Commentary about the appointment of Mark Scott to replace Russell Balding as Managing Director of the ABC has been rather muted, for an appointment so important. It’s been a fair while in the offing (one story of the Howard years that’s rarely told is the difficulty Ministers have in negotiating appointments through the factions in Cabinet), and Scott was not mentioned in dispatches when the position fell vacant. Most comment has assumed that Scott, a sort of hereditary management consultant, is a bland bureaucratic type in the mold of Balding and favoured by Donald McDonald. However, that’s to ignore the fact that the appointment is made by the entire board (and Janet Albrechtsen and Ron Brunton were installed there, probably by the Costello/Kroger forces, precisely to address culture war issues). It’s also to ignore the fact that he was soon leapfrogged out of journalistic ranks at Fairfax by Fred Hilmer precisely to trim costs and people. Perhaps the endless culture war is best served by a presentable downsizer rather than the blunder and bombast of Jonathan Shier?
The blogosphere’s premier writer from the film and tv community, David Tiley, has a brilliant and comprehensive post on the implications of Scott’s appointment over at Barista:
The ABC Board is no bastion of sanity. Deprived of anyone who knows anything about broadcasting, infested by ideological lunatics tempted to cut and hack, with a retiring chair, it is more likely to relish industrial confrontations.
And, possibly, it may actually enjoy the spectacle of an organisation responding to crisis by chewing its own stomach out.
Don’t forget – the Fairfax Unionists once called Mark Scott “Picket Schmicketâ€?. It is a cheap crack, but we may all pay a high price.
Not sure about the “rather muted” comment, see http://weekbyweek7.blogspot.com/2006/05/abc-new-md-liberal-stooge.html
What the inevitable hell do you Big Brother govt types expect for chrissakes?
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6393
one story of the Howard years that’s rarely told is the difficulty Ministers have in negotiating appointments through the factions in Cabinet
There’s only one faction that matters, and it’s a particularly stubborn one which has made a practice of overturning Ministers’ judgements whenever it considers the prospective appointee ideologically unsound or when it’s crossed swords with the person at any time in a long career (it has a notoriously long memory for such things).
“The ABC Board is no bastion of sanity. Deprived of anyone who knows anything about broadcasting, infested by ideological lunatics tempted to cut and hack, with a retiring chair, it is more likely to relish industrial confrontations.
And, possibly, it may actually enjoy the spectacle of an organisation responding to crisis by chewing its own stomach out.”
Well, I’d pay 10c a day to watch that.
The ABC should be disbanded immediately. In its place there should be a twenty-four hour a day Packer Quiz Show featuring celebrities like John, Peter, Tony and Alex.
Imagine, there could be rivetting programmes like GUESS THE RETIREMENT AGE, PIN THE TAIL ON THE NEXT COUNTRY TO BE INVADED, WHEN WILL JOHN KISS GEORGE’S BUM AGAIN? SPIVS AND SPECS, CRASSHOUSE, MOST LAUDABLE PROPAGANDA OF THE WEEK, WHEN WILL HOWARD BE MADE A SAINT? (on Sundays) etc. Huge prizes could be offered at taxpayers expense!
Let the show begin.
I thought some of the predictable satire on some of these locally made productions was bad, but compared to Daniel, they’re Lenny Bruce.
Jason, I’d stick to trying to work out the difference between an agnostic and an atheist if I were you. Trying to be smart or funny is beyond you!
You’re a one note wonder, Daniel, and you chickened out of that debate so I won.
Mark Scott is a former political staffer to the Greiner Liberal government in NSW, more evidence of the politicization of the ABC.
I’d worry more about the politicisation of the medical profession if I were you
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19288945-2702,00.html
Stuff the science and anatomy marks young feller, how’s your Marx? Streuth! Not more bloody killing fields full of PC Dr Deaths.
I don’t think it has anything to do with PC, observa. Here’s the cat out of the bag:
Spicks and Specks still remains our favourite, followed by “wonder what Juanita’s mood is tonight”
Then there is “guess who cops Red Kerrys dummy spit of the night” for more family fun.
At least on the commercials you dont-have-to-pay-fer-the-stuff.
Actually you do, of course. And the efficiency is much less.
And its shifting to pay. And going over to product placement.
Network Seven just paid seventy mill for the V8 racing. Looking for some Australian drama, are we?
‘At least on the commercials you dont-have-to-pay-fer-the-stuff’
So rog, you CAN get a free lunch. Interesting.
Once again, Rog, you reveal your retardedness.
There is no such thing as “free to air tv”. We all pay for the commercials when we shop since advertising is a business expense. Secondly, we pay without our knowledge through the self censorship that the commercials are obliged to indulge in so as not offend their major advertisers.
David, you got it right! Those V8s are fantastic, lots of noise and wind (like a few commentators on L.P).
However, that people will eventually have to pay for the mindless crap that the commercial channels offer on our televisions is a cruel irony. They appeal to the lowest common denominator and, sadly, that seems to be pretty low and is dropping by the day. Soon we will end us as dumb as the average American who is fed a constant diet of this intellectually-challenged rubbish.
Did you know that around 12% of Americans have passports? The rest of them think the world begins and ends in the U.S.A.
‘God save Australia and democracy’ by keeping the ABC independent!
At the very least I think i get a cheap deal on commercial T.V. You’re assuming a consumption pattern based around those producers who advertise on the box. I often actively avoid those invasive, pain inducing and creative-artist stealing creeps.
But then I guess I do suffer the side-effects of the proliferation of those products (thank god the era of tinny mobile phones is over.) And, to be sure, you wouldn’t have to be ‘paying’ very much to get ripped off by 7 or 9 or 10 these days. Occasionaly i happen upon Eddie or Gretel or Ray and i’ve been known to think ‘they should be paying me for this.’ Surely it’s possible to condense all of the decent programs on those 3 stations onto one channel? Oh, ABC. If this Mark Scott bloke can improve reception to the point where I can get a signal, im willing to give him some leeway, but only ‘cos i’m going on the Enough Rope principle. Now what would Beazely do, given the chance?
Actually its the other way around Steve, commercials increase awareness, improve sales, ramp up competition which lead to lower prices. Try bringing a product to the market without advertising and see how much it costs you.
Oh for God’s sake Rog, wake up and step out of your cave. Mr and Mrs Jones don’t have the finances to advertise in big media. Sit down and record a nights worth of commercials and tell me how many are from monopolies or oligopolies. I would suggest 90% plus.
What do you mean “Mr and Mrs Jones don’t have the finances to advertise in big media”
Why would they?
I can just see it now, Mr and Mrs Jones plastered all over Weekend Australian advertising 10c off bananas this week only. Lawn mowing, pensioners 10% off. Special this week, free manicure with every perm.
Mr and Mrs Jones advertise in the local media – surely you can abandon your greenie psychosis for a short while and read your local paper? listen to local radio? watch local TV?