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This year SBS has come up with a television schedule that shows lots of promise. We review more than 15 SBS television programs for 2012. Definitely there are many worth watching. Find out what’s screening, what to watch or catch up on, during the year.
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On Thursday 22 December at 8.30pm SBS-TWO will broadcast their new conversation series CQ: Cultural Intelligence, bringing together experts and commentators to discuss topics of national importance. Hosted by World News Australia’s Anton Enus, the first SBS CQ forum explores who influences the debate on asylum seekers and cultural diversity; does the media drive public opinion or does public opinion drive the media? This show appears to be a rehash of the many panel and discussion programs that have come before it and at first you wonder what CQ can bring to the Australian Last week an event of significance took place in the Senate that may have important implications in the funding of SBS, leading to a considerable reduction in the number of adverts cluttering up television programs. On Wednesday (26/11/11) the government voted in favour of a motion, tabled by Senator Scott Ludlum, communications spokesperson for the Greens, reiterating the value of SBS to Australian society. He also gave notice of a private bill, aimed at removing commercial breaks during programs on SBS television. The Special Broadcasting Service Amendment (Natural Program Breaks and Disruptive Advertising) Bill 2012 will be tabled next year. Save Our Today Greens Communications spokesperson, Senator Scott Ludlam told the Senate that he was giving Notice for a Bill to amend the Special Broadcasting Service Act. He said that would occur in 2012. It is believed this is for the long awaited Bill to address the issues around the commercialisation of the SBS that has occurred over the past five years. Senator Ludlam promised as much during the 2010 election campaign. We await with bated breath for an opportunity to read the Bill referred to today, when it becomes available. SBS has been permitted to broadcast advertisements since SBS have released another app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod. This one is for radio. It’s called Your Language. One for Android is on its way. The SBS Audio and Language Content Director, Dirk Anthony, said “I hope [the Android version] will be available within months”. The SBS Your Language app has a range of great functions including live streaming of SBS Radio 1, Radio 2, POPAsia, and SBS chill, audio on demand – a mix of podcasts and audio highlights. It also has the ability to listen to previous programs, which When SBS speaks at public forums about the ways in which it would like to expand its services, to some extent it’s talking about ‘catching up’ with other media outlets. There’s a long list. For example, SBS is the only broadcaster without a third television network. And there’s a need for an increased number of SBS radio stations too. After all, there are many more languages in Australia now than when SBS radio began 36 years ago. New and emerging communities, especially from African nations are expanding, although under-represented in our media than their established counterparts. Just as the mainly Three Parliamentarians from opposing sides have united to form a new Parliamentary Friends of group. This one is for SBS. There are many Parliamentary Friends of groups – in our Federal Parliament, but never before has there been one for the SBS. The group is the joint initiative of Steve Georganas (Labor Member for Hindmarsh), Senator Scott Ludlam (Greens Senator for Western Australia), and, Paul Fletcher (Liberal Member for Bradfield). In a statement the group said “SBS stands In June of 2011 SBS broadcast Go Back to Where You Came From, a three part documentary that saw six Australians sent on the reverse journey taken by hundreds of refugees who come to our country. The series generated a great deal of interest in the Australian media (mainstream and social), with comments and reviews on commercial and ABC radio & television, and in The Australian, The Age and on the Amnesty international website. SBS also reported that set new records for online performance on their website. Within Commencing Tuesday 21 June, over three consecutive nights, SBS-ONE will premier a world first event: Go Back To Where You Came From. It’s an unscripted, unstaged, doco-drama-reality program that follows the journey of six Australians from different backgrounds. Their journey will be the reverse of the journey taken by many refugees who come to Australia every year. Together these six will experience the trials many refugees face during the search for asylum. At the start of the SBS radio has advanced from its humble beginnings of the mid seventies. Then, 2EA Sydney and 3EA Melbourne were it! In the years since, SBS radio has been broadcasting nationally on AM and FM from SBS-Radio-1 and SBS-Radio-2. These have also been available on the ‘net for years and in recent years on digital radio too. But less than a year old are two SBS on-line radio stations. POPAsia http://www.sbs.com.au/popasia The site blurb reads: “The very best non-stop Asian pop hits in Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean and more – streaming 24/7”. Before Mr Michael Ebeid will be the new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of SBS. He will commence on 13 June 2011. Ebeid’s broadcast experience has been in the public and commercial spheres. Previously Ebeid was at the ABC, where he was the Executive Director of Corporate Strategy and Marketing. Prior to that Ebeid spent ten years with Optus Communications. His last role was Director of Commercial Operations for the Consumer Division, responsible for strategy, business development, regulatory and finance across internet, Pay TV and telephony. Earlier, Ebeid worked at IBM for nine years in Australia and Asia. SBS Chairman, Mr Joe With all the to-ing and fro-ing by the Immigration Minister and the Opposition about a nine year boy orphaned on Christmas Island being shuttled to Sydney for an emotional funeral, then back to Christmas Island and now with the boy returning to relatives on the mainland, the recent Click here to read the full story . . . When SBS announced their 2010/11 content lineup with the pledge to ‘push boundaries’, you may wonder how further episodes of Who do you think you are? constitute anything but more of the same. One new program however may actually come good on their promise. Immigration Nation: A Secret History Of Us is a documentary that explores a conflict existing within Australian history; how a nation constructed on utopian ideals of progress and enlightenment harboured paradoxical notions of racial superiority. Beginning with Few people are aware that when SBS television began in 1980, the date of 28 October had been discussed as a possible launch date. The new service was to be called Channel 0/28. The O from October and 28 from the date were thought good publicity. But that was a Tuesday night. Hardly a night to launch a new television channel. The previous Friday, 24 October was United Nations Day; a more appropriate day for the launch of the new Today SBS announced that Dateline will have two presenters next year. Yalda Hakim and Mark Davis will host the program, replacing veteran broadcaster George Negus. He is moving to Network TEN. Hakim and Davis currently work as reporters on Dateline. Dateline’s Executive Producer Peter Charley said each will continue to work as reporters. One will present the program while the other is on assignment. Charley said, “The idea of putting working Video Journalists in the studio to host the program returns Dateline to the essence of what has made it such a distinctive program – Video Journalism lies at the heart of After months of reviewing their internal operations, SBS has decided to continue with advertising. The broadcaster would have been delighted though if government had offered funding so that in-program advertising would become a thing of the past. During the election campaign, Labor said “in the current economic climate” it could not offer that. The Greens did. The Chairman of SBS, Joe Skrzynski, told SaveOurSBS.org that as a consequence of not receiving additional funding from Government, SBS must continue to take SaveOurSBS.org applauds the approach that SBS is taking in Indigenous affairs. The broadcaster is leading the way in promoting the stories of Indigenous Australians. SBS has acted to increase awareness of the contribution of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities to Australian society and building capacity to learn from and serve Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples. Recently, SBS launched the Second Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). It builds on the unique content that SBS has demonstrated in its commitment to telling Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander stories. Through a series of objectives and Although Labor faired poorly at the 21 August 2010 federal elections, it has now been given a second chance in the formation of a minority government. All the Parties and Independent’s agreement to the way parliament is to conduct itself could result in SBS getting a better deal. Private bills must now be debated and voted on. Labor’s Agreement with the Greens gives the Greens direct access to the Prime Minister on a weekly or fortnightly basis. This could ensure an opportunity for both to act Under the 11 year Howard Liberal-National Coalition government, funding for SBS did not keep pace with that required. As a result, in late 2006 SBS began interrupting all programs for advertisements. No one was happy. The Coalition government had abdicated its responsibility for multicultural broadcasting. The Labor party then in Opposition vehemently objected in the parliament and publicly stated in its SBS [election] Policy that “Labor opposes and continues to oppose the decision by SBS to introduce in-program advertising”. There was some excitement in In a media release issued yesterday the President of SaveOurSBS.org, Steve Aujard, called on the government and Opposition to include SBS in their election policies. Mr Aujard accused the Labor and Liberal parties of showing little regard towards SBS. “Despite more than 12,000 emails sent to leaders of all parties from visitors to the SaveOurSBS.org website in the past few weeks, pleading for a promise to increase funding for SBS to free it from advertising, neither Labor nor Liberal are Cathy Carey writes:- Earlier this month, the 30 or so subtitlers still employed by SBS TV after several rounds of cutbacks in recent years were informed by station boss Shaun Brown that at least 10 of them must go in the coming weeks, and probably more later. The gloom that pervades the unit could not be further from the excited mood that prevailed over 25 years ago when it was established. Subtitlers at SBS TV have been part of a team which has produced arguably the world’s finest subtitles in a unit built from scratch starting in the early 80s. Some staff working in the SBS news & current affairs department are about to be made redundant. SBS World News Australia has fallen victim to the ill effects of the chronic under funding that has plagued the broadcaster for more than a decade. Already operating with strained resources, the news department can take the strain no more. In an email sent last week by the SBS Director of News & Current Affairs, staff were told the redundancies “will not be a hands-up exercise”. However the email went on to say that an effort would be made to give preferences to staff 3D television was first broadcast in Australia by the SEVEN NETWORK on 29 October 1983. Eager viewers watched that evening with their red and blue-green cellophane 3D glasses. They cost a dollar. A two tone colour 3D feature was shown and some 3D shorts. The publicity leading up to the broadcast was big. The 3D worked. Sort of. But the technology was The income to SBS from air time sales has taken a blow. SBS has suffered a double whammy according to SBS Managing Director, Shaun Brown. In his opening presentation to last week’s Senate Estimates hearing, Brown told the Senate Committee that SBS needed to find a way to offset the hits to the broadcaster’s commercial revenue that have occurred. Brown said that the hits to SBS’s advertising revenue had come about: “firstly as a consequence of the global financial crisis and secondly because of the explosion of multichannels from commercial broadcasters This week SBS began announcements of a restructure of its subtitling and closed caption department. SaveOurSBS.org understands that the restructure has come about because many people who were originally employed to subtitle foreign language programs have found their duties were later extended to create closed captions. Closed captions are the teletext subtitles for the hard-of-hearing on English language programs – not the superimposed subtitles used on foreign language programs. In a statement to SaveOurSBS.org, SBS management said: “At present we have an over supply of capacity in some languages relative to need. As a result many staff are spending considerable amounts The purpose of the SBS, the reason it exists, is to be found in the Charter at section 6 of the Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991. The Charter is very clear: “The principle function of the SBS is to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services . . .” Section 45 of the Act states that SBS may broadcast advertisements “before programs commence, after programs end or during natural program breaks” but no definition is given of a “natural program break” or when that might occur. The Click here to read the full story . . . Save Our SBS has welcomed the appointment of Joseph Skrzynski A.O. as the new Chair of the SBS. He replaces Ms Carla Zampatti A.C. whose five year term expires in mid December. Commenting on the appointment Save Our SBS spokesperson Darce Cassidy said: “Mr Skrzynski is well qualified to lead Australia’s multicultural broadcaster. He arrived in Australia as a refugee from Poland after the Second World War. He has held Board positions with the Australian, Film Television and Radio School and the Australian Film Commission and is a former Chairman of the Sydney Opera House Trust. He has been recognised Yesterday the Greens spokesperson for Communications, Senator Scott Ludlam, introduced a Bill that would ban SBS-TV from interrupting programs for commercial breaks. The Bill, would allow SBS-TV to run advertisements between programs only. In a media statement Senator Ludlam said: “The Bill will not prevent SBS from generating advertising revenue, nor from running advertisements and station promotions between programs”. He added the “character [of SBS] is under threat from the shortfall in public funding”. Previously the Greens had called for more funding for the broadcaster. The Bill, the Click here to read the full story . . . For a quick overview click to read: In the May 2009 Senate Estimates the Greens spokesperson for Communications, Senator Ludlam questioned Minister Conroy about Labor’s pre-election policies in regard to SBS interrupting programs for commercial breaks. Part of the proceedings are cited below:- Senator LUDLAM- You might require a Has the Minister for Communications, Senator Conroy denied the Labor Party’s opposition to the interruption of SBS-TV programs for advertisements? Responding to Senator Scott Ludlum (Greens) in a recent Senate Committee hearing, Senator Conroy suggested that statements he made before the 2007 election, which had severely criticized SBS management for interrupting programs for commercial breaks, “Labor has opposed and continues to oppose the decision by SBS to introduce in-program advertising” were not official Labor policy, but simply his “opinion”. According to the Click here to read the full story . . . On 25 May 2009 at Senate Estimates, the Greens spokesperson for Communications, Senator Scott Ludlam questioned the Managing Director of SBS, Mr Shaun Brown as to how the broadcaster could justify forcing breaks into programs that were never intended to be interrupted. BBC programs and cinema release movies were the examples cited. Brown took exception to the expression that SBS had forced breaks into these or any programs. However he did admit that SBS interrupted programs that were never produced for commercial breaks. Brown insisted that SBS only had natural breaks which is Last month, the Managing Director of SBS, Shaun Brown publicly admitted that SBS did not ask for any funding to “wind back the amount of advertising”. Brown was being questioned in Senate Estimates (25 May 2009). Senator Scott Ludlam, the W.A. Greens spokesperson for Communications had been questioning Brown about the SBS advertising policies and operations. Surprisingly Brown also told Senate Estimates that SBS had not sought “revenue to offset the commercial revenue” when SBS recently made its submission to government for funding for the next three years. Brown also said he was aware of the The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, is consulting the public on the future of Australia’s national broadcasters, the SBS & ABC. Comments from the public are welcome. This may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to make your thoughts about SBS known directly to the Minister via the Departments online submission form. We will make a submission and we strongly encourage you to make one too before 12 December 2008 at the Department’s online form. See URL under the box of our suggested questions below. You may use any
A PDF of the statement below may be viewed at: http://saveoursbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/the-sbs-must-be-special-signed.pdf
The SBS Must Be Special The Special Broadcasting Service was established by the Fraser coalition government, building on the creation of the publicly funded multi-lingual radio stations 2EA and 3EA by the Whitlam government. ‘EA’ stood for Ethnic Australia. Concrete government support for multiculturalism was a bi-partisan issue in the mid-seventies, but recently the special nature of the SBS has been under threat. Since the introduction of sponsorship and advertising to SBS-TV in the 1990s the service has steadily become more generalist and less specialist The Minister responsible for SBS, Senator Stephen Conroy wrote to Save Our SBS on 26 August 2008 in response to the petition that we gave to his staff on 8 April 2008. Senator Conroy apologised for his late reply and wrote. SBS is one of Australia’s most important public institutions. The Australian Government recognises the importance of its role as a national public broadcaster, catering for diverse interests in the Australian community and reflecting Australia’s culturally diverse society. Issues of funding and independence are crucial to a vibrant and In 2007 SBS-TV forced almost 6000 commercial breaks into some 2000 program broadcasts that were never intended to have commercial breaks. Programs made for non-commercial networks, such as the BBC, were interrupted for ads when screened on SBS-TV. In the public interest, Save Our SBS is publishing the times to air and title of every program where SBS-TV forced an interruption for an ad break, when one was never intended by the program as originally supplied to SBS. Save Our SBS is of the opinion that such breaks were hardly natural. A log of the full list of programs that A few days ago SBS-TV re-branded itself. Their logo changed. SBS will continue to emphasise its commercial approach but with a new look. This is the second time SBS has re-branded in a little over 12 months. Just over a year ago SBS World News Australia changed the set and adopted a more tabloid and commercial style of news presentation. Long time news presenter Mary Kostakidis ended up departing the broadcaster. The idea of a multicultural, non commercial public broadcaster is now but a memory of the past. Will there be nothing special remaining? The re-branding this time is more than just The No Ads on SBS petition closed today. It is expected to be presented to the Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy in early April. The petition (full title: NO ADVERTISEMENTS OR SPONSORSHIP ON SBS) attracted more than 7000 signatures which was much more than the target of 5000. Many people felt outraged when the world’s first multicultural broadcaster began interrupting programs for advertisements in late 2006. Prior to that ads were only shown between programs, not in them. SBS-TV does not hold a commercial broadcast license. It is a public broadcaster funded from Today the leader of the Australian Democrats, Senator Lyn Allison, will introduce her private members bill into the Senate that would prohibit SBS from interrupting television programs for advertisements. The bill, the “Special Broadcasting Service (Prohibition of Disruptive Advertising) Amendment Bill 2008“, allows SBS to carry limited advertising between programs only. SBS began interrupting programs for advertisements in late 2006. Prior to that, advertisements were screened between programs only. The Object of the bill states: “The object of this Act is to prohibit the interruption Today the leader of the Australian Democrats, Senator Lyn Allison, announced that tomorrow she will introduce a private members bill that would prohibit SBS from interrupting television programs for advertisements. If her bill became law, SBS-TV would be allowed to carry limited advertising between programs only. It is understood that the intention of her private members bill is to prohibit the interruption of programming on SBS television by restricting advertising to the period between the completion of one program and the commencement of another program. Prior to the November 2007 federal elections, the ALP stated that, consistent with their SBS policy Both in Canada and Australia anger is mounting against what many see as the destruction of public broadcasting. In Australia more than 7,000 people have signed a petition at www.SaveOurSBS.org calling for a ban on interrupting programs with advertisements. In Canada a Senate inquiry has recommended a ban on advertising on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and a significant increase in the national broadcaster’s budget. Senator Lyn Allison has indicated
Despite the election of a new government and the long time stated objection of the ALP to SBS interrupting programs for advertisements, the Managing Director of SBS, Shaun Brown was quick today to call for SBS to continue down the commercial path.
Brown wants SBS to continue to operate as a commercial network.
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This is the official web site of Save Our SBS Inc. |
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Election promises for SBS
The Greens have promised the most for SBS. Labor more of the same – perhaps, and the Liberals and Nationals are not saying.
SaveOurSBS.org approached the four major parties for their SBS policies. The Greens and Labor parties responded whereas the Liberals and Nationals did not. An overview is provided in the table below – for the SBS policies of the Greens and Labor parties only.
Our analysis and opinion is below the summary table followed by the full text of each party’s SBS policies.
Summary of party policies at a glance
Support SBS as a strong
Click here to read the full story . . .