Friends of the ABC (NSW) Inc. quarterly newsletter April 2009 Vol 17, No.1 update friends of the abc they use Question Time to pursue the The 2009 Federal Budget issue. We acknowledge the work of FABC ACT in keeping the ABC high on the political agenda, and several FABC will make or branches have ensured that their local members are active on the case - see letters from Bob Debus (Blue Mountains) and Julie Owens break the ABC (Parramatta) elsewhere in Update. We thank Jill Greenwell (ACT FABC) for providing us with a Guide for A word from the NSW President - Mal Hewitt Prospective Lobbyists. We also report elsewhere on the The Budget to be productions. Four years ago, a KPMG energetic attempts by SkyNews to take handed down by the audit, initiated by the Howard over the Australian Network TV Rudd Government in government but never released, Service, through which the ABC May is of critical recommended an immediate 10% currently broadcasts into Asia and the importance to the ABC, increase in funding if the ABC was to Pacific, supported by funding from the and will determine be able to maintain existing levels of Federal Department of Foreign Affairs whether it retains its production. position as a world-renowned public broadcaster, free of commercial and THE COST OF KEEPING PACE political influence, or continues an WITH THE WORLD already discernible slide into The ABC has very effectively mediocrity. ABC funding for the next embraced the digital revolution in inside three years is now in the hands of broadcasting, and leads the world in Minister Conroy announces new Treasurer Swan, Finance Minister podcasting and vodcasting. But this ABC Board Appointments 3 Tanner and Prime Minister Rudd. has happened without major Adequate funds for the ABC 4 If we accept that public broadcasting additional funding from the should enable “all Australians to access government – the money to do this Our MP’s are active on ABC funding 5 broadcasting services, regardless of has been taken from traditional Mal Hewitt reports on meeting geography or capacity to pay, to allow broadcasting of radio and television, with ABC Managing Director 6 leaving the ABC with greatly them to participate in society and its Branch News 7 institutions,” we must also accept that diminished capacity for in-house the Australian community and television production, and radio units Radio National - Religious government must be prepared to pay a running on little more than fresh air! representatives meet with ABC 10 lot more for that public broadcaster. In Do we want an ABC which keeps The Radio National Debate 2004/5, the BBC, a comparable commercial production houses in continues 10 broadcaster, received $107 per person business by outsourcing, which cannot The Pay-TV Sharks are circling 14 in the UK – the ABC’s income was allow its dwindling specialist units to The price of creative $41.40 per Australian. cover vital issues in depth and independence at the ABC 15 Funding has been eroding since breadth, or denies a Chris Masters the 1986. Australian-produced drama is a resources to produce another NSW FABC Submission to small fraction of 20 years ago. “Moonlight State?” If not, I urge you Federal Government 17 Outsourcing has become a fact of life to contact your local Federal MP. If Personal submission from as the ABC has lost the capacity and Labor, ask that they raise the matter of Quentin Dempster 18 the infrastructure to make in-house ABC funding in caucus; if Liberal, that Page 1 and Trade. SkyNews also sees itself as Pockley, Founding Head, ABC Update Publication Information the appropriate vehicle for a digital Science Unit. children’s channel (no doubt with the Update is published four times a year by generous support of McDonalds and A CHANGING ABC CULTURE Friends of the ABC (NSW) Inc. (FABC), Coke!) Another issue to raise with our The Radio National problem reflects a PO Box 1391 NORTH SYDNEY 2059. political representatives. widening gap within the ABC between Printpost approved PP245059/00002 creative people who make programs, To become a member phone FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REVIEW and management people who (02) 9990 0600 or email to INTO ABC AND SBS determine the budgets upon which [email protected] or access our website Approximately 2,500 submissions those programs depend. Program www.fabcnsw.org.au. were received by Minister Conroy – we makers of long standing are finding the Extracts from newspapers and other hope that an outcome is more speedily relentless pressure from managers to publications appearing in Update do not arrived at than is the case in some of compromise on quality and depth very necessarily reflect the views of the the other government reviews! The debilitating. Traditional ABC values of members of FABC. submission from NSW FABC is programming based on merit are Update is distributed to all members of reproduced in this Update, as is a disappearing, and the assets of time, FABC, as part of the membership fee. Update is also supplied to journalists, submission from Quentin Dempster, experience and dedicated staff politicians and libraries across Australia. our “Staff-Elected Director in Exile.” (essential for good programs) are being It is edited and produced in Sydney but steadily stripped. Long term staff speak contributions are welcome from NSW country RADIO NATIONAL and interstate branches. of a loss of diversity, and moves Material may be quoted or reproduced The sweeping changes to the Radio towards presenter-led “flow- from Update provided the source is National program lineup which programming” (such as on 702-type acknowledged and reproduction is sent to produced such an extraordinary and local radio), the very antithesis of the President FABC. negative response from listeners in late broadcasting of depth, insight and Would you like to receive Update 2008 are now a fact of life. Sadly, but quality. Why? Because it’s much magazine electronically? cheaper to produce. Save the planet's trees and The Friends predictably, the RN audience is the printing and postage costs and read Update poorer as a result of the changes. We Many feel that the ABC is magazine on your computer. have lost the breadth and detailed increasingly becoming simply a Each quarter, when Update is published, you weekly analysis of programs like the conduit for funds to the private sector, will receive an email with a link to the latest issue (each magazine is around 0.5MB). Religion Report, the Media Report, The as more and more programs are You can try this now by going to our Ark, In Conversation, and none of the “outsourced.” One insider wryly asserts website at www.fabcnsw.org.au and exciting new and innovative that “we are getting John Howard’s clicking on Update. ABC under Kevin Rudd.” Quentin If you prefer this delivery option for future programming promised by Dempster provides further insight into Updates please send an email to the management talking heads seems to this changing culture in “The Price of Membership Secretary. have materialized. Creative Independence at the ABC.” Who to write… Stephen Crittenden, in the opinion Anyone seeking basic information about CHRIS MASTERS writing to persons of influence might find it of many the most knowledgeable and helpful to go to the FABC NSW website experienced broadcaster on religion Without fanfare or ceremony, www.fabc.org.au where there are some anywhere in the world, has been “re- characteristic of the man himself, menu items under "Be Active" leading to pages of information: Who can I write to? assigned” to Background Briefing, extraordinary investigative journalist What can I say? where his specialist knowledge is of Chris Masters retired from the ABC at little use, surely one of the more the end of 2008, after 42 years with the FABC (NSW) Executive Committee bizarre examples of the use of skills Office Bearers national broadcaster, 25 of those years President - Mal Hewitt and experience by ABC management. making ground-breaking programs for Phone: 9637 2900 Letter-writers to the ABC on the Four Corners. In 1983, his “Big League” Email: [email protected] matter of program changes were program led to the Street Royal Secretary & Treasurer - James Buchanan generally articulate, logical and direct Commission in NSW, he won a Gold Phone: 9371 5621 Walkley for his 1985 “French Email: [email protected] in their questions regarding the decisions which had been made. They Connections,” exposing the Membership Secretary - Angela Williamson involvement of French government Phone: 9416 4463 were insulted by form-letter replies, Email: [email protected] couched in non-specific management- agents in the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, and in 1987 his “Moonlight Update Editor - Mal Hewitt speak and feel-good generalities. One PO Box 1391 N. Sydney NSW 2059 such letter, from Margaret Cassidy, State” resulted in the Fitzgerald Email: [email protected] Head, National Networks, is Inquiry, and the end of years of Cartoonist - Phil Somerville reproduced in Update, along with corruption in the Queensland Editorial Cartoonist for The Sun Herald government and police force. (Sydney) www.somervillecartoons.com Adrienne Shilling’s reply to her (Adrienne is a NSW FABC member), ABC Enterprises commissioned his Layout Artist - Paul Martens We have also reproduced the 2006 book on Alan Jones, “Jonestown,” increasingly frustrated series of open but in an extraordinary intervention by Membership Line: 9990 0600 letters to Mark Scott from Peter the ABC Board, on the laughable Page 2 grounds that publication “would almost certainly result in commercial Minister Conroy announces loss,” publication was stopped. Allen and Unwin were more than happy to publish, no doubt enjoying a very new ABC Board Appointments substantial profit from the venture! The first appointments to the ABC Board under In 2007, Chris Masters received the the Rudd Government’s “arm’s length” method of Queensland Premier’s Literary Award.