Will the Bananas even be able to afford pyjamas without $254 million?
Will Doctor Who become a mere Mr Who if he can’t afford to pays his medical degree HECS debt?
Forget the full hot 3 hour long buffet, because Virgina Trioli and Michael Roland will only be with you for Continental News Breakfast in the morning.
And if Gardening Australia loses its funding, our screens will only ever be graced with bonsai sized trees?
The Communications Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said today that a 4.6 percent cut would apply to the ABC’s future funding. That works out to around $254 million over the next five years. Turnbull’s confirmation comes despite a firm promise by Prime Minister Abbott ahead of the 2013 election that there would be no funding cuts to ABC or SBS. So much for that, huh?
Turnbull insists that the ABC can make the cuts without axing any of its programming; that some of the bureaucratic fat and red tape could be removed without the network’s viewers and listeners being affected. But this hasn’t stopped angry protest rallies being planned all over the country for the weekend and thousands taking to social media to express their discontent.
And you know what? Those ABC viewers are a smart bunch, and so are their mightily pissed off tweets.
The hashtag #ABCbudgetcutshows is now trending worldwide as users reimagine the names of their favourite television shows but produced with a whole lot less cash. 4 Corners becomes only 3 Corners. Sesame Street becomes Sesame Streetwalker.
Take a look at some of the ones which had us laughing the hardest below. And take the time to share this post on social media yourself (piggy-backing off other people’s witticisms when you’re struggling for some of your own) to show the Government how much you love your ABC.
Top Comments
It's called "living within your means". Every commercial TV and radio station has to do it. Every business has to do it. The ABC just spent millions of taxpayer dollars bidding AGAINST SBS for rights to televise a soccer tournament. The ABC recently spent 5 million to sent people to cover the Cannes film festival. The ABC spends 11 million a year promoting it's own services and products.
If the ABC can't produce quality despite cuts, the people running the show should just get out. Don't talk about cuts when blatant financial waste goes unmentioned.
Can someone tell me how long it has been since a series of Bananas was produced? I have a feeling that it has been some years.
Why should the ABC and SBS be immune to financial review? Surely, like any other organisation, their expenditure needs to be reviewed and cuts made where possible. I love the ABC, ABC2, ABC2, Classic FM, etc, but that doesn't mean they should get a free rein with money.