ABC News channel: reactions

Yesterday’s major announcement by the ABC for its 24 hour News Channel has drawn a number of reactions.

Sky News chief executive Angelos Frangopoulos was on the defense, questioning where the resources would be redirected from to fund the new channel.

“Clearly, the money has to come from somewhere and that means further cuts for the ABC’s core services, including possibly its existing news and current affairs programs,” he said.

He also challenged ABC’s claim it would give Australians access to the country’s most comprehensive news coverage.

“The fact is that Sky News already broadcasts nationally not just one but 14, 24 hour news and information channels, including Sky News, Sky News Business Channel, Sky News Multiview, and Sky News Local channels.”

He even went as far as to suggest Mark Scott’s statement that no other media organisation was better equipped to deliver a 24 hour news service was “disingenuous, misleading and simply incorrect.”

“With all due respect to the excellent news and current affairs provided by the ABC, the fact is that the Sky News Network of channels draws from not only its own resources but also Australia’s most successful television news operations Seven and Nine, plus BSkyB, ABC America, CBS, Fox Business Network, Reuters, APTN as well as its close relationship with News Limited newspapers across the nation.”

Seriously…

Building a brand on the pooling of other organisational feeds doesn’t substitute for having bureaus around the country and overseas. This was a crucial message in Scott’s statement: that the ABC has newsrooms in every state and territory, 12 international bureaus and 60 regional newsrooms.

When Sky News defiantly launched its local news channels late last year, there wasn’t much detail on staffing, because they were single-journo operations.

Scott hit back saying that a ”significant portion” of the 24-hour channel’s content would be made by ABC staff, in contrast with Sky which he said ”aggregated all its content from elsewhere”.

Meanwhile advocacy group Friends of ABC have called on the government to fund the new channel.

“It makes good sense for the ABC to establish a 24/7 TV news channel,” said spokesperson David Risstrom. “The community has come to expect and rely on timely news. Importantly, the ABC can be depended on to provide independent news and analysis.

“But investigating, reporting and analysing news costs money. And while the Rudd Government has delivered extra funds for new ABC services like a children’s TV channel, the broadcaster’s existing news services continue to suffer from inadequate resources.”

Crikey even asked, “should the ABC aim to break news, both national and local. Should it set agendas by revealing new facts? Should it be brave and controversial? Should it be at the cutting edge of investigative journalism? It is this area where the ABC is vulnerable to criticism. When did Auntie last consistently break major news stories?”

TV Tonight would also like to know what the ABC’s policy on the future of HD programming is, and whether the channel will be live around the country, ignoring timezones?

Insiders are tipping the new channel to be called ABC4 and will feature a 9pm centrepiece bulletin every night.

Source: smh.com.au, Knowfirst, Crikey