THE Australian Broadcasting Corporation has been likened to a starving person put on a diet in light of cuts announced earlier this week.
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Friends of the ABC Armidale branch president Jeff Siegel said the ABC had been “pared back” so much, there was little room to give.
“It’s like asking a starving person to go on a diet,” Mr Siegel said.
It was announced on Monday that more than 400 jobs will be lost, a number television and radio programs axed and five regional radio bureaus will be shut down.
Among the programs being cut are Radio National’s Bush Telegraph and the NSW edition of the 7.30 Report.
Mr Siegel said the cuts will hit country people the hardest.
“People in the bush will be really affected by this,” he said.
“County people rely on the ABC - they’ll be in big trouble because the commercial media wouldn’t come in.
“The trends are moving towards centralisation and we have to stop it.”
He called on residents to contact Federal MP for the New England electorate Barnaby Joyce to spark change.
“They’re going to get away with it if there is not public outcry.”
Mr Joyce was also critical of the cuts to the regional sector, pointing the finger of blame at ABC management.
“These programming decisions have been made by Mark Scott with the support of the ABC Board,” he said.
“I am sure … that the ABC could have found savings in other areas without cutting back on rural services.”
He said he was relieved there were no cuts to ABC services within the New England region, but said any cuts to regional services were not in country Australia’s best interests.
“If you’re in regional Australia people ask the question, what is more important to me in Gladstone; regional stories and regional content, or ABC 3?” he said.
“If the ABC is to truly be the national broadcaster we have got to make sure that it has national presence and is able to tell the local story in the regional area.”
Mr Siegel said people need to make their voices heard to keep the ABC in the bush.
“People take the ABC for granted – they may not watch it, but it gives them comfort knowing it’s there,” he said.
“I might be calling come emergency meetings if this keeps up.”
Mr Siegel encouraged anyone who wants to get inlvoed with the branch to contact him by email on jsiegel@une.edu.au
