The ABC is facing some pretty tough times in the wake of the Federal Government‘s planned budget cuts to the national broadcaster. The latest potential casualty of which could well be the channel’s much revered, heavily lauded, award-winning current affairs program Lateline. But any potential cancellation of the program – which has been on the air continually since 1990 – is not being taken lying down, least of all by the ABC’s journalists and high profile reporters.
Along with hundreds of other journalists and staffers in the ABC’s news department, high profile figures like Leigh Sales, Sarah Ferguson, Mark Colvin, Juanita Phillips, and Ian Henderson have all joined forces in an attempt to lobby the ABC board away from pulling the trigger on the proverbial Sword of Damocles that hang perilously above Lateline’s head.
A petition circulating the network has accrued the signatures of well over 350 staffers at the ABC, and will be presented to the ABC board before they next meet on Wednesday.
The board is not only considering axing Lateline, but the state-based editions of The 7:30 Report that air on Friday’s as well. The perceived reason for these cancellations revolves around an argument that exists within the news department over the need for a stand-alone late night news program on ABC1 given the existence of the 24-hour news channel ABC News 24. With suddenly tighter budgetary strings being pulled, it’s now a question of whether the program’s ratings justifies its expense any longer.
Activist organisation Get Up! is expected to launch a public petition to couple with the internal one at the ABC in order for the public to contribute their voice to the argument against axing the program.
For the moment, Lateline remains on the air – 10:30pm weeknights – with hosts Tony Jones (who has won Walkley Awards for his work on the show) and Emma Alberici.
via SMH.
