AUSTRALIA’S PUBLIC BROADCASTER ABC SET TO OUTGUN BBC AND CNN WITH MORE BUREAUX IN ASIA
November 6th 2009 03:37
Public broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s managing director Mark Scott has outlined sweeping changes for the future of the corporation’s international broadcasting operations, calling for the unification of its radio and television arms into one strong unit.
Scott said a fully funded plan to combine the ABC’s two international broadcasting arms, Australia Network and Radio Australia, into one strong unit, such as the BBC or CNN, could spearhead a more vigorous approach to broadcasting in the region that met the demands of this new era of globalisation.
This would include five additional news bureaux, bringing in a total of 14 bureaux in Asia, the Pacific and India, more than either CNN or the BBC.
This is hoped to establish the ABC as the pre-eminent source of news and current affairs about and for the region, particularly in China and India.
The ABC said it is intent on securing “the all-important landing rights for the service in China”.
Set to deliver the annual Bruce Allen Memorial Lecture on Friday evening, November 6, titled A Global ABC: Soft Diplomacy and the World of International Broadcasting, Scott called for a revaluation of the importance of Australia’s soft diplomatic efforts and renewed investment into international broadcasting.
He said, “Australia has played a crucial role in creating the G20 as the preeminent global institution for economic policy making and problem-solving and we are proving adept at promoting frameworks for co-operation that stem from Australian interests, values and perspectives.
“We have an important role to play and we have to use all the tools at our disposal to continue to do so – one of these tools is soft diplomacy – using the media to put our nation’s culture, values and policies on show.
“The past 12 months have demonstrated just how hard-nosed the competition can be in the sphere of soft diplomacy: the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle launched its second television channel DWTV Asia Plus, the Chinese have announced an international media program worth $8 billion and the Japanese and French also launched new services into the Asia Pacific region.
“The UK spends $868 million dollars on the BBC World Service and BBC World News; France over $600 million on international television and radio services, Germany ranks next with $532 million; China currently commits $380 million, and Japan spends $226 million.
“Australia, with $34 million covering the cost of Australia Network and Radio Australia, is at the other end of the table, about the same spend as Mexico and Brazil and 50 per cent smaller than Singapore.
“We may be a significant, strategic player in the G20, but our investment in broadcasting is meagre in comparison to our colleagues.”
Scott said a fully funded plan to combine the ABC’s two international broadcasting arms, Australia Network and Radio Australia, into one strong unit, such as the BBC or CNN, could spearhead a more vigorous approach to broadcasting in the region that met the demands of this new era of globalisation.
This is hoped to establish the ABC as the pre-eminent source of news and current affairs about and for the region, particularly in China and India.
The ABC said it is intent on securing “the all-important landing rights for the service in China”.
Set to deliver the annual Bruce Allen Memorial Lecture on Friday evening, November 6, titled A Global ABC: Soft Diplomacy and the World of International Broadcasting, Scott called for a revaluation of the importance of Australia’s soft diplomatic efforts and renewed investment into international broadcasting.
He said, “Australia has played a crucial role in creating the G20 as the preeminent global institution for economic policy making and problem-solving and we are proving adept at promoting frameworks for co-operation that stem from Australian interests, values and perspectives.
“We have an important role to play and we have to use all the tools at our disposal to continue to do so – one of these tools is soft diplomacy – using the media to put our nation’s culture, values and policies on show.
“The UK spends $868 million dollars on the BBC World Service and BBC World News; France over $600 million on international television and radio services, Germany ranks next with $532 million; China currently commits $380 million, and Japan spends $226 million.
“Australia, with $34 million covering the cost of Australia Network and Radio Australia, is at the other end of the table, about the same spend as Mexico and Brazil and 50 per cent smaller than Singapore.
“We may be a significant, strategic player in the G20, but our investment in broadcasting is meagre in comparison to our colleagues.”
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