The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), has announced that it will cut 10 per cent of its workforce, around 400 people, after it saw Federal Government funding cut by over $200m over the next four years.
The announcement, made by managing director, Mark Scott, claimed that it would make the cuts in order to ensure that it maintained “a clear focus on its audience, which remains at the centre of every activity, as well as its Charter obligations.”
The cuts will be made across 40 efficiency measures including management being “stripped back” and the closure of the Adelaide television production studio and remaining production activities.
The creation of a new regional division has been proposed to deliver rural and regional content including radio and news staff located outside of Sydney and Melbourne. The Innovation Division will also be replaced with ABC Digital Network Division to handle online and mobile content development and identify audience trends and enhance products and services.
Around $20 million will also be placed in an investment fund to finance new content over the next few years.
“Many of the initiatives outlined today are still in the planning stages, but all are designed to help position the ABC for a challenging future,” claimed Scott.
Further plans also included a review of the broadcaster’s websites with over 100 to be closed down or consolidated to generate the most traffic and reach as wide an audience as possible, the statement also claimed.
