Few people are aware that when SBS television began in 1980, the date of 28 October had been discussed as a possible launch date. The new service was to be called Channel 0/28. The O from October and 28 from the date were thought good publicity. But that was a Tuesday night. Hardly a night to launch a new television channel. The previous Friday, 24 October was United Nations Day; a more appropriate day for the launch of the new TV station that was to
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Today SBS announced that Dateline will have two presenters next year. Yalda Hakim and Mark Davis will host the program, replacing veteran broadcaster George Negus. He is moving to Network TEN. Hakim and Davis currently work as reporters on Dateline. Dateline’s Executive Producer Peter Charley said each will continue to work as reporters. One will present the program while the other is on assignment. Charley said, “The idea of putting working Video Journalists in the studio to host the program returns Dateline to the essence of what has made it such a distinctive program – Video Journalism lies After months of reviewing their internal operations, SBS has decided to continue with advertising. The broadcaster would have been delighted though if government had offered funding so that in-program advertising would become a thing of the past. During the election campaign, Labor said “in the current economic climate” it could not offer that. The Greens did. The Chairman of SBS, Joe Skrzynski, told SaveOurSBS.org that as a consequence of not receiving additional funding from Government, SBS must continue to take advantage of its commercial SaveOurSBS.org applauds the approach that SBS is taking in Indigenous affairs. The broadcaster is leading the way in promoting the stories of Indigenous Australians. SBS has acted to increase awareness of the contribution of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities to Australian society and building capacity to learn from and serve Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples. Recently, SBS launched the Second Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). It builds on the unique content that SBS has demonstrated in its commitment to telling Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander stories. Through a series Although Labor faired poorly at the 21 August 2010 federal elections, it has now been given a second chance in the formation of a minority government. All the Parties and Independent’s agreement to the way parliament is to conduct itself could result in SBS getting a better deal. Private bills must now be debated and voted on. Labor’s Agreement with the Greens gives the Greens direct access to the Prime Minister on a weekly or fortnightly basis. This could ensure an opportunity for both Under the 11 year Howard Liberal-National Coalition government, funding for SBS did not keep pace with that required. As a result, in late 2006 SBS began interrupting all programs for advertisements. No one was happy. The Coalition government had abdicated its responsibility for multicultural broadcasting. The Labor party then in Opposition vehemently objected in the parliament and publicly stated in its SBS [election] Policy that “Labor opposes and continues to oppose the decision by SBS to introduce in-program advertising”. There was some excitement In a media release issued yesterday the President of SaveOurSBS.org, Steve Aujard, called on the government and Opposition to include SBS in their election policies. Mr Aujard accused the Labor and Liberal parties of showing little regard towards SBS. “Despite more than 12,000 emails sent to leaders of all parties from visitors to the SaveOurSBS.org website in the past few weeks, pleading for a promise to increase funding for SBS to free it from advertising, neither Labor nor Liberal are interested”, Mr Cathy Carey writes:- Earlier this month, the 30 or so subtitlers still employed by SBS TV after several rounds of cutbacks in recent years were informed by station boss Shaun Brown that at least 10 of them must go in the coming weeks, and probably more later. The gloom that pervades the unit could not be further from the excited mood that prevailed over 25 years ago when it was established. Subtitlers at SBS TV have been part of a team which has produced arguably the world’s finest subtitles in a unit built from scratch starting in the Some staff working in the SBS news & current affairs department are about to be made redundant. SBS World News Australia has fallen victim to the ill effects of the chronic under funding that has plagued the broadcaster for more than a decade. Already operating with strained resources, the news department can take the strain no more. In an email sent last week by the SBS Director of News & Current Affairs, staff were told the redundancies “will not be a hands-up exercise”. However the email went on to say that an effort would be made to give 3D television was first broadcast in Australia by the SEVEN NETWORK on 29 October 1983. Eager viewers watched that evening with their red and blue-green cellophane 3D glasses. They cost a dollar. A two tone colour 3D feature was shown and some 3D shorts. The publicity leading up to the broadcast was big. The 3D worked. Sort of. But the technology The income to SBS from air time sales has taken a blow. SBS has suffered a double whammy according to SBS Managing Director, Shaun Brown. In his opening presentation to last week’s Senate Estimates hearing, Brown told the Senate Committee that SBS needed to find a way to offset the hits to the broadcaster’s commercial revenue that have occurred. Brown said that the hits to SBS’s advertising revenue had come about: “firstly as a consequence of the global financial crisis and secondly because of the explosion of multichannels This week SBS began announcements of a restructure of its subtitling and closed caption department. SaveOurSBS.org understands that the restructure has come about because many people who were originally employed to subtitle foreign language programs have found their duties were later extended to create closed captions. Closed captions are the teletext subtitles for the hard-of-hearing on English language programs – not the superimposed subtitles used on foreign language programs. In a statement to SaveOurSBS.org, SBS management said: “At present we have an over supply of capacity in some languages relative to need. As a result many staff are The purpose of the SBS, the reason it exists, is to be found in the Charter at section 6 of the Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991. The Charter is very clear: “The principle function of the SBS is to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services . . .” Section 45 of the Act states that SBS may broadcast advertisements “before programs commence, after programs end or during natural program breaks” but no definition is given of a “natural program break” or when that might occur. The history of advertising Save Our SBS has welcomed the appointment of Joseph Skrzynski A.O. as the new Chair of the SBS. He replaces Ms Carla Zampatti A.C. whose five year term expires in mid December. Commenting on the appointment Save Our SBS spokesperson Darce Cassidy said: “Mr Skrzynski is well qualified to lead Australia’s multicultural broadcaster. He arrived in Australia as a refugee from Poland after the Second World War. He has held Board positions with the Australian, Film Television and Radio School and the Australian Film Commission and is a former Chairman of the Sydney Opera House Trust. He has |
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Election promises for SBS
The Greens have promised the most for SBS. Labor more of the same – perhaps, and the Liberals and Nationals are not saying.
SaveOurSBS.org approached the four major parties for their SBS policies. The Greens and Labor parties responded whereas the Liberals and Nationals did not. An overview is provided in the table below – for the SBS policies of the Greens and Labor parties only.
Our analysis and opinion is below the summary table followed by the full text of each party’s SBS policies.
Summary of party policies at a glance
Support SBS as a strong
Click here to read the full story . . .