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Save Our SBS, Monday, 21 April, 2014
Despite Tony Abbott’s election promise not to cut funding to SBS, it seems highly likely our poorest broadcaster will be severely cut beyond the bone.
SBS has no fat to trim and although sketchy, the list of speculated cuts is frightening:-
SBS Melbourne studios and offices to go. SBS and ABC to share technical facilities where possible. SBS and ABC to join back house operations such as one pay office for both. Anticipated effective cuts in the order of $40m to $60m p.a. to SBS. SBS advertising quota to increase beyond the currently legislated cap of
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Save Our SBS, Tuesday, 1 April, 2014
Last month the Attorney General, Senator George Brandis, QC, said, “People do have a right to be bigots you know. In a free country people do have rights to say things that other people find offensive or insulting or bigoted.” He was defending the Abbott Government’s proposed repeal of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 in the Freedom of Speech Bill 2014.
Section 18C currently makes it “unlawful for a person to . . . offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or a group of people .
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Save Our SBS, Tuesday, 1 April, 2014
As part of its drive to increase Australian content, SBS is offering funding of $20,000 to would-be writers and producers of comedy to make their scripts a reality. The SBS Comedy Runway is a national comedy initiative to find the next generation of comedic talent. SBS has committed to fund and present a new online pilot once a month, every month.
Applicants must fill out a SBS Comedy Runway Coversheet, provide a short breakdown of the proposed concept (no more than one page), attach a pilot script for a five-minute episode, with
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Save Our SBS, Sunday, 9 March, 2014
When SBS released their new Codes of Practice at the end of February, they ignored 90 percent of viewers by refusing to include SBS’s definition of a natural break, the insertion of commercial breaks into TV programs.
The Codes are supposed to outline the practices and principles the broadcaster follows in consideration of community concerns and the SBS Charter. Should the Codes be breached, a viewer may take a complaint to the regulator, the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA). But ACMA has no power to review any guidelines
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Save Our SBS, Friday, 14 February, 2014
The first two Directors ever appointed based on merit to the SBS Board of Directors were SBS’s Chairman, Joseph Skrzynski AO, and Director, Elleni Bereded-Samuel. Their term on the SBS Board is due to expire next month.
The Skrzynski story
In the lead-up to his five year anniversary, Save Our SBS concludes our series on the historic first ever merit-based appointments to the SBS Board.
Last month we profiled Bereded-Samuel. Now Joseph Skrzynski
Skrzynski entered the world of broadcasting five years ago with experience as a viewer, listener and financier.
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Save Our SBS, Friday, 31 January, 2014
The Communications Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has announced an enquiry into the national broadcasters. The ABC and SBS Efficiency Study will not review the broadcasters’ charters, or its editorial and programming decisions.
The study, to be conducted by the Department of Communications, will conclude in April and the findings given to the Minister. The SBS Chairman will also receive a copy.
The last departmental review of SBS was the ABC SBS Review which allowed direct input from the public.
The current study will include a review of advertising on SBS and operational,
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Save Our SBS, Tuesday, 14 January, 2014
The first two Directors ever appointed based on merit to the SBS Board of Directors were SBS’s Chairman, Joseph Skrzynski, and Director, Elleni Bereded-Samuel. Their term on the SBS Board is due to expire on 14 March.
Who is Skrzynski and Bereded-Samuel?
In the lead-up to their five year anniversary of these historic first ever merit-based appointments, Save Our SBS takes a close look at each, their work at SBS and background, commencing with Ms Bereded-Samuel.
Still to come Save Our SBS profiles SBS Chair, Joseph Skrzynski
Bereded-Samuel is one of
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Save Our SBS, Tuesday, 14 January, 2014
Five years ago, when Joseph Skrzynski and Elleni Bereded-Samuel were appointed to the SBS Board by the previous government and subsequent legislation introduced that determined an appointments process, it was said to remove the politics from Board appointments in favour of a merit-based system in selecting and appointing Directors to the SBS and ABC Boards. Before that, Directors were hired and fired as the Minister saw fit.
Under Labor’s merit system, which Tony Abbott’s government inherited, interested persons are to be interviewed by a panel that is said to be at ‘arms length
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Save Our SBS, Wednesday, 1 January, 2014
SBS are planning a one-third increase in their local on-screen content this year.
The decision to increase the content came about following a Senate Estimates hearing last year where Greens communication spokesperson, Senator Scott Ludlam, asked SBS’s Managing Director Michael Ebeid, why the broadcaster had only invested 37 per cent of television advertising dollars on local programs, when, upon the introduction of in-program advertising, an SBS media release had promised that 100 percent of advertising revenue would be used to make Australian programs.
“SBS has directed all advertising revenue to program making and
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Save Our SBS, Tuesday, 23 July, 2013
Earlier this year, Save Our SBS undertook a study of 2044 viewers of SBS television. Those studied came from every State and Territory. More than a third were not born in Australia. The findings of the study form part of a detailed submission to the SBS Community Advisory Committee & the SBS Board. The full submission may be read in HTML or PDF format. Five recommendations are made.
The study found that SBS had not been inclusive of a significant portion of its television (SBS ONE & TWO) audiences, giving preference to advertisers
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Save Our SBS, Wednesday, 15 May, 2013
There’s been a lot of backslapping all round. If you read SBS’s and Minister Conroy’s media releases about funding SBS in the budget, things could not be better. Offering no criticism, SBS welcomed an increase of a measly "$20 million" over the next three years and SBS’s Managing Director, Michael Ebeid articulated a clutch of corporate speak. The similarity between the Minister’s and SBS’s talk is remarkable.
Looking at the figures and rhetoric, it seems that SBS and the government are happy with the direction and funding model of SBS as public service broadcaster.
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Save Our SBS, Saturday, 6 April, 2013
Although the government withdrew its controversial media reform bills package, the legislation that related to SBS passed both Houses.
The new law guarantees an Indigenous Director to the SBS Board which Save Our SBS welcomes and incorporates most of the SBS Charter to digital services (online).
In applying the Charter to online, the package did not require SBS online services be "diverse" nor use "innovative forms of expression". These unique Charter obligations will remain on SBS free-to-air but need not apply to SBS online programs and internet only streamed radio or TV services. SBS
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Save Our SBS, Monday, 1 April, 2013
Save Our SBS eNewsLetters are no longer publicly published on the SaveOurSBS.org website. eNewsLetters continue to be emailed to members and subscribers. In future and on occasion, the content of certain eNewsLetters might be made available on-line or on the Save Our SBS syndicated RSS feed. SaveOurSBS.org published the first eNewsLetter on 20 November 2007 and the last, number 19, was published on 2 March 2013.
Anyone may subscribe or unsubscribe to the eNewsLetters here. There is no cost. Each eNewsLetter contains an unsubscribe link at the foot of each email. Save Our
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Save Our SBS, Monday, 18 March, 2013
Save Our SBS reviewed the government’s Media Reform Bills Package in relation to SBS.
If passed in its current form, advertising will continue on SBS’s internet service but without any of the constraints that apply on SBS free-to-air.
The package allows online advertising – something SBS does anyway – but provides no mechanism for consumer complaints and in this respect will permit SBS to side step the industry regulator, ACMA. Advertising on SBS digital and online services would not be required to be subject to the SBS Codes of Practice. SBS’s Board would develop
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Save Our SBS, Saturday, 2 March, 2013
You may be wondering what happened to the Bill introduced in the Senate last year to phase out disruptive breaks on SBS-TV. Following the campaign in April last year, organised by SaveOurSBS.org in which a confirmed 9,171 messages were sent from ordinary people like you, the government granted SBS the biggest increase in base government funding ever (27%) and decided advertising is a matter for SBS to now determine. Additionally, SBS will be granted three year funding this May but has no plans to move ads out of programs, believing that advertising and in-program disruptions are a non
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Free speech law will affect SBS
Last month the Attorney General, Senator George Brandis, QC, said, “People do have a right to be bigots you know. In a free country people do have rights to say things that other people find offensive or insulting or bigoted.” He was defending the Abbott Government’s proposed repeal of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 in the Freedom of Speech Bill 2014.
Section 18C currently makes it “unlawful for a person to . . . offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or a group of people .
Click here to read the full story . . .