|
|
Save Our SBS, Tuesday, 2 June, 2015
Today, Independent Senator Nick Xenophon received from Margaret Pomeranz (left) & Quentin Dempster (right) the Save Our SBS petition of 62,000 SBS viewers who do not want the law changed to double primetime advertising. The Bill, which allows product placement in SBS programs, would result in 14 minutes of commercial breaks per hour 6pm to midnight and in sport.
Last Tuesday in the House of Representatives Minister Turnbull defended his Bill saying it was a recommendation of the efficiency study that advertising flexibility be given to SBS. However Shadow Minister Jason Clare said
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Monday, 25 May, 2015
Last week, Save Our SBS President Steve Aujard told a Senate inquiry into a Bill that would double primetime advertising on SBS, that the broadcaster had wanted to increase advertising before the government announced cuts to SBS. Save Our SBS gave evidence opposing the Bill, which if passed, would see increased commercial breaks and 14 minutes per hour of non program matter from 6pm to midnight and in sport.
Mr Aujard said that in mid 2012 SBS’s Managing Director, Michael Ebeid, had told Save Our SBS that-
[SBS] could make twice the money from having twice
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Thursday, 23 April, 2015
"A ‘threat’ by the SBS Board to sack staff and axe local programs unless Federal Parliament accepted a fully commercial future for the multicultural broadcaster was unacceptable coercion", says Save Our SBS.
"The Abbott government has no mandate to turn SBS into Australia’s fourth commercial TV network."
Save Our SBS President Steve Aujard said, "It is distressing to see both the SBS Board and apparently FECCA (Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia) roll over on a strategy that can only destroy SBS’ raison d’être.
"There seems to be a hidden agenda here. A fully commercial SBS can
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Tuesday, 21 April, 2015
A submission to the Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications
The commercialisation of SBS versus efficiency
A response to the Communications Legislation Amendment (SBS Advertising Flexibility and Other Measures) Bill 2015
To Committee Secretary, Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications, PO Box 6100, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600 Sent by email ec.sen@aph.gov.au
15 April 2015
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Save Our SBS opposes the Communications Legislation Amendment (SBS Advertising Flexibility and Other Measures) Bill 2015 and any moves that would potentially see a
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Tuesday, 24 March, 2015
Today the government decided to proceed with the Communications Legislation Amendment (SBS Advertising Flexibility and Other Measures) Bill 2015 to double advertising on SBS and allow product placement. Minister Turnbull is expected to introduce the bill tomorrow.
Save Our SBS President, Steve Aujard said, “If passed, SBS will look no different from commercial TV. It will broadcast 14 minutes of disruptive commercial breaks per hour, mostly in primetime and sport.
“Despite some 50,000 people signing a petition against the bill, the government is still putting this forward. There will not be
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Monday, 9 March, 2015
A submission to the Department of Communications
Commercialising SBS by stealth
A response to the SBS Advertising Flexibility Regulation Impact Statement
A PDF of this submission may be read here.
There is strong evidence that SBS’s ability to comply with its Charter obligations will be severely threatened with increases in advertising, thus making it less efficient in its primary function
To Director, ABC and SBS Section, Media Branch, Department of Communications Sent by email SBSads@communications.gov.au
9 March 2015
Table of Contents Executive Summary. Options offered. Advertising impacts
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Wednesday, 14 January, 2015
Archive:
PETITION The Australian Parliament: Members & Senators, SBS Board & CAC
Do not amend the SBS Act 1991 to permit advertiser-averaging, which will see a doubling of ads and commercial breaks on SBS. This will mean that during primetime & sports broadcasts, SBS will look no different from the commercial networks.
Increasing ads will seriously threaten SBS’s ability to comply with its Charter obligations.
If the law is amended, eventually SBS will broadcast 14 minutes of disruptive commercial breaks per hour in peak viewing — 6pm to midnight and in sport (10 minutes of
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Wednesday, 14 January, 2015
by Margaret Pomeranz and Quentin Dempster
Now is the time for all good Australians to stand up to fight for a sustainable public broadcasting system in our country, in particular SBS.
There are forces at work out to further commercialise SBS through an amendment to the SBS Act and through the dishonouring or an election commitment not to cut funding to SBS (and the ABC).
SBS is unique. It emerged in 1978 as an initiative of the Fraser Government because of the perceived deficiency of the ABC in servicing the needs of increasing numbers of non-English speaking
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Wednesday, 14 January, 2015
Margaret Pomeranz & Quentin Dempster with Save Our SBS and GetUp! have launched a petition opposing the government’s proposal to increase advertising on SBS. The online petition is on GetUp’s community campaigning website, CommunityRun getup.org.au/saveoursbs
Late last year the communications Minister announced the government will introduce a bill in 2015 that effectively doubles advertising on SBS through a system known as ad-averaging.
Campaign spokesperson, journalist and public broadcasting advocate, Quentin Dempster said, “Margaret and I join this campaign to try to save SBS from forces and strategies which can only destroy it.
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Saturday, 10 January, 2015
Last December, Save Our SBS was invited to appear before a joint Party Senate Select Committee looking into the budget cuts imposed on SBS and the government’s proposal to increase SBS advertising. Save Our SBS gave oral evidence having made a written submission to the Committee.
Save Our SBS President, Steve Aujard addressed the Committee-
Thank you for inviting Save Our SBS to this hearing.
Save Our SBS has a dual purpose–advocating as a supporter and friend of SBS and also for consumers of SBS. Whilst we put the case for greater
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Wednesday, 19 November, 2014
SBS’s budget from government will be slashed by $53.7m which includes $28.5m from additional advertising. SBS’s operating budget will be reduced by $25.2m over five years. The revised budget for SBS will be $1.39b for the same period.
The Communications Minister, Malcolm Turnbull said that the government plans to introduce legislation to parliament in 2015 to amend the SBS Act to allow SBS to change its advertising arrangements, generating $28.5m over the five years. This will occur by permitting SBS to effectively double its advertising quota
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Monday, 20 October, 2014
In a recent Politics in the Pub talk by public broadcasting advocate Quentin Dempster, the extent of government cuts to the ABC and SBS were outlined. Whilst his talk was mainly about the ABC, chunks of it covered the impact of cuts to the SBS. The cuts are a result of the Communications Department’s Efficiency Study into SBS & the ABC conducted earlier this year. Here is an edited version of his talk – the sections that deal mainly with SBS.
The ABC and SBS are in no man’s land at the moment.
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Friday, 17 October, 2014
Nihal Gupta is the new Chairman of SBS. He takes over more than six months after Jo Skrzynski concluded his five year term.
For more than a week it was understood that Gupta would fill the vacancy of Chairman. Gupta, widely reportedly a donor to the Liberal Party, is understood not to have been the first choice nor made it onto the Nomination Panel’s short list of recommendations.
Other than the Managing Director, who is appointed by the Board, the SBS Chairman and Directors are required to be appointed under a merit
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Monday, 11 August, 2014
Moves are afoot that could see advertising soon double in primetime programs on SBS but government taking the proceeds of the extra revenue from the increased ads as a payment in efficiency dividends.
Effectively, the current cap of five minutes advertising per hour will increase to 10 minutes.
But an increase in one hour will mean a decrease elsewhere. ‘Ad averaging’, as it is called, is a possible outcome of the Communications Department’s Efficiency Study into SBS that was conducted earlier this year. A draft copy of the Study has been given to SBS.
Click here to read the full story . . .
Save Our SBS, Tuesday, 13 May, 2014
SBS will have its annual funding cut by $2m each year for the next four years while the ABC will face cuts in the order of $9m per year. Both broadcasters will merge their "back office" operations and eight people at the ABC will lose their jobs as a result. The Budget papers show no reduction in SBS staffing levels.
The cuts to be shared by SBS and the ABC total $43.5m over four years which is equal to a one per cent reduction in base government funding of
Click here to read the full story . . .
|
|
Ads to double in SBS primetime
Moves are afoot that could see advertising soon double in primetime programs on SBS but government taking the proceeds of the extra revenue from the increased ads as a payment in efficiency dividends.
Effectively, the current cap of five minutes advertising per hour will increase to 10 minutes.
But an increase in one hour will mean a decrease elsewhere. ‘Ad averaging’, as it is called, is a possible outcome of the Communications Department’s Efficiency Study into SBS that was conducted earlier this year. A draft copy of the Study has been given to SBS.
Click here to read the full story . . .