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Kids TV gets $82m carrot

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The ABC would receive $82m to set up a new kids channel if the Howard government is re-elected.

The money would be delivered over 4 years for a new digital channel to deliver up to 15 hrs a day of children’s programming.

Half the money would be spent on commissioning new entertainment and educational programmes according to news.com.au

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  1. Luke, the ABC set up an ABC Kids Channel back in 2001 under government pressure – and did so with no extra money – so money was diverted to it form other ABC shows. They found that with the government constantyl cutting their funding this wasn’t viable, and in 2003 begged the Govt for some money in order to keep the channel going. The government refused and the channel was closed. THis time around the government is giving extra funds specifically for this channel. But we all need to remember that it was this same government which 4 years ago shut down the very same channel they are now promising to bring back!

  2. While I do support and believe there is probably a need for an independent kids channel, I’m fairy sure I remember that “ABC Kids” was a channel separate to ABC before ABC2, was it not?

    ..That didn’t last, so can it work this time around or is this just a waste of money being diverted away from core ABC funding?

    I’d support it if the ABC planned to remove absolutely all children’s programming from ABC(1) and ABC2, allowing children’s programming on ABC(1) and ABC2 only up to the date analogue broadcasting is to be switched off at longest..

    I agree with anonymous “..Howard government spends 12 years flogging the ABC to death and starving it of funds…”, I’d be concerned this isn’t a “core promise”, otherwise, I can see them supporting the new Kids channel but not supporting ABC(1) and ABC2, thus they’ll have to kill off this ABC3 Kids channel once they can’t keep their budgets afloat at the ABC.

  3. So the Howard government spends 12 years flogging the ABC to death and starving it of funds….and low and behold! they are suddenly converts to its incredible role as educator and entertainer! Well sorry Coalition, but it’s too late for the conversion on the road to Damascus….

  4. sorry that URL was too long! Here’s a quote from The Age article:

    Free kids’ TV channel is as easy as ABC3

    Jason Koutsoukis
    September 23, 2007

    AUSTRALIAN children are set to have their own free-to-air television channel next year, regardless of who wins the federal election.

    The Sunday Age has learned that Prime Minister John Howard would announce the creation of the new children’s channel in the coming election campaign.

    With Labor already backing the children’s channel, the idea will get the go-ahead whichever party wins government.

    The channel would be owned by the ABC, available as a separate digital service known as ABC3, and targeted at the 2.5 million families with children under 15.

    Communications Minister Helen Coonan, who has been a strong supporter of the idea, met ABC managing director Mark Scott last week to hammer out the details.

    The children’s channel will operate from 6am to 9pm daily, with programs including drama, comedy, animation, music, talk and information, and incorporating viewer-generated content, interactivity and on-demand digital services.

    It is believed the station will operate on a budget of close to $50 million a year and will be available to anyone who can receive a digital signal on their television set.

  8. The Libs brought this promise up some time ago (September), and the ALP said (surprise surprise) they’d match the commitment to a children’s ABC channel

  10. Really… so with a nation of rising child obesity the government is going to introduce a new kids channel so the kids can sit on their backsides instead of running around and exercising outside. I predict in 6 years time, the government will be announcing a new package to get kids outside and active and away from the TV to combat the level of childhood obesity and related illness.

    A family focus channel would be a different story altogether such as the US ABC Family channel but I doubt we have the population to support it.

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