Section 3 ABC Divisions
Sue Howard Director of Radio and Regional Content
Sue Howard joined the ABC in 1986. She has presented programs on three ABC
Radio networks. Sue has achieved some notable firsts for the ABC, including
pioneering ABC Radio’s midnight-to-dawn shift, becoming the first woman to
present an ABC Breakfast program (in 1993) and the first female Local Radio
Manager, taking on the combined metropolitan and regional management
responsibilities in Victoria in 1996.
Sue became Head of Regional Services in 1996, Director of Radio in 2000 and
Director of Radio and Regional Content in 2007. She holds a Bachelor of Arts
from Monash University and a Diploma of Education.
ABC Radio and Regional Content
In 2007–08, ABC Radio and Regional Content built
on its investment in cross-media initiatives and
intensified its preparation for the introduction of
digital radio on 1 January 2009.
The launch of ABC Local (formerly The Backyard)
in March 2008, provided Australian communities
with enhanced local coverage of their regions as
well as a gateway to ABC Online.
National ABC Radio networks increased their
connection with regional audiences, with added
impetus provided by the extension of ABC
NewsRadio to regional Australian communities in
New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South
Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. The
extension of this service to regional Australia will
continue in 2008–09.
ABC Local Radio upheld its reputation as the
primary provider of emergency broadcasts and
information in Australia during community crises
and continued the development of its 60 local
stations as digital content hubs for cross-platform
delivery.
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A B C D I V I SIONS
The emphasis on developing cross-media
production skills continued in both local and
national content areas. In addition, the Division
undertook a comprehensive program of craft skills
training and launched the first two in a series of
craft skills books—Talk Radio: The ABC of Writing
and Talk Radio: The ABC of Interviewing.
Communities and Emergency Services
ABC Radio, especially the ABC Local Radio network
of 60 stations across Australia, continued to
provide support and opportunities for community
engagement throughout metropolitan and
regional centres. As detailed elsewhere in this
Annual Report—ABC in the Community, page
50—ABC Local Radio strengthened further its
role as Australia’s emergency broadcaster during
floods, cyclones and fires. It provided not only
essential information but also a conduit for local
communities to keep in touch with each other via
talkback, SMS and email.
ABC Local Radio, triple j, ABC Radio National
and ABC Classic FM mounted or participated
in community events to support Australian and
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Brisbane, Hobart and Adelaide. The concerts,
broadcast live on ABC Classic FM, will also be
televised later in 2008 on ABC1’s Sunday Arts.
This annual event, jointly managed with Symphony
Services, rewards young musicians with an
introduction to a performing career, access to an
ABC studio recording and a professional concertgiving orchestra, the latter an experience which is
otherwise impossible to obtain.
triplejunearthed.com launched Unearthed
High—a quest to discover Australia’s hottest high
school band of any genre with original material.
The three piece band called [is], from McDonald
Secondary College in Strathfield, New South
Wales, was chosen from six finalists and will be
professionally recorded by triple j’s live music
production team for airplay on triple j. The band
will also be featured on triple j tv and in jmag.
Local Radio Newcastle Drive presenter,
Simone Thurtell, at an outside broadcast
on Newcastle Beach.
international emergency relief campaigns and in
initiatives to promote Australian music.
Australian Content
ABC Local Radio and ABC Television joined
forces to develop The Comedy Hour launched in
Melbourne by Spicks and Specks host Adam Hills
and 936 ABC Hobart’s Andy Muirhead. The project
aims to identify new and emerging comic talent
to contribute to Australian content across ABC
services. It attracted about 500 comedy scripts
from the public which will be used to produce ten,
one hour programs, including a mix of comedic
formats for broadcast on ABC Local Radio in
late 2008.
ABC Radio’s Regional Production Fund launched
the sixth annual Short Story Project, in July 2007,
encouraging emerging writers from regional
Australia to reflect the diversity of communities
through their storytelling. Winning entries were
produced for broadcast on ABC Radio National
and ABC Local Radio.
In June 2008, ABC Classic FM hosted the state
finals of the ABC Young Performers’ Award in
ABC Classic FM launched the Orpheus Remix
Awards to celebrate the 400th anniversary of
Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo—the world’s first opera.
The competition invited listeners to compose
their own responses to both the Orpheus myth
and the notion of “opera” in the form of original
four-minute works for radio. Entrants had to use
at least one of five samples of the original L’Orfeo
provided by ABC Classic FM to remix their own
composition. The best entries were produced
for broadcast on ABC Classic FM and ABC
Radio National.
Sport Coverage
ABC Local Radio, through its Grandstand
programming, maintains a strong commitment to
broadcasting a full range of major national and
international sporting events.
The new ABC Cricket website was launched in
time for the First Test against Sri Lanka and traffic
eclipsed previous records with over 15 million
accesses for the first two Tests in November 2007.
Cricket coverage dominated in summer, featuring
Jim Maxwell and Glenn Mitchell, with Kerry
O’Keeffe and Damien Fleming providing expert
commentary. The highlight was the controversial
Test series against India broadcast in full on ABC
Local Radio and streamed online.
Radio and online coverage was provided of the
Rugby Union World Cup in France, the 2008
National Rugby League, Rugby Union and the
ABC DIVISIONS
77
ABC Radio and Regional Content
continued
Australian Football League (AFL) seasons, World
Cup Football qualifying matches between Australia
and Iraq and Australia and China, the Super 14
Rugby Union final between New South Wales and
the Canterbury Crusaders, and the Rugby Union
Test matches involving the Wallabies against
Ireland and France.
In 2007–08, ABC Radio Sport attained rights to
deliver coverage of a range of sports to audiences
across Australia in coming years.
Agreement was reached to cover the 2008 Rugby
League World Cup in Australia, the Australian
Open Tennis in 2008, 2009 and 2010, the 2009
Women’s World Cup Cricket in Australia, the 2009
20/20 World Cricket Championship in England and
the 2011 World Cup Cricket in India.
Agreement was also reached to broadcast
all soccer matches in Australia involving the
Australian Socceroos over the next two years. This
included matches against Argentina and China in
2008 and a series of World Cup qualifying games
in 2009.
ABC Radio Sport has also secured the exclusive
Australian Radio Rights—both digital and AM and
FM—to the Australian Cricket Team’s Ashes Tour
to England in 2009. This is the first time digital
radio rights have been secured for such content.
All Test, One Day Internationals and 20/20
matches will be broadcast on ABC Local Radio
and potentially on ABC Digital Radio, continuing
the tradition of ABC Radio coverage of Ashes Tour
since 1934.
Digital Media Initiatives
In 2007–08 ABC Radio and Regional Content
continued to increase production output beyond
the traditional analog radio services for delivery on
multiple platforms, including podcast-only series.
In October 2007, ABC Radio National recorded
its 20 millionth download since commencing
podcasting in 2005. This demonstrated the
strength of demand for content made available
in a form audiences can consume whenever and
wherever they choose.
The network also launched the RN Shuffle, a
podcast sampler of excerpts from a range of ABC
Radio National programs, designed to whet the
appetites of subscribers keen to expand their
listening range but not sure where to start.
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A B C D I V I SIONS
Commissioned by the ABC Radio’s Regional
Production Fund, local Goulburn Murray
playwright, John Walker’s Flight of the
Uiver was performed and broadcast at the
Albury Performing Arts Centre.
ABC Radio National launched its first blogs for All
in the Mind and The Saturday Extra programs,
as well as Movietime reviews produced for
delivery on mobile phones which attracted 6 125
downloads in the first nine days.
A new feature designed to support user
contributions was added to the website of
the regional youth initiative, Heywire, to
enable audience upload of images and video,
encouraging users to see ABC Online as part of
their own personal digital space.
ABC Classic FM commenced video streaming of
concerts live on its website and podcasts of the
Morning show.
triplejunearthed.com celebrated its first birthday,
with music uploaded to the site from 10 400
artists, 80 000 registered users, 1.6 million tracks
downloaded and 3.9 million tracks streamed in
that period. The network’s AWOL blog was listed
in the top 10 Australian media blogs by Australian
blog search engine Gnoos.
With the addition this year of 666 ABC Canberra
and 612 ABC Brisbane, all nine ABC Local Radio
metropolitan stations are streamed online.
The network also launched two podcast-only
initiatives. The first was The Great Australian Train
Show, a 16-part series presented by former Deputy
Prime Minister, Tim Fischer, covering all aspects
of train related history and the role of trains in
Australian culture. The second, Multiple Choices,
presented by well-known columnist, Susan
Maushart, focused on the choices people face in
their daily lives.
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Former Deputy Prime Minister and
presenter of ABC Local Radio’s
podcast series, The Great Train
Show, Tim Fischer, on the platform
at Albury Station, in NSW.
On ANZAC Day, ABC Darwin delivered a two
hour streamed program Talking to the Troops,
connecting Australia’s military at home and
abroad. The program spoke with military
personnel based in Iraq, East Timor and
Afghanistan, as well as with their families and
friends in Australia.
All domestic radio stations and networks have
active online audiences (see ABC Audiences,
page 32-46). The podcasts available on the Radio
Network sites have become a valued resource for
online audiences to download program content
with 32.7 million (excluding news programs) ABC
Radio podcasts downloaded in 2007–08.
Broadcast Highlights
ABC Radio and Regional Content provided
comprehensive cross-media coverage of issues
including the federal election, the Australia 2020
Summit, the Prime Minister’s historic Apology
to the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islanders, as well as ANZAC Day,
the memorial service for HMAS Sydney and the
Olympic Torch Relay in Australia.
Digital Radio
Detailed planning progressed throughout the year
for new services for digital radio to be launched
in the six state capitals in 2009. Initial high-level
briefs for a range of services were prepared and
programming and production models developed.
ABC Digital Radio aims to provide services with
new, different and compelling content in genre
areas of Sport, Health, Children’s and Specialist
Music, to target audiences currently under-served
and to complement existing analog radio services.
All services will be streamed online through
extensive media-rich and participatory websites, to
build community connection and reach regional
audiences. The number and nature of services is
dependent on additional funding.
ABC DIVISIONS
79
Kim Dalton Director of Television
Kim Dalton has been the ABC’s Director of Television since January 2006. He was
previously Chief Executive of the Australian Film Commission. Other roles have
included Manager of Acquisitions and Development for Beyond International
Limited, General Manager of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation,
Investment Manager for the Australian Film Finance Corporation and principal
of his own production company, Warner Dalton Pty Ltd.
Kim graduated from the Flinders University Drama School and has a
postgraduate Diploma in Arts Administration.
In June 2007 Kim was awarded an OAM for service to the film and television
industry.
ABC Television
ABC Television delivers two commercial-free,
free-to-air national television channels, offering
distinctive programs that inform, educate and
entertain. In 2008 the channels were rebranded
ABC1 and ABC2. ABC1 continues to provide
comprehensive broadcasting services to a
national audience. ABC2, the ABC’s free-to-air
digital-only channel, is an alternative destination
for innovative, fun programming with a focus
on music, culture, comedy and entertainment.
The rebranding helps audiences to differentiate
between the two and reinforces each as a unique
ABC channel, as well as contributing to the takeup of digital television.
ABC Television saw its second highest prime-time
share on record in 2007. This was underpinned
by two factors: the strength of Australian
programming and the expansion of online and
digital delivery. ABC Television has focused on
multiplatform and multichannel distribution of
content. In addition to ABC1 and ABC2, content
is delivered to audiences through streaming and
video downloads, via the internet and mobile
devices. There is a concerted focus on developing
the multiplatform potential of ABC programs.
In 2007–08, ABC1 broadcast 1 091 hours of
first-release Australian content, 52.8% of the
prime-time slot, 6 pm to midnight, compared
to 1 107 hours, or 53.7% in the previous year.
Repeat Australian programs comprised 5.6% of
hours broadcast, compared to 6% in 2006–07 for
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A B C D I V I SIONS
the 6 pm to midnight time slot. Over its 24-hour
broadcast period, ABC2 provided 3 247 hours of
Australian content of which 42.7% were repeats
(2006–07: 4 550 hours, 58.9% repeats).
In accordance with legislation, ABC Television
broadcast 8 557 hours of high definition material
in 2007–08, including 1 646 hours in prime time.
Part of the Nation’s Life
ABC Television helps build a national shared
experience and sense of identity through
contemporary, relevant and diverse local content.
A number of new Australian dramas were
broadcast during 2007–08: Bed of Roses, East of
Everything and Rain Shadow, covering a range
of human dramas.
History also featured strongly within Australian
documentaries with Captain Cook—Obsession
and Betrayal, Mawson: Life and Death in
Antarctica, Gallipoli Submarine, The Catalpa
Rescue, Ten Pound Poms and Sounds of Aus,
all capturing significant audience interest. Other
documentaries included Tasmanian Devil: The Fast
and Furious Life of Errol Flynn, Bomb Harvest,
In the Company of Actors and Rampant. The
award-winning Australia: Land of Parrots achieved
the second highest ever recorded audience for an
Australian documentary on ABC Television.
ABC Television tapped into the nation’s
conversation with programs such as The Great
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Wildlife filmmaker David Parer going to
extraordinary lengths to make Australia:
Land of the Parrots, which took six years of
preparation and 18 months of filming.
Global Warming Swindle, The Oasis: Australia’s
Homeless Youth, The Hunt for HMAS Sydney,
Difference of Opinion, Q&A and Carbon Cops.
All these featured many opportunities for
multiplatform participation, with capacity for
the audience to engage in more ways than ever.
Q&A enabled the audience to ask web questions,
send mobile text messages, participate in online
forums as well as ask live questions from a
studio audience, all fed in real time to the host.
The program is also streamed live online and is
available as a video download.
The Prime Minister’s Apology to the Stolen
Generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islanders on 13 February 2008 was presented by
ABC Television and News, with interviews and
analysis accompanying the live broadcast from
Parliament House. It was also streamed as live
video on online.
ABC Television’s coverage of ANZAC Day marches
and other ceremonies continues to reach large
audiences across metropolitan and regional areas.
Coverage by ABC1 and continuous coverage on
ABC2 of the Australia 2020 Summit across 19 and
20 April 2008 reached a significant number of
viewers across Australia.
Throughout the year, ABC Television continued
to provide Australian audiences with a wide
diversity of topics, styles and formats: the best of
science (Catalyst), religion and ethics (Compass),
ABC DIVISIONS
81
ABC Television continued
Indigenous culture and history (Message Stick),
national and state and territory sport, features
and lifestyle (Sleek Geeks, Chopper Rescue, Stuff
and South Side Story). The Cook and the Chef
achieved its highest audience ever.
ABC Television continued to broadcast
outstanding international documentaries
including Wild China and The Human Mind
and How to Make The Most of It: Get Smart
and dramas including a new series of Dr Who,
Midsomer Murders, Miss Marple, Jane Eyre and
a series of dramatised Jane Austen novels.
Enable Two-Way Engagement
with Audiences
ABC Television’s range of multiplatform services
has expanded exponentially. Content available
online and other online services cater increasingly
for consumers seeking on-demand content
and engagement with media. Rich media and
interactive content has continued to be added,
with an increasing capability for accepting and
displaying user generated content, from basic
photos to sophisticated mash-up applications.
There are currently 26 children’s show-related
websites plus more than 76 different ABC
Television show websites.
The ABC remains the pre-eminent free-to-air
broadcaster of children’s content. On ABC Kids,
Zimmer Twins, continues to lead as one of the
most successful user generated content tools in
Australia. In three months there were over
63 000 different animated movies created by the
audience. Fifty of these movies were produced
and adapted for television broadcast, and can
be seen during the RollerCoaster program.
RollerCoaster itself is now enhanced with
interactive television, which is available to pay
television viewers, using the Foxtel remote and
a facility developed by the ABC.
A new preschool web portal The Playground was
launched. This colourful site was developed with a
series of original ABC characters. The online world
offers over a dozen exciting new activities as
well as serving as a launching pad for other ABC
Television websites such as Playschool, Shaun
The Sheep and Bottle Top Bill.
triple j tv is a classic example of content for a
media hungry youth audience accustomed to
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A B C D I V I SIONS
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juggling different forms of media. Originally a
radio brand, triple j is now a truly cross-platform
youth brand which takes live music, current
affairs, interviews, pop culture, documentaries
and comedy and makes it available across a
number of platforms including ABC1, ABC2,
radio, online, mobile and portable media players.
ABC Television has increased the amount of
video content that is streamed or available to
be downloaded through its new online portal.
At any time at least 25 programs are offered as
downloads, along with streamed programs and
segments. The ABC has the most comprehensive
online options of any broadcaster in Australia.
From 156 000 downloads in August 2006, in
2007–08 a monthly average of 1.55 million
downloads of ABC Television programs was
recorded. In total there were 18.6 million
vodcasts downloaded in 2007–08. Top downloads
included The Chaser’s War on Everything, triple j
tv, Summer Heights High, Good Game, Enough
Rope, Media Watch and Bed of Roses.
Stand out examples of multiplatform entities
included new ABC comedy programs Summer
Heights High, The Librarians and The Chaser’s
War on Everything; and established series such as
Spicks and Specks continued to build audiences,
along with The Einstein Factor, The New
Inventors and Collectors, which celebrated its
100th episode. All of these have had a significant
online presence through websites and other
avenues, such as YouTube, which have received
large numbers of visitors. The website activity for
the new entertainment panel discussion show,
The Gruen Transfer, is high with the ability for
viewers to upload their self-made advertisements
onto the site.
ABC1 continued to offer a wide range of
Australian arts series such as First Tuesday Book
Club. The Tuesday night arts slot was given
prominence with a new theme and title—
Artscape—showcasing a range of Australian and
overseas arts documentaries. New arts presenter
talent featured in the series Not Quite Art and
The Art Life.
ABC2 continued production on a fourth series of
the ever-popular games review program, Good
Game, as well as attracting new audiences with
ABC DIVISIONS
83
ABC Television continued
programs such as triple j tv and the concert series
triple j tv presents.
Australia Wide, made exclusively for ABC2,
continued to reach audiences with relevant,
regional news stories, while the station provided
another outlet for programs such as Message
Stick, New Inventors and Spicks and Specks.
Foster Creativity
ABC Television encourages creative endeavour in
its content creation, both within the ABC and in
the wider screen content industries, facilitating
innovation and being a trailblazer.
A groundbreaking partnership between ABC
Television, the Australian Film Commission (AFC),
The Australian Ballet and the Australia Council
screened nationally, the live performance of
Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake. Audiences watched
the program on ABC2, eight regional centres
around Australia held free, booked out public
screenings via the AFC’s Regional Digital Screen
Network, it was beamed via satellite to other
regional venues and a further thousand or more
people also watched the performance streamed
live in Federation Square in Melbourne. This
extraordinary initiative is another way in which
ABC2 continues to connect audiences in both
regional and rural communities.
The Good Game “Game Initiative” has resulted in
the world’s first “Crowd Sourced Video Game “
with the audience collectively developing an online
game. A growing online community is producing
a concept and design document for the game
developer who is building the prototype. Other
content in development includes an alternate
reality game and “Digital Soapbox”, which enables
The use of special techniques,
equipment and training allowed
divers to descend to 50 metres in
the making of the documentary,
Gallipoli Submarine, funded by
the Independent Production
Commissioning Fund.
Independent Production
Commissioning Fund (IPCF)
In the 2006 budget, the Australian Government
provided an extra $10 million annually over three
years (2006–07 to 2008–09) to increase the
amount of Australian content on ABC Television.
This funding has been used to commission
independently produced programs, helping to
increase the level and diversity of Australian
programs broadcast.
The objectives for the fund are to increase the
amount of Australian adult and children’s drama
and documentary broadcast on ABC Television,
extend ABC Television’s relationship with the
independent television production sector,
increase the level and amount of independent
commissioning by ABC Television and contribute to
an increased amount of Australian production.
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A B C D I V I SIONS
To date, ABC Television has committed $22.5
million of the $30 million total. Production
budgets, in association with independent
producers have totalled $80.8 million, which is a
gearing ratio of over three to one for each dollar
of the IPCF. The ABC has commissioned 100.5
hours of production, comprising 39.5 hours of
documentaries, 41.5 hours of children’s programs
and 19.5 hours of Australian drama.
The programs that have been broadcast have
all performed strongly in both regional and
metropolitan markets. In particular, Australian
dramas such as Bed of Roses and Rain Shadow
performed well. Documentaries such as Ten Pound
Poms, The Hunt for HMAS Sydney and Gallipoli
Submarine, all performed well nationally.
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an entire program to be delivered from audience
input combining text messaging, internet music
uploads, photo uploads and online voting tools.
The iArts initiative involves partnerships and
collaborations between Western Australian
producers of digital content and arts practitioners,
to create multiplatform interactive projects. ABC
Television is building and hosting the online and
interactive site, and content will be broadcast on
ABC1 and ABC2.
Most Popular ABC Television Programs 2007–08
Five-City Metropolitan
Regional
Average
Audience
Average
Audience
The Chaser’s War on Everything
(12 September 2007)
2 285 000
The Chaser’s War on Everything
(12 September 2007)
838 000
Spicks and Specks (12 September 2007)
1 622 000
Doc Martin (3 May 2008)
796 000
Spicks and Specks: A Very Specky Christmas
(16 December 2007)
1 601 000
Australian Story (7 April 2008)
710 000
Midsomer Murders (12 August 2007)
704 000
Doc Martin (3 May 2008)
1 507 000
Enough Rope with Andrew Denton
(31 March 2008)
Spicks and Specks: A Very Specky Christmas
(16 December 2007)
703 000
1 498 000
Vicar Of Dibley (19 December 2007)
684 000
Summer Heights High (24 October 2007) 1 482 000
Spicks and Specks (12 September 2007)
666 000
Midsomer Murders (26 August 2007)
1 482 000
New Tricks (10 November 2007)
659 000
Vicar of Dibley (19 December 2007)
1 458 000
Wild China (25 May 2008)
625 000
New Tricks (10 November 2007)
1 425 000
Australia: Land of Parrots (4 May 2008)
624 000
The Chaser Decides 2007
(21 November 2007)
1 418 000
Taggart (13 July 2007)
609 000
Australian Story (23 July 2007)
1 397 000
Bed of Roses (24 May 2008)
608 000
ABC News (7 January 2008)
1 354 000
The Chaser Decides 2007
(28 November 2007)
602 000
The Gruen Transfer (28 May 2008)
1 287 000
ABC News (4 November 2007)
594 000
Rain Shadow (7 October 2007)
589 000
The Worst Jobs in History (29 July 2007)
585 000
571 000
The Worst Jobs in History
(12 August 2007)
1 283 000
The Librarians (31 October 2007)
1 275 000
Australia: Land of Parrots (4 May 2008)
1 264 000
Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple: Nemesis
(3 February 2008)
Wild China (15 June 2008)
1 258 000
The Gruen Transfer (18 June 2008)
566 000
The New Inventors (18 June 2008)
563 000
562 000
Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned
(29 June 2008)
1 248 000
The Sounds of Aus (8 November 2007)
1 221 000
The Great Global Warming Swindle
(12 July 2007)
Silent Witness (20 July 2007)
1 200 000
Source: Regional TAM Television Ratings
Source: OzTAM Television Ratings
ABC DIVISIONS
85
John Cameron Director of News
John Cameron has been Director of News since 2004. Before that he was National
Editor, ABC News and Current Affairs, a position he had held since 2000. John has
worked at the ABC since 1984 as a radio and television producer and as a reporter,
foreign correspondent and editorial manager. He has been the State Editor in
both Queensland and Victoria, as well as Washington Bureau Chief for three years,
including the period of the first Gulf War.
He began his career with a newspaper cadetship in New Zealand, and then worked
in newspapers and commercial radio in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and
Australia for 12 years before joining the ABC.
News
The year has seen considerable change in
the News Division, with new and revamped
programs, strong audience results, many awards,
a restructure of management, a streamlining
of the coordination of news gathering and the
appointment of new staff to key reporting,
producing and management positions.
Significant projects during the period have
included the development of the Continuous News
Centre, a substantial enhancement and redesign
of News Online, and the implementation of the
recommendations of the ABC Production Review.
Some roles on the News Executive have changed
to reflect changing priorities. With the move of
Radio Australia news staff into the Division, a new
position of Head of Asia Pacific News is managing
the Radio Australia and Australia Network news
teams. Responsibility for domestic newsgathering
across radio, television and online has also been
streamlined, with the appointment of network
editors for each of the three platforms, based
together at a central desk in Sydney. This move,
the growing importance of the Continuous News
Centre and the planned introduction of a new
television news breakfast program have led to
another executive change, with responsibility for
all local newsgathering and production now the
role of the Head of News Coverage.
There was also considerable change in senior
editorial positions. This included the appointment
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A B C D I V I SIONS
of five Executive Producers, three News Editors,
two chief political correspondents, five program
presenters and four new foreign correspondents.
Programs
News is implementing, in consultation with staff,
the recommendations of the ABC Production
Review. The Review recommended changes to the
way News produces television programs, including
graphics, studio automation and desktop editing.
ABC News Online has been redesigned to provide
a greater range of audio-visual material and to
give audiences more flexibility in the way they view
and configure the news for their own needs. All
states and territories are now producing enhanced
local pages. These pages allow newsrooms around
the country to provide a menu of local stories and
highlight the main local issues of the day.
The ABC is developing a purpose-built newsroom
at Ultimo, Sydney for a Continuous News Centre,
initially serving some of the video needs of ABC1,
ABC2 and News Online, but eventually providing
material for other platforms. It has automated
studios and production technology that will
allow News to develop a 24-hour schedule of
continuous news output, seven-days-a-week, in
an affordable way. Twelve staff positions were
transferred to Sydney from News Online in
Brisbane to staff the Continuous News Centre.
Planning is underway for a television breakfast
news program to go to air on ABC2 late in 2008.
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Hobart-based camera operator,
Peter Curtis, and National Environment
and Science Reporter Sarah Clarke,
at the first flight opening of Wilkins
Runway in Antarctica.
This four-hour program will be produced at
Southbank in Melbourne.
News is producing a television documentary series
on John Howard’s years as Prime Minister. The
four-part series, for broadcast in late 2008, is
expected to be the definitive television record of
the Coalition government.
Foreign Correspondent moved to a new 30minute timeslot of 9.30 pm Tuesday on ABC1, and
is presented by Mark Corcoran. A new half-hour
edition of Landline was introduced on Mondays
at 6 pm. The team behind the children’s program
Behind the News produces a weekday version
of the program, BtN Daily, and YNews, a news
website for 16-25-year-olds.
The radio current affairs program AM visited the
Northern Territory, Western Australia and Victoria
to mark the 40th anniversary of the program and
the 75th birthday of the ABC.
News programs were the subject of three quality
assurance projects managed by the Director of
Editorial Policies. The reviews on accuracy and
impartiality were overwhelmingly positive for the
programs examined.
Coverage
News dedicated vast resources in late 2007 to
comprehensive coverage of the federal election
campaign across all platforms and networks.
The coverage culminated in over 12 hours of
live, original coverage on election night, one of
the biggest and most important operations for
ABC News. On television, it involved six hours of
unscripted television, up to 100 staff, more than
30 locations across the country, 23 ABC cameras,
23 cameras shared with other television networks
and three outside broadcast vans. The television
coverage was broadcast on three networks—
ABC1, Australia Network and Television New
Zealand (TVNZ). For ABC1, the five-city average
audience of 1.075 million was the highest for
ABC DIVISIONS
87
News continued
Initiatives
News has established a formal induction process
for new editorial managers such as News Editors
and Executive Producers. The process involves new
managers visiting Sydney for sessions with other
ABC divisions as well as one-on-one meetings with
members of the News Executive. News has also
introduced a business awareness training program
for all staff with financial responsibilities and
delegations.
ABC cameraman, Brant Cumming and Middle East
Correspondent, Matt Brown prepare to leave the
ABC office in Amman for Iraq. With their new digital
technology they have been able to reduce their
“travel kit” by a third. Still excess baggage for some!
any network that night; the audience peaked at
1.3 million—the highest election night audience
achieved by the ABC in the five campaigns
since 1996. ABC Local Radio coverage included
live crosses to reporters and candidates in key
electorates. News Online ran its own coverage
with video, audio and text, as well as streaming
both the television and radio election night
broadcasts. During the campaign, News Online
provided a comprehensive election website.
News provided extensive cross-platform coverage
of the Australia 2020 Summit on 19 and 20 April
2008. This included the opening and closing
sessions on ABC1 and ABC2 and extensive
coverage of the breakout sessions across both
days on ABC2. Video coverage was also streamed
online on both days. On ABC Radio, the Summit
was the main focus of weekend news bulletins,
and there were special weekend editions of AM
and PM from Parliament House.
Other significant coverage during the year
included the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) conference in Sydney, the Prime Minister’s
Apology to the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islanders, the United States
presidential primaries, the earthquake in China,
the cyclone in Burma, unrest in Pakistan and the
assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister,
Benazir Bhutto, the political crisis in Zimbabwe
and the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics.
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A B C D I V I SIONS
The 2008 intake of 12 cadet journalists (11 news,
one business and finance) started in early February
2008. This is the largest intake of cadets for a
number of years.
News, in collaboration with the Dart Centre for
Journalism and Trauma, has developed a trauma
awareness program and delivered it across
Australia. The Dart Centre advocates ethical
and sensitive reporting of trauma and educates
journalists about trauma issues in news coverage.
The awareness program included sessions for
managers and staff and peer-support training
across a number of divisions. The program has
attracted interest from other media organisations
and the Dart Centre in the United States has said
the ABC is the first media organisation in the
world to establish such a comprehensive program.
News, ABC Commercial and an education
publisher are collaborating to produce a range
of Behind the News and ABC-branded schools’
products, including a BtN atlas and DVD and a
quarterly BtN magazine.
The ABC has introduced a new system
for searching the Standing Committee on
Spoken English (SCOSE) database for on-air
pronunciations. The new SCOSE functions—like
the online Macquarie Dictionary and the News
Style Guide—can be available and open on
computer desktops at all times. The pronunciation
guide also includes audio recordings.
News programs and staff won a range of awards
during the year. This included eight Walkley
Awards, two Logies, the Donald McDonald
Reuters Foundation Scholarship, the Dart Ochberg
Fellowship and the Melbourne Press Club’s Gold
Quill for excellence in journalism.
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Annual Production of News
In 2007–08 the ABC broadcast more than 16 000
hours of unduplicated news and current affairs
programming, on television and radio, on its
domestic services and on the Australia Network.
This year the figures include the federal election
night broadcast.
These figures do not include material provided to
ABC NewsRadio and Radio Australia; live crosses
to reporters into radio programs; and any rolling
coverage. The figures also do not include seasonal
variations such as sport broadcasts that interrupt
bulletin schedules.
Radio News
Outlet
Television News and Current Affairs
Hours
Program
7 pm News (all States and Territories)
ABC Local Radio, ABC Radio National
and ABC Classic FM
7 826
News Updates Regionals
3 389
Summer Late Edition News
triple j
250
Total
11 465
AM (Early) ABC Local Radio
AM (ABC Radio National)
AM (Main) ABC Local Radio
AM/PM special election coverage
1 460
125
6
Australian Story
19
Four Corners
30
Foreign Correspondent 24
Inside Business
23
Insiders
47
43
Landline
51
87
Lateline
135
Radio Current Affairs
Program
Hours
Hours
145
3
Lateline Business Offsiders 76
24
The World Today
205
The 7.30 Report
PM (ABC Radio National)
185
Stateline
158
PM (ABC Local Radio)
205
The Midday Report
130
Behind the News 17
BtN Daily
21
Saturday AM (ABC Local Radio and
ABC Radio National)
Correspondents Report
40
15.5
Federal election night coverage
106
6
Finance Market Report PM
18
National Press Club
103
Summer Specials
5.5
Order in the House
13
Total
952
Parliamentary Question Time
Australia Network News Asia Pacific Focus Jihad Sheilas Budget specials
Total
58
1 768
19
1
2
4 422
ABC DIVISIONS
89
Ian Carroll Director of Innovation
Ian Carroll has been the Director of Innovation since March 2007. In this year he
has been leading the ABC’s highly successful online site along with cutting edge
development of delivering ABC content to diverse, new audiences and delivery platforms.
Ian is one of Australia’s most successful and experienced television news and current
affairs executives both for the ABC and the commercial networks. Among the Australian
programs Ian has created or led as Executive Producer are Lateline, Nationwide,
Channel Nine’s Today, Four Corners, The 7.30 Report, ABC News and the Paul Kelly
documentary One Hundred Years.
Ian holds a Bachelor of Arts from Monash University and a Graduate Diploma of
Media Management from Macquarie University.
Innovation
The formation of Innovation in early 2007 meant
that responsibility for new media and online
production was transferred to all output divisions,
prompting a significant change in approach and
resourcing across the ABC. The success of these
changes is demonstrated through increased
collaboration and new output initiatives across
all divisions.
With each division now sharing responsibility
for online content, the Innovation Division
has been able to focus on the ABC’s strategic
development in digital media. The ABC is a leader
in the Australian media in responding to trends
and developments in new media platforms and
online technology and is actively embracing the
unique opportunities these new mediums offer.
The Division enables the ABC to maintain its
leading position by driving strategic innovation
and development in content creation, audience
connection and new platform distribution in
partnership with the rest of the Corporation.
Whilst Innovation is no longer responsible
for building and maintaining online content
for all ABC output divisions, it retains primary
responsibility for leading the overall growth and
success of abc.net.au.
abc.net.au
The Innovation Division ensures the editorial,
technical and competitive vitality of abc.net.au as
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A B C D I V I SIONS
one of Australia’s major outlets for information,
entertainment and public discussion. In addition
to the ABC homepage, Innovation is also
responsible for the Science and Health online
portals. Both of these major gateways have been
redesigned in the past year to incorporate best
practice in site design, usability and information
architecture. Innovation has focused on building a
distinctive editorial presence online which strongly
differentiates abc.net.au from its competitors.
Innovation launched a new ABC Online home
page in early 2008 which brings content often
buried deep within the site, to the front entry
point of abc.net.au and provides a cohesive
overview of the many kinds of content the ABC
offers online. The homepage also invites visitors
to explore abc.net.au beyond the homepage with
the addition of the Best of abc.net.au sub-site.
The “Best Of” site is linked to the homepage, as
well as other major ABC sites and portals, via a
series of “Best Of” windows which encourages
cross-promotion of ABC content and serendipitous
discovery of content by visitors.
Unleashed is part of the ABC’s strategy to be
Australia’s premier discussion space and was
launched in October 2007. It is a forum for
commentators, across all political and social
spectrums, to present their opinions on subjects
such as politics, business, sport, the environment,
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ABC Innovation launched an “off-deck” mobile
service during the 2007 federal election campaign,
delivering election-related content directly to users’
mobile phones—the first of its kind in Australia.
media, entertainment and the arts. Unleashed
illustrates a firm commitment by ABC Online to
present diverse perspectives on issues that will
foster public debate.
In the lead up to the federal election in 2007,
Unleashed also presented Sledge, a satirical
video competition that attracted many entries.
Participants uploaded videos to the ABC’s
YouTube channel and the best videos were
featured on the Unleashed site. Dedicated to
debate, ideas and attitudes, Unleashed signals
a new editorial direction for abc.net.au.
The ABC’s strategy to build audience reach
through the homepage has proven successful,
with an increase in monthly unique Australian
users from 519 000 in June 2007 to 782 000 in
June 2008.
New Media Platforms
One of the Division’s key activities is the
exploration and development of existing and new
media platforms that Australians are or may be
using for media content today and in the future.
Innovation gauges changes and emerging trends
in media consumption to identify and trial new
technologies and content platforms for the ABC.
After a trial phase at the triple j coverage of the
Splendour in the Grass music festival in Byron Bay,
New South Wales, in October 2007, Innovation
launched a mobile service to support the ABC’s
coverage of the 2007 federal election. The Mobile
Election offering was an “off-deck” mobile
service which allowed the ABC to deliver electionrelated content directly to users’ mobile phones,
under the ABC brand, independent of mobile
phone providers. While this type of application
is popular in Europe, the ABC Mobile Election
service was one of the first of its kind in Australia.
The application and the service were provided to
users for free, with the only costs coming from the
mobile service providers’ data charges. Audience
interest was encouraging during the lead up to the
election and escalated dramatically in the final 24
hours and during election night, with over 4 000
downloads in total.
Another new application, developed completely
in-house by Innovation, is ABC Now which
launched in December 2007. ABC Now enables
audiences to aggregate a broad range of ABC
Television, Radio and News content within a
player or “widget” downloaded to a computer
desktop. It appears to be the most sophisticated
application of its kind amongst Australian online
media competitors. Version two was released in
June 2008 with a number of improvements to
functionality and layout. ABC Now reached nearly
90 000 downloads in its first six months.
ABC DIVISIONS
91
Innovation continued
In December 2007, the ABC purchased a product
to deal with the user generated content and
social networking requirements across the ABC. It
allows ABC content makers to set up customised
community spaces where audiences can upload
video, audio, photos and blog posts. The first such
project was the ABC Kids RollerMache site, which
launched in January 2008. RollerMache shows
children how to make animations and provides
a place where they can upload their completed
video, sound and photo creations to the site, for
others to see and rate. All uploaded content is premoderated before it goes live on to the site.
In March 2008, a beta trial for Playback was made
available for approximately 5 000 public users.
Playback is a rich media player that offers fullscreen, full-length video via the internet. The trial
comprised three channels including recently aired
shows from ABC1 and ABC2, a natural history
channel, and an ABC Shop channel. Playback,
designed and built by Innovation, was the first
player of its kind in Australia. The full service,
renamed iView, will be launched in July 2008.
In June 2008 the Corporation launched ABC
Earth, which integrates ABC content—including
video, audio and text—into a location-based web
interface. A selection of ABC Television and Radio
archive material, news feeds, and radio streams
were incorporated into a layer on Google Earth
and users can browse ABC content by geographic
location. The ABC was one of the first media
organisations in the world to stream video and
audio content within the layer. ABC Earth had
4 500 downloads in the first month of its release.
Web Content Management System (WCMS)
It is also the responsibility of the Innovation
Division to ensure the ABC has an effective,
efficient and robust technology infrastructure for
the production, publication and distribution of
online and related digital content. The project
to purchase a new Web Content Management
System (WCMS) for ABC Online began in June
2008. The aim of the project is to purchase a
commercial, off-the-shelf product specifically
designed to meet the demands of high output,
media-based sites for organisations such as
the ABC.
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A B C D I V I SIONS
The first product trial is scheduled to start in July
2008 with a contract signing anticipated before
the end of 2008. Implementation is due to start
early in 2009.
ABC Digital Media Forum and Awards
As well as developing new content and services,
the Innovation Division facilitates discussion
around innovation and new technologies
throughout the ABC. The ABC Digital Media
Forum was held in February 2008 and brought
together 140 staff from across the organisation.
The Innovation Division organised the Forum
to stimulate discussion on the impact digital
technology has had on traditional media and
the issues and challenges faced by the ABC as it
locates itself within this changing market. The
program focused on how the ABC can build a
culture of innovation and sharing, drawing upon
examples of successful new approaches from
across the Corporation, including Television, News
and Radio. The forum also examined how new
technologies respond to the online audience’s
desire for participation and connection, immersion
and convenience.
The inaugural ABC Digital Media Awards were
developed by Innovation to celebrate and
recognise the contribution of staff from across the
Corporation working with digital media. Over 100
guests attended the Awards, including staff from
across all divisions and States and Territories. The
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the
Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, was
a special guest—making his maiden visit to the
ABC in his new Ministerial role—to announce the
winner of the category judged “Best of the Best”,
which was won by Summer Heights High. Over 75
nominations were received for eight awards, with
projects ranging in size from dedicated ABC Local
Radio projects to large scale initiatives.
3
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ABC to Earth
ABC Earth integrates ABC
material with “Google Earth” so
users can browse contemporary
and historic content by
geographic location.
Viewers can “fly over” particular
locations—be it a region, city or
cattle station—and find relevant
news and archival material.
Chris Winter, Executive Producer
of ABC Earth, said “It’s all
about presenting ABC content
in new ways and exploiting the
consequences of everything
being digital”.
Featured content on ABC Earth
includes national and video
news, archival footage from
the 50 Years of News collection,
Foreign Correspondent
programs and local stories.
www.abc.net.au/earth
ABC DIVISIONS
93
Murray Green Director of ABC International
Murray Green leads two divisional groups: ABC International and Corporate Strategy
and Governance. ABC International consists of Australia Network, Radio Australia,
International Projects and International Relations. The activities of Corporate
Strategy and Governance are reported separately on page 110 along with other
corporate functions.
Prior to March 2007, Murray was Director Corporate Strategy and Communications.
He earlier served as State Director Victoria and the ABC’s Complaints Review
Executive, dealing with the review of complaints about accuracy and bias.
He is a graduate of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, has an honours
degree in Asian and Pacific History, and is a lawyer.
ABC International
Radio Australia
Audiences in Asia and the Pacific are becoming
increasingly internet aware and more demanding
in their expectations of online services. In number,
online audiences are overtaking radio listeners
in some markets. In response, Radio Australia
changed its resource allocation for online
development, focusing on niche content and
related distribution and marketing initiatives.
In news and current affairs coverage, Radio
Australia focused on generating original news
relevant to Asia and the Pacific in a flexible program
format. This included an overhaul of the Radio
Australia News website which now features
content provided by a team of regional specialists.
Staff from the English Language Program unit
provided substantial coverage of the South Pacific
Games in Apia, Samoa, including live radio and
television for the Host Broadcaster, seen in 22
Pacific countries during August and September
2007. The English and Khmer services did live
studio and outside broadcasts from the Cambodian
Water Festival in Phnom Penh in November 2007.
Radio Australia responded to changing audience
behaviours in all target countries. In Vietnam,
the Vietnamese language website (bayvut.com) is
among the most successful Radio Australia sites.
Its number of visits and podcast downloads have
increased five-fold since its inception in June 2006.
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A B C D I V I SIONS
The program schedules for the Chinese and
Indonesian services were overhauled to
improve coverage, audience appeal and ease of
rebroadcasting by partner stations. To maximise
efficiency and cooperation across all Radio Australia
services, the role of Chief Editor was created to
coordinate the daily agenda. Quality control is
carried out via peer review and analysis of focus
group outcomes where available.
Radio Australia continues to seek strategic
partnerships with compatible organisations, both
domestic and regional. Since the beginning of
2008, Radio Australia has signed six new important
rebroadcasting agreements with media outlets in the
French Pacific, Laos and Cambodia.
Radio Australia operates 24-hour, free-to-air, FM
relay transmissions in 14 locations. A new service
opened in Samoa in time for coverage of the South
Pacific Games. Another was opened in Papua New
Guinea’s second largest city, Lae. Radio Australia
maintained existing services in Phnom Penh and Siem
Reap (Cambodia), Dili (East Timor), Port Moresby
(Papua New Guinea), Honiara (Solomon Islands),
Port Vila and Santo (Vanuatu), Suva and Nadi (Fiji),
Nuku’alofa (Tonga), Rarotonga (Cook Islands) and
Tarawa (Kiribati).
Radio Australia maintains shortwave services for
audiences outside the range of local FM transmitters.
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Australia Network
Papua New Guinea
Satellite distribution/
footprint
Radio Australia
Solomon Islands
Cambodia
l Countries with one
FM frequency
l Countries with two
FM frequencies
Fiji
Singapore
l Countries with digital
radio subscription
3
Kiribati
East Timor
Samoa
Language Services
Cook
Islands
Tonga
Vanuatu
It uses a network of three satellites for program
distribution and direct-to-home use: Intelsat
2, Intelsat 8 and Intelsat 10 with overlapping
footprints extending from the eastern Pacific to
the Middle East.
Alternative Distribution
Radio Australia continues to provide content for
downloading to computers and MP3/MP4 players
(podcasts). The most popular podcasts are English
language lessons. Radio Australia’s lessons include
explanations and background information in
Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Khmer, to
help users gain a greater understanding of the
English content. Podcasts also allow users to listen
to English lessons at their own convenience and
to learn at their own pace. Information on the
number of podcasts downloaded in 2007–08 is
incomplete due to a change in the measurement
system part-way through year. However, based on
the available, yet incomplete data, more than 8.4
million downloads were registered in the year.
Australia Network
Australia Network is Australia’s international
television and online service, broadcasting 24
hours a day, seven days a week, across Asia, the
Pacific and the Indian sub-continent. The service
is currently available in 44 countries across the
region, reaching 22 million homes.
India is the channel’s single largest market with
a monthly audience in excess of five million
viewers. The Indian satellite and cable television
environment is made up of over of 240 channels
including some 50 dedicated news networks.
Audience Growth
The Synovate PAX cable and satellite survey is the
only audience research available in Asia. For the
period ending 2007 it indicated the viewership of
Australia Network had grown 8% on the previous
year. Large increases were recorded in Hong Kong,
India and Bangkok and more modest increases in
Taipei and Jakarta.
Based on these results, Australia Network reaches
over 1.1 million viewers in a month excluding
India. Combined with the TAM people meter
figures from India, total viewing exceeds seven
million per month across Asia.
Feedback from the Indian audience indicates that
viewers find Australia Network news and current
affairs and documentary programming far more
relevant to the market and a welcome alternative
to the American and British perspectives that have
dominated in recent times. Consecutive “people
ABC DIVISIONS
95
ABC International continued
meter” surveys have demonstrated a trend
showing that Australia Network consistently outrates both BBC World and CNN International in
terms of reach in the six key Indian metropolitan
markets of Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai,
Hyderabad, Gujarat and Delhi. This is particularly
gratifying given both the size of the relative
budgets of the two rivals and their time in the
market.
Audience Research
News and Current Affairs
The data also indicates that the average age of
Australia Network viewers is 42 with a monthly
household income of US$4 592 and is university
educated. The figures provide strong evidence that
the channel is meeting its key contractual objective
of targeting “the aspirational Asian audience”.
Australia Network’s regionally-focused news
and current affairs programs continue to rate
highly in all of the Asia Pacific markets. The
channel’s international news and current affairs
programs are produced by a team comprising
of 30 journalists. Australia Network uses the full
resources of ABC News and also maintains its
own dedicated correspondents in Beijing, Delhi,
Jakarta and the Pacific.
In February 2008, Australia Network launched
a new nightly one-hour news and current
affairs program, Newshour with Jim Middleton.
Hosted by one of Australia’s most experienced
journalists, the program focuses on the main
events of the day and features interviews and
discussions with key newsmakers, commentators
and experts from around the region, exploring
issues and presenting alternate points of view and
perspectives from Asia.
Drama, Children’s and English
Language Learning
Australia Network showcases the best Australian
drama, documentary, entertainment, lifestyle,
sporting and children’s programming available
from all the television networks in Australia. In
March 2008, the channel launched The Movie
Show on Sunday evenings to broadcast a
selection of the best Australian films. Australia
Network is also a foundation supporter of the
Asia Pacific Screen Awards held annually in
Queensland with the aim of promoting and
supporting films produced in Asia and the Pacific.
Significantly, Australia Network is also the only
international satellite/cable channel to provide
English language learning programs for business
or study. These programs have proved enormously
successful as both an education and public
diplomacy tool.
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A B C D I V I SIONS
Audience surveys indicate that around 60% of
Australia Network’s viewing audience represents
the local, urban, English speaking populations
of the Asia Pacific regions, primarily the political,
academic and economic leadership communities
and the young and aspirant groups. The remaining
40% are a mixture of Australian expatriates and
other international viewers.
International Projects
ABC International Projects works with broadcast
organisations internationally to support the
development of robust media institutions that
operate in the public interest.
International Projects offers assistance in the
form of strategic advice, training and mentoring,
technical support and secondments. The core goal
of these activities is to increase demand for good
governance in partner countries, leading to better
development outcomes. This goal is in line with
the strategic direction of the Australian Agency
for International Development (AusAID), the
principal source of funding for the activities of
International Projects.
In 2007–08 International Projects continued
major programs with Papua New Guinea’s
National Broadcasting Corporation; the Vanuatu
Broadcasting and Television Corporation; and
Cambodia’s state broadcaster, Radio National
Kampuchea. The Cambodia project is in a
transitional phase. A proposal to extend the
initiative until 2011 is currently before the World
Bank and AusAID, awaiting final approval.
International Projects also finalised agreement on
a program of support to media organisations in
the Solomon Islands and hosted a delegation of
journalists from Bhutan Broadcasting Service to
assist in their preparations for providing media
coverage of Bhutan’s first-ever general elections.
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3
ABC cameraman Geoff Lyle
filming for Australia Network
News and Current Affairs
in India.
Talkback radio, Cambodian style:
Radio National Kampuchea staff
receive calls on a bank of mobile
phones, fill out the details and pass
the forms to studio producers who
initiate talkback.
New Zealand (RNZ) and Radio Television Hong
Kong (RTHK).
In addition, the ABC engages with a large number
of other broadcasting-related organisations in Asia
and the Pacific, North America and Europe.
International Relations
The ABC has close contact with public
broadcasters and broadcasting associations around
the world, including the: Asia-Pacific Broadcasting
Union (ABU): Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting
Development (AIBD): Commonwealth Broadcasting
Association (CBA): British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC); Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC);
European Broadcasting Union (EBU); International
Radiocommunications Advisory Committee
(IRAC); International Telecommunications Union
(ITU); Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK); South African
Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and Radio
In September 2007, the ABC completed a review,
in partnership with two overseas consultants from
London and Beirut, into the Strategic Performance
Review of the Al Jazeera Children’s Channel (JCC).
The review had commenced in April 2007 at the
request of the Executive General Manager of JCC.
Early in 2008, the Director of ABC International
attended UNESCO’s conference in Thailand
to further aid the development of strong and
responsible media institutions that operate in the
public interest in that country.
During 2007–08, the ABC hosted a number of
international delegations, including groups from
China, Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Vietnam,
India and the United States, benefiting from an
exchange of ideas and debate.
ABC DIVISIONS
97
Lynley Marshall Director of ABC Commercial
Prior to joining the ABC in 2000 as Director of New Media and Digital Services,
Lynley held a series of senior broadcasting positions in New Zealand. As Director
of ABC New Media and Digital Services, Lynley was responsible for the integrated
delivery of the ABC’s digital content, including ABC Online, the digital television
channel ABC2, ABC Video On Demand, interactive television, mobile and other
emerging platforms.
In February 2007, Lynley became Director of ABC Commercial with a brief to
develop the ABC’s commercial businesses and pursue new business opportunities
in the digital media environment.
Lynley holds an Executive MBA from the University of Auckland.
ABC Commercial
ABC Commercial provides a revenue stream,
through its commercial activities, to support the
ABC in fulfilling its Charter roles and obligations as
a national public broadcaster.
Established in February 2007, the Division assumed
the revenue-generating activities of the former ABC
Enterprises and the responsibility of developing
new revenue streams for the Corporation, including
the potential afforded by digital technology.
Financial Performance
ABC Commercial recorded a net profit for the year
of $17.4 million, which was an increase of $6.7
million on the 2006–07 financial year, adjusting for
screen rights revenue.
Income from screen rights of $2.759 million was
reported in the financial results for ABC Commercial
in 2006–07. Prior to that period, and in the
subsequent financial year, screen rights revenue
was included in the results for ABC Television.
98
ABC Retail also delivered growth, leveraging
the success of an excellent ABC DVD catalogue,
including titles such as Summer Heights High,
Bindi, The Wiggles and We Can Be Heroes. ABC
Sales and Production, which includes Resource
Hire and Content Businesses also performed
well in competitive environments.
During the year ABC Commercial invested in
the development of digital capability to deliver
new revenue from digital business initiatives.
Redevelopment of the ABC Shop Online began.
Technical capabilities were developed for the delivery
of digital downloads and digital content sales for
online and mobile distribution continued to grow.
Digital Business
The implementation of expanded and targeted
marketing campaigns, which complemented a
strong product catalogue and competitive pricing
model, enabled ABC Commercial businesses to
perform strongly, particularly in the Distribution
and Retail sectors.
Throughout 2007–08, the Digital Content
Development Unit extended the availability of
ABC content through new business across digital
platforms. The Division launched two new YouTube
channels, ComedyonABC and EntertainmentonABC,
an ABC profile on MySpace, ABC content on Apple
iTunes and ABC comedy content, including Summer
Heights High and The Chaser’s War on Everything
on a number of mobile platforms. Episodes of both
comedy series were number one downloads on
BigPondTV and 3 Mobile TV.
Distribution businesses performed well with
Music—Contemporary and Classical—DVD and
Magazines reporting strong growth in net profits.
A Preview Player on ABC Shop Online was launched
in December 2007, providing customers a high
quality preview of programs for sale. The Preview
A B C D I V I SIONS
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Player’s technology was designed to be used in
other projects beyond its initial use for ABC Shop
Online.
ABC Shop Downloads was launched in June 2008.
Shop Downloads offers customers an online
browsing and shopping experience. Customers can
browse a catalogue of ABC Shop product, select,
purchase and then have the content delivered
straight to their computer within minutes to be
listened to or viewed. The Downloads Service is
based on a free media player that provides state
of the art picture quality and an integrated web
browser and computer desktop functions.
Wholesale and Distributor Sales
ABC DVD achieved record sales and profit,
resulting from the release of over 175 titles,
including Summer Heights High and Pop Go the
Wiggles. Summer Heights High, in particular, was
the standout release for the year, selling more than
300 000 units. ABC DVD continued to lead the
children’s DVD market with over two million DVD’s
shipped across a range of titles including Pop Go
the Wiggles, Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the
Builder and Playschool. The BBC DVD catalogue
continued to sell strongly with bestselling titles
including Planet Earth, Little Britain Abroad,
Vicar of Dibley and Top Gear.
3
The breadth of music under the ABC Music
umbrella was again acknowledged with ABC
Music, ABC Classics and ABC for Kids receiving a
total of 11 nominations in six categories for the
2007 Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) Awards. The 2008 Australian of the Year,
Lee Kernaghan, and fellow ABC Music artist, Steve
Forde, shared three Golden Guitar Awards with
Adam Brand at the Country Music Association
of Australia (CMAA) Awards held in Tamworth.
The bestselling release for ABC Music was triple j
Hottest 100 Volume 15, selling more than
120 000 units. In the Audit Bureau of Circulation
magazine circulation report for the period June to
December 2007, ABC Magazine titles performed
well in contrast with the total market, which
declined 9.0% year-on-year. Limelight increased
8.7% year-on-year, delicious increased sales by
5.4% and Gardening Australia increased by 3.0%.
The May/June issue of Organic Gardener was the
highest selling ever at 24 263 copies, which was
25.0% above the rolling average for the year. ABC
Magazines added to its stable of licensed titles
when it launched a Behind the News magazine
to primary and lower secondary schools in
October 2007.
ABC DIVISIONS
99
ABC Commercial continued
ABC Licensing contributed a strong financial result
following a restructure and is now profitably
representing a smaller stable of licensed properties
led by Playschool.
Production and Sales
Australian of the Year and ABC Music
artist, Lee Kernaghan, won three
Golden Guitars at the Country Music
Association of Australia Awards with
Spirit of the Bush.
ABC Books was awarded a grant from the Australia
Council as part of its “Literature International
Market Development Program”. The best selling
titles for ABC Books for 2007–08 were Spotless,
How to be Comfy, Turn, Turn, Turn…Please!,
5 Nights a Week and SpeedCleaning; and
children’s titles including the 2008 edition of Sing,
Fairies, Extreme Dinosaurs, Parsley Rabbit’s Book
about Books and Dorothy’s Rosy Tea Party.
100
A B C D I VISIONS
During 2007–08, ABC Program Sales Worldwide
represented more than 100 hours of first-release
programming and 1 700 hours of catalogue titles
at international content markets, including MIPTV
and MIPCOM in Cannes, and the Asian Television
Forum in Singapore. Following the significant
interest in ABC content at these markets, Program
Sales licensed large packages of programming to
emerging markets such as Eastern Europe, the
Middle East and Africa. International sales to top
networks continued, with Summer Heights High
the best performing title during 2007–08, with
major sales to BBC 3, the DVD rights to 2 Entertain
Ltd in the United Kingdom and as the first-ever
sale of an Australian series to HBO in the
United States.
Library Sales provides access to the ABC Archives
collection to the international production industry.
Locally it represents major collections such as
National Geographic Digital Motion and AP
Archives (Associated Press). This financial year,
Library Sales made significant contributions to
SECTION
major institutions such as the new National Sports
Museum and the National Museum of Australia.
Revenue targets were exceeded in an increasingly
competitive footage market place.
Hundreds of people queued
for food writer, Nigella
Lawson’s book-signing at
the ABC Shop in the Queen
Victoria Building in Sydney.
Non-Theatric Sales had a successful year,
expanding partnerships with key industry
players such as Marcom Projects and Maxwells
Collections, and actively pursuing new distribution
opportunities through ABC Shop Online.
ABC Events entertained more than 250 000 young
Australians by staging ABC for Kids concerts and
“meet and greets” throughout Australia. The
ABC Events calendar for 2007–08 also included
Gardening Australia Expos in Sydney, Melbourne,
Perth, Brisbane and with a debut in Adelaide,
making this a five-city annual series.
ABC Retail
The ABC Retail business is comprised of ABC
Shops, ABC Home Shopping and ABC Centres. In
2007–08, gross revenue for the business increased
by 12%, and net revenue (before capital) grew by
45%, over the previous financial year.
At the end of the financial year, ABC Retail
had 157 outlets—42 ABC Shops and 115 ABC
Centres—trading throughout Australia. During
the year, one new ABC Shop opened at Rouse Hill
in New South Wales and the ABC Shop in Darwin
closed. Fifteen new ABC Centres were opened and
three closed.
The ABC Reward Program continued to be an
important promotional tool, contributing 28% of
ABC Shop sales. Approximately 125 000 members,
including the 69 500 new members who joined
during the year, used their Reward Card during
2007–08.
In September 2007, the ABC Gift Voucher and
Reward Programs were updated from manual to
electronic systems, making both more efficient and
attractive to customers.
The major national promotions of Father’s
Day, September Kids, Christmas, Summer Sale,
Comedy, April Kids, Mother’s Day and DVD Home
Entertainment were all successful. During the
year, 269 local promotions were undertaken in
ABC Shops and Centres. The most successful of
these were the ABC Television 75th Anniversary
Celebration in Sydney, Gardening Australia Expos
3
in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney, the Choir of
Hard Knocks Concert in Sydney, and signings by
actors Chris Lilley and from The Chaser team and
food writer, Nigella Lawson.
The best-selling products in ABC Shops were the
Summer Heights High DVD, Choir of Hard Knocks
CD and DVD, Spicks and Specks Interactive DVD
and We Can be Heroes Special Edition DVD.
ABC Resource Hire
ABC Resource Hire uses spare capacity in ABC
facilities and crews for productions for clients
Australia-wide. Services offered are digital
outside broadcasts, live minicam sports coverage,
production services and costume hire and
manufacture. Also available for hire are studios,
rehearsal rooms and theatres.
A highlight for ABC Resource Hire was providing
studio facilities and crew for the production
of Good News Week, which was the first high
definition recording undertaken in Studio 22 in
Ultimo, Sydney.
ABC Resource Hire contracted outside broadcast
coverage of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) forum and cultural event, including New
South Wales and interstate field crews, with
the APEC Host Broadcaster, Globecast. Outside
broadcast coverage of national sports included:
the Australian Football League, rugby union,
soccer, basketball, netball and boxing in various
locations nationally.
In 2007–08, ABC Minicam again covered the V8
Supercar Motor Racing series around Australasia
and in Bahrain. It also travelled to Asia for other
sporting events including the Macau Grand Prix.
ABC DIVISIONS
101
David Pendleton Chief Operating Officer
David Pendleton joined the ABC as the General Manager of Group Audit in 1996.
He went on to become General Manager of Financial Operations and Accounting,
and later Head of Finance. In February 2002, he was appointed to the position of
Director of Finance and Support Services, which was re-named Director of Business
Services on 1 July 2003. On 31 August 2004, he was appointed as the Corporation’s
Chief Operating Officer. Before joining the ABC, David held senior management
positions in the public sector at the New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority
and State Super Investment and Management Corporation.
David holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting), a Graduate Diploma from the
Securities Institute of Australia and is a fellow of CPA Australia.
Operations Group
The ABC Operations Group consists of the
divisions and units reporting to the Chief
Operating Officer. These are the Technology and
Distribution, Business Services and Production
Resources Divisions; the Capital Works, Business
Affairs and Business Development Units; and, for
administrative purposes, Group Audit. These areas
provide a range of internal services across the
Corporation.
From September 2007, the Human Resources
division no longer formed part of the Operations
Group, having been restructured and renamed
People and Learning (see page 106).
Supporting Strong Governance
The ABC is committed to the adoption of a strong
corporate governance and risk management
framework. As reported in the Corporate
Governance section (page 64–71), the Operations
Group contributed significantly through its
focus on key issues such as business continuity,
emergency management and risk management
policies and processes.
Contribution to Output
Production Resources manages the facilities and
labour for the ABC to meet its Charter obligations
to bring television programs of relevance to
the Australian public. In 2007–08 Production
Resources supplied 1.212 million skilled labour
102
A B C D I VISIONS
hours for television production, marginally less
than the previous year.
The Division continued to provide wide-ranging
production services for all television production
including new programs The Gruen Transfer and
Q&A. In addition to regular program delivery,
special event programs included the federal election
campaign including pool coverage of the Leaders
Debate, Federal Election Night, Apology to the
Stolen Generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islanders, the Olympic Torch Relay, HMAS Sydney
Memorial Service, the Federal Budget and over 16
hours of material from the Australia 2020 Summit.
In addition to internal ABC production, Corporation
labour and facilities were contracted to make
Newstopia (for SBS), Good News Week (for Channel
Ten), Project Runway (Foxtel) and Slapdown (Fox
Sports), significantly contributing to the net profit
returns to the ABC through resource hire activities.
The Division continued to facilitate experimental
projects for content divisions such as the continuous
web-streaming of APEC forum content and the live
broadcast of Swan Lake from the Sydney Opera
House to 28 regional theatres. Volunteer Production
Resources staff donated their time for an outside
broadcast of Merry Makers, a fundraising concert
in support of people with Downs Syndrome.
Over the past 12 months, the Division provided
footage for issues as diverse as the Olympic Torch
Relay, the deaths of former Pakistan Prime Minister,
Benazir Bhutto and mountaineer, Sir Edmund Hillary,
SECTION
3
What Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton see
when sitting on the set of At the Movies.
the Youth and Australia 2020 Summits and the
Labor Government’s first Budget. In particular, the
ABC’s Perth researchers supplied critical archival
footage to support the popular Hunt for HMAS
Sydney documentary. Archives around the country
made a significant contribution to footage used
in the ANZAC Day broadcasts in each state
and territory.
high definition studio-based program, The Oasis:
Australia’s Homeless Youth, the re-branding of
ABC1 and ABC2, the web streaming of events such
as the ABC 702 Knit-In, live events for ABC2, the
continuing management of remote switching for
Queensland and the management of a complex
matrix of feeds for both ABC Radio and Television
on Anzac Day.
Production Resources, in conjunction with
Technology and Distribution, began the roll-out
of the next generation of digital equipment to
support file-based production. The Division trialled
and then implemented tapeless field cameras for
news programs, new graphic production systems
and editing systems in post production. A pilot of
desktop editing systems for news production was
also undertaken. The phased introduction of endto-end tapeless production facilities will continue
over the coming years.
Broadcast Network Services completed planned
upgrades to the digital television platform and
the Remote Area Broadcasting Service (RAB)
platform, by replacing digital encoding equipment
in all capital cities with more reliable and efficient
equipment. These upgrades will improve the
overall quality of the ABC’s digital television and
RAB services.
Production Resources in conjunction with
Technology and Distribution, Capital Works and
content divisions continued to consolidate the
medium-term temporary facilities in Brisbane,
after vacating the Toowong site.
Content Presentation and Distribution
Broadcast Operations has contributed strongly to
the success of the Division and the presentation of
ABC content on all platforms. In addition to the
daily management of all radio and television signal
presentation and distribution, special projects
have included the broadcast of the ABC’s first
Broadcast Network Services upgraded the audio
processing equipment for analog television for the
eight metropolitan markets and the six regional
markets. This upgrade will improve the consistency
of audio levels for analog television transmission
across the country. Further, the codecs used for
the exchange of audio content between ABC
studios across the country have been upgraded.
This has improved the quality of the audio services
and allowed the ABC to use internet protocol
(IP) networks for the exchange of audio content
between studios.
ABC DIVISIONS
103
Operations Group continued
Digital Radio
In October 2005, the then Minister for
Communications, Information Technology and the
Arts announced the framework for the introduction
of digital radio services into Australia. In December
2007, the ABC and Special Broadcasting Service
(SBS) Boards approved entering into contracts
with preferred suppliers for the digital audio
broadcasting (DAB) systems and service delivery,
subject to formal funding by Government.
Following an ABC submission, limited funding
was approved in May 2008 for the ABC and the
SBS for the establishment of the DAB service. The
date for the start of service was extended from
1 January 2009 to 1 July 2009.
Negotiations are ongoing between the ABC,
SBS and the industry group Commercial
Radio Australia (CRA) with the Australian
Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)
to finalise the transmission service parameters for
the broadcasting of the DAB service.
Performance and Value
The ABC continued to coordinate the development
of an International Benchmarking Group.
This group, working in conjunction with the
Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, aims
to promote the development of key performance
indicators and benchmarking amongst international
public broadcasters. As part of its commitment
to the Group, the ABC maintains and operates a
Group website that carries summary information
on broadcasting metrics that are accessible to all
member organisations.
The Operations Group completed a program to
revise key performance indicators to measure
performance across that Group. Data collection for
the 2006–07 financial year has been completed.
Property Divestment
The Corporation’s former premises at Adelaide
Terrace, Perth, has been placed on the market,
following an extensive period of due diligence
and preparatory work. Operations Group staff
played important roles in ensuring the sale process
complied with all relevant government legislation
and ABC policies.
Integrated Capital Strategy
In 2007–08 the Operations Group continued
its efforts to align its resources for maximum
104
A B C D I VISIONS
responsiveness to the ABC’s current environment;
and focused on the development of staff and
infrastructure to sustain the ABC into the future.
Work continued on phase two of the Integrated
Capital Strategy (ICS) Project. The Project will
develop a ten-year capital funding strategy that
links ABC strategic business requirements with
a sustainable capital investment strategy, taking
account of rapid technology and market change.
A dedicated project team was seconded from the
Technology and Distribution Division to manage
the Project and to map technology capabilities
and strategies against the ABC’s business,
content creation, information and content
management needs.
IT Infrastructure
The ABC made changes to its server infrastructure
using innovative virtual technology. The consolidation
of physical servers to a virtual environment has
allowed the ABC to increase its data efficiency,
reduce its carbon emissions and reduce hardware
expenditure and operational costs.
Learning and Growth
The ABC initiated a program to encourage young
electronics apprentices to pursue careers as
broadcast technologists. The ABC’s Technical Services
department hosted two electronics apprentices,
one each in Adelaide and the Australian Capital
Territory, who received on and off the job training
and mentoring while continuing their TAFE studies in
Electrotechnology. The scheme was partly funded by
the Department of Education, Science and Training.
Production Resources continued its skills exchange
program, moving skilled staff temporarily into
regions where the Corporation required them,
improving local skills and increasing use of core
staff. Examples of program production that benefited
from the skills exchange included large outside
broadcast events such as the Australian Women’s
Golf, Hopman Cup Tennis and Anzac Day coverage
from each capital city and three overseas locations.
The expertise represented in Broadcast Operations
is recognised nationally and internationally.
Broadcast Operations was responsible for the design
and operation of audio facilities for the APEC forum
and is currently involved in rebuilding the national
broadcast distribution system for Papua New
Guinea’s national broadcaster, the NBC.
SECTION
3
ABC Distribution and Transmission Network Aggregated 2007–08
Performance as Reported by Broadcast Australia
No. of
ABC Distribution
Broadcast Australia
Total Network
Transmitters
Network
Transmission Network
Availability
(See Note 1)
Total
“On-Air”
Availability
(See Note 2)
(See Note 3)
(See Note 4)
Target 2007-08 2006-07
2007-08 2006-07
2007-08 2006-07
2007-08
2006-07
ABC Service
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
ABC Classic FM
67
99.98
99.97
99.83
99.92 99.89
98.38 98.72
99.82 99.83
triple j
57
99.86
99.97
99.82
99.92 99.89
98.02 98.47
99.78 99.82
242
99.83
99.56
99.79
99.79 99.75
98.10 97.99
99.74 99.74
14
99.98
99.99
99.89
99.91 99.91
99.03 99.75
99.88 99.89
ABC Radio National
257
99.98
99.92
99.74
99.82 99.79
99.16 99.38
99.74 99.68
Analog Television
439
99.92
99.95
99.75
99.78 99.78
98.84 98.89
99.68 99.72
Digital Television
273
99.95
99.82
99.77
99.88 99.88
98.98 99.07
99.83 99.79
27
99.97
–
99.83
99.94
99.27
99.64
ABC Local Radio
NewsRadio
NewsRadio Extension
State
NSW
–
–
–
256
99.96
99.92
99.80
99.85 99.85
98.04 98.46
99.78 99.77
NT
54
99.96
99.93
99.71
99.58 99.30
99.24 98.44
99.53 98.72
Qld
310
99.87
99.73
99.76
99.81 99.80
98.57 98.88
99.64 99.71
SA
76
99.97
99.94
99.79
99.87 99.79
99.24 99.43
99.82 99.73
Tas
81
99.77
99.94
99.81
99.65 99.76
98.10 99.25
99.55 99.63
Vic
120
99.94
99.95
99.82
99.82 99.80
99.04 97.80
99.75 99.75
WA
179
99.94
99.83
99.75
99.85 99.85
99.94 99.83
99.80 99.74
Notes:
1. ABC Distribution Network: These figures represent the ABC’s distribution network which ensures that programs are delivered
from the studio to local transmitters throughout Australia. The distribution network service is provided by telecommunications
carriers such as Optus and Telstra. This measurement has been designed to be consistent with the contracted transmission targets of
these carriers and represents the aggregated performance of more than 60 agreements the ABC has in place to distribute programs.
Service availability was consistent in 2007–08 relative to 2006–07. The only exception was the distribution of triple j services in
Queensland which were subjected to interference due to climatic conditions (heavy rain). triple j utilises a different Optus satellite
service than the other radio networks. This service is expected to be relocated during the coming financial year.
2. Broadcast Australia Transmission Network (ABC Transmission Services Provider): These figures are provided by Broadcast
Australia and detail the contracted availability targets and the actual service delivery. Overall the service delivery has met targets,
improving in 2007–08 relative to 2006–07. The new digital television services performed above target, unchanged relative to
2006–07.
3. Total Network Availability: These figures show the impact of all outages on the network. It reflects the actual service delivered
regardless of the source or type of fault.
4. Total “On-Air” Availability: This shows the percentage of up-time for each service. In 2007–08, relative to 2006–07, Broadcast
Australia reported a small decrease in the total period services were “off”, for ABC Radio National, digital television, New South
Wales, South Australia and Western Australia. Increases in the period services were “off” were reported for ABC Classic FM, triple j,
NewsRadio, analog television, the Northern Territory, Queensland and Tasmania.
The Northern Territory was affected by faults with the three inland High Frequency (HF) Vertical Incidence Local Radio services due to
the impact of post-installation works on the new transmission facilities to resolve performance concerns.
ABC DIVISIONS
105
Kate Dundas Director of People and Learning
Kate Dundas was appointed Director People and Learning in October 2007. Prior
to this role, Kate was Head, National Networks for ABC Radio. She managed triple
j and ABC Classic FM for three years before taking on additional responsibility for
ABC Radio National and ABC NewsRadio in 2005. Kate has worked in public and
communications policy areas in both state and federal governments and held two
senior management roles in the New South Wales Premier’s Department. During her
first career in the ABC Kate managed the ABC’s Local Radio stations in the capital
cities and was General Manager of ABC Radio Policy and Development.
Kate has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Charles Sturt University
focused on radio and television.
People and Learning
In October 2007, the new People and Learning
Division was formed, following a review and
restructure of the former Human Resources
Division.
The Division was established as a specialised
and strategic area responsible for people and
performance with particular focus on leadership
and cultural development, reward, organisational
development and performance, industrial
relations, learning and succession and talent
management.
The newly formed Division conducted extensive
consultation and research to develop a service
delivery model to best meet the ABC’s current
and future needs. In February 2008, the new
model was implemented, designed to maintain
generalist human resources services at a state and
territory level. It also introduced a business partner
approach and created new roles in People and
Learning to work with ABC Divisions. Expressions
of interest were sought for new Business Partner
roles. People were appointed to act in positions for
six months in order to assess the effectiveness of
the new roles before proceeding to appointment.
The model also aims to more effectively integrate
learning activities into the Division.
Part of the restructure of the former Human
Resources Division included a review by
Acumen/Oakton Consulting Group to evaluate
the processes and operations of the payroll
area and identify any opportunities for process
and efficiency improvements. The report and
recommendations were submitted in May 2008.
The outcome of this review will be determined in
2008–09.
ABC People
Craig Zonca and
Jayne Landsberg
from ABC Local Radio
at the Townsville
Greek Festival
grape stomping
competition.
106
A B C D I VISIONS
The People and Learning Division leads and
coordinates a number of corporation-wide
strategies to attract and retain talent, develop
the skills and performance of staff, and ensure
appropriate diversity. It also continued to focus on
occupational health and safety issues throughout
the organisation. These are described in ABC
People on pages 54 to 58.
Corporate
SECTION
3
Gary Dawson Director of Communications
Gary Dawson has been Director of Communications since February 2007. Prior to this
appointment he was Head of Strategy and Development.
Before joining the ABC in May 2005, Gary was the Communications Director of The Law
Society of New South Wales and previously spent five years as a senior adviser in the
Prime Minister’s Office, including two years as senior policy adviser on communications,
information technology, science and innovation.
Earlier in his career, Gary worked as a journalist for 15 years in print, radio and television,
including with ABC Radio and Television News in Townsville, Queensland and Canberra.
Gary holds a Bachelor of Economics from the Australian National University.
Communications
Corporate Communications
The Corporate Communications unit manages
the ABC’s media relations and all corporate
communications matters. These include the ABC
intranet, the ABC Corporate website About the
ABC and all major policy announcements. A new
monthly newsletter for external distribution,
Access ABC, was launched by the unit in 2007–
08. ABCYou!, the Corporation’s internal staff
newsletter, was also published fortnightly.
Major ABC statements and news events handled
by the Corporate Communications unit during
2007–08 included:
• In March 2008, the announcement of
Australia’s first internet television service,
60 new ABC Local online sites, ABC Shop
Downloads and the creation of a 24/7
Continuous News Centre
• Release of the discussion paper The ABC in the
Digital Age—Towards 2020, in conjunction
with the Prime Minister’s Australia 2020
Summit
• Detailed briefings and issues management on
the creation of the ABC Resources Division and
implications of the ABC Production Review
implemented to improve the Corporation’s
ability to respond to the changing demands of
the digital media environment
• Information and news for ABC staff in
Brisbane on planned new premises and
the announcement of further findings of
subsequent scientific reports on the vacated
Toowong studios.
Corporate Marketing
The Corporate Marketing unit manages the ABC
brand, its partnerships with other Australian
organisations, community events and crossdivisional marketing needs. Also within the unit,
technology marketing and e-marketing staff
provide advice across the organisation on the
current influx of new marketing technologies.
In 2007–08, the unit continued to focus on
brand awareness and identifying opportunities to
reach new audiences. It also increased the level
of community contact with a record number of
events staged in every State and Territory. From 1
July 2007 the ABC celebrated its 75th Anniversary
and organised 14 specific events across the
country, including all capital cities and several
regional areas including Townsville in Queensland,
Mildura in Victoria, Orange in New South Wales,
Bunbury in Western Australia and Mount Gambier
in South Australia.
The Corporation’s travelling Exhibition Trailer
visited 21 events and was open to the public on
63 days. The Trailer’s schedule included: the 75th
ABC DIVISIONS
107
Corporate continued
Anniversary Celebrations; the first broadcast of
ABC Classic FM in Hyde Park, Sydney; triple j’s
Hottest 100 at the Sydney Domain as part of
Australia Day celebrations; the Apollo Bay Music
Festival in Victoria and ongoing participation in
Royal Agricultural Shows around the country.
The unit organises and manages public tours of
the ABC Ultimo Centre, Sydney, attracting a record
number of 7 332 visitors to the complex in 2007–
08, up from 6 600 in the previous year. Currently
there are 15 volunteer tour guides involved in the
Ultimo program. The unit has also supported and
implemented tours of studios in other states and
territories.
Government and Parliamentary Relations
The Government and Parliamentary Relations Unit
liaises with parliamentarians, government and
parliamentary committees, government agencies
and industry groups on policy matters.
The Unit is the first point of contact for the
Minister’s office, the ABC’s portfolio agency (the
Department of Communications, Broadband
and the Digital Economy) and other government
agencies, as well as parliamentarians requesting
information about the ABC.
As a result of the change of government following
the 2007 federal election, the unit coordinated a
number of briefing papers for the new Minister
about the ABC’s operations.
Government and Parliamentary Relations
continued to expand its role as a conduit between
the ABC and parliamentarians for other key ABC
activities, such as the annual Heywire project for
youth in regional and rural areas. In March 2008,
the ABC hosted its second reception at Parliament
House, inviting all Members and Senators. It
was also instrumental in coordinating the ABC’s
participation in the Australia 2020 Summit in
April 2008.
The Manager Government and Parliamentary
Relations coordinates the preparation and lodging
of answers to Questions on Notice from Senate
Estimates Committee hearings. During the year,
the ABC appeared before the Senate Estimates
Committee twice and provided answers to 63
Questions on Notice. The ABC also provided
submissions to a number of inquiries.
Children enjoying the ABC Kids concert
at the ABC’s 75th birthday celebrations
at Elder Park in Adelaide.
108
A B C D I VISIONS
SECTION
3
Michael Ebeid Director of Corporate Development
Michael Ebeid joined the ABC in March 2008 as Director of Corporate Development.
Michael brings to the ABC over 20 years experience in information technology,
telecommunications and media, having held senior management and executive
positions at IBM, Optus and Westpac. During his six years as Director of Commercial
Operations for the Consumer Division at Optus, Michael managed the company’s pay
television business and the launch of its broadband services. He was also on the Board
of ASTRA (Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association) from 2000 to 2004.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Marketing) and is a graduate
of INSEAD’s IEP and AMP programs in France. He is a member of the Australian
Society of Accountants.
Corporate Development
The Corporate Development team was established
within the Managing Director’s office in early
2007 to inform and mobilise the Managing
Director’s strategic agenda. Its primary functions
are: implementing key projects identified by
the Managing Director, including major crossdivisional projects; providing advice and analysis;
identifying new initiatives to further ABC strategic
priorities; and responding to strategic and
regulatory issues.
The team plays a central role in shaping decisionmaking around critical issues within the ABC,
including the evaluation of expenditure priorities,
investment in technology and infrastructure
and the development of funding proposals for
government and other partners.
It also provides a coordination role to enable
effective policy formulation around strategic issues
affecting multiple ABC divisions. This includes
leading internal discussions—particularly at the
director level—to promote shared understanding
and approaches to issues, as well as assisting
in the identification of critical factors affecting
decisions and providing supporting market and
financial analysis.
It is expected that over time Corporate
Development will be increasingly seen as a
Corporation-wide “consulting group” offering
analytical skills and policy insights to assist
divisions’ decision-making.
Strategy
A key focus of the team is identifying and
assessing issues of strategic importance to
the current and future directions of the ABC
and managing projects that position the
Corporation to respond to them. It provides
advice to the ABC Board and management on
technological innovations and world-wide trends
in broadcasting, online services and public
broadcasting to inform decision-making.
One of the team’s major strategic projects in
2007–08 was the Production Review, a major
evaluation of the ABC’s television production
model (see Corporate Governance, page 65–71).
Corporate Development staff worked closely with
the external consultants engaged to conduct the
Review and coordinated the ABC’s assessment of
the initiatives contained in the final report. The
team oversaw detailed initiative planning by senior
staff from across a range of divisions, including
consideration of financial, technical, human
resources and process issues.
Corporate Development also has a central role in
the ABC’s regulatory response activities. During
the year, it wrote or coordinated submissions to
Parliamentary inquiries, Government Departments
ABC DIVISIONS
109
Corporate continued
and the Australian Communications and
Media Authority.
Business Development
A second focus of Corporate Development is
assessing significant domestic and international
opportunities to strengthen and grow the
Corporation, including partnerships, acquisitions
and divestments.
In 2007–08, Corporate Development assisted
the Innovation Division to develop an efficient
content storage and distribution strategy,
strengthened relationships within the industry
and with partners, reviewed new service proposals
developed by other ABC divisions, conducted a
review of the Corporation’s approach to television
rights and contributed to the preparation for the
ABC’s 2009–12 Triennial Funding submission.
Program Management Office
To manage the substantial volume of work
generated by the Production Review, Corporate
Development formed a Program Management
Office (PMO) in October 2007. The PMO provides
a central coordination, delivery and reporting
mechanism for the initiatives arising from the
Production Review, as well as other cross-divisional
projects managed by Corporate Development.
Since inception, the PMO has worked with the
Production Review Steering Committee to manage
all aspects of the Production Review and ensure
that the various initiatives are delivered on time
and projected savings are achieved. In particular,
it has overseen the development and validation
of business cases for initiatives, coordinated
the implementation process for each initiative,
facilitated internal communications and expedited
resolution of issues as they have arisen.
Murray Green Director of
Corporate Strategy and Governance
Murray Green—as Director of ABC International and
Corporate Strategy and Governance—is responsible
for both the International Division (see pages 94–97)
and Corporate Strategy and Governance.
Corporate Strategy
and Governance
Audience and Consumer Affairs
The role of Audience and Consumer Affairs is to
ensure that program complaints are handled in
accordance with the guidelines set out in the ABC
Editorial Policies and in particular, to independently
investigate complaints that relate to issues covered
by these Policies and by the ABC’s Code of Practice.
The ABC’s Code of Practice outlines a range of
program standards against which the ABC can be
evaluated. The unit also responds to a large number
of programming, policy and transmission enquiries.
Further details about the nature and subject of
contacts with Audience and Consumer Affairs can
be found in Corporate Governance (page 67).
Audience Research
Corporate Strategy and Governance manages
Audience Research on behalf of the Corporation.
In 2007–08, the ABC subscribed to a range of
quantitative services to measure audiences and
commissioned a range of quantitative and qualitative
research to help inform strategy, programming,
scheduling and marketing decisions; and to gauge
audience attitudes to the Corporation’s services.
Information on the ABC’s audiences in 2007–08
can be found in ABC Audiences (pages 32–46).
Bonner Committee
The Bonner Committee’s role is to advance
Indigenous development across the Corporation
including areas of employment, cross-cultural
awareness and specialist staffing of Indigenous
content areas and programs.
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Brendan Read and kids
Elections for the positions on the Committee are
held every two years and voting is undertaken by
ABC Indigenous staff. An election was held in July
2007 and the newly elected members developed
a revised values statement and business objectives
covering the period 2007–09.
Activities focused on attending the NAIDOC
Week events in Darwin and supporting a range of
events and content in programs that reflected the
recognition of NAIDOC Week around Australia in
July 2007.
Support was also provided to forums and
initiatives such as the Indigenous Staff Conference
and careers day held in Darwin and the Indigenous
Staff Scholarship Awards at Ultimo, Sydney.
Each year as part of the Scholarship Awards the
Committee also presents an award in recognition
of the work of an ABC non-Indigenous employee
who promotes and supports Indigenous
employment.
The Committee is a key stakeholder in the
development of the Corporation’s Reconciliation
Action Plan, which aims to be completed and
published in November 2008.
The Committee is named after the late Neville
Bonner AO, who was an ABC Board Director from
1983–91 and Australia’s first Indigenous Senator.
Corporate Planning and Governance
The Corporate Planning and Governance unit
provides strategic support, analysis and advice
in relation to the ABC’s external reporting and
3
ABC camera operator Brendan Read
with students, Andrew Dodd (back)
and Dale Timothy (on camera) at
the ABC’s Indigenous Careers’ Day
held at Kormilda College, Darwin.
corporate governance activities. It coordinates
corporate planning and cross-divisional policy
work, produces the Annual Report and leads or
participates in major corporate projects.
During the year, the ABC Corporate Plan 2007–
10 took effect and work commenced on the
development of an ABC Reconciliation Action Plan.
Corporate Planning and Governance provided
oversight to the ABC’s first submission and
participation in the Corporate Responsibility Index
(CRI) operated in Australia by the St James Ethics
Centre. The CRI process enables organisations to
rate and benchmark themselves in relation to
measures of good corporate responsibility (page 70).
State and Territory Directors
The State and Territory Directors lead their local
executive teams to facilitate whole of business and
cross-divisional outcomes in their branches.
The Directors are the key representatives for the
ABC in the States and Territories. To assist with
the ABC’s corporate objectives to work with local
communities to foster relationships, and to engage
positively in public conversations about
the contemporary role and performance of the
ABC in Australian life, State and Territory Directors
held Stakeholder Feedback Forums in capital
cities and many regional centres. In June 2008
in Darwin the Directors of Western Australia,
Queensland and Northern Territory organised a
North Australia Forum attracting more than 800
delegates and featuring national and international
leaders exploring the major content themes
ABC DIVISIONS
111
Corporate continued
Radio station 1233 ABC Newcastle was awarded the City of Newcastle Medal for
its coverage of storms and flooding in 2007. The station also received awards of
recognition and appreciation from the Maitland Business Chamber, the Rotary Club
of Newcastle Inc and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
of: environment and water; art; culture and
tourism; resources; relations with Asia and Pacific
neighbours; and Indigenous affairs.
In 2007, the ABC celebrated its 75th Birthday and
the State and Territory Directors, working with
Corporate Marketing, local staff and in partnership
with various councils and community groups, put
on birthday events around Australia. Hundreds of
thousands of people joined in the celebrations.
The Directors worked closely with a range of
external partners including emergency services
bodies, universities and public institutions.
They also represented the ABC on a variety of
community boards and consultative committees.
The State and Territory Directors have a significant
role in helping to monitor best practice standards
of corporate governance and compliance within
their branches. Various Directors were involved in
governance functions such as the Policy Reference
Group; Operations Support Group, National
Green Futures Steering Group, National Business
Continuity Group, Editorial Policies Group, Election
Coverage Review Committee and Executive Risk
Committee. The Australian Capital Territory
Director conducted Freedom of Information
internal reviews and the Tasmanian Director
undertook the role of the Complaints Review
Executive. Directors also gathered information
for and compiled the ABC’s first entry into the
Corporate Responsibility Index.
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A B C D I VISIONS
In developing an ABC culture based on shared
values and common goals, the Directors provided
support to various senior managers and held
development and planning days with their local
teams, including working on cross-divisional
content initiatives and input into the ABC’s
Triennial Funding submission 2009–12. In 2007–
08 the Directors worked at a national and local
level to assist the Corporation to deliver on the
strategic priority to minimise the impact of ABC
activities on Australia’s environment, biodiversity
and heritage places. The Directors set up and
chaired local Green Futures committees to drive
behavioural change and supported ABC Property
in the implementation of a range of engineering
solutions.
In line with maximising the relative efficiency of
ABC resource and asset utilisation, the State and
Territory Directors had a representative on the
Production Review Steering Committee to examine
more efficient ways of making television and
news and are assisting with the implementation
of the review outcomes. In Queensland, the
State Director is the Project Coordinator for the
new ABC building to be constructed in Brisbane
following the closure of Toowong.
In line with fostering relationships with
international communities, New South Wales
and Tasmanian Directors travelled to Papua New
Guinea on a number of occasions to provide
advice to the National Broadcasting Corporation.
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3
Paul Chadwick Director of Editorial Policies
Paul Chadwick joined the ABC as the inaugural Director of Editorial Policies in
January 2007. A journalist and lawyer, he was the first Privacy Commissioner
of Victoria (2001–06). He ran the Victorian operations of the non-profit
Communications Law Centre for eight years and was a member of the Brennan
Committee that revised the Australian Journalists’ Association Code of Ethics in the
1990s. In 1997, he received the Walkley Award for Most Outstanding Contribution
to Journalism.
Paul holds an honours degree in Law (Melbourne) and is admitted to practice as a
barrister and solicitor of the Victorian Supreme Court and federal courts.
Editorial Policies
The Director of Editorial Policies has three main
functions: to advise, verify and review in relation
to compliance with the ABC’s Editorial Policies.
The Editorial Policies are the ABC’s leading
standards and a day-to-day reference for makers
of content for radio, television, online and in
print. They give practical shape to statutory
obligations in the ABC Act, in particular the
obligations to: provide services of a high standard;
maintain independence and integrity; and
ensure that the gathering and presentation of
news and information is accurate and impartial
according to the recognised standards of objective
journalism. The Editorial Policies set out the ABC’s
self-regulatory standards and how it enforces
them, and are the source for the ABC Code of
Practice which the ABC notifies to the Australian
Communications and Media Authority.
Advise
Advice work aims at clarity and consistency in the
interpretation of the Editorial Policies. The Director
is available to advise the Managing Director
and other Directors. The divisions have their
own Editorial Policies specialists and day-to-day
queries follow the longstanding procedure for
upward referral within each division. The Director
of Editorial Policies develops training events and
materials on which the divisions may draw for
their own training programs.
Verify
Verifying whether the ABC is meeting the high
standards it sets for itself involves the Director of
Editorial Policies in the design and implementation
of quality assurance projects. The work is broadbased and retrospective, not prospective. That
is, the various Directors of content-producing
divisions retain responsibility for day-to-day quality
control and remain sovereign over decisions
to broadcast or publish, subject only to the
Managing Director.
Five quality assurance projects were developed
and undertaken in 2007–08. The first examined
the quality of ABC processes for taking corrective
actions when they are warranted—for example,
following a decision by a complaints handling
entity that a correction ought be made. The
project found that in almost every case corrective
actions had been carried out. Some inconsistent
practices in the handling of online corrections
were found and a series of recommendations
for improvements were made.
The second project examined the accuracy of
three of the ABC’s principal radio current affairs
programs—AM, The World Today and PM. A
random sample of 150 items broadcast by the
three programs in 2007 was checked by a panel
of independent reviewers. The level of accuracy
was found to be very high: 95.3% of the items
ABC DIVISIONS
113
Corporate continued
sampled were found to be either wholly or
substantially accurate for plain facts, and 97.3%
were found to be wholly or substantially accurate
as to context. A typology of inaccuracies was
developed and some observations made about
where improvements could occur. The News
Division did not accept all of the findings and
its full response was published in the final report
which is available on abc.net.au.
The current Editorial Policies, which came
into effect in March 2007, set out for the first
time, an impartiality requirement for each of
three categories of content—news, topical
and factual and opinion content. The test for
impartiality in relation to each of these content
categories is different. Accordingly, three different
methodologies were developed for the first quality
assurance projects to assess a sample of each of
these three categories of content. The projects
examined samples of television news content,
radio topical and factual content, and online
opinion content. Final reports are due in
July 2008.
Review
The review function of the Director of Editorial
Policies reflects the ABC’s awareness of
accelerating change in the media environment.
The rate of change puts pressure on the ABC to
keep its standards up-to-date and, in this sense,
affects the Editorial Policies.
A review of Section 9 of the Editorial Policies,
dealing mainly with the online environment,
began in July 2007 with a consultation paper for
staff on blogging. At the invitation of the Director
of Editorial Policies, a discussion about online
standards was held with Jimmy Wales, originator
of Wikipedia, during his Australian visit. The
Editorial Policies Group, chaired by the Director of
Editorial Policies and comprising policy specialists
from throughout the organisation, has invited
colleagues who have particular expertise
in user generated content to assist in the revision
of relevant standards.
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A B C D I VISIONS
AM presenter Tony Eastley
preparing to broadcast from
the Wilare Bridge Roadhouse,
2 200 kilometres north of Perth,
as part of the program’s 40th
anniversary commemoration.
In August 2007, following reports on the ABC
Television current affairs program The 7.30
Report about conversations involving the then
Federal Treasurer, the Managing Director asked
the Director of Editorial Policies to review the
adequacy of the Editorial Policies in relation
to dealing with sources and the reporting by
journalists of events in which they are participants.
The Director found the policies inadequate in both
respects and made recommendations which were
released for consultation in November 2007. In
May 2008 the ABC Board approved additions to
the Editorial Policies and the new sections 4.7 and
4.4.13–15 take effect from 1 July 2008.
The Director of Editorial Policies is also chairman
of the ABC Election Coverage Review Committee.
See page 67.
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Rob Simpson Director of Legal
Rob Simpson joined the ABC as Director of Legal in August 2007. Prior to that
he was a partner at law firms Gilbert + Tobin and Baker & McKenzie. He has also
had extensive experience as a corporate lawyer and member of management
teams, including as the first General Counsel of Optus.
Rob holds degrees in Arts and Law (Honours) from the University of Sydney.
Legal Services
ABC Legal Services provides a comprehensive
range of legal services to the Corporation
including:
• Pre-publication advice on a 24-hour, seven-dayper-week basis
• Conducting litigation commenced against the
Corporation
• Detailed advice on contractual and rights
issues, regulatory regimes and the statutory
obligations of ABC divisions
• Developing submissions to Government bodies
about law reform.
During 2007–08, Legal Services challenged
applications to restrain broadcasts; managed
the defence of The Chaser team arising out of
the APEC motorcade incident; and formulated
submissions on law reform including participation
in the joint media submission to the New South
Wales Legislative Council Standing Committee on
Law and Justice on Section 11 Children (Criminal
Proceedings) Act 1987. Significant projects
included advising on the ABC’s implementation
of digital radio; and advising on major product
distribution agreements for ABC Commercial.
Legal Services also assisted with the revision of
the ABC Editorial Policies relating to disclosure
of sources.
Legal Services continued its in-house media law
training program, which is aimed at minimising
the ABC’s exposure to legal proceedings by
delivering a series of specialised media law
workshops for content makers within the
Corporation, covering topics such as contempt
of court and defamation.
ABC DIVISIONS
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