Klaas, the party's over. The ABC must abide by it's charter or go. Reform or be extinguished. Which do you prefer?

And could you please take up Spindoc's (onya Spindoc!) suggestion and either reply personally or have one of your fringe group ABC luvvies respond to our posts. We are itching to put the boot into you.

The only friend you have got on OLO is poor old Plantagenet who is doing his best to lead us away from the topic under discussion with a very smelly red herring. If you lot are frightened of fair debate then you have already lost. Perhaps you can get the Human Rights mob to have "attacking the ABC" included in section 18C of the Anti Discrimination Act.

Well said, LEGO. I especially liked the last line.

Klass is claiming that a strong majority of Australians think the ABC is balanced in its presentation. It's clear his poll sample was not amongst us here at OLO.

In my experience, the problem is that deep down the ABC don't really believe it's their job to provide balance in the presentation of news and current affairs, even if that is written in their codes of practice. What Geoff Kelly seems to have pointed out, even by Klaas' admission, is that the ABC see themselves not as providing a balance of information and opinion, but of redressing an imbalance that they perceive exists elsewhere. The result is that they see it as their role to push their own barrows.

Now anyone that knows me knows that I have some barrows I like pushing. But I don't think I'm alone. And that's okay, for the Charter says the ABC is supposed to provide "programs that contribute to a sense of national identity  ... and reflect the cultural diversity of the Australian community." So those that are like minded with myself should find something for us somewhere. Right?

Not so. We who find ourselves outside of the ABC's ideologies (to borrow ChrisPer's quote above), "should have lies told about us, are paedos in speedos, should be misrepresented and denied a voice in testing climate change science, gay marriage, migration, race and every other marker issue that there is only one side for real people."

After I read his quote, I realised I wasn't alone. It's not just me that is wondering why we have to put up with this, and contribute to it with our tax dollars.

Hi plantagenet,

I’m sure you are a ladies man but fear you may have misunderstood the meaning of Edward “longshanks”.

He was 6’2” tall, much taller than his contemporaries, hence “longshanks”.

He also had a ferocious temper, one droopy eyelid, a lisp and died of dysentery.

I can imagine just how appealing this might be to the ladies?

I guess we can judge your reading of the ABC with the same level of dreamlike dilligence?

<< Granted Aunty is an intelligent, sensitive centrist (like moi) but it just shows she has a head for business >>

“Perhaps you can get the Human Rights mob to have "attacking the ABC" included in section 18C of the Anti Discrimination Act.”

Nice line Lego.

Klass, your argument, that the majority of Australians regard the ABC as the most trusted information provider, is self defeating.
If that is actually the case then let the ABC be solely funded by subscription viewers and /or donations and remove its tentacles from the public purse.

You can’t have to both ways. You can’t say Australian Pravda is more respected by the public than the voluntary funded commercials, and yet it shouldn’t have to be funded voluntarily by the public because too few people would pay up.
After all, the ABC does run well in “efficiency tests” and from what you say they don’t pay wages as high as the private sector broadcasters. If it only costs 25 cents a day (whatever) for every Australian then that is still only $1.00 per day for the quarter of us who are the enlightened few who can appreciate quality "unbiased" broadcasting.

Hi spindoc

I really appreciate your interest in my Royal dynasty.

Was it not Senator Brandis who said "a man, or woman, or forsooth trannie is entitled to his bigotry, delusions of grandeur and, of course, bestiality, goatwise"?

Yes old Longshanks was a somewhat complex, misunderstood individual, Known to Police of his day. He launched a murderous counter-insurgency against the Scots, had William Wallace hung-drawn-and quartered; and had one of his son's homosexual lovers thrown out of a tower onto very sharp rocks. A bit of a Vlad "Putin" the Impaler of his day. Admittedly more a killer than lady "killer".

Apart from that the ABC is a doting Aunty that we all undeniably love.

Cheers

Pete

‘morning Klaas,

Well, things certainly move along quite quickly here on OLO. It seems such a short time ago that we speculated on the future of the ABC and “Hey Presto”, confirmation of the worst case scenario for the ABC emerges.

The assessment of the ABC’s business model, which I might add remains unchallenged, was that if the ED and loss of the Australia Network eventuated the ABC would face financial collapse shortly thereafter.

The basis for this claim was that the ABC were inflating production costs by directing work to media “personalities” that operated their own production companies, that the ABC had shifted funding for new production activities into inflated remuneration packages, that redundancy provisions would be quickly exhausted if any lines of business were cut and employees were either voluntarily or forced into redundancy.

That perfect storm is brewing I think?

What’s new? The announcement today that Sky intends setting up a rival international news platform to serve 180 countries including China. And they will do this without public funding.

Also new is that as suspected, the ABC have more media personalities “contracted” through their own production companies, as revealed in the Julian Morrow affair (of Chris Kenny fame), whose company also “sells” programs to the ABC?

Mark Scott who took seven months to publicly apologize to Chris Kenny, now faces defamation action against the ABC at public expense of course. Scott now looks even more likely to have to fall on his sword after “Chaser Boy” Morrow threw him under a bus this week.

Back to the business model and the way the ABC is increasingly being seen to have been ripping off the public purse. All the ingredients for the financial implosion of the ABC are now in the mixing bowl.

Well done Mark Scott, what you seek to avoid, you have created.

Bye the way Klaas, how is that business model rebuttal going?

Do you remember your lead comment for your article ? << that the ABC needs a new business model cannot go unchallenged >>