Sex Between Soccer and the ABC

I honest to god can’t remember a time where my mind DIDN’T associate SBS and the ABC with those quirky foreign films with naked men, women dressed in 90’s sheek, and shabby crack-den -esc housing. My roommate has since informed me, in her very charming French accent, that this is not the norm, for the most part.

But the SBS and ABC aren’t just outlets for late-night soft-core, they are public media, and between it and commercial media, it seems to be the lesser of two evils. It is here that lies their difference.

‘The difference between commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting is the difference between consumers and citizens’           
                                                                                               -Nigel Milan

Unlike commercial media, public media audiences REALLY have a say on content (according to the BBC.)  Funnily enough, because of this, it is unfortunate that there is a lack, or no sign of, advertising because it means programming is on a tight budget - programmes like ABC news suffering the consequence.  The only real profit public media makes is from selling their content, which according to Bruce, can be anywhere from $75 per second. On the other hand, in an interesting turn of events, video is free through commercial media.

It is really is a hard-knock life for public media, with ABC once the sole source of content. When told this, I found myself counting my over-advertised blessings for commercial media, if I had no choice but to sit through every single episode of RockWiz I’d probably punch Julia Zemiro right in her god-damn face. I digress. Being the one and only, I suppose they built up a sort of reputation for being THE channel, and with the rise of all this immoral commercialisation nonsense, they have had to take a backseat, primarily in regard to the younger generation. This is despite the fact a supposed 12.6 million watch ABC TV weekly. It might be worth noting that, as discussed in a recent tutorial, these figures may not be a true reflection of the actual audience.

This is a pretty sad realisation seens’ as they rely solely on what WE, the CITIZENS, want.  Shouldn’t this mean, technically, that public media should be more popular than commercial? I don’t watch T.V nearly as much as I’d like so I might be out of the loop on this one, but is public media more popular? Certainly in terms of Triple J (which is nothing short of godliness), and web-based news (41% of Australians obtaining their news from the ABC.) It is nicknames for these channels that I feel indicate what is really thought about the content; SBS playfully coined “Sex Before Soccer.”

SBS is to Multiculturalism as the ABC is to Nationhood.  However, these core values can be questioned, the ABC’s  commercial sectors playing a big role in its organisation, BBC World wide and ABC shops to name a few. The problem is, even with all these definitions of what public media is supposed to be, it’s not, and now is more in likeness to commercial than ever before, in terms of government regulation of legislation, or rather ‘telling them what they can and can’t do.”

Despite all of this, Public Media does have its own news style, enabling public media to distance itself from commercial. It is the only source of in-depth political discussion, and in turn, political interview, radio news analysis and current affairs. Personally I believe the style of public media news is extremely well crafted, so much so, that it has continued to uphold its promise to its audience. 

The News is:
- Serious

- ‘Broadsheet’ style

- Importance over interest

- Considered, not quick and unchecked

Some nit-pickers however, have coined it:

- Boring

- Elitist

- Of limited interest

- Poorly presented

- Out of touch

They are trying to present informative news, not the Jersey Shore. However, to an extent I suppose they do need to:
- Become more relatable, to connect and inform the younger generation who have lost sight of in-depth politics, or don’t have enough access to make informed decisions. Engage with the democratic process.
- Overcome budgeting constraints and produce a higher quality in relation to news and what people want to watch.
-  To break the small ties with commercialism and become independent. Although they are not totally funded, they are indirectly restricted on content.

They have the right idea, but there is still much to do.

With Public Media comes community media, which seems to be the go-to outlet for beginner journalists and radio presenters. Bruce reminded us that by our second year we should have found placement at a community station like 4ZZZ. While this is all well and good, I don’t know how I would fare in a radio station, I have no interest in radio or television, SO NOW I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO, YAY!

In all, I've come out of this with the impression that there is a war between commercial and public, but honestly, as long as public media continues to make shows like this,

 

and commercial media this,

then I could care less. 

-Shannen