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EDITORIAL
AUSTRALIA'S media industry is back in the news for the wrong reasons with the national broadcaster, the ABC, the latest to announce major changes to its operations.
The flagging of 250 jobs being lost due to a three-year funding indexation pause from the federal government in 2018 has come to fruition with the taxpayer-funded broadcaster also confirming a suite of other moves in response to a hit on its bottom line.
They include a 25 per cent cut to its travel budget, spending on external and independent television productions reduced by $5 million a year and the comedy television channel re-branded to cater for a broader array of programs and content.
The ABC Life website will also have a significant focus change and be re-branded to ABC Local to achieve a "broader editorial direction".
There is also the aim of having 75 per cent of the organisation's content makers based outside its Sydney headquarters by 2025 with leasing of the vacated space to be investigated.
One change which will be noticed by the ABC's loyal listener base will be its flagship 15-minute, 7.45am radio news service disappearing.
It will be replaced by a five-minute bulletin at 8am with the 10-minute service at 7am staying.
The ABC has attracted criticism for being too city-centric and managing director David Anderson believes the changes in part will attempt to alter that view.
"To be more relevant we need the ABC to be in more communities," he said.
"This is a difficult time for everyone, but the changes we have announced are necessary to ensure the continuation of the essential services we provide in an increasingly challenging global media market.
"The changes we make today will strengthen our position for the next five years and beyond."
The sentiment is not exclusive to the national broadcaster.
It is shared by commercial media executives across the country with television, radio or print unable to dodge impacts of a rapidly changing global landscape.
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