Under socialists Mark Scott and Jim Spigelman, Australia’s ABC Aunty is to do a digital makeover that will see it microwaved into something unrecognisable and unwanted.
On November 19, 2014 ABC Managing Director Mark Scott announced that his direct boss, Liberal Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull wants Scott to find a 5% expenditure savings for the ABC over the next four years. Turnbull requires a $20m cut in expenditure for the ABC during 2015-16, and then another $180m over the subsequent three years.
Surely, problem one – finding $20m savings out of a previous budget of $1220 million for 2015-16 should be do-able. It is just 1.6%.
Scott’s personal plan is to create two new divisions and a $20 million digital investment fund. This is a ‘nice to have’ were there was an abundance of taxpayer funding but there isn’t. It would be nice for a snaking new ABC Digital Network to facilitate “better research” and to put the ABC Shop online. The latter would single-handedly deliver the requisite $20m savings of the ABC during 2015. Don’t do the fancy digital investment fund! End of story!
Scott has also extravagantly diverted funding to damage his commercial rivals by buying up Google search ads. He also extravagantly approved a taxpayer-funded jaunt to the south of France flying business class return for 11 ABC staff just to look at TV programmes, licensing brands, operating ABC Shops and selling library stock.
Scott, instead of frugally living within his means, has gone feral slashing and burning valued ABC traditions, and his ideological buddy James Spigelman has signed off on Scott’s wrecking ball through the ABC brand.
It is pure spite, because Scott and Spigelman jointly hate the Liberal Party and will trash the ABC so they can point the finger of blame at Tony Abbott. Scott and Spigelman are abusing their power for personal ideological gain.
Scott does what he likes and Spigelman coerces the ABC Board to rubber stamp it.
“The initiatives outlined by Mr Scott comprise a carefully considered response to the twin challenges of technological change and reduced funding,” the Board, led by ABC Chairman James Spigelman, said.
“They provide funds to invest in essential new online and mobile strategies that better connect the ABC with its audiences. Like the best media companies across the globe, the ABC is using its digital expertise to achieve deeper and broader audience engagement and relevance.”
“What we are doing today is in the best interests of the ABC and its many stakeholders. It is designed to position the organisation for the future. Working together, we can be confident in our ability to see through these changes and to build a stronger ABC.”
Crap!
Scott has targeted the careers of 400 loyal ABC staff. His discretionary redundancies payout will cost more than the $20 million.
Quentin Dempster, a Walkley award-winning journalist and host of 7.30 NSW, has announced he will depart the ABC before Christmas after he was called into his manager Kate Torney’s office last Monday and told he had no future at Scott and Spigelman’s brave new ABC.
This is an unjust spiteful attack on Australia’s public owned national broadcaster by two men with ulterior motives.
Scott and Spigelman have lost the confidence of the Australian public and must be sacked before they utterly destroy one of Australia’s much beloved cultural assets, Our ABC.