Local politicians in regional Victoria have objected to reductions in local program hours, but the ABC says the move is aimed to free up staff to produce more local content.
No staff are being cut. The aim of reducing on air broadcast hours is to allow staff to make content for the multiple new platforms available to audiences.
From Monday 29th November, one hour of the local breakfast shows will be cut and a state wide morning show will replace the one hour local morning programs in Sale, Wodonga, Ballarat, Bendigo, Horsham and Mildura.
Federal Independent MP for Indi, Dr Helen Haines has told radioinfo:
“The disappointing announcement from the ABC to reduce local programming across our region is a terrible idea. ABC Goulburn Murray provides reliable, quality programming that reflects the issues and interests of our community, and we have seen over and over again, from the bushfires to the local COVID-19 outbreak, how much those extra hours of local programming are needed.
“It has been reported that no job losses will come from these changes and while that is positive, it is not enough. I will be meeting with ABC Managing Director David Anderson next week and I will make it clear our community does not support these changes and seek assurances that jobs at our local ABC are safe.”
An ABC spokesperson has told radioinfo the proposed changes to the ABC’s Breakfast and Mornings shows in regional Victoria “will increase the amount of local content across the state,” explaining that audiences are moving more to digital platforms that need to be serviced with content.
“Audiences are increasingly moving to digital and on-demand services and these changes, which will come into effect in 2022, reflect that shift in audience demand. By moving to a single state-wide Mornings show, we are able to free up content makers to increase the number and frequency of digital and on-demand local content available across the day.
“Around 1.2 million Australians each week listen to our regional stations. However, Australians are rapidly moving away from linear programming to on-line and on-demand consumption. Over the past four years the time spent by audiences accessing our regional content has more than tripled, while our reach on our regional social media accounts has quadrupled.
“The regional Breakfast shows will have more capacity to deliver local news at a time when the audience is greatest, and a single, better resourced Mornings show will have the ability to cover the bigger regional themes and to increase our coverage of regional arts and culture. We successfully trialled this model last year.
“This move is not about finding savings and no jobs will be lost. It will allow us to increase the quality of both the Breakfast and Mornings shows and will deliver more local content when and where they want it.”