Last night’s Media Watch (the 1st one for 2016) had a lengthy report on the proposed media reforms, with a particular emphasis on how it would affect regional TV news if the reach rule is abolished.
Transcript: http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s4398397.htm
This was interesting, though I was surprised MW devoted so much time of their first episode back in months to the issue of regional content.
I never knew that SA/WA weren’t included in the local content requirements. Very strange you’d have one set of rules for the east coast markets and another for the rest.
The mention of the ABC filling the void is interesting, but they’re right in saying you can’t just produce full bulletins without significant additional investment. Hence the reason why so many commercial stations have made these cuts too - it’s expensive to make local news!
Interestingly, if you want to look at the other side of the debate, Bernard Keane in Crikey wrote this somewhat scathing piece on the need for local content requirements (paywalled):
Don’t necessarily agree with a lot of Bernard’s points, but it does raise the question - do the regulations really achieve that much, and is more local content really what the community want?
I don’t think this is a bad idea.
SC would be stuffed though. That’s a good thing.
notice how they said they hope it only applies to any “new owners” though?!
“Regional television operators are hoping it would only affect incoming owners.”
Just beat me to it cmo.
Since 6 weeks contains 42 days, that’s about 21.43 points per day. Assuming we refer to local news being the only form of local content that would count, that would, by the following logic…
…add up to seven or eight stories containing “locally produced television vision” in each bulletin.
I really think it is a good idea.
And if WIN or SC merge with a metro player they could still run the news out of the metro newsroom and just have some video journalists in the regions to cover the local stories and gain points.
The proposal is 900 points for 6 weeks.
Presuming local channels only do local news weekdays (as they do now) That is 30 points needed each weekday.
The proposal says rip & read generates one point per minute, full video style stories generate 3 points per minute.
So say you are looking at the Newcastle feed of SCTen
They would need to produce 10 minutes each weekday of full news bulletin type news, or 30 minutes daily of rip & read.
How you fill 30 minute of rip & read I don’t know - my guess is they go with 10 minutes of news bulletins
Perhaps 3 x 3 minute video bulletins inserted into Ten News at 5.
Though not all that would need to be news presumably - if it’s just a local content points system?
Simplest way for SC Ten - chuck a camera in the studio of all their Hit network breakfast shows, and simulcast that on TV.
Hahaha… I’d love to see that. Though it would be a bit embarrassing having everyone see just how old and run down some of those studios are.
That said though… done properly in more of a TV studio setup it could become like a local version of a Sunrise, and could even get good reach having it on radio and TV if the content was good… though it would definitely cost too much money and be too difficult for them to pull off effectively.
You wouldn’t need to know. A cheap green screen or background in each studio is all that is needed.
Turnbull cabinet approves new media laws
Summary of article:
Cabinet has approved changes to media ownership laws that include scrapping the population “reach rule” and the “two out of three” ownership rule but no changes to the sports anti-siphoning list.
New local content laws for regional areas but only after a “trigger event” - for example, if a regional broadcaster such as WIN was acquired by the Nine Network.
Note - not approved by Coalition party room yet (or parliament).
If Prime7 and WIN’s News Studios after the Mergers do at least 20 Minutes of Pre-Recorded Local News for Each Market and then 40 Minutes of National and International News, Sport and Weather Live from the Same Studio as the Local News is Made, Nine Network Owned NBN do this Every Weeknight.
Continuing the discussion from Ten HD:
With the upcoming launch of WIN HD and 9Life in WIN O&O regions, I’d say that any chance of a Southern Cross Austereo and Nine Entertainment Co merger is well and truly dead, buried, and cremated.
Where is SCA losing money? Through its TV business.
If what this piece on SBS2’s The Feed predicts happens, then Ten will be absorbed by News Corp (or, more likely, 21st Century Fox).
I completely agree. IMO, we’re more likely to see a WIN/Nine merger than a SCA/Nine merger when the reach rules are inevitably dropped.
And apart from Melbourne I’m pretty sure that the radio business isn’t doing spectacularly well either, ratings wise they’re struggling in most other metro markets IIRC.
Revenue seems to be up across the board, so while ratings tell a different story, I’d dispute that.
Yes - I read a 25% profit increase including improved earnings from TV - the opposite of many media companies especially with a heavy exposure to the regions; quite an achievement in today’s media landscape.
The SCA run radio stations perform very well across Regional QLD.
Ten Network Welcomes Media Reform.
Ten Network welcomed the Government’s announcement that it will introduce legislation tomorrow to repeal two of Australia’s most out-dated media regulations.
Ten Network Chief Executive, Paul Anderson, said: “Removing these archaic media laws is an important first step in dismantling a set of rules that are making Australian media companies less competitive in a global, converged media market.
“Ten Network is now competing directly for viewers and advertisers against large, global internet companies that are exempt from local media regulation, don’t pay television licence fees, pay minimal corporate tax despite taking billions in advertising revenue in this market, and in some cases don’t have a single local employee.
“Meanwhile, we pay the highest broadcasting tax in the world on top of our normal corporate taxes and we are held back by media ownership rules that don’t even recognise the existence of the internet,” he said.
“We welcome the Minister’s comments about addressing the onerous television licence fee regime.
“Addressing television licence fees and updating media laws are essential if we want to see a vibrant, diverse and competitive Australian media industry going forward. These changes are critical and urgent if we want to retain local voices in our media and a local content production industry,” Mr Anderson said.
Statement from Tim Worner, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Seven West Media
Media ownership changes might be great for the deal junkies out there but they are not going to ensure a strong future for Australian film and television production. You won’t see one more minute of local content as a result of these changes, in fact you will probably see a lot less, especially in regional Australia.
It’s disappointing that the Government has not walked the talk when it says it wants to focus on innovation and the future.
These changes tinker with rules put in place by the Howard Government 10 years ago. They do nothing to improve competitiveness or offer better services. The regulatory change that this industry is crying out for is to address the 4.5 per cent gross revenue licence fee that is crippling our ability to invest in local news, live sport, drama and other programming. And that is something that the 70 per cent of Australians who rely on free television highly value and don’t want to lose.