Dear Dan,

Here are a few facts that may be of interest:

1)The ABC costs taxpayers about 10cents per Australian
per day (ABC Annual Report).

2) It costs less to run all of the ABC services (one TV
network, 5 radio networks, Radio Australia, ABC online,
ABC shops) then it does to run the Channel 9 network
(Report by Prof Glen Withers).

3) Since 1996 ABC staffing has been cut by 20 percent.

4) Nearly 9 out of 10 Australians (86 per cent) over
the age of 15 use ABC Radio and or TV each week (Aust.
Nation-wide Opinion polls).

5) Over 80 percent of all Australians believe the ABC
provided a valuable service to the community (Newspoll).

6) For almost 3 times the population of Australia - the
BBC receives almost ten times the funding of the ABC
(ABC and BBC Annual Reports).

You need to ask yourself - is that the truth -
Or is your News Limited?

Go Foxy!

The truth at last.

Let the quaint ones wallow in whatever their rich Murdoch and Packer social betters dish out to them.

Twas Sir Frank Packer and Sir Keith Murdoch wasn't it?

Its amazing how raw media power and $$$ will be winning Knighthoods in our new, modern, egalitarian Australia.

Sir James, Sir Clive, Dame Gina, Sir Lachlan Murdoch anyone? Does it sound good all you anti-Aunties ABC elderberries you?

O yea of little faith - http://youtu.be/c4SJ0xR2_bQ

Thats it chaps - run away.

;)

Dear Plantagenet,
Never did I say the commercial news was truth or virtue. Only that it's opt in or opt out. If you don't want it, you don't have to pay. Running down your opposition doesn't make yourself virtuous. All most of here are asking is that the ABC stick to its Charter.

Dear Foxy,
You believe in the ABC so dearly. Would you be willing to pay for my $36.50 annual fee? Until now, no one has ever given me the chance to opt out. Though I'm an Australian, I do not feel included within its ideological framework. The ABC is as elitist as it undemocratic.

Hi Foxy, happy Easter,

Allowing for current exchange rates the BBC’s budget is $6.3bn (AUD) (3.5bn GBP).

With roughly three times the population that is a direct equivalent to $2.1bn (AUD) Less than twice the ABC budget and not ten times?

Not sure how you arrived at you figures but I’m glad you’re not managing my business?

It is the ABC will bring down the ABC because like the BBC, they are ripping off the public purse and are about to be exposed. Nothing to do with content, perceived bias or opinion polls.

If you really want to know where the ABC is going, just follow the BBC saga.

“Total 2011 BBC budget 4.8bn pounds. Cuts announced 2011 of 1.3bn pounds, a reduction of 20%. Resulting in the 2,000 redundancies and the sale of the Television Centre.”

“BBC 1 program budget reduced by £35million and BBC2’s by £27million Relocate 1,000 jobs to Salford”.

“The BBC is to cut about 200 websites as it reduces the amount of money it spends on its online output. The changes, which will see BBC On line’s budget cut by £34m, will also result in the loss of up to 360 jobs over the next two years”.

“Facing a 16 percent reduction in its budget, the BBC World Service announced closure 5 of its 32 language services and reduce its work force by about a quarter, cutting around 650 jobs over the next three years”.

According to Chairman Lord Patten, “ A 700million GBP per year reduction over five years to 2016 will leave a budget of 3.5bn GBP. The BBC will be significantly smaller than it is today; employing fewer people; occupying far less space; and spending less money both absolutely and as a proportion of the UK broadcasting industry.’

More than 7,000 jobs have been lost at the BBC since 2004.

The 2.5% ED the ABC faces is tiny by comparison but the ABC’s current business model cannot withstand it because it is flawed.

Enjoy the ABC whilst you can but don’t blame anyone except the ABC.

Foxy

I agree it cannot pander to all views but it is supposed to try.

It's news and current affairs currently only panders to the views of it's mostly green's left wing audience.

It's news and current affairs certainly does not pander to liberal or conservative views at all.

It is because of this criticism that is has lost support from among liberal and conservative viewers who at present make up over 50% of the population.

I agree with spindoc. The ABC has become an overfunded unresponsive monolith, that is irrelevant to more than half the population.

When the cuts come they will be devastating. The first things to go will be spending on outsourced production, 24 hour news and overseas television.

As we are seeing currently the private tv media is about to launch into Asia. It will be cheaper for the government to fund it's soft diplomacy through those than through the much to expensive ABC.

The economics will dictate the end of much of the ABC's news and outsourced current affairs.

It is sad it has come to this but had the ABC been wiser with it's money and tried to satisfy more of us then maybe it my have survived.

Dear Imajulianutter,

I don't see any evidence of the ABC having a
Leftist bias. That's simply something that's
being spruiked by the current government.
I don't buy it.

The Managing Director of the ABC, Mark Scott AO,
was appointed to a five year term - 5 July 2006.
He was re-appointed - 5 July 2011 for another five
year term. Which goes to show that he was acceptable
to everybody.

One of the functions of the Board of the ABC is to
ensure that the gathering and presentation of news
and information is accurate and impartial,
according to recognised standards of journalism and
that the ABC complies with legislative and legal
requirements. Up to seven directors are appointed by
the Governor-General on the recommendation of
the government and it is the duty of the Board
to maintain the independence and integrity of the
Corporation and to ensure that the functions of the
Corporation are performed efficiently with
maximun benefit to the people of Australia.

The ABC if undoubtedly the most accurate and impartial
Australian broadcaster - and it for that reason that
some people would like to see it controlled.
Cuts to the ABC would therefore have a major impact.
And it would make it so much easier for Mr Murdoch to
come in and "save" the broadcaster.