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Advertising and Commercialism for the ABC?

This section of the website contains links to several items relating to proposals to introduce advertising for the ABC, the inclusion of ABC content on sites containing advertising, and other matters broadly relating to creeping commercialism on the ABC. Click on the headings to view the items.

We are still adding material to this section and welcome suggestions from readers of links that we could add—please them to the website manager.

No to ABC ads: 8c a day is enough (9 August 2007)

Quentin Dempster comments on the announcement that the ABC won’t be taking advertising on websites.

ABC websites ad-free, for now (8 August 2007)

An article in The Age reporting Mark Scott’s speech (see following item).

Address by ABC Managing Director Mark Scott (7 August 2007)

This is Mark Scott’s speech to Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers’ Association Editors’ Dinner in which he announced that the ABC websites wouldn’t be taking advertising—provided funding didn’t decrease..

Tilting at windmills and ABC advertising (4 April 2007)

Article by Margaret Simons in Crikey.com.

March to advertising will deliver a two-tier ABC (10 February 2006)

Letter to the Sydney Morning Herald from Judith Rodriguez, President FABC (Victoria).

ABC to examine charge by the byte brigade (8 February 2007)

Article in the Sydney Morning Herald.

The ABC of Digital Media Evolution (7 February 2007)

This is the media release put out by ABC Managing Director Mark Scott that launched further speculation about advertising on ABC websites.

Your ABC: Sold on Ads?

Address given by Jill Greenwell, President FABC (ACT & Region), to the Independent Scholars Association of Australia.

Canada’s Media Regulation (27 July 2006)

In Australia we’re talking about putting more ads on SBS and some on the ABC, but in Canada they’re saying their public broadcaster, which has been running ads for years, should stop.

Democrats’ Media Release: ‘Keep ads off the ABC’ (15 Mar 2006)

A statement by Democrats leader Lyn Allison.

Ads on ABC unlikely, says PM (ABC Online News, 15 March 2006)

The Prime Minister John Howard has not ruled out advertising on the ABC, but says he does not think it is likely to happen.

Bulletin interview with Helen Coonan (21 March 2006)

Senator Helen Coonan, Minister for Communications, raised the topic of advertising on the ABC in this interview in The Bulletin.

Coonan says ads wouldn’t compromise ABC charter (interview on AM, 15 Mar 2006)

This interview covers the topic of advertising, makes reference to the Charter, and covers other issues, such as the Coalition’s attitude to ABC Board Chairman Donald McDonald, as well.

Gary Humphries, Stephen Conroy and Barnaby Joyce (quoted on AM, 15 Mar 2006)

This brief overview of the issue appeared on AM on the occasion of the publication of the Bulletin interview, and served to introduce the interview with the Minister listed above.

Darce Cassidy responds to Robert Manne

In August 2003 the Melbourne Age carried an article by Robert Manne, Professor of Politics at Latrobe University, who argued that the ABC was grossly underfunded and since it was unlikely that either the Coalition or Labor would fund it properly, then it should take ‘between program’ advertising like the SBS. This is a response to Robert Manne’s article by Darce Cassidy.

Gary Humphries: Advertising on the ABC?

Gary Humphries (Liberal Senator for the ACT) raised the issue of advertising on the ABC in November 2005. This article includes quotes from his remarks and some responses to them.

ABC Content on Third Party Websites Using Advertising

Countdown to a commercial future? (Media Watch: 31 July 2006)

Video streaming of ABC content to a third party website (Media Watch: 24 April 2006)

Rumours (mostly quoted from Crikey) of proposals to consider licensing video streaming of ABC content to a third party website for a fee based on the advertising revenue attracted by the site.

FABC’s objections to the Telstra deal:

Submission to Part One of the Senate Inquiry into ABC Online
Submission to Part Two of the Senate Inquiry into ABC Online