Veteran activist Mannie De Saxe has launched an on-line petition to SBS requesting the broadcaster voluntarily cease in-program commercial breaks. The petition is independent of Save Our SBS and is the initiative of Mr De Saxe.
In a statement De Saxe said, "after years of frustration it seemed it was about time to try [a petition] because, we have all been complaining about this for so many years without any breakthrough". He said that in 2006 he put a petition on his blog together with some email exchanges between SBS and himself. He described it as "an exercise in cynicism and very frustrating".
De Saxe said, "There are so many good programmes they have had over the years [but] the episode with Mary Kostakidis remains one of the more disgraceful episodes of the previous CEO’s incumbency. It was downhill all the way after that."
In 2007-08 SaveOurSBS.org ran an online petition which was addressed to the communications Minister. De Saxe’s petition is targeted to SBS Management, not the Minister.
Reflecting on the past but in relation to the present and among other things, his petition introduction states:
In 2012, SBS has a new management and this petition is to urge the new team to drop the advertisements in the middle of programmes. SBS used to have the best news bulletins of all TV stations in Australia, and, because of the advertisements, it has lost continuity and quality – and some of its best newsreaders!
The De Saxe petition is at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/902/258/197/sbs-television-and-advertisements
