Musica Viva’s Artistic Director says current cutbacks betray broadcaster’s Charter and will cripple classical music industry.

The Artistic Director of Musica Viva Australia has sharply criticised ABC Classic FM for what he sees as fatally damaging cutbacks in live broadcasting. Carl Vine, who has headed Australia’s chamber music powerhouse since 2000, says that a lack of consultation and misunderstanding of the ABC’s charter is “ripping the guts” out of an industry that has increasingly struggled to make its voice heard in recent years.

Vine’s chief concern is with the swingeing cuts that have been made to ABC Classic FM’s live broadcast unit. “About six years ago, there were, I think, 600 concert broadcasts a year on the ABC,” he explains. “For 2016, that’s been reduced to 300 a year. I believe that this year it’s going to be 100.”

Late last year, Limelight was given statistics by the ABC that confirmed figures for 2016: “By the end of 2016, ABC Classic FM will have broadcast roughly 300 new Australian concerts, it will have repeated roughly another 300 and under our agreement with the EBU it will have broadcast approximately a further 300,” the broadcaster said, adding that commissioning for 2017...