ABC News 24 is launching Thursday week (22 July), but it’s still unclear why we need a publicly funded 24 hour news channel, when the ABC already offers extensive coverage of breaking news stories – as do the commercial channels, come to think of it.  Did we need a publicly funded 24 hour news channel to learn about the Gulf War or, more recently, Rudd’s ousting, for example?

Mark Hollands, the CEO of the Newspapers’ Publishers Association, came out strong against ABC News 24 back in January (ABC pursues news at a cost to local content):

The announcement by the ABC of a 24-hour TV news station is a complete waste of money – finance that would be better spent encouraging and enhancing the nation’s talent in TV acting, scripting and production.

Public support for the ABC rests on it meeting a community need that the commercial channels won’t satisfy – e.g., broadcasting quality current affairs programs like 7.30 Report and Lateline rather than the tabloid-style Today Tonight or A Current Affair.

ABC News 24 is unlikely to meet any significant, unmet community need, however.  The media junkies who need 24 hour non-stop news are probably already hooked up to Foxtel, which hosts the excellent Sky News.  Also, they’ll be regularly checking news.com on their laptops, iPhones or iPads.

Sure, some may argue that there are people who can’t afford Foxtel or an internet-enabled device, but we’re talking about a small fraction of the population in today’s Australia, and I doubt their lives would be much enriched by a free-to-air 24 hour news channel. The community would likely be better served by re-directing public funding away from ABC News 24 and toward health, education or pensions.