ABC launches Chinese web portal, Australia Plus
The ABC has become what it claims is the first mainstream western media organisation to open a Chinese registered web portal in a development that will go some way to softening last year’s blow of losing funding for the Australian Network.
The public broadcaster has created AustraliaPlus.cn, a portal that will broadcast a combination of Australian stories including business, education and travel aimed at a mainland Chinese audience as well as Chinese living in Australia.
It comes almost a year after the ABC signed an agreement with its main Chinese media partner, the Shanghai Media Group (SMG), where it agreed to build an online portal, and nine months after the Coalition Government withdrew ABC funding for the Australia Network.
The decision forced the ABC to shut down the operation with the loss of 80 jobs.
Time to cut some more if the ABC has money to waste on this.
You said it Paridell. As if China is in any way important economically. Fancy wanting talk to Chinese people in Chinese languages! What the fuck is the world coming to! (Idiot.)
As a different view from the comments above, I feel It’s very naive to assume this is just a way for the ABC to use money. Soft power for us within China is crucial considering how important the country is to our economy, and relationships like this within Chinese media have the opportunity to increase the financial and cultural exchange we have with China. I feel it’s something that only the ABC should be doing.
JG, perhaps you haven’t heard that the letters “AB” in ABC stand for AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING.
Perhaps you haven’t heard that the ABC is closing state-based programs in Australia.
Or perhaps you think it all balances out, because the ABC is after all giving the Chinese an extra webpage on top of the millions they already have. I don’t think so myself.
Myopia must be such a curse Paridell,
I hope you don’t watch any BBC because the “B” stands for British. And no UK, US, or overseas TV. Or 99% of all websites. You’d better not like cricket, soccer, rugby, rugby league, tennis etc. Boom – there goes Maccas, Forget 99% of cuisines in the world. Going to the cinema must be a bugger as well.
Quite so, I no longer watch any of those television outlets you mention, nor am I interested in sport coverage, the bane of Australian broadcasting.
But since I am paying my share towards ‘our’ ABC, I expect the money to be spent on Australian broadcasting, not on MD’s vanity projects.
The first dismal fruits are already in evidence:
http://www.afr.com/brand/rear-.....412-1mjb1q
What a piss-poor argument Paridell.
I am male. Does it follow that I shouldn’t contribute to building and running maternity wards, or funding breast cancer research, as just two examples.
I feel sorry for the sad miserable life you must lead.
I fear you’re entering the realms of fantasy now, J.G.
Do feel free to endow maternity wards and breast cancer research. No scruple over your sex need detain you.