ABC operations

Television ABC
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Where ABC Budget should be spent;

RADIO: Increasing “ALL” Capital City and Regional Stations local programming.
TELEVISION: Reducing to 2 High Definition Channels.
DIGITAL and ONLINE: Increasing investment into current offerings.

NEWS: Maintain Budget, Axe Drum, Q&A and Decidated Newsradio and Tv’s News 24 Channels. Increasing “ALL” state based radio news bulletins.
Increasing “ALL” Regional Stations staff by 25%.
Absorb day time weekday Newsradio and News 24 programming into existing channels.

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Are ongoing costs for the rolling TV/radio news channels really that high?

I’m all for axing (or at the very least, significantly relaunching) The Drum + Q&A along with increasing capital city and regional radio content though.

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ABC appoints Ingrid Silver as new General Counsel

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ABC Managing Director David Anderson today announced the appointment of Ingrid Silver to the role of ABC General Counsel.

Ingrid joins the ABC with more than 25 years’ experience in the media and law, practised mainly in the UK and Europe. As a digital media, broadcast and communications transaction and regulatory expert, she has developed an impressive range of skills and experiences and is perfectly placed to lead the ABC’s legal team at this important time.

Currently based in London, Ingrid is co-head of Reed Smith’s Film and TV Group within the firm’s global media practice. Reed Smith is a Top 25 global law firm with a long-established top-tier media and entertainment practice whose clients include broadcasters, studios, production companies, streamers, social media platforms, advertisers, talent, and tech companies.

“This is a key role for the ABC and in many ways a unique role in the Australian media landscape,” Mr Anderson said. “Ingrid will bring great depth to the work we do here and is perfectly placed to continue the work done by current General Counsel Connie Carnabuci.

“I am very pleased Ingrid has agreed to join our already impressive legal team.

“I would also like to thank Connie for her outstanding expertise and service and wish her the very best in the next stage of her career.”

Ingrid said she was “thrilled to be returning to Australia to contribute to such an important national institution as the ABC.

“Connie has done an incredible job and leaves behind a high calibre team with whom it will be a privilege to work.”

Ingrid will begin with the ABC in late September.

Jacquie Foord and Grant McAvaney have each been appointed to the position of Associate General Counsel. They will have specific focus on regulatory and editorial matters, respectively and will each act as General Counsel pending Ingrid’s arrival.

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The documents tendered as evidence in the legal action that forced one of Christian Porter’s lawyers to stop representing him in his now discontinued case against the ABC have been released by the Federal Court. Included is the document from the friends of the woman who alleged that Porter raped her that was sent to various politicians and the media.

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ABC appoints Edwina Throsby as Managing Editor of Arts

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The ABC has appointed award-winning producer, director and arts administrator Edwina Throsby as Managing Editor of Arts, to drive the public broadcaster’s arts strategy and champion the essential role of arts and culture in Australia.

Throsby will support arts content from across the ABC and build partnerships with arts institutions to reflect and represent the diversity of the arts in Australia. She will lead the creative and editorial execution of ABC TV Plus’ new primetime show Art Works, the nation’s only dedicated weekly arts television program, along with new digital arts content.

Throsby will join the ABC on 9 August from her role as Head of Talks and Ideas at the Sydney Opera House, where she has programmed and delivered a slate of popular events such as the major international festivals All About Women and Antidote.

Jennifer Collins, ABC Head Factual & Culture, said Throsby’s expertise in producing, directing and curating content would enhance the ABC’s arts coverage for all Australians. “Edwina has the vision, the experience and the passion to support and shape the creation of arts content across the ABC.

“Her track record in building partnerships and delivering content to audiences across all platforms, including digital, is impressive and invaluable for the ABC at this time.”

Throsby said: “It’s hugely exciting to be returning to the ABC to take up this role. Despite challenging times for the arts, Australian artists continue to flourish, creating work that critiques and defines our culture. I believe that our public broadcaster has an essential role to play in this thriving arts ecology; reflecting, communicating and amplifying the works and stories of artists and creators from all backgrounds and creative fields.

“I am immensely proud to be joining the team to deliver arts programming to audiences across Australia.”

Throsby’s new position will see her return to the ABC, where she was series producer of Big Ideas from 2008-10 and worked as a producer on programs such as Sunday Afternoon Arts, Q+A, Four Corners and Media Watch .

From 2013-16, she was Head of Curation for TEDxSydney, where she devised and oversaw the artistic and creative vision for the annual talks and culture festival. Her titles as a documentary film director, from 1999-2012, include Creative Minds: Bill Henson, Opera Australia Jubilee, Loaded Brush and Dance Like Your Old Man, which was named best documentary at Flickerfest and the Dance on Film Awards and best documentary short at the Melbourne International Film Festival, and won the Nova Cinemas Award for Creative Excellence in Australian Film .

Throsby ran Chequerboard Productions from 2002-17, working across multiple film and media projects. She has a Doctorate in Philosophy from the School of Social Sciences at the University of NSW and Master of Arts in documentary directing, producing and writing from the Australian Film Television and Radio School.

No media organisation does more than the ABC to promote and provide a forum for the arts and artists in Australia. More than three-quarters of Australians say the ABC encourages and promotes Australian performing arts, such as music and drama, in line with the ABC Charter.

In 2021, the ABC has built on its commitment to the arts with the launch of Art Works and new and upcoming arts documentaries and series such as Finding the Archibald, Going Country, Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra, Step Into Paradise, I’m Wanita and My Name is Gulpilil.

In 2020, the ABC provided urgent and critical support to Australian independent producers and creatives impacted by COVID-19, including the launch of the Arts Digital Fund for innovative new arts content and Australian Music Fund to support independent artists and musicians.

With the lights out in theatres and concert halls due to the pandemic, the ABC also launched its biggest-ever on-demand catalogue on iview of performances from Australian arts companies, across theatre, opera, ballet and classical music.

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you do realize the purpose of newsradio right? Newsradio was created to use the frequencies parliament already broadcasts on (that they have to broadcast on analogue by law) when parliment is not sitting.

I can’t imagine it being too expensive, especially now they are sharing TOH bulletins with other ABC radio outlets.

On weekends they provide radio commentry of AFL into northern states and NRL into southern states (which i can’t imagine being expensive as they are taking exiting calls) and take long form programming like hoof on the till and the law report which are already on other abc radio outlets

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They’re not, you’ll generally find that the people that have a fit over News24 are the exact same people that just don’t like the fact that it exists / competes with Sky News.

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ABC celebrates NAIDOC Week and First Nations stories through the voices of Indigenous staff

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander journalists and presenters at the ABC have come together to celebrate NAIDOC Week by sharing their personal experiences and highlighting the importance of Indigenous storytelling all-year round.

In an ABC promotional campaign for NAIDOC Week, which runs from 4-11 July, Indigenous staff from across the country share the strength and resilience of these stories and the vital role they play in keeping culture, customs and communities connected, now and for future generations.

Isabella Higgins, a proud Torres Strait Islander woman and ABC News Indigenous Affairs Correspondent, says in the campaign: “Storytelling is actually about survival – it’s about ensuring our languages, our culture, our customs, that they survive and that they’re there for the next generation.

“NAIDOC Week is this incredible time where as First Nations people we see our culture pushed to the forefront…The ABC is making sure the voices of all First Nations communities are at the front of all of our storytelling. The ABC is telling our story – the story of our communities, of our country.”

Daniel Browning, from Bundjalung Country on the far north coast of NSW and the producer and presenter of Radio National’s Awaye! , which celebrates Aboriginal arts and culture, says: “We can’t know the national story if we don’t know the first story…If we don’t understand the stories that have been sung, danced and recited here for millennia, we don’t know our story.

“It’s through telling stories that I connect with people and that’s what I love about being a journalist or a storyteller. And story is absolutely crucial to everything we do here at the ABC – connecting people through story and sharing culture.”

Dave Woodhead, a Torres Strait Islander man and triple j presenter, says: “First Nations people have so much history to share and all people have to do is open their hearts and ears and just listen to us. Storytelling is so important because things that happened a thousand years ago still have relevance today.

“I’m proud to be working at triple j and the ABC because it gives me the opportunity to share stories of First Nations artists through the wonderful tool of music.”

The promotional campaign, running across television, radio and online from 27 June, tells Australians what NAIDOC Week means to the ABC and the importance of incorporating Indigenous stories, culture and perspectives into ABC content every day. The creative incorporates commissioned artwork by Buffie Corunna, a Noongar woman from Western Australia.

NAIDOC Week content and creativity on the ABC

Throughout NAIDOC Week, the ABC will showcase Indigenous storytelling across television, radio and online, including the premieres of arts documentaries Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra, My Name is Gulpilil and Dubboo – Life of a Songman.

ABC iview’s NAIDOC Week collection will also feature the premieres of children’s shows Red Dirt Riders, Tjitji Lullaby and Play School: Walking Together, alongside outstanding Indigenous-led content such as The Australian Dream, FREEMAN, Mabo, Mystery Road, Total Control, Redfern Now and performances by Bangarra Dance Theatre.

Other highlights of the ABC’s NAIDOC Week content include:

  • Across radio and social media, the ABC will feature conversations with young Indigenous leaders and Elders about the NAIDOC Week theme of “Heal Country!”.
  • Radio National programs will explore Indigenous stories, people and issues, including Earshot ’s feature on the battle over the Martuwarra Fitzroy River and insights and interviews across Awaye!, Soul Search, The Book Show, The Stage Show, Blueprint for Living, Stop Everything! and The History Listen.
  • Celebrations of Indigenous talent across the ABC’s national music networks include ABC Classic’s premiere of Deborah Cheetham’s Woven Song, Double J’s “Deadly Beats” J Files and an extended edition of triple j’s new First Nations music show Blak Out.
  • ABC NEWS will continue to cover Indigenous issues, perspectives and conversations across multiple platforms throughout NAIDOC Week.

Click here for more details of the ABC’s NAIDOC Week content and coverage.

Indigenous voices and languages on the ABC

Such content builds on the ABC’s proud history of enabling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to tell and share their own stories and supporting Indigenous talent, as exemplified by the ABC Elevate Reconciliation Plan 2019-22.

The Elevate RAP features a major, year-round commitment to bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and voices into the national conversation, including rolling out radio station idents incorporating local languages and increasing the use of Indigenous names in content.

Phillipa McDermott, ABC Indigenous Lead, said: “Indigenous languages and place names are not just a means of simple Identification, they express knowledge about everything we know: Family, clan, law, geography, history, relationships, philosophy, religion, anatomy, country, everything.

“So, when we invite our audience to listen to and practise these words and languages, we are not only maintaining our culture but we are passing it on to new generations, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, who now live on this land.

“We hope it will ignite their imaginations to think about what the word means or what the place where they might live, work or travel to means, and the deep spiritual significance of that name or place. The ABC is an industry leader in this space and while we are already working with many other organisations, we really encourage all our industry colleagues to do the same.”

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In line with this commitment, the ABC has introduced initiatives such as:
  • Increasing the use of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nation names through supers in video programming, news reporting and in social media and TV and commissioned screen content.
  • ABC News has begun incorporating Acknowledgment of Country on State and Territory 7pm television bulletins in the ACT, Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmania, with Western Australia and NSW bulletins to come. In Queensland and Victoria, Indigenous place names will be included in viewer-sourced photographs in weather reports within the 7pm bulletins.
  • 7.30 will start including Indigenous place names in coming weeks.
  • The recent Australia Talks TV special incorporated Indigenous place names throughout the program.
  • Gardening Australia has been showing Indigenous place names on their map of Australia since 2020.
  • ABC Radio Melbourne broadcasts a Welcome to Country each morning.
  • ABC Radio Darwin uses a Larrakia Welcome to Country, as well as broadcasting a Friday news headlines segment in Creole.
  • ABC Sport broadcast an Acknowledgment of Country for all games in recent Indigenous rounds.
  • ABC Radio has introduced 130 Indigenous language station idents across its Capital City and Regional radio networks.
  • All major events and live concert broadcast on the ABC’s national music networks feature an Acknowledgement of Country.
  • Presenters across triple j, Double J, triple j Unearthed, ABC Classic and ABC Country use Indigenous place names as a matter of course, when talking about where artists or listeners are from.
  • triple j also asks its audience if they can name the place they’re calling from and recently launched the Blak Out First Nations music program .
  • An Acknowledgement of Country is featured daily on all ABC Children’s services, including ABC Kids, ABC ME and ABC Kids listen. ABC Kids listen also includes different Indigenous words every day, across 11 different Indigenous Australian languages.
  • On ABC Kids, Little J & Big Cuz features multiple Indigenous words and languages, including Noongar and Warlpiri. Play School incorporates Indigenous languages and words in episodes, scripts and songs.
  • On ABC ME, Good Game Spawn Point presenters use Indigenous place names when describing the locations they are reporting from.
  • Radio National’s Word Up (broadcast as a segment in Awaye! and available online) introduces listeners to the diverse languages of Indigenous Australia one word at a time.
  • ABC Factual & Culture requires external producers to reference Indigenous place names in documentary series, where relevant. Indigenous consultants advise on the appropriate use of such place names in this content. ABC factual and documentary programs also include an Acknowledgement of Country in the credits.
  • The ABC has collaborated with First Languages Australia to develop and publish a new version of the Gambay Indigenous language map on the ABC Indigenous website, to enable audiences to click on any part of Australia to see and listen to the language of that place.
  • The publicly accessible ABC Pronunciation Guide incorporates guidance on pronunciations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander names, places and concepts.
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I’m not sure that Kath & Kim was ever filmed there as the report states. IIRC it was mostly filmed on location.

While it is sad to see another TV heritage site go, it’s not the most photogenic building. The original GTV9 facade on Bendigo Street was far more ornate, dating back to the late 19th century IIRC. Even the plain brutalist style of the ex-ATV10 studio in Nunawading is a bit more commanding even if many of us associate it as the outside of Wentworth Detention Centre :stuck_out_tongue:

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The Michael Buble sequence was filmed there, all the scenes during “Carols”.

and the building was a god-awful asbestos filled nightmare.

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Shuffling staff to suburban Sydney makes no sense and is just half-hearted token gesture to appease critics. They might as well just stay at Ultimo. Moving staff to somewhere like Orange would make more sense if the ABC wants to be less Sydney centric.

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No surprise that Liverpool is trying to compete with Parramatta for the ABC HQ, especially after the ABC ran a temporary newsroom in Liverpool during March/April.

Of course I don’t think it’d make sense to move the HQ from Ultimo to the suburbs of Sydney. At least go for somewhere in Regional NSW!

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If they want to move to Liverpool, they might as well just move it out to Bradfield and get a good landmark spot in the middle of the new city before substantial development begins.

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ABC celebrates 75 years of parliamentary broadcasting

It was a Wednesday afternoon in the nation’s capital, and 73 men and one woman wandered into the room. The heaters were working overtime to take the edge off the crisp Canberra air.

But this meeting was different to the many other occasions they had come together.

They were not alone.

Spaced out around the chamber were 16 microphones. Their metallic bodies seemingly out of place, set against the dark blackwood panelling and deep green leather seats.

For the first time, the often-rambunctious debate would be experienced by more than just those watching from the public galleries above, and those reading accounts afterwards in the nation’s newspapers.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.

“This is the Australian Broadcasting Commission bringing to you, direct from the floor of the National Parliament, the proceedings of the House of Representatives,” the presenter, understood to be Peter Macgregor, announced to the nation.

“This is the first time in history, of this Commonwealth, that the regular day-by-day proceedings of Parliament have been on the air.”

The original recording of that Question Time from July 10, 1946, lies in the ABC archives.

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ABC brings Indigenous names into the national conversation

The ABC has increased its daily use of Indigenous languages, names and nationwide Acknowledgements of Country across television, radio and online, as part of its ongoing commitment to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to tell and share their own stories.

The ABC Elevate Reconciliation Plan 2019-22 features a major, year-round commitment to bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and voices into the national conversation, including rolling out radio station idents incorporating local languages and increasing the use of Indigenous names in content.

Phillipa McDermott, ABC Indigenous Lead, said: “Indigenous languages and place names are not just a means of simple Identification, they express knowledge about everything we know: Family, clan, law, geography, history, relationships, philosophy, religion, anatomy, country, everything.

“So, when we invite our audience to listen to and practise these words and languages, we are not only maintaining our culture but we are passing it on to new generations, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, who now live on this land.

“We hope it will ignite their imaginations to think about what the word means or what the place where they might live, work or travel to means, and the deep spiritual significance of that name or place. The ABC is an industry leader in this space and while we are already working with many other organisations, we really encourage all our industry colleagues to do the same.”

In line with this commitment, the ABC has introduced initiatives such as:

  • Increasing the use of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nation names through supers in video programming, news reporting and in social media and TV and commissioned screen content.
  • ABC News has begun incorporating Acknowledgment of Country on State and Territory 7pm television bulletins in the ACT, Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and NSW. In Queensland and Victoria, Indigenous place names will be included in viewer-sourced photographs in weather reports within the 7pm bulletins.
  • 7.30 will start including Indigenous place names in coming weeks.
  • The recent Australia Talks TV special incorporated Indigenous place names throughout the program.
  • Gardening Australia has been showing Indigenous place names on their map of Australia since 2020.
  • ABC Radio Melbourne broadcasts a Welcome to Country each morning.
  • ABC Radio Darwin uses a Larrakia Welcome to Country, as well as broadcasting a Friday news headlines segment in Creole.
  • ABC Sport broadcast an Acknowledgment of Country for all games in recent Indigenous rounds.
  • ABC Radio has introduced 130 Indigenous language station idents across its Capital City and Regional radio networks.
  • All major events and live concert broadcast on the ABC’s national music networks feature an Acknowledgement of Country.
  • Presenters across triple j, Double J, triple j Unearthed, ABC Classic and ABC Country use Indigenous place names as a matter of course, when talking about where artists or listeners are from.
  • triple j also asks its audience if they can name the place they’re calling from and recently launched the Blak Out First Nations music program .
  • An Acknowledgement of Country is featured daily on all ABC Children’s services, including ABC Kids, ABC ME and ABC Kids listen. ABC Kids listen also includes different Indigenous words every day, across 11 different Indigenous Australian languages.
  • On ABC Kids, Little J & Big Cuz features multiple Indigenous words and languages, including Noongar and Warlpiri. Play School incorporates Indigenous languages and words in episodes, scripts and songs.
  • On ABC ME, Good Game Spawn Point presenters use Indigenous place names when describing the locations they are reporting from.
  • Radio National’s Word Up (broadcast as a segment in Awaye! and available online) introduces listeners to the diverse languages of Indigenous Australia one word at a time.
  • ABC Factual & Culture requires external producers to reference Indigenous place names in documentary series, where relevant. Indigenous consultants advise on the appropriate use of such place names in this content. ABC factual and documentary programs also include an Acknowledgement of Country in the credits.
  • The ABC has collaborated with First Languages Australia to develop and publish a new version of the Gambay Indigenous language map on the ABC Indigenous website, to enable audiences to click on any part of Australia to see and listen to the language of that place.
  • The publicly accessible ABC Pronunciation Guide incorporates guidance on pronunciations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander names, places and concepts.
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Head of ABC Music and Events, Natalie Waller, was today appointed the new chair of Australian Recording Industry Association, effective immediately. She joined the ABC in 1998.

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ABC announces recipients of Top 5 media residencies in science, arts and humanities

The ABC has announced the recipients of this year’s ABC TOP 5 media residencies, which will enable some of Australia’s brightest minds to share their skills with the nation.

The successful early-career scholars and practitioners, chosen from almost 400 applicants, will each undertake a two-week online residency with ABC Radio National to learn the craft of communicating with a wide audience from some of Australia’s best broadcasters, and how to develop content across radio and digital platforms.

The diversity of this year’s intake highlights the depth of Australian talent, with recipients drawn from across six states and territories and more than 50% of them women.

Despite the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, the popular program, now in its seventh year, will enable Australia’s next generation of talent to share their knowledge and expertise with audiences hungry for credible and informed debate.

Cath Dwyer, Manager of ABC RN, said: “The university and arts sectors fulfil a vital role in Australian society and have faced difficult times over the past 18 months. We’ve been very pleased to see the passion of our best and brightest for bringing their knowledge and research to a broader audience.

“Each year we get outstanding applicants for the ABC TOP 5 residencies and 2021 is no exception. It’s also a great opportunity for the ABC to access extraordinary stories and talent and cement our important relationships with three of Australia’s leading tertiary institutions. We are also pleased to continue our partnership with the Australia Council for the Arts to support the cultural industries.”

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