Yeah, this totally isnât politically motivated.
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More recent info has the centre around Ermington and Rydalmere. But none of those is the suburb of Parramatta.
Does nothing to address the genuine concerns about how Sydney centric the organisation is. It would be much more meaningful to move staff to the capital cities that arenât Sydney or Canberra.
Move 7:30 to Brisbane. 4 Corners to Adelaide. News Channel main studio and control to Melbourne. RN Breakfast and Gardening Australia to Hobart, etc etc
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I donât agree that it is too Sydney centric. Like any business it has a head office, saving on duplicating roles in multiple branches. In the case of the ABC this saves tax payer money too.
A lot of programming comes out of Sydney of course but it is produced with a national focus. What we might need more of is more state based programming. Bring back Stateline for example. Regional TV news rooms, more investment in Local Radio especially in regional areas. etc.
It doesnât bother me if âhead officeâ is in Ultimo one bit.
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Exactly. The ABC might be based in Ultimo but last I checked, most other major media organisations have their Sydney HQs in either inner-city or North Shore locations.
Case in point, the national broadcasterâs mortal enemy News Corp. Theyâre based at Surry Hills, which last I checked was South East of the ABC at Ultimo! 
Yep, I agree.
Although with the major commercial TV & radio networks largely producing all nationally broadcast content in either Sydney or Melbourne these days, itâs probably in the best interests of the ABC (and SBS but thatâs another topic of course) to have more of their national productions/operations produced in different parts of the country if that helps break down any perceptions that the national broadcaster only serves a certain sub-section of Australians rather than everyone.
Axing content across the board but spends money on opening an additional Sydney office with not much of a reason. I donât see the point in this at all - sounds like an inconvenience to staff to be honest.
There arenât many sites available plus landlords have to agree to the significant modifications to their building. Broadcasting technology limits where companies can be based at.
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The BBC has relocated a lot of their functions from London to Manchester over the past decade.
Not sure why the ABC canât move a lot of their TV and things like Triple J functions to somewhere regional like Gosford, Newcastle or Wollongong.
It would help knock a perceived Sydney bias, not overly far from Sydney for talent (but there is top talent living in other places), cheaper to live and assist with the economic growth of another centre.
The sale from Ultimo can help fund the move, while functions like 702 can be moved into smaller buildings.
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Yes but more votes in pandering to Western Sydney.
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How would moving 23km deep into suburban Sydney help remove the long perceived Sydney bias of the ABC?
Seems as overly expensive vanity project designed to impress the usual ABC knockers.
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It wonât. Thatâs why I suggested moving further afield.
Both of those suburbs are located in the City of Parramatta? And regardless, the point is that the geographic centre is way further west than it once was.
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Or try 50/50 between regional and Sydney which would be better
The big question - if ABC production was to be decentralised, which parts would you keep in Sydney and which parts would be best moved elsewhere?
Personally I think the national broadcaster needs Local Radio and a decent presence for News & Current Affairs (perhaps not everything like commercial TV networks, but at least one or two flagship programs outside the state 7pm bulletins) based âin Sydney, however much of the rest could probably be done elsewhere.
ABC leads the way on world stage at Rockie Awards
ABC programs have won a trio of world-class Rockie Awards, which celebrate excellence in global television and digital content.
ABC Childrenâs was celebrated on the international stage with two Rockie Awards, which form part of the Banff World Media Festival and are chosen by a global jury of more than 150 senior entertainment and media professionals.
Bluey , the most popular childrenâs show in Australia, won the 2021 Rockie Award for Best Animation Program for pre-school viewers. The series First Day, about a transgender girl overcoming the challenges of starting high school, was named Best Live Action Childrenâs Program for viewers aged 10 and under.
ABC Factual series Love On The Spectrum, season 2 of which recently aired on ABC TV, won the Rockie Award for Best Lifestyle Program.
Michael Carrington, ABC Director Entertainment & Specialist, said: âGreat Australian stories are a hit with audiences the world over. I am particularly heartened by the diversity of the ABCâs Rockie Award winners, covering everything from an animated family of dogs to a young girl overcoming the challenges to be herself and adults on the autism spectrum looking for someone to love.
âCongratulations to the ABC teams and our production partners for leading the way for Australian content on the world stage.â
The internationally-lauded First Day, produced by Epic Films for the ABC, also recently won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming â for its fair, accurate and inclusive representation of LGBTQI+ people and the issues that affect their lives.
The Emmy Award-winning Bluey is produced by Ludo Studios for the ABC. Love On The Spectrum , which tells the stories of young adults on the autism spectrum navigating the world of dating and relationships, is produced by Northern Pictures.
This is the second year running that ABC Childrenâs has taken home a Rockie Award, following last yearâs win for Hardball for Best Children & Youth Fiction Series.
ABC Factual series Revelation, produced by In Films, was nominated for this yearâs Social Issues & Current Affairs Award. ABC Childrenâs series 100% Wolf, produced by Flying Bark Productions, was nominated for Best Animation Program for viewers aged 11 to 17.
Youâre right Frankie. Itâs like splitting hairs. Management said it would move departments âout of Ultimoâ. Which is what theyâre doing. Most people expected it actually meant out of Sydney. All it will do is drive up costs while not getting rid of the Sydney Broadcasting Corp perception.
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Iâm just not sure how many Q&A or The Drum panellists would want to travel to Newcastle when they are probably booked because they already have other business in Sydney (assuming they are already from out of Sydney or an international panellist for example).
Same with Triple J. Is an international musical artist appearing on Triple J going to travel to Wollongong?
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Yeah because the drum or jjj never ever has guests appearing from another city or via a tardis boxâŚ
the first time someone mentioned that the ABC had a tardis I thought WTF?!? but then realised itâs just the name of the booths they use for remote guests. I guess they have them in most studio locations?
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ABC wins global award for âRough Justiceâ data journalism series
ABC Newsâs Digital Story Innovations team has been announced as a winner of a Sigma Award for its 2020 series on sexual assault â the only winning entry from Australia. The awards celebrate the very best examples of data journalism from around the world.
The judges said: âRough Justice shows above all else the power of data in telling a story that otherwise would remain hidden in plain sight ⌠The findings were breathtaking ⌠Through data, graphics, interactive and narrative, the team was able to tell a powerful story of how police are failing survivors of sexual assault. An impressive piece of work indeed.â
The âRough Justiceâ series comprised three parts:
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Nationally, the project sparked widespread calls for an independent inquiry into police handling of sexual assault cases.
In NSW it also prompted an push for the NSW Attorney-General to establish a committee to investigate the improper recording of sexual assault complaints withdrawn by the victim.
In the Northern Territory â the only jurisdiction that refused to supply the requested data â the first two stories in the series led to widespread calls and mounting public pressure for NT police to release their sexual assault data. This happened three weeks later, with part three of the series revealing that NT police are less likely to pursue a sexual assault report than police in any other state or territory.
In addition to being the only project to compile a national, data-driven picture of police responses to sexual assault, R ough Justice was the first to:
- Build an unprecedented searchable database of police investigation outcomes for 240,973 reported sexual assaults. This database matched a userâs postcode or suburb to their local area or police division, and allowed them to explore detailed statistics
- Uncover the true extent of reports deemed âunfoundedâ by police, not only nationally but also in every state and territory, and every LGA/police division
- Uncover the true extent of reports withdrawn by the victim (again, nationally, in every state and territory, and every LGA/police division)
- Present detailed sexual assault statistics, including unfounded and withdrawn reports, for the Northern Territory
This week marks four years since the ABCâs Digital Story Innovation team came into being, initially as the Equal Digital Life team, and the Sigma Award comes as a timely reminder of the contribution the team has made.
The main people involved in the project were Inga Ting, Nathanael Scott and Alex Palmer, and there was a significant contribution from others, including Lauren Roberts from the Darwin newsroom and Jack Fisher.