Michelle Rowland has a dig at ABC’s digital pivot
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has taken a clear swipe at the ABC’s controversial plan to target a ‘digital-majority’ audience.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has taken an apparent swipe at the ABC’s controversial plan to target a “digital-majority” audience.
Ms Rowland was asked in Labor’s caucus meeting on Tuesday about the 120 job cuts announced by the national broadcaster last week — which included the controversial axing of political editor Andrew Probyn — and the ABC’s overall transition to a digital-first approach.
“The ‘B’ in ABC stands for broadcasting,” Ms Rowland told her colleagues.
A spokesman for Ms Rowland later told The Australian: “The ABC has been clear that broadcasting remains important while it prepares for a digital-majority audience. The Minister affirmed this to caucus.
“The ABC ultimately has operational independence and it is a matter for the ABC to determine how to structure the organisation within its funding envelope to meet the changing needs of audiences.”
Ms Rowland said the ABC’s redundancies were not just about money and vowed to provide more information to colleagues once she’d spoken to ABC management.
The minister has already requested an urgent briefing from ABC management about the changes at the taxpayer-funded broadcaster; it’s understood that the meeting will take place after the current parliamentary sitting week.
Last Thursday, ABC managing director David Anderson told staff that the digital-first strategy required careful decisions on reinvestment.
“The continued migration of audiences from broadcast services to digital providers an opportunity to ensure the ABC is a trusted central part of daily media consumption for more Australians,” he said.
Multiple senior figures within the ABC have expressed concern at the push to a digital-first approach, amid fears that such a move could disenfranchise the broadcaster’s core audience, particularly with regards to news services in the regions.
Among the changes announced by the ABC last week was the introduction of ‘ABC News Sunday’, a national 7pm bulletin that will replace the state-based evening news.
One high-profile ABC insider, who was not authorised to speak publicly, told The Australian on the weekend: “The audience remains older Australians, and they rely on the ABC for strong news and current affairs coverage.
“And for many, that means tuning in to the 7pm TV news each night. They are not so concerned with digital platforms.
“That’s not to say that the ABC shouldn’t evolve, but nor should they leave their core audience behind.”
The veteran on-air ABC figure also took aim at current management for “losing sight of what we’re here for”.
“If you were to sit ABC management in a room and ask them what is it you do, it would be half an hour before they used the word ‘broadcasting’.”
The Coalition’s Communications spokesman David Coleman told The Australian on Tuesday: “Minister Rowland is clearly struggling to manage the ABC, and is seeking to take shelter behind management decisions. She wants to be seen as criticising ABC management, but then at the same time tries to hide behind them. The minister can’t have it both ways. No wonder the Labor backbench is getting restless with her.”
More Coverage
Libs’ guardrails no guarantee of fiscal prudence
The Coalition’s self-imposed expenditure limits would allow for higher spending than what is being forecast by Labor, prompting economists to accuse Angus Taylor of failing to outline a credible pathway towards a lower spending and lower taxing future.
Rise of menacing minority: scourge among worst in the West
Australia is experiencing a surge in anti-Jewish sentiment that is among the worst in comparable Western democracies, global research has found, as the PM puts himself at odds with his hand-picked envoy’s recommendations to fight anti-Semitism.