Best of the West: SBS could move to Sydney’s west

The national broadcaster SBS should leave its leafy north shore HQ in Artarmon and head to the ethnic hotspot of Sydney’s west in a bid to better serve their audience.

The national broadcaster SBS should leave its leafy north shore HQ in Artarmon and head to the ethnic hotspot of Sydney’s west in a bid to better serve their audience.

That’s according to the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue chief Christopher Brown who wrote to Communications Minister Paul Fletcher on Thursday, urging him to move the multicultural broadcaster to a suburb like Bankstown.

He also said the move would provide much needed job opportunities.

TV presenter journalist Stan Grant with Mary Kostakidis from news program ‘SBS World News bulletin; on January 16, 2007.

“A fully functional media outlet based in Western Sydney, both administration and studios, could also leverage the talent and diversity of the area, not only delivering smart, multimedia local jobs, but providing a clearer insight into what’s really going on in the region editorially,” he said.

“It would also inspire and enable these diverse communities to better tell their real Australian stories.”

Founded in Australia in 1978, SBS rebroadcasts the news bulletins of 15 different countries, including broadcasts in Arabic, Mandarin, Indian and Spanish, for 18 hours a day.

SBS MD James Taylor, pictured at their studios in Artarmon in Sydney's North. Picture: Britta Campion

Mr Brown also said the ABC should move its Ultimo HQ to somewhere like Parramatta.

“It might also be prudent for the Commonwealth to consider a similar relocation of the ABC headquarters from Ultimo to the west, maybe to the Parramatta CBD, or co-located with SBS to share production facilities and reduce costs,” he said.

But the plan to shift the SBS base did not go down well at SBS HQ yesterday.

“The geographical location of our offices has no bearing on the services SBS provides, which are now reaching more Australians than ever before,” an SBS spokesman said.

“SBS has reviewed the case for the relocation of its Sydney premises from Artarmon in recent years, and we are yet to see a proposal that would be cost-effective, practical, or yield more value for the Australian public.”

Signage at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) offices at Ultimo in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

A spokeswoman for the ABC said they had a five year plan to bolster their presence in outer suburban and regional areas to help us better reflect the issues that are important to those communities.

“By 2025, 75 per cent of ABC content makers will be located outside of Ultimo, with a focus on western Sydney,” she said.

“Our existing Parramatta newsroom has continued to grow since we moved into bigger premises early last year and now has 10 reporters.”

Originally published as Best of the West: SBS could move to Sydney’s west