ABC to axe jobs, programs to combat $84 million budget shortfall
The ABC has today announced major cuts to jobs, travel and programs in a bid to counter an $84 million budget shortfall.
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Australia’s national public broadcaster, the ABC has today announced it will axe up to 250 jobs and end programs to counter a budget shortfall of $84 million.
The network’s website reports that ABC managing director David Anderson has announced 75 per cent of ABC content-makers would be based outside of Sydney by 2025. The network’s travel budget will also decrease by 25 per cent.
Details are still emerging about exactly which programs will end, but Anderson has announced the station’s 7:45am radio news bulletin would end, replaced by a 10-minute bulletin at 8am.
ABC senior business correspondent Peter Ryan reported the cuts include lifestyle website ABC Life becoming ABC Local, a $5 million reduction in investment in local programming and a possible “sale and leaseback” of the ABC’s Ultimo headquarters:
ABC wields axe to confront $84m budget cuts:
— Peter Ryan (@Peter_F_Ryan) June 24, 2020
* 250 staff going
* flagship 7.45am radio news gone
* News Channel progs to be reviewed
* independent production down $5m pa
* ABC Life becomes ABC Local
* Sale and leaseback of ABC Ultimo could add $4m pa
* Travel cut by 25%@abcnews
ABC Life editor Bhakthi Puvanenthiran confirmed “up to half” the team would go:
Breaking: We are losing up to half the ABC Life team as we rebrand as ABC Local.
— Bhakthi (@bhakthi) June 24, 2020
It's devastating news and the details are unclear right now, but what I know for sure is I'm really proud of what we've built, telling diverse stories the ABC has never told before.
Other ABC employees and media figures are reacting to the news of the cuts on social media:
Devastating cuts. Thinking of all my ABC colleagues.
— Nadia Daly (@nadiasdaly) June 24, 2020
250 jobs + the defining radio bulletin of the day gone
And having worked in Darwin + Sydney across divisions I can tell you we're already SO efficient with travel budgets: 2 star motels, several stories from each trip etc https://t.co/pdrodxo8N5
The 7:45am bulletin is appointment radio. It’s been a voice for regional and rural stories platformed for a national audience - you never walk away from that 15 min bulletin & AM after it without learning something new, or at least, a new perspective. Media is poorer for its loss https://t.co/1XSZzOOR09
— Nic Kelly (@nicwkelly) June 24, 2020
MD announces they're getting rid of the ABC flagship 745am radio news bulletin. That's devastating.
— Lucy Carter (@lucethoughts) June 24, 2020
Just baffled at the decision to cut the 0745 radio news bulletin. It's a comprehensive roundup of international, local and regional news that just doesn't happen anywhere else in Australia, let alone the ABC. Important stories just won't get a run in shorter bulletins.
— Lucy Carter (@lucethoughts) June 24, 2020
I’m astounded that @abcnews will axe the 7.45am news bulletin. It’s what’s known as “appointment radio.†Many thousands of people start their day with it, then AM. This is an act of infinite stupidity, almost of vandalism, and I urge you to protest long and loud.
— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) June 24, 2020
745 bulletin is the most listened too moment on ABC radio across the day, across the country. No?
— Rafael Epstein (@Raf_Epstein) June 24, 2020
Also means less time (5 mins) for national radio current affairs. PM and TWT were cut in half a few years ago. https://t.co/wOgExNzygp
Spare a thought for your local ABC staff today, who, like too many media employees, are doing their best to do their job, while waiting to hear who will still have a job and for those who keep it, how that job will change.
— Amy Remeikis (@AmyRemeikis) June 24, 2020
Cutting the 7.45am news bulletin is devastating. As is cutting half of the staff at @abclifeau which is full of brilliant young journos. One of the worst cuts is the 25% reduction to the ABC's travel budget which will make it much harder to cover this vast country #ABCcuts https://t.co/IYxY3pKTzT
— Sophie McNeill (@Sophiemcneill) June 24, 2020
250 more jobs gone at the ABC. That's on top of the 800 already lost under this Government.
— Tanya Plibersek (@tanya_plibersek) June 24, 2020
The Liberals won't stop cutting the ABC until Jemima and Humpty Dumpty are reading the news.
250 jobs to go at #yourABC, flagship 15 min 0745 radio news bulletin becomes 5 minutes at 0800,ABC Life morphs into ABC Local,spend on independent factual productions down $5m annually,newsrooms under review,forward emphasis on increasing community relevance,on demand programming
— Zoe Daniel (@zdaniel) June 24, 2020
The ABC had been offering voluntary redundancies to employees as it moved to shed jobs.
Earlier this month, Anderson said budget cuts had forced the national broadcaster’s hand with all divisions – including news – to be affected.
In a June 9 email to staff and reported by AAP, Mr Anderson said in divisions where more than 10 staff would need to be cut, they would first seek volunteer redundancies.
“This has been an arduous year already for all of us,” he said.
“I’m conscious of how many of you must be feeling right now given the uncertainty across our industry and the broader economy.”
More to come …
Originally published as ABC to axe jobs, programs to combat $84 million budget shortfall