The Trade Unions and the Media by Allan Ashbolt
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The Trade Unions and the Media by Allan Ashbolt »°V«> SUPfO^CE^O' Services * . UnionVjtu°n t design bV We are living at a time when the Fraser and intra-mural wrangling, remains ttie government has virtually declared war on the spearhead of democratic action in this unions — class war of a peculiarly vindictive country and the measure by which democratic kind. And in this war, the government is using progress must be judged. Only the union every propaganda weapon, every propaganda movement, with its mass base and outlet it can find. If it succeeds in taming or participatory processes, can contain and terrorising the union movement, then the combat the pervasive power of capital. For boundaries of political democracy will shrink us, as unionists, the problem always starts to negligible proportions. For the union with capital and specifically with ownership movement, despite its backslidings, mistakes and control of the means of production. 20 AUSTRALIAN LEFT REVIEW No. 80 There seem to me to be several basic Melbourne Herald had been consummated, questions here: there would now have been only a Big Two (1) who owns the media organisations? (Fairfax and Murdoch), instead of a Big (2) who controls the output in press, radio Three, It's worth noting, too, that the Melbourne Herald survived, mainly because and television? (3) what are the consequences of intervention by the Fairfax group, which for the trade union movement particularly, moved in to acquire a 14.7 percent holding. In and for the cause of social justice generally? the coming ownership war, Fairfax and the (4) what strategy should be adopted to deal Melbourne Herald will probably form an with this whole problem? alliance on one side, with Murdoch and The fundamental pattern of media Packer (who are already partners in Lotto), ownership in Australia is well enough known, on the other side. and is indeed a matter of some notoriety. What must be realised about the Big Three Disregarding a few maverick publications, it's or the Big Four (however you like to reasonable to say that, at present, three characterise the situation) is that each has groups — John Fairfax Ltd of Sydney, The an enormously wide spread of ownership. It's Herald and Weekly Times Ltd of Melbourne wide geographically — the Melbourne Herald and the News Corporation Ltd (the Rupert is in every state except New South Wales and Murdoch group) — own nearly all the print has been in Papua-New Guinea for years; media: the metropolitan dailies, the weeklies, Murdoch's empire stretches beyond Australia the specialist magazines, various sorts of to New Zealand, Britain and the United periodicals, and a fair number of provincial States, and he has recently bought the and suburban newspapers. London Times', the Fairfax group, with its In the 1960s, when the union movement fifty-three wholly-owned or partly-owned first looked at this problem seriously, Sir subsidiaries, takes in the Melbourne Age, the Frank Packer's Consolidated Press was still Macquarie radio network and all-state a force to be reckoned with, but today his flag- franchise for Muzak, the piped music used for carrier, the Sydney Daily Telegraph, is in the pacification purposes in so many offices and hands of Rupert Murdoch. The Packer factories. group, under Sir Frank's son, Kerry (for The ownership is wide, too, in range of ownership in Australia tends to be outlets, covering not only press, radio and concentrated in families), has cut back television, but numerous associated activities. drastically on its newspaper holdings. The Murdoch's company, for instance, is the sole main print products of the Packer group are owner of Festival records; Fairfax and the The Bulletin and The Women's Weekly — Melbourne Herald are in pulp and paper and just let me mention incidentally that, for manufacturing; the Melbourne Herald has nearly twenty years, it also had a half-share in long-standing ties with Hoyts Theatres Ltd, what was purportedly an ABC publication — which has monopolised film distribution and TV Times. But the group's strongest effort exhibition for more than half a century. now goes into television. The media often tend to be thought of in terms of newspapers, and within newspapers, Contraction of ownership of editorial opinion, political analysis and the high-minded imparting of information. But This contraction of ownership over the past the interests of the media owners also ten years is hardly surprising. The economic encompass most aspects of what is commonly push is continually towards monopolisation called entertainment — pop music, films of resources, in order to reduce production (Murdoch has recently launched a film and distribution costs. In the newspaper production company), paperback books, industry there has been an ever-increasing sport (as Kerry Packer has so effectively contraction of ownership since around 1900, demonstrated with his World Series cricket), and if Murdoch's 1979 share raid on the and of course television shows. The media The Trade Unions & the Media 21 companies have become, in fact, multi-media helped to make, the world they are conglomerates. determined to preserve. In that world, it's It's also vital to understand that the media hardly strange that a media magnate is in monopolies are locked into non-media airlines, any more than that non-media business and trade. Fairfax, for instance, is companies like BHP, the jam manufacturers closely connected with the Bank of New Henry Jones Ltd, the Swan Brewery, the Bell South Wales and the AMP Society; and the Group and the National Mutual Life AMP Society is, in turn, a major shareholder Association are in radio and television, as in (if we consider only the television stations), either licence-holders or investors. To convey TCN Sydney, ATV Melbourne, ADS some idea of how crucial the media have Adelaide, TVT Hobart, QTQ Brisbane, BTQ become to the world of monopoly capitalism, Brisbane and TVQ Brisbane. The AMP's I need only list the companies lining up with holding in TVQ Brisbane comes, I might add, the Packer group in a bid for control of the by way of Brambles Industries Ltd, Pioneer projected domestic satellite system: IBM, Concrete Services Ltd, Ampol Petroleum and Conzinc Rio Tinto, the Colonial Sugar Arnett Transport Industries. To take another Refinery, Myer's, Ampol Petroleum, the example, the Murdoch group owns F.S. AMP Society, Thomas Nationwide Falkiner and Sons, the big pastoral company; Transport (Murdoch's partner in Ansett), and last year sold its investment in the Alwest James Hardie Industries, Australian bauxite venture for a surplus of 15 million Consolidated Industries, and the one dollars, bought a half share in Ansett corporation often ignored in considering Transport Industries, and through Ansett, Australia's media giants — Amalgamated picked up a 15 percent holding in Santos Ltd, Wireless of Australasia (AWA). AWA has the South Australian gas and oil producer. been a maker and supplier of electronic equipment since around 1920, and its You may recall that, when Ansett, during powerful presence is still to be found in 16 the reign of the now forgotten Sir Reginald television stations and 12 radio stations, Ansett, was given the licence for a Melbourne metropolitan and provincial, throughout television channel, it prompted the question Australia. For the media industry is merely from curious observers: why is an airline part of the much more massive operator in television? Now that Murdoch is communications industry, dominated by the joint owner of Ansett, one might just as electrical engineering companies like the easily ask: why is a media magnate in airlines? Radio Corporation of America and Bell To which the answer is, in polite capitalist Telephone in the USA, and by AWA, EMI, jargon: he is diversifying his interests. Or to Email and Philips in Australia. put it more realistically, he is extending his financial reach in the cut-throat world of The role of advertising monopoly capitalism. And so far he seems, by The media industry is directly linked to the his own standards, not to be doing too badly: world of monopoly capitalism through the two-airline policy looks like being advertising. One social critic (Humphrey abandoned, in favour of deregulation; and the McQueen: Australia's Media Monopolies, Broadcasting and Television Act has been p. 10) has argued, and I think convincingly, changed, so as to allow him the licence for that the commercial mass media are not "news the ex-Ansett television station in Melbourne, and features backed up by advertising'', but without forcing him to give up Channel 10 in are, on the contrary, ''advertisements which Sydney. carry news, features and entertainment in That is the world, the world of monopoly order to capture audiences for advertisers". capitalism, in which the media organisations Advertisements, we must remember, are the function. That is the world to which the media main revenue support of newspapers and owners belong and from which they derive magazines, the sole revenue support of radio their values. That is the world they have and television. 22 AUSTRALIAN LEFT REVIEW No. 80 For me, the typical — almost proto-typical advertising provides the economic and — newspaper is The North Shore Times, one cultural setting, as well as the physical setting, of the products in Rupert Murdoch's for most newspapers and magazines. One of suburban chain. A copy is thrown into my the results is that journalists come very garden once a week, free of charge, because quickly and clearly to recognise the it's financed almost entirely by connection between their earnings and the advertisements. Around 85-90 percent of the paper's advertising revenue. paper is given over to advertisements; the rest In commercial radio and television, where to gossip, municipal council reports, charities the bombardment from ads is intense and and sports results.