Comments on: How to win friends and influence people

By: Fine

Fine — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:42:29 +0000

Here’s the drama ratings for 2006, which is the last available year.
http://www.afc.gov.au/gtp/wftvtopseries06.html

Currently, ‘Underbelly’ is rating it’s socks off in those places able to see it. ‘Canal Road’ tanked big time because it’s terrible, but most tv series, regardless of nationality or genre die quickly.

By: Tony Healy

Tony Healy — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:40:28 +0000

Melbourne University is going to get a swish new think-tank. Glyn baby certainly made some friends.

By: Fine

Fine — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:38:07 +0000

Actually an issue for broadcasting is that all dramas struggle now in relation to ‘reality’ shows, light entertainment, sport etc. Plus they’re really expensive to make. If you check out the ratings Australian productions do well.

It’s silly to say broadcasting is heading the way of the dodo. It’s changing form and it won’t be about watching certain programs at a certain time. But the broadcasters and produces are fully aware of this.

By: Robert Merkel

Robert Merkel — Thu, 01 May 2008 22:38:40 +0000

As noted in other contexts, the process of translating discussions into initial reports was both flawed and subject to deliberate filtering by the ministers concerned. So, yes, it’s not surprising that ideas got distorted, buried, and other bits of guff appeared from nowhere (Indigenous tokenism seems to have been a particular favourite).

That said, I’m not surprised the government tried to bury some of these ideas. For instance:

Mandate 80% quota for Australian content by broadcasters in digital delivery with a five-fold increase in support of public broadcasting as a brand for quality with distinctive Australian content

For one thing, broadcasting is gradually heading the way of the dodo, in case they haven’t noticed. For another, Australian dramas have been struggling to get audiences for some time now - it’s not as bad as the film industry, but there are issues. For another, the idea of giving the ABC and SBS another 3 billion a year, however nice it might sound, ain’t going to happen in the supposedly tough, pain-ridden Budget coming this year. Or next year. Or the year after that. Or any of the next 12, to be honest…

Develop a whole of industry national screen strategy with government taking culture out of the US Free Trade Agreement

So, what, we’re supposed to unilaterally dump a section of the FTA? One that the USA is particularly keen on, not so much for our piddling little market, but as an exemplar for free trade agreements around the world?

Not that I don’t support the idea in principle. Heck, we should never have signed the damn thing in the first place. But let’s be realistic for a moment or two…

By: Peterc

Peterc — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:52:51 +0000

Garrett is a dud. Apart from flying down to Antartica and approving channel deepening in Port Phillip Bay without even visiting the area, what has he done? Looks like he will spend the rest of his time pumping up the tyres of the coal industry, or maybe he will just end up skulking around on the back bench.