For the first time since 1952, Australians won’t be able to listen to the Olympic Games on the ABC.
In a decision labelled by the Australian Olympic Committee as “short-sighted” and “contrary to the ABC Charter”, it has today been confirmed that the national broadcaster will not be picking up the non-commercial radio rights for next year’s event, despite the Tokyo games being held in a favourable timezone for an Australian audience.
The decision has been made due to budgetary reasons. The Federal Government announced in 2018 that the ABC’s budget will be frozen for three years, a decision which cost the organisation $83.7 million – among $254 million in cuts since 2014.
“The decision was made due to the cost of covering the Games as well as budget pressures and the changing broadcast environment,” an ABC spokesman told The Age.
“This means the ABC will not be providing live commentary for the Olympics on radio, however ABC News and ABC Grandstand will provide daily Olympic updates throughout the event.”
The decision to not pick up the non-commercial radio broadcast rights attracted immediate criticism.
The AOC has now called on the ABC to reverse their decision, with CEO Matt Carroll slamming the development on Monday afternoon.
“The ABC should reconsider this decision. The AOC is prepared to put this case to the chair of the ABC directly, on behalf of the eight million Australians who participate in Olympic sports,” Carroll said.
“Not to mention the millions more who follow, support and celebrate those athletes.
“The AOC believes the decision is monumentally short-sighted and a great let down to Australians who rely on their national broadcaster – from the smallest of communities to our suburbs.
“Tokyo 2020 presents such an opportunity to do that, given the time-zone, in particular.
“The Olympics can inspire Australians to embrace something valuable and as the ABC’s Charter indicates – to contribute to a sense of national identity. There’s no bigger event in the world to fulfil this ambition.
“There is no sporting movement in Australia that covers the multi-cultural and geographical diversity of our country as the Olympic movement – we will be sending athletes to compete in some 42 disciplines in Tokyo. These are things go to the heart of the ABC Charter.”
The ABC first broadcast the Olympics 67 years ago with their coverage of the 1952 Helsinki Games. Channel Seven have the Olympic TV and digital broadcast rights to next year’s event, but the decision by the ABC has thrown into doubt what the radio coverage in Australia will be.
Republican
Guest
.......it is destined to go the way of your national broadcaster in NZ then Spiro? Now that's the benchmark for mediocrity if ever there was. I disagree with you re the Olympics being of 'unquestioned national interest' though. The ABC do so many other things very well, while sport has long devolved almost a token offering, since the markets options have broadened in terms of coverage. That you would throw the baby out with the bathwater based on a radio broadcast of the Olympics is breathtakingly melodramatic in my opinion and disappointing as well, since I expected more form you in respect of cultural persuasion and this despite your propensity be obsessive in your support of that sill game Union. Perhaps you don't support the ABC, with the exception of sport, fine. That said the funding cuts are integral to an unrelenting and insidious campaign by our Tori government, to privatise the ABC by stealth. This cannot be emphasised enough, while the National Broadcasters brief of expectation has spread them so thinly, that the apparent 1 mill you refer to ( I reckon its much more than that truth be told), is a significant fiscal outlay in this climate. If you would prefer more content diversity beyond 'lifestyle programmes' and' media watch' from your National Broadcaster, why not lobby the philistines to fund the ABC accordingly. The ABC are only endeavouring to remain relevant in a brutally competitive but dumbed down culture of entertainment, so lifestyle programmes reflect that market sadly. The Coalition will continue to sell off all and sundry in the name of 'small government', very small indeed under a pragmatic neo liberal fiscal philosophy that sees us a carbon copy of the USA. Are you Spiro, another of the growing feckless who obsess over the price of everything but know the value of naught, contributing perhaps unwittingly, to our nations dearth of cultural and social sentience?
Rajiv Mukerjee
Guest
I agree what is the point of it's existence ? Maybe only rural radio stations make any contemporary sense
Republican
Guest
.......while the C/W games interest wanes in my opinion. The C/W is an illusion that only dinosaurs cling to, truth be told
rl
Guest
Spiro, you are directing your anger at the wrong bloated target. AOC head Matt Carroll is on the radio this morning complaining that the ABC won’t cough up with the $1 million fee, which he described as ‘relatively minor’. Remember this is the same Matt Carroll who sat at the feet of John O’Neill, the emperor who fiddled while rugby burned down in this country. “Born and raised in Mosman, NSW” is the lead on Carroll’s Wikipedia profile, which pretty much says it all really. If it’s ‘relatively minor’ you Joeys stooge why don’t you stump it up?! (I’m sure you could just pass the hat around your old school mates at lunch at Rockpool on Friday and come up with at least that amount)
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
ABC shouldn't be taking commercial stations sloppy seconds. Just because a large number of people cannot stand the joke of current commercial station commentary is not a reason for the ABC to step in. They have divided radio rights into commercial and non commercial to maxiimise the revenue and explouit the ABC . At the current moment were paying more money to the Commonwealth games than funding our Olympic athletes and notice apart from Great Britain, the Commonwealth countries are dodging hosting it. Great Britain with billion dollar a year on Olympic sports have a reason for it , Australia doesn't.
Spiro Zavos
Guest
The ABC gets over a billion dollars a year to be the national broadcaster. It has cancelled its traditional radio coverage of the Olympics next year in Japan for cost reasons. The cost of covering the Olympics next year is put at one million dollars. Can anyone seriously suggest that the ABC cannot find one million dollars within its bloated administration which includes excessive spending on first class air travel for bureaucrats, the over- funding of programs like Media Watch with their excessive staffing and the inane Lifestyle programs which are intended to generate click-bait. I suggested in an early post that this boycott of radio coverage of the Olympics in Japan was an attempt to somehow embarrass the Federal Government over its cut-backs to the ABC. It is clear now that this is the case. If the ABC refuses to cover events of unquestioned national interest, what is the point of its existence?
Republican
Guest
......this is about so much more than simply 'sports' which is an oxymoron today anyway. I'd be happy for the ABC to move away from sport completely. This nation has an unhealthy obsession with sport while the ABC promotes and fosters a culture that should be our focus as a mature nation, (which we are not) in my opinion.
Rajiv Mukerjee
Guest
The ABC gave up on being a mainstream broadcaster years ago . These days it is a niche broadcaster which caters for minority tastes . In sport it covers events that the mainstream broadcasters sideline if not ignore particularly women's sport . It will be argued this has a lot to do with finances but given that Olympic radio broadcasting is reported as costing about one million dollars all up it is obvious that it is a matter of policy to not cover events already covered by mainstream media . Of course by this course of action it will be argued that the ABC becomes even more of a niche broadcaster . I think the ABC can live with that . I expect cricket will be next to go . Sorry I meant men's cricket .
max power
Guest
yes, we shall have equal time between normal and extreme viewpoints such as andrew bolt
Jason
Roar Rookie
Heard you the first time Max. What part of Equal did you miss ?
MarkD
Guest
Comprehension problem?
mushi
Roar Guru
It's for AM radio, if that's hurting your TV broadcast the issue isn't how much you paid
Gary
Roar Rookie
And how much has the taxpayer forked out in olympic funding? AIS funding? All manner of infrastructure? Commercial broadcasters do very well out of the arrangement, even though they will never acknowledge it.
Dexter The Hamster
Roar Rookie
Not everyone has access mate. Some people who have grown up in truly rural areas will understand this. ABC radio is the lifeblood.
Dexter The Hamster
Roar Rookie
I don't think you understand what that means IAP.
Gary
Roar Rookie
It is a public broadcaster, funded by the public, abiding by a charter. Governments don't 'own' anything... the taxpayer pays for it all. True, some governments do try to undermine the role of the public broadcaster to serve their, specific political party and it's benefactors, own interests ahead of the public's.
GWSingapore
Roar Rookie
I expect the Morrison Government to provide a "special grant" to 2GB to fill the ABC gap.
Max power
Guest
Yes Jason, we need Andrew bolt on and Miranda Devine. Basically anyone that you like
Max power
Guest
Yes Jason. Can we get Paul Murray and Andrew bolt on ?
Max power
Guest
More people watch these shows than listen to the Olympus on radio. You will be watching Fox News or sky news anyway