Ignorance is ABC-style bliss

As the ABC’s aspiring rapper and economics guru Emma Alberici recently demonstrated, the difference between profit and revenue can be a tough concept for a certain type of person to grasp, even after better-versed editors have taken their essay in hand for an extensive re-writing. Yes, some people are slow learners and it seems Ms Alberici is once again prominent in their ranks.

Reacting on Twitter to news that the Liberal Party’s national council had voted 2-to-1 to privatise her employer — a proposal, by the way, Turnbull & Co., immediately rejected as absolutely and horrifically unthinkable — Ms Alberici offered the view that, as the ABC carries no advertising, it couldn’t possibly present a threat to commercial media outfits.

Such ignorance is perhaps understandable when coming from someone employed at top dollar by an organisation dedicated to spending other people’s money, rather than making it for shareholders, so a brief tutorial is in order: Media companies make their money on the size of their audiences and readerships. The ABC’s ad-free content steals that audience and reduces the amount advertisers can be charged.

All this is explained, and much more besides, in the new book by Chris Berg and Sinclair Davidson, both of RMIT,  who just happened to be on Sky News and laying out the case for getting the national broadcaster off the public teat at exactly the same moment Ms Alberici was tweeting. In a snippet of that conversation Professor Sinclair explains his notion of handing the ABC to its employees here. For those keen to see the case further explored, Against Public Broadcasting can be ordered via this link or the one below.

Read More