PUBLIC BROADCASTING – 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

‘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

Gloves off: ABC goes to war with News Corp

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 25-May-23

ABC MD David Anderson has defended the public broadcaster’s coverage of King Charles III’s coronation. He has told a Senate estimates hearing that the coverage was "justified, relevant and appropriate", and criticised Rupert Murdoch’s media outlets for their sustained attack on the ABC’s coverage. Anderson and the ABC’s head of news Justin Stevens highlighted the negative reporting from News Corp Australia mastheads and Sky News, noting that Indigenous presenter Stan Grant in particular was targeted. Anderson indicated that he will seek a meeting with News Corp Australia’s executive chairman Michael Miller; he added that they have a "respectful" working relationship.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SKY NEWS

ABC digital users plummet – but the money keeps coming

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 13 : 10-May-23

The ABC had 17 million weekly active digital users in 2021-22, and the budget papers show that it had a target of 18.3 million active users for 2022-23. However, the public broadcaster is now expected to boast just 13.4 million active digital users in the current financial year. In contrast, SBS is expected to have 13.1 million digital registrations in 2022-23, well ahead of its target of 11.6 million. Meanwhile, the federal government will allocate additional funding in 2023-24 to ensure improved access to broadcasting services for Indigenous people in remote communities.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS)

ABC staff cancel strike after winning pay rise, but some rankled by disrespect

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Age – Page: Online : 23-Mar-23

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance’s members at the ABC will not proceed with industrial action on Wednesday after the union reached an in-principle agreement with the public broadcaster for a new workplace deal. Cassie Derrick from the MEAA has praised the direct intervention of ABC MD David Anderson, and she emphasises that the dispute had not just been about pay. ABC employees will receive a pay rise of 11 per cent over three years, and a one-off bonus of $1,500. The ABC has also agreed to undertake an audit of the gender and cultural diversity pay gap, and implement a new framework for career progression. However, members of the Community & Public Sector Union at the ABC still intend to go on strike for two hours.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION

ABC staff have called off Tuesday’s planned strike to consider a new pay offer

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: Online : 7-Mar-23

ABC employees will not proceed with industrial action on Tuesday after the public broadcaster offered a sweetened pay deal. The ABC has offered a pay rise of 11.5 per cent over three years, backdated to the start of October 2022, and a sign-on bonus of $1,500. ABC employees have been pushing for annual pay rises of six per cent for three years, and negotiations with the broadcaster will continue. The 40-minute strike by ABC journalists had been timed to coincide with the latest interest rate announcement from the Reserve Bank.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION