ABC cuts: a betrayal of local broadcasting and women’s sport

The ABC have become one sided leftie money wasters and are an attack on public broadcasting, an attack on independent, quality journalism, and an attack on democratic principles.

fixed that for you.

The ABC saving money by cutting womens sport. Where are the hoards of leftie comments accusing the ABC being misogynists.

Cutting sport, one of the cheapest forms of TV production.

How about they cut the hoards of foreign language and foreign news programs on the ABC instead of cutting local content . Who watches foreign language news programs that ? .00001% (guess) of the country.

How can foreign content paid for by Australian tax payers be more important to the ABC than keeping local content.

Also I would say the high wages paid at the ABC extends far further than the presenters.

And cutting regional jobs will affect the regional communities already decimated by government failures to invest anything in these communities.

I’m also sure there is plenty more ABC waste happening in capital cities than the country regions they wish to cut.

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

The ABC budget cuts have nothing to do with the loss of regional and womens’ sport broadcasting. It’s about political pressure.

Correct. And anybody with a functioning brain knows it.

But if you share the ABC’s predominately Green/left worldview, just ignore the actual truth and go with the confected outrage.

The ABC budget cuts have nothing to do with the loss of regional and womens’ sport broadcasting. It’s about political pressure.

2604 said :

Give me a break.

While the rest of the public service has endured years of efficiency dividends (a weasel word for funding cuts) under Rudd, Gillard, Rudd again, and now Abbott, the ABC’s funding has not only not been cut, but has massively expanded. A 4.6% funding cut is absolute peanuts and still leaves the ABC ahead of just about every other part of government – let alone other media.

Mark Scott had a choice about where to make the 4.6% spending reductions. He could have saved money by not commissioning more forced, unfunny rubbish from the Chaser crew. He could have wound back the ABC’s ever-expanding digital operations (for example, the Drum). He could have avoided costly bidding wars on sporting events – for example, the $1.5 million he spent outbidding SBS for the Asian Cup soccer. Paul Barry gets paid $191,000 per year to present 15 minutes of TV per week, for about 40 weeks of the year, forchrissake!

Instead, Scott chose to direct his cuts at the ABC’s rural and regional operations and other areas such as classical music where the ABC is often the only service provider. At the same time he was announcing these cuts, Scott announced the creation of a new ABC Digital Network. The ABC chairman, Spiegelman, said that the cuts would “provide funds to invest in essential new online and mobile strategies that better connect the ABC with its audiences”. The message is clear – Scott had a choice between maintaining regional media and specialist services on the one hand, and empire building in the digital space on the other, and chose to put his eggs in the digital basket.

I can see why Rattenbury is distressed though. Once-quality shows like Q&A and Lateline, and services such as NewsRadio, now exist only as facile soapboxes for a motley crew of academics, unionists and left-wing politicians to spout the same simple, undergraduate-level dogma espoused by the Greens. (Capitalism, Tony Abbott, fossil fuels all BAD. Sustainability, tolerance and other people’s money for all of my hobby horses GOOD). The idea of losing even 5% of all that free publicity and lobbying and having to reach into his own pocket to push his agenda must be quite upsetting for old Shane.

Finally, you want “an attack on democratic principles”? How about the ACT populace being forced to spend $7-800 million on a light rail system because a politician who received only 4966 first-preference votes thinks it’s a good idea?

Thank you for taking the time to type that. It’s just a shame more people won’t read it. I’m so tired of hearing unions and lefties complain about cuts to the ABC. Cuts that are long overdue and still generous compared to what the rest of the public service has endured.

dkNigs said :

Noticed the time and temperature on Northbourne have been off this week. Cuts? How will I know the temperature in the morning now Abbott!?

” How will I know the temperature in the morning now…..?”
Look at your computer screen?
If you sense there is heat around your bottom and you smell smoke, something may be on fire.

If there’s no audience for women’s sports, why should money be wasted broadcasting it?

Noticed the time and temperature on Northbourne have been off this week. Cuts? How will I know the temperature in the morning now Abbott!?

dungfungus said :

Masquara said :

ABC chose to cut women’s sport – the have other options, such as letting go some of their entitled fatcats – many of whom are doing standard journalism but being paid $300,000 plus a year, oh, and that’s with an extra fortnight’s leave a year beyond any other government employee other than a teacher. Ask any commercial media outlet whether there’s fat to trim at the ABC!

And a paid parental leave scheme that is better than the one Tony Abbott wants for everyone else.
Now you know why the femmes on the ABC current affairs programmes never talk about that one.

“everyone else” is free to negotiate employment entitlements with their employer just like the ones at the ABC have. What that has to do with a taxpayer funded upper class welfare scheme I have no idea.

rommeldog56 said :

2604 said :

Give me a break.

Finally, you want “an attack on democratic principles”? How about the ACT populace being forced to spend $7-800 million on a light rail system because a politician who received only 4966 first-preference votes thinks it’s a good idea?

Sorry, 2604, but the Gunners-City Light Rail was a policy that ACT Labor took to the last ACT election. As i recall, the Greens supported that or mirrored it, during the election campaign.

ACT labor also said that they would increase Annual Rates by 10% on average. each year.

And ACT Labor still got voted back into Government with an assist from the Greens of course – who are rewarded with the tram + control of TAMS/roads/parking, etc.

So, ACT populace isn’t being “forced” to pay anything – they voted with their eyes wide open

So, its actually the idiot ACT voters who voted them & the Greens back, who should shoulder any blame. There are just too many left leaning Ning nong voters in this place, I’m afraid.

There was a time that you wouldn’t get away with saying that on The RiotACT.

Masquara said :

ABC chose to cut women’s sport – the have other options, such as letting go some of their entitled fatcats – many of whom are doing standard journalism but being paid $300,000 plus a year, oh, and that’s with an extra fortnight’s leave a year beyond any other government employee other than a teacher. Ask any commercial media outlet whether there’s fat to trim at the ABC!

And a paid parental leave scheme that is better than the one Tony Abbott wants for everyone else.
Now you know why the femmes on the ABC current affairs programmes never talk about that one.