THE PETITION IS NOW CLOSED http://www.saveoursbs.org/phpPETITION/Index.htm

THE PETITION IS NOW CLOSED

The NO ADVERTISEMENTS OR SPONSORSHIP ON SBS petition is now closed. It was handed to Minister's staff at a meeting in the Minister's Melbourne office on 8 April 2008. The Minister was unable to attend. Save Our SBS and Senator Conroy's office will remain in contact regarding SBS and the issues raised in the petition.

It you signed the petition, an email may be sent to you advising you of the outcome of the campaign. If you did not sign the petition but would like to know of the outcome, you may SUBSCRIBE to the eNewsLetter service of Save Our SBS here http://lists.saveoursbs.org or just return to www.SaveOurSBS.org and browse the information you seek.

The original petition screen is provided below for information purposes only. It is inactive.

Following the 2007 federal elections, the Minister responsible for SBS changed and the petition will be presented in the form of a letter with the list of signatories in 2008 to Hon Senator Stephen Conroy, The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

PRIVACY: Your personal details (name, email address and postcode) will be invisible on this web site. These details will be displayed on the final petition submitted to the Minister.

PETITION

To The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts,

NO ADVERTISEMENTS OR SPONSORSHIP ON SBS

I appreciate the important role that SBS plays in Australian life as our valued public broadcaster, that reflects and enriches Australia’s diversity and multicultural society.

However I am furious at SBS’s decision of 2006 to reinterpret the Special Broadcasting Service Act (1991) and interrupt programs for advertisements. Previously advertisements were between programs only.

SBS has now redefined the concept of “natural program breaks” referred to in the Act and is forcing breaks into programs for advertisements (& promos), which is contrary to the spirit of public broadcasting, if not the Act itself. I consider that advertisement interruptions into program are not natural; are not part of the Charter of SBS; and, ultimately will compromise the unique and independent character of SBS.

I urge you to immediately require that:-

1) The SBS Board cease disrupting all programs for advertisements.

Furthermore, I call on you to protect the integrity and independence of SBS from government and commercial influence by:-

2) Amending the SBS Act to prohibit advertising and sponsorship on SBS;

3) Fully funding SBS so it is not dependent on commercial revenue nor supplementation from advertising; and,

4) Introducing a new system of appointments to the SBS Board that will result in Board members being appointed on the basis of merit with a strong commitment to multiculturalism and SBS independence, and, that the Board is independent from the government of the day and commercial influence.

I value SBS and do not want it to broadcast advertisements at all.

Please let me know what your government will do about the matters I have raised.

Yours Faithfully,

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	Our target was: > 5,000 Counter stopped at: 7,541 (23 March 2008)

Please check our home page regularly for updates on the progress of the petition. Occasionally we may send you email updates.

Why Save SBS?

In late 2006 SBS-TV began interrupting programs for commercial breaks. This is a fundamental departure from its past practice of screening advertisements only between programs. Commercial/promo break interruptions into program are annoying and not natural. These interruptions disregard the viewer experience and destroy the program integrity. Ads and commercial sponsorship are against the spirit to which all public broadcasters should aspire and are not part of the SBS Charter.

SBS is a tax-payer-government funded public broadcaster. It does not hold a commercial broadcast licence.

The need to appease advertisers seeking to maximise audiences, is now affecting SBS programming and will result in SBS losing its unique character as a multicultural broadcaster admired around the world. Inevitably, the federal government has and will withdraw further from its responsibility to fund the public broadcaster if SBS continues to run ads. The May 2007 federal budget offered nothing new or extra in this regard.

The SBS experience has demonstrated that once the commercial foot is in the door, its presence grows.

When SBS was established in 1980 it was envisaged that the special public broadcaster with a multicultural focus would be publicly funded and independent, and, free from advertising, like the ABC.

We urge everyone who cares about the future of SBS to sign the petition.

More information

For more information about Save Our SBS (SOSBS) please visit www.SaveOurSBS.org

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