TT: ABC+9 = "Channel 29" Adelaide

Adelaide’s local version of Today Tonight last night ran a major story on its competitors claiming WIN-owned Nine News Adelaide was using local news footage gathered by ABC Adelaide, and vice versa. In something of a Media Watch style story, TT even dubbed the practice as the emergence of “Channel 29.”

“Pooling” of news footage is not new, and common for sports, but TT claims the practice is getting out of control, jeopardising ABC independence and propping up “a cut-price commercial TV station.” Seven went in hard on WIN and its “billionaire owner who lives in the Bahamas to keep his own money in his pocket.” But putting aside rhetoric, the claims were supported by media watchdogs.

Criticising the move were lawyer, journalist and former Media Watch host, Richard Acland, and Acting President of Friends of the ABC, Gael Barrett.

The TT story even included footage of camera crews surreptitiously filming other camera crews, capturing camera-less reporters at doorstop press conferences. TT claimed many were “embarrassed by what they were asked to do.”

More recently The Australian ran a piece on TV sports reporters failing to turn up to press conferences, only sending cameramen and letting print journos ask all the questions. “At cricket press conferences last summer, newspaper reporters took to sitting at the side of the room so when they asked a question the subject had to turn to the side to answer them, thus ruining the TV shot,” it wrote.

Today, WIN declined to comment on the TT claims while comment was still being sought from the ABC.