Audio description and developments in Europe

Transcript

8 June 2014

Roberta: Whilst the progress on audio description for television is almost at a standstill in Australia things are still happening in Europe. Today I’m talking to Media Access Australia CEO Alex Varley about those developments. Welcome Alex.

Alex: Thanks Roberta.

Roberta: Now the first thing to discuss is a major decision in the UK to fine sports channel ESPN £120,000 for failing to deliver an audio description service. What was that all about?

Alex: Yes, well this is pretty major news actually in terms of being serious about audio description regulation. So ESPN, which is an international sports channel that actually shows here as well, they were supposed to deliver 5% audio description in 2012 and they only actually delivered 2.3% and they’d also been on previous notice for the year before where they hadn’t delivered their quota at all. So the regulator in this case, Ofcom, said “no, that’s it, we’re going to fine you £120,000”, which for your listeners is about $200,000, and that’s the fine for not complying. So that’s what you’ve got to do. Now the irony is that I did a rough calculation and reckon they probably could have spent $200,000 and made their quota with that money, so it seems like a bit of a waste to me.

Roberta: I‘m sure the amount of money is significant, even to an international sports channel like ESPN. But why else is this decision so important?

Alex: Well I think the real message behind this is that what it shows that in the UK they are totally serious about the need for access. The first time around they gave them a little bit of benefit of the doubt and said “hey guys, you’re not meeting your quota here, you need to do something about this” and they’d worked out a plan with them. But when there was clearly, I suppose, disdain for it all and they didn’t meet their quota again they said “no, it’s really important” and in fact one of the comments that was made in the decision was that people who need access, like blind and vision impaired people, have an expectation that this stuff will be audio described and when that’s not delivered that’s a complete failure and a complete disregard for their needs so therefore we need to be serious about it.

Roberta: Now Alex, the second issue is around a consultation process that has just started in Ireland around its access services, including audio description. Tell us about what is being looked at and why you think it is a bit of a farce.

Alex: Well this is actually the sort of complete contrast to what’s happening in the UK. So the broadcasting authority of Ireland, which is the regulator over there, has just released its proposals. What they’re saying is the public channel, so the equivalent to the ABC here only needs to produce an audio description quota of about two and a half hours a week. There’s two aspects to that. So the first one is that the quota is incredibly low and it only applies to public broadcasters and the second is the excuse that they use for it only being the public broadcaster is that “oh that’s what happens in the rest of Europe”. Now what they of course ignore is that the Irish broadcaster actually broadcasts in English and most of the programs that they show actually come from the UK and are already audio described. So it’s not exactly a great burden on them but they are choosing to minimise the requirements for the broadcaster. The other great irony is that the public broadcaster has announced which program it’s going to be doing later this year and it’s actually the British program East Enders, which is already audio described for the UK. So contrasting approaches and I think one takes it incredibly seriously, the other doesn’t.

Roberta: Finally, our listeners are always interested in what’s going on in Australia, so is there anything happening at all?

Alex: Well this your listeners might now. Blind Citizens Australia has actually been running some complaints against the ABC about the lack of continuation of the audio description service and I do know that there’s actually a conciliation hearing around that happening in July. So I’m hopeful that from that we can actually get some movement forward. They also have been meeting with the Communication Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s advisors about these issues too. So it certainly has been on the agenda and I except after July there might be a lot more noise and perhaps some opportunities for people to get involved in there, but yes, still a long way to go.

Roberta: To find out more about access to media and technology visit Media Access Australia’s website, mediaaccess.org.au or call the office with any questions on 02) 9212 6242. Thank you for all of that, Alex.

Alex: Thank you Roberta.

Roberta: I’ve been speaking with CEO Alex Varley of Media Access Australia, and Media Access Australia is a supporter of this program.

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