The Checkout producer slams ABC’s decision to suspend show
The ABC has decided not to commission a seventh series of its consumer affairs show The Checkout, putting the show on indefinite hiatus.
In a message on the program’s Twitter account, executive producer Julian Morrow said the ABC’s decision had been driven by cost cutting, as the broadcaster deals with the Federal government’s funding freeze.
In his post, Morrow said: “It’s true The Checkout’s combination of thorough research and creative ways to present consumer information means it’s not as low cost as some other ABC programs.
Note ABC says ‘Funding freeze’.
That’s the truth if it – a freeze, not a cut.
Have you heard of inflation? CPI increases?
A freeze is a cut!
It’s so sad when a regular contributor like Paul misrepresents what was written in the Checkout statement to try to establish a political connection that Julian himself was at pains to avoid. Please READ what Julian wrote: “The ABC’s Head of Scripted Production explained the decision not to fund another series of The Checkout by citing budget cuts and the relatively high cost of making the show” and “The Checkout was also slated for production in the current financial year, before the federal government’s freeze on ABC funding in July 2019” making it clear that it could NOT be “the Federal government’s funding freeze” that was responsible for this decision as it does not take effect for another 12 months. As another Paul (Paul Barry from MediaWatch) says “Never let facts get in the way of good old-fashioned prejudice.”
Hi ex ABC,
I think you may misunderstand what the term “slated for production” means. Which seems curious, if you really did work at the ABC.
The announcement states that the series was originally given the green light – ie slated for production – prior to the federal government funding freeze.
It then says that this decision was reversed after the cuts announcement.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
Thanks for your response, Tim. Yes, having worked at the ABC, I am well familiar with the budget process for programs. “The Checkout” was “slated for production” (ie “budgeted”) in the 2018-19 financial year – the “freeze” does not take effect until 2019-20, so there is no connection between the two as Paul suggests in his second paragraph (but was explicitly ruled out in Julian’s statement). The “cuts” to the Scripted Production budget are another matter and could be part of the efficiency dividend imposed by Tony Abbott in 2013 (unlikely five years on) or maybe part of the ongoing transfer of funds from other departments to news which has been going on since the introduction of what was supposed to be a 24-hour news channel in 2010 – long before either Tony Abbott or Malcolm Turnbull got control of the ABC’s purse strings. Either way, nothing to do with the 2019-2023 “freeze” referenced in Paul’s article.
@ ex ABC. Pub talk…Youse are a tosser.
*you
Great shame, Aussie consumers are so docile it was nice to see something with a bit of spirit.
That said, much as I liked it, I hadn’t watched it for ages.
What a stupid decision and total shame. The Checkout is perhaps the only show outlining consumer rights on Australian television. What a loss!
Regardless of cost, the ‘Checkout’ is the very type of programme for which the Federal Government should find funding (albeit, the current format/formula is starting to get on my nerves). The ABC would be better off axing that wally Sammy whatever (I cringe when he comes on at the traditional Clarke/Dawe time slot), not to mention the numerous femafia programmes with which we are inundated.
We would require a checkout programme of another type to find out what really caused its demise, of course it would have to be the ABC or some independently wealth production company producing for you-tube or similar. Too many vested interests, too many toes getting crushed, too much money and too many opportunities being lost.
Conspiracy theory? Maybe, but after watching a few episodes of Checkout, maybe not.
No loss.
ABC surely can lift its content above this dross.