From Crikey:
Kohler was an AFR columnist when the show debuted, then went on to create his own Eureka Report andBusiness Spectator websites. There’s no doubt Kohler’s ABC role gave the sites added cache, and proved a handy selling point with advertisers. This rankled ABC purists opposed to the merest hint of commercialisation. Kohler’s presence became even more contentious when he sold his sites to News Corporation last year and became an employee of both the ABC and News Corp.
Following a 2011 review into the ABC’s business coverage, Inside Business dropped its magazine-style format and became a panel program. The move — originally opposed by Kohler — meant no more feature or news stories. At the time, it was seen as a cost-cutting measure — in hindsight, it was the beginning of the end. “It just became Kohler talking to his mates,” said one news insider; “It was soft-cock stuff,” said another.
…Kohler told the ABC two weeks ago that he would step down next year, citing exhaustion from his heavy workload and a need for more time off. ABC current affairs boss Bruce Belsham then decided not to renew the program. This leaves The Business, which airs Monday-Thursday at 11pm, as the only standalone business show on the ABC’s main channel — ABC News 24 airs Business Today on weekdays. The Business, hosted by Ticky Fullerton, rates around 180,000 across both channels, similar to Inside Business.
“We’ve got skinny resources across the rest of the weekday business coverage and we need a sensible play in terms of online,” Belsham said earlier this week.
An ABC news veteran said: “It’s not a major loss to have the Kohler program go [but] it’s disappointing the ABC has given up its presence on a Sunday morning.
“Has this set a precedent where when an ABC personality retires you close down the whole program? It says a lot about a lack of succession planning … No one has explained why someone else couldn’t do it, why the show couldn’t be revamped or why you couldn’t do it out of Sydney where most of the business staff are.”
Hate to tell you guys, but AK is still doing your news. Apparently resources will be redistributed to The Business, which is the best business program on TV at the moment.
