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ABC: “Edgier” drama & 24/7 News

ABC Managing Director Mark Scott indicates a 24/7 News Channel and 'edgier' drama, but Friends of ABC has mixed feelings on the budget outcome.

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abc2_logo3The ABC will press on with plans to develop a 24/7 news and current affairs channel, despite doing so without new funding.

“We’re demonstrating the investment being made in ABC News nationally and internationally means we can deliver a 24/7 news channel, but to do that we need the (digital) spectrum, which is something we are continuing to discuss with the Government,” said Managing Director Mark Scott.

Scott says he is happy with the budget outcome, and hopes the ABC can produce ‘edgier’ dramas.

“It’s my hope that we’ll provide a broader array of drama content,” he said.

“Given how little money we’ve had in the past to spend on Australian drama, we’ve taken relatively few creative risks, while we’ve taken more risks in the comedy line-up with shows like The Chaser, Summer Heights High and The Gruen Transfer.”

“People can expect us to take more risks. Some of the drama will be edgier and more confronting, but we still want to provide an array of drama offerings that are high quality and distinctive.”

Its dramas in 2009 have been The Cut and Dirt Game, while feelgood drama Bed of Roses and the quirkier East of Everything are also due to return.

But lobby group Friends of the ABC (Vic) wants to see a return to drama internally produced by the ABC as it once was, rather than outsourced to independent producers. It has called the budget outcome ‘Bittersweet.’

“The kids of Australia will benefit from a new dedicated children’s TV channel, and there is funding for new regional broadband hubs that will broadcast audience-generated content,” it said in a statement.

“But the funding of the new has come at the expense of established networks. The shortfall in ABC funding that was revealed in leaks from the KPMG report on the adequacy of ABC funding appears to have been ignored.”

The group says the increase in funding for Australian drama is insufficient to meet communications minister Conroy’s expectation of an annual output of ninety hours, and fears it will result in programming of questionable quality.

“From the ABC’s low base, the increase in funding delivered to the national broadcaster is disappointing.”

Source: The Australian

15 Responses

  1. I wonder it ABC would consider a joint 24 hour news channel with TVNZ. We’re both relatively small countries and share much culturally and in our worldview so pooling resources would make sense. (Sky News is already an Australasian venture) TVNZ has already launched a news channel, but with its limited resources it consists of a few new bulletins, lots of repeats, and a few imported current affairs shows. For NZ such an arrangement would provide a decent service that otherwise would not possible without a massive funding increase, for Australia it would reduce costs and give a greater perspective on events in our region than is often provided by local news sources, and for both countries there would be the advantages of having the news gathering capacity of two national broadcasters.

  3. We’re finally getting what we deserve with TV. ABC4 will be an excellent addition.

    Where Seven and (to an extent) Nine are dragging their feet ABC, SBS and TEN are going the extra mile. So hopefully by the end of the year we will have 16 operating TV channels.

    And thankfully since ABC is making the channel we won’t have to worry about it being boring, since they are very good at indepth coverage and discussion on news issues.

  4. I too would like to know what needs to be done in terms of gaining appropriate spectrum for 24/7 news. I sure as heck hope we don’t have to wait until analogue is turned off for what will surely be a fantastic service from ABC.

    @kim hocking – it would only make sense for the channel to live in real-time accross Aus.

    IMO 24/7 news should be a priority over ABC Kids, but I guess as an election sweetener, the Kids channel will come first.

  6. A free to air ABC 24 hours news channel is essential and should have been provided before ABC Kids.

    ABC has some quality journalist around the world providing programmes like Foriegn Correspondent. Plus with their nation wide coverage of TV and radio stations they could easily pull off a quality 24 hour news channel.

    Plus a 24 hour news channel with no adverts would be a great incentive for people to make the switch to digital.

    I’m getting so fed up with Sky News these days, I hope they up their game when they supposedly switch to widescreen next week. If you want to get local news after 7.30pm there is no alternative.

  7. Seriously I love “edgy drama” but usually its not actually edgy. If it has cliches in it its not edgy. That rules out pretty much everything done lately.

    On the other hand they can try and do something that is not pretetending to be edgy like a martial arts series. Yes an action series. Why not?

    I would like an edgy series, sure, but I hope they leave political correctness at the door because cliches spoil what would otherwise be great.

  9. @Neon Kitten

    Just give back any govt handouts like your pension in the future you get from my kids paying their tax and us working families and we’ll be square

  11. an abc news channel is a great idea because:
    -it will be available to all digital viewers(once analogue is shut off, all tv viewers) not just those with foxtel
    -it will provide competition with sky news
    -and abc can be trusted to provide a quality and respectable news service.

    any idea david when abc will find out when they will have access to more digital spectrum and then how long after that it will take abc to launch.

  12. I’m ecstatic to hear of their plans to go ahead with their 24 hr news channel. Only the ABC has the level of journalistic integrity and resources to pull this off (SBS is great, but too few resources). Given they already have News Radio, Radio Australia and the Australia Network, there is already a lot of news content out there ready to be shown, ABC2 already has from 6am – 10am covered. When these programs move to ABC4, coupled with the move of ABC Kids to ABC3, it will free more time for other shows on 1 & 2. The ability to show more here will hopefully lead to increased income through DVD sales, etc from ABC shops, and hence more money to work with. A very happy cycle.

  13. Why do “risky” and “edgy” always get pulled out instead of “look look we can do local low-budget Hollywood too”? 😀

    Seriously, though, yes, the ABC drama department does need to broaden its scope – it’s all been a bit polite the last few years. Bed Of Roses was watchable enough; East Of Everything was like watching paint dry on Diver Dan’s dunny door, but neither of them are as worthy of returning as the sadly ignored Rain Shadow, which was quiet drama done right and impeccably made.

    As for extra channels, the “kids channel” I’m sure is a vote-winner (worrrrking faaaayyyymies and all that!) but let’s face it, TV in this country needs something more than a babysitter for ignorant parents to get people to convert to digital. I agree with Ryan(o) – a 24 hour ABC news channel would be a winner.

  14. There’s no shortage of news wherever you look (a lot of it made up it seems). Their limited funds would be better spent on drama, of which there is a dearth.

  15. A 24 hour news channel free-to-air via the ABC will do wonders for our country. No longer will the “news” agenda set by the punk news directors at Nine and Seven with their tabloid junk excuse for a “news” service.
    The sooner ABC News 24/7 begins the better.

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