Forget ABC bias, its crowding out that’s the problem

The Recent weeks have seen an intensification of claims that the majority of presenters at the ABC are left leaning and that as a result the ABC is biased. This debate around bias at the ABC is actually a diversion.

While the ABC could do more to ensure it has prominent presenters of all political persuasions, all ABC journalists and presenters with which I've been involved during media appearances on the national broadcaster take the obligation to present balanced coverage seriously.

The real issues that a review of public broadcasting in Australia should address are twofold: what needs ABC and SBS are fulfilling; and, whether ABC and SBS are duplicating or crowding out providers who would otherwise be meeting those needs.

Currently ABC's mission under its Charter is to 'provide … comprehensive broadcasting services' and while it must also 'take account of' commercial broadcasters, in practice that doesn't limit the ABC's broadcast scope.

Collectively ABC and SBS operate seven television channels, seven national radio stations, 15 digital radio stations, more than 50 local radio stations, two international broadcasters, two catch-up platforms and two news and current affairs websites.

Given the overlap between services provided by the ABC and SBS, there is a strong case for consolidating them into one entity (or closing SBS altogether), however this is only part of the issue. Many of the services provided by ABC and SBS compete not only with each other but also with commercial providers, exacerbating the well-publicised challenges confronting news media outlets.

A good example is online news and opinion. Around the world, tight margins are leading many media companies to introduce paywalls, including Australian publishers such as Fairfax, News Limited and Crikey.

On top of the challenges of the global media environment, Australian media providers face the difficulty of competing with free online access to the ABC News 24 network.

The unforgiving nature of that challenge is clear. In recent times we have seen the closure of The Punch as well as the troubles of Fairfax and the Global Mail, among others.

One potential solution involves changing the ABC charter so instead of providing comprehensive broadcasting services itself, the ABC's task would be to ensure there are no gaps in the commercial broadcasting landscape (especially via the ABC's online platforms).

This would ensure continuity of many ABC services highly regarded by the community (i.e rural and regional coverage, detailed analysis of government policy, and in-depth investigative journalism). Savings could come from a reduction in duplicative broadcasts (such as reducing the 28 hours of children's broadcasting provided each day).

In an environment of increasingly scarce resources, we cannot afford to cordon off a $1 billion government expenditure. However, any review of public broadcasting would be better off focusing on value for money for taxpayers rather than ensuring the best media coverage for the government.

Simon Cowan is a Research Fellow at The Centre for Independent Studies.