GrodsCorp

ABC commercial agreements?

Wednesday 11 June 2008, 8:34 am

The Editor

Categories: Television

Tags: ABC, CommercialAgreements, TheCookAndTheChef

I often catch the last ten or fifteen minutes of ABC TV’s The Cook And The Chef as I wait for the news to start and a couple of weeks ago a line in the credits caught my eye.

From: The Editor
To: The Cook And The Chef
Subject: Apparent commercial agreement

Hi,

I was wondering how the following credit (paraphrased) is in line with the ABC’s non-commercial guidelines?

“The ABC acknowledges free or discounted products from the following companies”

Regards,
The Editor

To the credit of the program producer and the ABC I received a prompt and thorough reply.

From: The Cook And The Chef
To: The Editor
Subject: Re: Apparent commercial agreement

Dear Ed,

This is a very good question and an area that the ABC is very careful
about. The issue is here that we can take advantage of these offers
provided that there is no obligation imposed on or accepted by the ABC
or its staff, to structure a broadcast in any way or to present any
matter with a particular editorial perspective. When there is an issue
like this, we have a set of Editorial guidelines to which we have to
adhere so that before accepting anything we have to demonstrate that the
ABC’s independence and integrity are fully protected. The Director of
TV then signs off after this process if the issue meets all the
benchmarks.
This only applies to general programs, News and Curret (sic) Affairs programs
will not accept these offers.

Regards,
The Cook and The Chef

Fair enough. It sounds like everything’s in line with ABC policy but something still niggles at me. I’m genuinely torn on this issue because on the one hand I’ve got no problem with a bit of contra on non-news and current affairs programs — especially given the broadcaster’s meagre budget; but on the other hand it flies in the face of the ABC’s non-commercial nature.

Discuss.

11 Comments

Ant Rogenous (Wednesday 11 June 2008, 10:25 am) #

I would assume most of these “free or discounted products” are ingredients Maggie and The Weird Skinny Bloke cook with — for example, they might use mustard fruit that was provided to them as part of a dish they’ve come up with.

I don’t have a problem with this — after all, if you’re going to cook with mustard fruit, you have to buy it somewhere — as long as a song and dance isn’t made about the brand, and the label isn’t gratuitously positioned on the benchtop. Which, having watched this show quite a bit, doesn’t ever seem to be the case.

A good example of this show’s commitment to its editorial guidelines was when, a while ago, it did a segment on making bean curd. The Weird Skinny Bloke went to a shop in Melbourne where it’s made fresh, and was taken through the process. Not once did they mention this shop’s name or location — which I found a bit frustrating, because I really fuggin wanted to know!!1

But nevertheless, everything was above board and ethical.
Ross Sharp (Wednesday 11 June 2008, 11:01 am) #

I don’t have any problem with this, as I’ve never heard either of them promote or name a supplier or brand (yes, I watch the program).
Wah (Wednesday 11 June 2008, 12:55 pm) #

Do you actually see brand names and packaging?
John Surname (Wednesday 11 June 2008, 12:58 pm) #

The show is called Pepsi Presents The Cook And The Chef after all.
The Editor (Wednesday 11 June 2008, 12:59 pm) #

Not regularly, and not in a blatant James Bond-style.
Chuck A. Spear (Wednesday 11 June 2008, 1:14 pm) #

Let’s Cook With Craig would never do this. Craig has standards!
Ross Sharp (Wednesday 11 June 2008, 2:36 pm) #

No Wah, I haven’t … they’ve usually got the ingredients out in little bowls and such.
Krypto (Wednesday 11 June 2008, 2:52 pm) #

I used to go out with a chick who’se brother used to go out with Maggie Beer’s daughter.

Does that mean I can cook? hell no.

Remember when all those coppers got busted taking bribes from McDonalds a couple years ago, the phrase was coined “corruption starts with a free hamburger”.

Incidentally, Maggie Beer has her own brand label, in a way having her on the show is an endorsement of her own line of products (some of which are really good by the way).
Krypto (Wednesday 11 June 2008, 10:26 pm) #

BTW, “discuss” is such a teacher ending for a post.
Man I used to hate that, you’d be sitting in an exam and you’d have to read some bat-shit-boring article, and then the magic word “discuss”.

I turned to the guy sitting next to me and said “this is fucked isn’t it?” he said “fuck yeah”.
I considered the matter discussed.
Jason (Thursday 12 June 2008, 12:11 am) #

I think it’s fine. Unless we, the people, are prepared to fund the ABC properly, I think it’s fair enough that they make up the shortfall with free stuff, especially if it’s only a cooking programme. Those things are basically consumer guides anyway.

Besides, don’t you remember Peter Russell-Clarke plugging butter the whole time he was on air?
THR (Thursday 12 June 2008, 12:22 am) #

Besides, don’t you remember Peter Russell-Clarke plugging butter the whole time he was on air?

No. Strangely, my memories of him are strangely expunged of all things money. He was a great man, a man of pseudo-cheese, a man to whom you could turn if you didn’t know shit about food and wanted to be in company. He shall be missed.