diversity key for ABC, says Guthrie

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 3 : 3-May-16

Former Google executive Michelle Guthrie officially succeeded Mark Scott as MD of the ABC on 2 May 2016. She has called for greater diversity in the ABC’s staff and its content, to ensure that the public broadcaster is relevant to all Australians. Meanwhile, Guthrie will appear before a Senate estimates committee on 5 May, while the ABC’s funding is likely to be retained at about its current level in the Australian Government’s Budget.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SKY PLC, STAR TV, PROVIDENCE EQUITY PARTNERS INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Include ABC, SBS in reform says Nine boss

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 31-Mar-16

The Australian Government’s proposed media reforms should consider the option of merging the ABC and SBS, according to Nine Entertainment Company CEO Hugh Marks. He argues that a review of the two public broadcasters should be part any media reform agenda, noting that they have changed significantly since they were initially established. ABC MD Mark Scott recently called for to be merged with SBS.

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NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

Scott says ABC must tackle ‘too narrow’ editorial focus

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Original article by Gina Rushton
The Australian – Page: 2 : 29-Mar-16

ABC MD Mark Scott says any cut in funding for the public broadcaster in the Australian Government’s May 2016 Budget could result in job losses and a reduction in content. He adds that a funding cut would result in a 10 per cent reduction in the ABC’s news budget. Scott, who will shortly step down after a decade in the role, also says the ABC has "strong editorial standards" but must ensure that it provides sufficiently broad editorial coverage.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Scott drops a farewell bombshell on SBS

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 3 : 10-Feb-16

ABC MD Mark Scott has told a Senate estimates hearing that the focus of SBS has shifted from its original role of a multicultural broadcaster to one offering more general interest content. He argued that there is now less distinction between the ABC and SBS, and said the Federal Government could eventually consider merging them. Meanwhile, Scott has indicated that the ABC will seek an extra $A25m to $A30m per year in its triennial funding package to increase its investment in regional and rural content.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS)

ABC boss warns of cheap imports

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Original article by Sid Maher
The Australian – Page: 6 : 4-Feb-16

The ABC’s outgoing MD Mark Scott has questioned whether profit-driven Australian media companies will continue to produce local content. Speaking at the ABC’s annual parliamentary showcase in Canberra, he argued that the public broadcaster is best-placed to deliver such content, and urged all political parties to support it. Scott also noted that low-cost international content presents a threat to local content.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, APPLE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, RADIO NATIONAL