ABC axes ABC Life, Comedy and up to 250 jobs as part of five-year plan
The ABC has revealed what measures it will take in order to meet its budget shortfall between 2020 and 2025.
The five-year plan includes discontinuing the ABC Life brand and rehousing it in ABC Local, which will source content from across the ABC, including outer suburban and regional areas.
The ABC said now, more than ever, ‘We are your ABC’
ABC Life launched in 2018 amid a flurry of debate and discussion about whether the national broadcaster should offer a lifestyle platform. Its detractors argued it competed with commercial outfits which were already offering the same style of content, and didn’t assist the ABC in fulfilling its charter.
ABC Life’s editor Bhakthi Puvanenthiran has since revealed on Twitter up to half her team could be let go as part of the change.
Managing director of the ABC, David Anderson, said in today’s announcement there could be up to 250 staff let go across the board.
The proposals announced today ensure the ABC can enhance its value to all Australians now and into the future,” he said. “However, we anticipate we will farewell as many as 250 people through this process, valued colleagues who have made tremendous contributions to the ABC and to our audiences.
“This is a difficult time for us, as it is for the broader economy and community as we all struggle with the events of this year.”
Anderson said the Federal Government’s indexation pause, which effectively cut the ABC’s budget by $84m over three years, with an ongoing reduction of $41m a year from 2022, combined with the $64m in ongoing cuts imposed in 2014 made these kinds of announcements inevitable.
Further cost-saving measures include rebranding ABC Comedy, formerly ABC 2, to “create a home for a range of genres, such as arts, science, education and religion”. The ABC said comedy programs would still be commissioned for its primary TV channel, and will remain a destination on its streaming platform iView.
ABC Comedy is no more
Independent production budgets will also be slashed by $5m per year, predominately from the factual and entertainment slate. The ABC will prioritise drama and children’s programming.
And another victim is the 7:45am radio news bulletin. The ABC said it needs to focus on digital and on-demand news services.
The national broadcaster has also reduced travel budgets by 25% and will review its property portfolio. Spare space in its headquarters in Ultimo in Sydney could be leased out, giving the broadcaster $4m.
75% of content makers will work away from Ultimo by 2025, which the ABC said would ensure greater engagement with local communities.
Despite all the changes, Anderson said the ABC can still deliver.
“The ABC Five-Year Plan 2020-2025 is just the start of this next stage in the ABC’s history,” Anderson said.
“We will uphold the highest editorial values, remaining Australia’s best and most trusted source of news and information and continuing to deliver the best public interest journalism that strengthens our democracy.”
“The ABC Five-Year Plan is a commitment to the ABC tradition of telling Australian stories that are accessible, bold and creative. Our message to the Australian people is clear. Now, more than ever, we are your ABC.”
He and ABC chair Ita Buttrose will continue to lobby the Government to provide five-year funding, to give the ABC more certainty.
Buttrose today endorsed Anderson’s plan.
“The ABC Five-Year Plan is a robust blueprint for the future of the ABC that emphasises the important role the ABC plays in the Australian way of life.”
Hopefully Labor will be voted in 2022 (will we ever learn?) and can refund the poor ABC before all of this has to be implemented.
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no matter, as long as they have the resources to investigate the racism in chess “because white always goes first” we know our taxpayer dollars are being used wisely
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The ABC could cut costs by axing the left-wing biased Q&A.
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Funny, I don’t remember a huge increase in ABC funding when Rudd, Gillard, Rudd were in power. Hmmmm will some people ever learn that when Labour get’s in not everything gets funded like they promise?
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What about that right wing ABC Insiders program? There is some coin right there…
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Why not use some of that remnant space and leverage the production capacity to bolster up some local Youtube, Twitch talent etc.
That way, the ABC can monetise that content without being in direct competition with the commercial networks. Sort of an MCN. This is quite common, especially with Asian state owned broadcasters. Digital publishers won’t be annoyed because they can stay away from the realm of display and content advertising. ABC can still get some ad dollars.
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You must be referring to the ABC in the US.
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“The poor ABC”. Thank you for the best laugh I’ve had this week.
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The ABC is left wing trash that should be de-funded ASAP.
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ABC should stop trying to compete with the commercials and remember their place as a public broadcaster. As sad as it is that people have to lose their jobs, there’s a culture of high salaries, overspending and resource mismanagement that needs to be addressed.
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You’ve got a rolled gold argument that a public broadcaster should NOT be offering programming that the private sector does a perfectly good job at.
But by the same logic, you have no argument whatsoever that the hard journalism, and especially not anything with a left-wing bias, considering the substantial right wing bias of the mainstream media is NOT very specifically the job of a public broadcaster,
Good day to you.
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Sounds like the opinion of someone who has never watched the ABC. Utterly ridiculous characterisation.
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Every Federal Liberal Coalition Government since I can remember from 1970 has cut funding to the peoples broadcaster the ABC.
The $345,000 dollars Morrison gave to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp to build a website for a spell bee is unbelievable, even more disgusting is the fact the Murdoch media empire in Australia pays NO COMPANY TAX get it NO COMPANY TAX. As for the Q & A program hosted by Hamish MacDonald and the Daily Drum is two of the most entertaining and engaging formats for all Australians who have the intellect not to watch the disgusting Sky News Channel that nothing more than a propaganda channel for the Liberal Coalition Party.
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You are kidding if you think labor will give more funds to the abc. The best thing for it is to let it die a quick painless death.
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Yeah, nah. That’s a ridiculous assertion, and it helps no one (except if you like to bash the ABC, which, clearly, you do).
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Isn’t it nice when you have friends who can help you out.
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Remember: It’s your ABC – what’s left of it.
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I’m at a loss as to what programming there is that the “private sector does a perfectly good job at”. ‘Big Brother’ et cetera?
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It will be interesting to see how the ABC reacts to the launch of Britbox later this year. If BBC and ITV reduce Australian FTA access to material in it’s wake, that could have killed ABC Comedy only a little further in the future.
The ABC should consider teaming up with other broadcasters to launch new subscription channels with an Australian focus, similar to how the BBC did with UKTV in the UK. Seven seem to have acquired rights to a lot of 80’s and 90’s Australian programming recently…
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This is a media publication so we all work in media. Has everyone here been so indoctrinated in commercial news in our careers that you have fallen for their consistent tirade against the ABC?
It is an essential service to balance the news.
I suspect we need to start reminding ourselves how great the content is and stop watching the trash on commercial networks.
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Another sad day for the ABC. Hopefully funding can return in time and they can continue to deliver the high quality content that leads to them being highly trusted by the majority of Australians.
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many people reading the comments will choose to make it a Left vs Right argument. It’s not.
For those of us old enough to remember, the ABC’s reputation was built on its unbiased, professional reporting of the news.
Even their political-focussed programs such as This Day Tonight were diligent in their investigation of right and wrong, whether left or right.
Their agenda was not to provide an alternative POV to a shock jock, or any real, or perceived, right wing bias in the media.
Sadly, somewhere along the way, the ABC has chosen to become the very thing its’ charter was determined it never should be – a narrow minded, ideologically driven media organisation.
Its’ demise is of its’ own making.
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This will be the end of non biased mainstream media that doesn’t have a political agenda, not good news..
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We always watch Australian Story and Foreign Correspondent, it needs other rubbish taken off before these 2 well thought out programs.
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I’m old enough to remember a media landscape pre-web.
‘Auntie’ served a purpose back then – one that was much more clearly defined than it is now. The broadcaster was always designed to be unsullied by commercial forces…news wasn’t presented to garner political favour or serve an agenda…It was simply the news. There was always a greater-good to consider.
Yes, the organisation has always had a ‘lean’ to the left. But, as one commenter above has already said, that was merely a balance to the right-wing political agenda served up on the commercial channels.
Now, the organisation has ever-decreasing relevance as we turn to other sources of information and knowing.
Personally, I want politicians held accountable (Ironically, it was 60 Minutes and The Age that blew the lid off the Labor branch-stacking corruption). I want my taxes to pay for journalists, thinkers, documentarians and people who believe the world can be a better place.
PR hacks are now a major source of ‘news’. How sad is that?
No-one ever fact-checks a social media feed. How dangerous is that?
The ABC needs a charter and a vision…something to stand for. That’s the only way it can prove its relevance and purpose.
The leadership has been lacking, the money has been speaking.
It’s time for some people with leather elbow pads to take the reins again.
Let’s not go the way the way of the Americans – “Idiocracy” was never meant to be so accurate in predicting the future.
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Hey Lynne, tell me why you say this. What makes you think the ABC is left wing trash? I ask because it’s been the subject of a number of communications studies that haven’t found that at all.
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The reason why there are so many (24) comments is that everybody pays for the ABC/SBS no matter what, and feels the ABC/SBS should cater to their unique philosophies. Cut the bridge and let those not happy with the ABC/SBS off the involuntary paying hook. Thence to make the user pay either through advertising or subscriptions. I don have to watch Seven, pay Foxtel, or listen to 2DAy FM, or many others
Also, in no democracy, so ruled by conventions, should a government own any media. That is the long term, very long term, the only issue that counts for disposing of the ABC/SBS to user funding and some other ownership other than government.
Lastly, the $84m that is missing for growth, was chopped. The ABC has a flat budget, unlike every single commercial peer.
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The ABC has stretched its wings too far and is now having to clip them as changes are made globally to the way media is communicated. One way to stay solvent is to charge an ABC subscription, i.e user pays or alternately introduce advertising. Either way the ABC would still struggle as it has a decidedly left wing agenda.
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If political leanings were the most important factor in viewers’ TV channel choices, the ABC would have much higher ratings than it does. Leftist parties get a lot of votes.
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No, I’m talking about David Speers
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“the ABC would still struggle”
It’s the number one news site in Australia..
Your other thoughts would lead to either widespread public disenfranchisement from unbiased news or completely commercialise the news.
The public funding is there for a reason.
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Like most decent people, I prefer most promises to increase funding be kept (Labor) than all promises to slash funding be kept (Coalition). It is typical of Coalition voters to twist or ignore the facts. Labor restored, and increased ABC funding in 2008. Funding was increased again in 2009 and 2011.
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Too many of these comments make me so disappointed with this country’s future, mostly from people who would likely benefit from watching some news not from 9, 7, 10 or NewsCorp. And they are too oblivious to even know it..
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Simple, cut the Communications Minister salary in half. Give him a broom and have him sweep their studios for a start.
Stop cutting the budget every year. When I see a right wing government give an increase I’ll be amazed.
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Try to imagine, just briefly,an Australia that had solely Murdoch owned media.That is how it feels if you do not watch the ABC.
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ABC funds have been increased less than inflation. Not cut.
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