Activist group ABC Friends hits back at complaints made against the taxpayer-funded broadcaster

Activist group ABC Friends has hit back at attacks levelled at the taxpayer-funded broadcaster.

Activist group ABC Friends Victoria says the national broadcaster has “had a rough year” and is unfairly criticised, admitting the public’s dissatisfaction with the publicly-funded media organisation has flow-on effects on its supporter groups.

The not-for-profit group’s president Michael Henry said in an email correspondence sent to members earlier this month that the ABC was experiencing challenging times, and called for donations to help the community organisation continue to advocate for the broadcaster in the lead-up to the federal election.

“The ABC has had a rough year, and has copped a lot of flak,” he said.

“It has been accused of bias (e.g. Gaza) or of axing the wrong programs (e.g. The Drum) or of losing the wrong people (e.g. someone liked) or of bringing in the wrong people (e.g. someone not liked).

“Some of the criticism demonstrates a level of intolerance and misunderstanding that is worrying.”

ABC Friends warned that it was facing a battle to keep donors, and said members sometimes rescinded their membership when the taxpayer-funded organisation did something its supporters didn’t like.

In December, the ABC announced that the weeknightly panel discussion show, The Drum, had been axed and, five months on, it is yet to be replaced.

The 6pm timeslot has been instead filled with repeat episodes of Antiques Roadshow and Hard Quiz hosted by Tom Gleeson.

Ellen Fanning host of The Drum on the ABC which was axed in December. Picture: ABC.

The ABC has also been under fire for its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

It was reported in February that it received more than 3000 complaints largely about impartiality and bias relating to the conflict.

Mr Henry also told members in his correspondence that changes needed to be made at the public broadcaster.

“We need to refresh, reform and strengthen the ABC, but we also need to acknowledge its unique and essential contribution to our culture and our democracy,” he said.

Mr Henry admitted in his email to members that when there was “dissatisfaction with the ABC, it flows over into attitudes to ABC Friends”.

“We lose donors and members whenever the ABC does something that they don’t like,” he said.

“We have lost over 10 per cent of our members in the last year, and it is starting to impact on our capacity to pursue our mission to strengthen the ABC.”

At last week’s federal budget it was revealed the ABC’s audiences were declining.

Its target audience reach — set at 67 per cent this financial year — is expected to fall to 63 per cent, before dropping again in the 2024-25 financial year to 62 per cent.

The ABC blamed the drop on “softer news web services”.

The ABC’s five-year funding terms were locked in under the Albanese government and began in July last year.

The broadcaster will receive $1.19bn in 2024-25, an increase of $58.5m from the 2023-24 financial year.

Latest figures show ABC Friends has 74,219 members nationally and 19,222 members in Victoria.

ABC Friends Victoria urged people to donate so they could “create a $20,000 buffer” for the next financial year, ahead of the next federal election, which will be held in the next 12 months.

Mr Henry said this would help with newsletter costs and its presence at writers’ festivals and other upcoming events.

Originally published as Activist group ABC Friends hits back at complaints made against the taxpayer-funded broadcaster