Viewers turning off ABC1, just ask the Insiders | The Australian
THE ABC's flagship Sunday morning current affairs program Insiders is losing a larger share of viewers than other dwindling news programs on the national broadcaster's main channel as the corporation fails to meet a raft of key performance measures.
Briefing notes prepared for managing director Mark Scott for last October's Senate estimates hearings, obtained under Freedom of Information laws, concede viewers are turning off the ABC even as the broadcaster chases additional taxpayer funds.
Opposition leader in the Senate Eric Abetz, who lodged the FOI request, told The Australian: "I believe the ABC, and particularly its news and current affairs programs, need to focus on being increasingly objective and balanced if it is to lift its ratings."
The brief says the ABC Appreciation Survey had found the perception of the quality of radio and television programming had dropped. It also warns the number of Australians who say the national broadcaster provides an efficient service has fallen.
It shows a drop-off in the average weekly reach of the ABC's metropolitan local radio stations and in their audience share, and tells a similar story for Radio National and News Radio.
It also shows a decline in ABC1's average weekly reach in the cities and in the regions and a drop in its share of free-to-air viewers in both markets in daytime viewing hours and in primetime. Most worryingly, it tells of a ratings drop in the news and current affairs programs on ABC1, one of the broadcaster's key selling points.
It shows average audiences for 7.30 and Four Corners were down 3 per cent over 2011-12 as Foreign Correspondent fell 6 per cent, the main 7pm news bulletin 8 per cent and Insiders a massive 14 per cent. The briefing notes add that while audiences for news and current affairs have fallen on ABC1, they have increased for the digital News 24 network.
THE ABC's flagship Sunday morning current affairs program Insiders is losing a larger share of viewers than other dwindling news programs on the national broadcaster's main channel as the corporation fails to meet a raft of key performance measures.
Briefing notes prepared for managing director Mark Scott for last October's Senate estimates hearings, obtained under Freedom of Information laws, concede viewers are turning off the ABC even as the broadcaster chases additional taxpayer funds.
Opposition leader in the Senate Eric Abetz, who lodged the FOI request, told The Australian: "I believe the ABC, and particularly its news and current affairs programs, need to focus on being increasingly objective and balanced if it is to lift its ratings."
The brief says the ABC Appreciation Survey had found the perception of the quality of radio and television programming had dropped. It also warns the number of Australians who say the national broadcaster provides an efficient service has fallen.
It shows a drop-off in the average weekly reach of the ABC's metropolitan local radio stations and in their audience share, and tells a similar story for Radio National and News Radio.
It also shows a decline in ABC1's average weekly reach in the cities and in the regions and a drop in its share of free-to-air viewers in both markets in daytime viewing hours and in primetime. Most worryingly, it tells of a ratings drop in the news and current affairs programs on ABC1, one of the broadcaster's key selling points.
It shows average audiences for 7.30 and Four Corners were down 3 per cent over 2011-12 as Foreign Correspondent fell 6 per cent, the main 7pm news bulletin 8 per cent and Insiders a massive 14 per cent. The briefing notes add that while audiences for news and current affairs have fallen on ABC1, they have increased for the digital News 24 network.
