Friends of the ABC (NSW) Inc. qu a r terly newsletter June-July 2002 Vol 14, No. 2 up d a t e friends of the abc

Friends applaud Reaching Audiences Wherever They Balding Live: The Public Broa d c a s t e r ’ s Duty appoint- Extracts from an address made to a recent conference. ment of Commonwealth Broadcasters in the U.K. NSW Friends President Penelope 2002 is the Year of the Outback. The ABC has three distinct delivery Toltz, said the new Chief Executive, So it’s very appropriate I should be platforms: radio, which began in 1932, as acting Managing Director since addressing this audience about the Television (1956) and our internet site, ’s unlamented depar- ways the ABC broadcasts beyond the ABC Online, which started in 1995. ture, had returned stability to the cities and extends its reach throughout ABC and confidence to its execu- the entire Australian continent. With almost 700 combined terres - tives. “Russell Balding has demon- trial and satellite transmitters, ABC tele- strated that he is a team player,” vision programs reach more than Penelope said “He has managed the 96% of the population, and radio ABC collectively in tandem with his more than 98%. executive group, working together. There has been no chaos. It’s been a ABC Online, our Internet site, is time for healing and production. the most popular of our new media The ABC has returned to concen- of ferings. We are a country of 19.1 m. trating on broadcasting. Its latest rat- people where about 35% of Australian ings reflect its resurgence. As Mr households have internet access, Balding himself has said, the ABC is 98% have televisions, and there ar e looking good, refreshed and bringing over 25 million radios. Inside:- Stewart Fist, Robyn its audiences back. Williams, Hugh MacKay, Continued on page 2 David Salter and “Since Mr Balding’s background is particularly strong in finance, there is an expectation that future negotia- tions with the government will suc- ceed in securing proper funding for the public broadcaster, if Mr Balding is to achieve his goals of expanding Australian content, including drama. The ABC would need to make a convincing submission to the govern- ment when the ABC's triennial fund- ing comes under review in the lead up to the next federal budget. In the neighbouring columns you’ll see an abridged version of Mr "Synthetic" Test broadcast in 1934: L-R seated: CJA Moses,EL A'Beckett,Mel Balding’s address last year to a con- Morris,Bernard Kerr, Jim Hall.Standing L-R: A Grey, MA Noble, J Duffecy, Dion Wheeler, ference of international broadcasters. RH Campbell,Clem Hill,CE Pellew, PC Harrison. It reads rather like a manifesto. MORE ARCHIVE PHOTOS ON PAGES 10 -11 Continued on page 7 Russell Balding on Public Broadcaster Duty Bias as a straw man Continued from Page 1 Stifling debate and dissent While we broadcast throughout An ‘argument’ is rife in some the entire country, we also bring sections of the press that it is un- The Prime Minister has also back through each of our platforms Australian to write and speak been on the attack - against local material from the regions and against government policies Lateline: deliver it to a national audience. because they are supported by a ‘He accused the ABC of running large majority of Australians. a "strong campaign against the Were it not for the ABC, much of government" on asylum seekers ... the rural and remote perspective that This view is pushed by some He objected to the "emphasis" makes unique would not be politicians. At the federal Liberal available to the majority of council meeting 12/4 party presi- which Lateline had "put on this Australians - more than 85% of us dent Shane Stone mounted a sus- issue." live in the coastal towns and cities. tained attack on the media and its ‘Whatever the present weak- but we must never allow our commu- alleged mistreatment of John nesses of the ABC, it presents a nities to become isolated. How do Howard in particular and his gov- greater diversity of views than a we reach these audiences beyond ernment in . decade ago when did the cities? ‘Stone simply chose not to even not make any public criticisms of the organisation. Lateline genuinely ABC Radio reaches about 98% mention many consistent media supporters of the Coalition and believes in debate - so much so of Australians, and beyond the cities that it regularly features supporters a suite of five services is available: seemed completely unaware that of the Prime Minister, including for- Classic FM for fine music, Radio there were almost no media bar- mer Howard adviser Grahame National for arts and talks, rackers for Kim Beazley - and still Morris and former Liberal MP the youth music network, and virtually none for Simon Crean. Michael Baume. The Howard NewsRadio, a rolling 24 hour news Media opponents of the Government's position on asylum service. Most relevant to this discus- Government tend to also criticise seekers has been heard on Lateline sion, however, is ABC Local Radio. Labor, albeit from the left.’ - and rightly so.’ It is not a media conspiracy to In this reg a r d, local means exactly which Stone and other conserva- that these stations draw on local Gerard Henderson tives object but criticism and critical stories and news and matters of 29/4/02 debate. They should be reminded interest to local communities, pro- that without criticism there can be duced by staff who live and work there. ABC Local Radio is currently no democracy. a network of 58 stations across the country, 49 of those Local to provide programs that reflect the When one by one during Radio stations are outside the cultural diversity of the last two decades coun- major metropolitan areas. community. To understand the coun- try towns in Australia were try, you have to capture the special being left behind, when the This now means that over 8,000 qualities of Australia that lie beyond banks and the railway stations, the hours p.a. of new local programming the cities. Without the ABC the voic- hospitals and the schools from outside the cities is available to es of country Australia might other- all closed, ABC Radio local audiences, thus reducing dra- wise fall silent. Without the ABC the remained. matically the amount of syndicated stories of country Australia might material. otherwise be lost. Sometimes towns that had once gathered around those institutions Television: The footprint of our It is an investment more about began to fade as the institutions dis- television services clearly demon- social and cultural values than about appeared. There is enormous social strates we are broadcast- economics. Just like public broad- cost to that - a price paid for the ing to and reaching audi- casting itself. And just like public process that politicians and business ences well beyond those broadcasting, you couldn’t possibly leaders described as micro- e c o n o m i c of the capital cities. create it again…but you could easily reform, the drive to do things more lose it. cost-effectively, to make savings by The Internet: Uppermost in ABC For almost seventy years, ABC delivering services from a central Online’s thinking is the principle of Radio has been there for these location and deliver a dividend to the equity of access for those living in communities. Its presence mattered bottom line . those regions of Australia disadvan- mo s t of all during that era that peo- taged by the limits of non-city tech- The ABC did not, will not and ple in this room may be familiar with nology. cannot adopt such a strategy. - the last two decades where the bottom line dominated the thinking One of our Charter obligations is of governments throughout the world. Pre s i d e n t ’ s Report Welcome to our bumper issue We have become an organisa- Some of our groups are hold- of Update celebrating the Australian tion with its own web site and a ing special 70th Birthday celebra- Broadcasting Corporation’s 70th Friends' chat room known as the tions. We have included all notices anniversary. Friends List. We have telephone received before our deadline. trees throughout New South However if there is none The organisation has had many Wales, and there are trees in other from your local group, ups and downs over its 70 years. I states as well. We have run the please check our web am reminded of Ken Inglis' book first ABC Shareholders' meeting in site and the ABC ‘This is the ABC’ in which he talks and similar Friends List which will be about the troubles that those events all over Australia and have continually updated with what all working at the ABC had with man- events throughout the year that the groups are planning for the agement as soon as people were enable Friends to meet like-mind- 70th Birthday. permitted to talk. While the ABC ed people. played music there were no prob- We have a new Editor for Update, Brian Davies, a former lems but once the spoken word As I write, the ABC still lacks ABC current affairs producer and came over the airwaves --- Often a Managing Director. However, it writer, and I am delighted to wel- Big Trouble. seems to be running perfectly well come him on board. In other parts with acting Managing Director However we are all so proud of of the magazine you will see pho- Russell Balding at the helm. It is all that has come out of those tographs from the ABC library for to be hoped that when the new early troubles. Today our ABC is our special edition in honour of the Managing Director is finally undoubtedly one of the finest pub- ABC’s 70th birthday. Our thanks to appointed, he or she will allow the lic broadcasters in the world. archivist, Geoff Harris, and his col- creative people of the ABC to get logue, Guy Tra n t e r , from ABC Photo on with their jobs.* ABC - Special, essential Archives for their generous efforts and much loved in searching the ABC’s amazing Friends National Conference “Our ABC,” I cannot help but and historic photo collection. think of it in this way. It has been a We held our National special, essential and much loved Conference in in early August Regional Conference Ma y . Papers were presented by part of my life, and I have felt very We are holding our first New national spokesperson, Darce privileged to be part of the Friends South Wales regional conference of the ABC team fighting to ensure Cassidy, and historian Ken Inglis. Abridged texts of both speeches in August. Each of the regional the corporation continues as a groups will be sending two dele- fully-funded, independent public ar e included in this issue of Up d a t e and they can also be read on the gates and we will discuss how broadcaster. regional and rural groups and the national spokesperson's web site: New South Wales Friends of the But some things never change - www.friendsoftheabc.org. ABC can work together in the best governments think that they own way to help the ABC. the ABC and are entitled to use it You will also find many other as a government information ser- interesting papers that can be Penelope Toltz vice, or to sanitise the unpalatable. printed off and used for discus- Governments always at odds with sions evenings or just to inform *This report pre-dated Mr. journalists wanting to search out you and your friends. When print- Baldings appointment as MD the facts. ing them out, please remember to credit where they come from. Other governments’ tactics over the years to curb the ABC include Send 70th Birthday Cards “Update”includes funding cuts and direct attacks on material from the its integrity or impartiality. Please send a 70th birthday South Australian card for the ABC to - Mr Russell ‘Friends’ publication Out of these pressures the Balding. Postal address is: “Background Briefing”, Friends of the ABC have grown, P.O. Box 9994, 2001; compiled and edited by from small groups first in or you may prefer to send the pre- Joan Laing. and then in New South Wales with senters of your favourite programs In “U p d a t e ” this Mr Walter Bass as president. The a card. Fan mail is not as frequent ma t e r i a l is credited as: ABC Friends has branches in as criticisms, so its important for every capital city of Australia and our ABC broadcasters to know bb many regional and rural areas. that we care.

Page 3 Stewart Fist asks - The ABC's MD - is it really mission impossible?* and administration, but not for pro- Have you noticed gramming decisions. He/she should At the same time our super-MD is how much better be chief administrator, but not chief expected to make friends with the the ABC has been editor or chief programmer. rich and powerful; lobby the arts; running since un d e r stand business, science and Shier left? As we've seen in the past (and te c h n o l o g y ; while blowing some You have! Well I not just with Shier), the involvement sense into Canberra using his super- think we need to ask: How much of of the MD in programming or pro- human brea t h . the problem was the man, and how gram pr oduction is almost always an much the “mini-mogul” position? in h i b i t o ry force on innovation and Frankly, we ask too much of any independence. The MD is often one person, and the ABC is built on It's not that I have any illusions used as a channel for political influ- a foundation of Kryptonite. The about Shier. He was dragged from ence or pres s u r e on the program focus of Board decisions and the obscurity by political friends to serve makers because he is the direc t role most coveted by MD candidates political ends and, when they finally financial link to Canberra. - that of making programming deci- sions over the whole massive nation- had enough of his antics, they sent Australians seem to be obsessed him back to his well-deserved obscu- al conglomerate - is the one that the by the idea of super-heroes who ABC needs least. ri t y with scarcely a word. control their corporations and min- The fact that the ABC board is My problem is that I don't see istries. For some reason we always taking its time making a decision, is the value of having an "editor-in- imagine that organisations like the good news. However the news that chief" at the ABC, supervising radio, ABC need a superman (rarely a the Board is still focussed on a te l e v i s i o n , and the internet services. superwoman) at the top, and we super-programmer, and has highly- We already have heads of each of search diligently ar ound the world for paid head-hunters circling the globe these broadcasting divisions and a caped crusader capable of per- looking for one, worries me. more heads for each of the indepen- forming dozens of impossible tasks concurrently. dent networks. All these people are As they did a few years back, the highly experienced pr ogrammers in We want our superman-MD to head-hunters are throwing up all their own forms of media. be a expert programmer for our sorts of obscure names, many of them ex-pats. And this is also a Since Shier left, the MD's job has national television channel and for worry, because it reeks of an ideolo- been filled by the Chief Financial half-a-dozen radio networks, and he gy which suggests that the best Of f i c e r who does all that needs to be must also understand the intricacies Australians went abroad and made done at the top. He is quite capable of on-line service programming as their mark in the world, while the of running the business and admin- well, and be able to negotiate deals second-best remained at home in istrative side of the corporation, and with Telstra. this Down-Under backwater. letting the various heads of division And we expect get on with the job they were hired him to be able to This is 1950s thinking, and it to do. hold up this ten- underrates those who have lived and wo r k e d in Australian public-broad- There's a Board to settle dis- story programming casting and have the necessary putes and act in a supervisory or structure with one- administrative experience and under- ombudsman role. The Board should hand, while using stand the political realities. Including also protect the corporation from the other to deftly manipulate the the man currently holding the job. political interference -- and hopefully, financial operations of a diverse cor- poration with 300 transmitters, a one day, we'll have one that plays * Stewart Fisk’s contributed this this role. dozen major offices, and a few thou- sand independently-minded staff, all picture of the MD’s role before Russell Ba l d i n g ’ s appointment was The fact is that the MD's coordi- spending money on hundreds of an n o u n c e d . nation role is necessary for finance ho u r s of program production.

The role of the last managing director be jettisoned. Remember Shier's frequent threats to The Recalled in part by Errol Simper in 7.30 Report...Donald McDonald - steeled by personal The Australian 4/4/02 unease, overwhelming community opinion, an intimation Shier’s removal was a bruising rejection of the forces that disaster beckoned and advice from saner board ele- (which) envisaged him transforming the ABC into a kind ments - decided to dispense with Shier's services. Here of publicly owned Channel Nine. Do you recall Shier urg- you get to the likely purpose of some of the information, ing the broadcaster to accept production monies from or leaks... "We must (still) keep gnawing away at those the CSIRO, the RAAF, state governments...the perceived awful cliques." ideologically inappropriate, such as Kerry O'Brien, would Do you believe the mindset lives on?

Page 4 Shaping the Future Robyn Williams You may find this A-teams mediocrity falls away. Exper- The site regularly hosts online surprising, but I've ienced performers are challenged by fo r u m s , where internet users come always been young squirts and the interaction is to the ABC site and talk online to impressed by Bill stimulating and productive. special guests, presenters and other Gates's approach to users. ABC Online’s many guest- I've seen it happen where I am talent and in n o v a t i o n . books enable visi- in the Science Unit for 30 years.The Almost as much as I tors to leave their I’m Online!!! best is kept while innovation effer- wa s unimpressed by J Shier's comments and read vesces .You don't prejudge or guess approach to changing the ABC's what others have to the future but, by staying in touch culture. I called the latter 'executive say. Visitors to the with fresh minds, help invent it. cl e a n s i n g ' . site can also sub- ______scribe to email lists and receive reg- You see, it's been my experience ular updates about topics of interest. for over 30 years in the Science Unit, ABC New Media: that you prepare for the future and Discover - Many programs and special events adapt to change by hiring young, Experience - Interact! can be accessed live through the fresh minds. And I don't think we've website. Th e r e are also many ABC done that too badly over the years. ABC New Media coordinates all Radio programs available through Example: Max Bourke (later Director, the ABC’s online activities and web- audio-on-demand. Australia Council), Robin Hughes sites as well as developing content (CEO Film Australia), Peter Pockley for new initiatives such as broad- Broadband - an award winner (correspondent for NATURE), Matt band services, digital TV, interactive ABC New Media’s innovative Peacock (ABC London), David Ellyard television and datacasting. New Broadband service, established in (author), Norman Swan, Peter Hunt, Media and its staff are committed to 2001, enables online audiences to Alan Saunders, Natasha Mitchell, providing more ways for people to view broadband service on demand. Rae Fry, Paul Willis. discover, experience and interact It offers several channels including with Australia and the world. This is precisely what we News, Kids, FLY and Rage, and it HAVEN'T been able to do during the One of Australia’s top ten won the inaugural Award last 6 years of penury (except for a most popular sites for Excellence in special grant from Peter McGauran Broadband at the 2001 which saved us). As a result the ABC Online at abc.net.au, has Australian Interactive ABC stultifies. Those able to obtain enjoyed enormous growth since it s Multimedia Industry Association work elsewhere, often those most inception in 1995 and consistently (AIMIA) Awards. talented, do so. Others have rates as one of the top10 most pop- nowhere to go because their spe- ular sites in Australia. Over the last An industry leader cialties are not done elsewhere in year, the site has received an aver- in interactive TV Australia (science, radio drama etc.). age of 10 million page accesses a week, and it is one of the most As interactive television (iTV) So: if you want to produce a book-marked sites in the country evolves ABC New Media is at the static, self-reinforcing, uninnovative and ABC Online has received mo r e forefront of developments. Optus ABC culture, do precisely what Alston than forty industry awards. In Australia has conducted iTV trials since June and Shier have done since 1996. If and overseas, it is acknowledged as 2001 and ABC New Media has par- you want an ABC brimming with an industry leader. ticipated in them. New Media has ideas, in thorough contact with its supplied high quality, repurposed ABC Online has a great breadth national audience, responsive to future content from the ABC website, in- and depth of content, organised needs, apply Bill Gates's maxims. cl u d i n g news, weather, finance, con- under ‘themed’ gateways. These tent for children and youth audiences. They were sent to the fellow gateways provide direct access to ABC New Media also recently asked to set up Microsoft's second areas including News, Kids, Youth, reached an agreement with BBC lab outside Seattle. Just three lines: Science, Arts and Culture, Rural, Sport, Indigenous, Asia Pacific, Public Worldwide to bring Australian audi- 1. Hire the best people you can Affairs, as well as Radio and TV. ences the ground breaking interac- find and let them do what they want. tive television version of the The site has undergone some acclaimed six part BBC science 2. If all your projects succeed, important developments over the series Walking with Beasts. you have failed (not taken risks). last year, including the addition of a 3. Recruit from far and wide, not highly effective new search engine, BBC Walking With Beasts only in your own precinct. the re-development of several gate- Interactive will be broadcast through ways and the inclusion of a the ABC’s services on the Austar Gates's success is manifest. His global navigation bar to digital satellite platform and Optus method is also efficient and parsi- make finding your way cable iTV service from 4 July. monious because, in an outfit full of around the site easier.

Page 5 “...fifty seven channels and nothing on.” Man came by to hook up my cable It is sometimes suggested that FM What if fragmentation threatens? TV. technology was responsible for this If ABC TV were reduced from one We settled in for the night my baby explosive growth, but it was politics channel in five to one in a hundred it is and me. and not technology. It suited broa d - easy to see how it might be so We switched 'round and 'round 'til casters (and government) to claim marginalised as to not be a credible half-past dawn, there was no more room on the AM public forum…the ABC's role as a There was fifty-seven channels and band and to delay the introduction of widely used public forum becomes nothin' on. FM broadcasting for close to forty even more critical. Bruce Springsteen 1992 ye a r s . In a study of twenty public broad- While there is the technical potential casters around the world McKinsey Friends National for so called new media to swamp and Co. argue that if their output is Spokesperson, the old, it won't necessarily happen. insufficiently distinct from commercial Darce Casssidy, Video has not killed the radio star. TV, broadcasters they have little impact. be g a n his address video recorders, DVDs and the to the National Internet were each in turn supposed Pressure on commercials Conference, quot - to kill the cinema. Despite this multi- ing from Bruce ple onslaught the corpse is still look- The McKinsey survey found PSB Sp r i n g s t e e n ’ s 1992 hit…as a warning. ing very healthy. most effective when it not only broad- Below are extracts from his address. casts a distinctive schedule, but also “Free to air” still dominates exerts pressure on its commercial For more than a decade, it has competitors to do the same. been argued that the multi-channel Analysing the impact of cable tele- environment (the Internet, Pay TV and vision in the US, where around 75% Because of its unique role and now Digital TV) has made public ser- of homes have cable, British expert funding method, PSB can popularise vice broadcasting redundant. The Professor Brian Winston says that new styles of programming, and main rationales for public broadcast- despite the strength of cable the so- thereby encourage commercial ing, it is claimed, were twofold: pub- called "free to air" networks remain broadcasters to create their own dis- lic control over a scarce resource dominant. Cable did not, as widely tinctive programmes. In this way, the and, second, that public broa d c a s t i n g anticipated in the 1970s destroy the viewing standards of the entire mar- should prov i d e programs socially ben- networks. While their market share fell ket are raised. ABC radio has already eficial, but un-pr ofitable for commerci a l from 93% in 1971 to 59% in 1995, had a foretaste of the multi-channel bro a d c a s t e r s . the absolute numbers of people environment, and responded well. watching network television, due to From two channels in metropolitan The argument goes on that with population growth, has actually risen. centres in the ’70s the ABC now cable, satellite and digital broadcast- Moreover, Winston says, the cable operates five domestic radio channels, ing, not to mention the Internet, the channels have almost totally failed to plus streaming audio on ABC Online. scarcity argument no longer holds alter the established genres and water. Moreover when people can forms of television broadcasting in ABC’s listening share up! access hundred of channels on their any significant way. televisions or radios, the idea that the True to the ABC charter, these state should subsidise certain forms The 24-hour news channels, for channels provide specialist output of broadcasting is wasteful middle example, simply repeat a slowly (mostly (, Classic FM, class welfare. very slowly) changing traditional news Parliamentary and News Radio) and bulletin every half-hour virtually all the pr ograms of broa d appeal (Triple J, “57 Varieties” time.The Weather Channel repeats a Local Radio). As the number of radio So why do we feel Bruce Springsteen, standard television weather bulletin channels has grown from 8 to 31 in rather than the learned technocrats and every few minutes. American cable's cities like Sydney, the ABC's share of economists, has got it right? Just as most original idea is Court TV, a listening has actually risen. the 57 diffe r ent varieties of Heinz soup cheap variant on studio talk whose all taste as if they came out of a ca n , gavel to gavel coverage of the O.J. Television however is a much more anyone who has experienced the so Simpson trial is credited, together with expensive medium, and the ABC will called diversity of American television CNN's nearly equally obsessive atten- require significant funding increases if will understand what Springsteen tion, with increasing basic cable's it is to develop major additional pro- meant. total 1995 rating by 1.6, a 20 per gram strands in television. cent hike over the previous year. The theory of scarce resources is a The full text of Darce Cassidy’s address is on half-truth. The argument never really Winston says consider how difficult web site: www.friends of the abc.org did hold water - clearly demonstrated it is for broadcasters to find material by Australian radio. Before 1975 there popular enough to refresh their we r e 8 radio stations in Sydney. Tod a y schedules every season. there are 31, not including stations holding 'open narrowcasting' licences. What sort of place would Australia be without the ABC? Having put the This is why the ABC never will Step by step to a vast audience question, colum - (and, in my view, never should) com- nist and social mand a huge share of the ratings. The ABC should connect with commentator a vast audience - not all at once, in Hugh MacKay Radio National is the paradigm: a ratings bonanza, but in the steady provides some of by presenting thoughtful, innovative accumulation of small audiences the answers. programs that challenge our com- that, program by program, build into placency, it adds unique dimen- a big one. It's harder to do this on Even with the ABC, new ideas sions to the Australian media land- television (which is why, from time have a hard enough time coming to scape. People like Phillip Adams, to time, I've wondered whether the the surface of public consciousness. Robyn Williams and Rachel Kohn ABC should be in television at all) Even with the ABC, there are di s - are genuine media pioneers, creat- but even on that notoriously bland turbing signs of a 'dumbing-down' of ing programs of uncompromising and soporific medium, a charter public discourse, especially in the quality and breadth. Yes, they must be found, based on unique- political realm. In the present climate appeal to minority audiences (but ness of content and exemplary of uncertainty, there's almost an so does Alan Jones: 80 per cent of qu a l i t y , to justify the ABC's existence. eagerness to disconnect from 't h e Sydney's radio audience don't lis- big picture', turn the focus in-wards ten to him.) Yet the accumulation of ABC archives contain a and insulate ourselves from serious all those minorities means that Radio treasure of history discussion about serious issues. National, in any given week, rea c h e s Along with the Australian Without the ABC, it's easy to about one million Australians. Bureau of Statistics, the ABC is a imagine an acceleration of that pro- A near perfect model national treasure of almost priceless cess. As in our diet of packaged significance. Its archives contain the takeaway food, so in our quest for This looks like a near-perfect story of modern Australian life; its media-packaged stimulation, we model to me: the ABC, using public current affairs programs continue to tend to opt for ever simpler, more money, should be concentrating on interpret the nation to itself; its mul- easily digested, bite-sized chunks. doing things that commercial broa d - tiple radio channels - Metro, In media programming, audiences casters aren't, for various reasons, Regional, Radio National, JJJ, demand 'relevance', but that usually prepared to do. Classic FM - form a remarkably amounts to little more than a plea comprehensive mosaic of informa- This doesn't mean the ABC to be left safely tucked up in their tion, ideas, music and discussion. should set out to attract tiny audi- comfort zone: we all like to hear ences: it should Unique in the media landscape things that confirm our prejudices be bold in its and reassure us that the status quo willingness to fill At 70 the ABC has much to is just fine. in the gaps in celebrate and much to be proud of. Still, I'd like to see even more com- A challenge to think differently the media land- scape, it should mitment to the things that give the The ABC does some of that do things it ABC its unique voice: more willing- but, especially in radio, it is also pre- believes must be done, regardless ness to experiment, more courage, pared to resist the siren call of pop- of the ratings; it should take risks more integrity, and even more ulism in favour of doing things that that commercial operators would be encouragement of creative risk. are unashamedly elitist, appeal to unwilling to take. (Why should public Radio National is the paradigm: sp e c i a l - i n t e r est groups, tell us things money be spent replicating what by presenting thoughtful, innovative we didn't already know, or chal- co m m e r cial broa d c a s t e r s already do programs that challenge our com- lenge us to think differently about - and often do superbly?) pl a c e n c y , it adds unique dimensions things we thought we did know. to the Australian media landscape.

Friends applaud with innovative technology. “We “Once again, however, quality is Balding appointment believe that under Mr Balding’s lead- often hard to achieve without ade- Continued from Page 1 ership the corporation can get back quate funding. to its charter, leaving commercial Friends of the ABC wish Russell “There are big challenges ahead broadcasters to their pursuit of audi- Balding well, and success in fulfilling for the new chief executive - broad- ences to sell products to, while the his stated vision for the ABC.” band and digital broadcasting - and ABC concentrates on making and the ABC needs to maintain the broadcasting intelligent,quality pro- momentum it has achieved to date grams.” Around the Groups...’Friends’ in action statewide Port Macquarie/Mid North Coast NSW Premier honours pioneer Friend Bob Carr made a Premier’s Senior Award last April to Nancy Short of Port Macquarie. Nancy, 88, was a found- ing member of the Friends of the ABC, State Member- ship secretary for several years and a fierce and inspiring contributor. She still is. Eleven years ago she helped establish the Port Macquarie Group.

The award not only acknowledged her work for Friends, past and current, but her role as a champion of the environment movement, a fair go for refugees and reconciliation and a demonstrator for peace. Truly a renaissance woman! Another member, Richard Mackay, won a similar award for his services to the disabled. Port Macquarie group meets every two months, runs regular activities including street stalls, an annual Xmas Membership Secretary Nancy Short, Independent MP Rob picnic at South West Rocks and a Winter lunch or dinner Oakeshott,Secretary Brian Symes and President and Treasurer with a guest speaker, the most recent of whom was Tim Drusi Megget. Por t Macquarie/Mid North Coast aBrn c h of the Frie n d s Bowden.

At the last branch meeting of the Port Macquarie/Mid Port city formally re-launched itself as “The City of the North Coast Branch of the Friends in April our local state Arts” with Phillip Adams as keynote speaker. The Friends’ Member for Parliament Robert Oakeshott, was a guest group monopolised the foyer at the function selling stick- speaker. Robert recently became famous for resigning ers, signing up new members and earning considerable from the National Party in March because he felt individu- community support. als and the National party itself did not have the best interests of the region at heart. He is also a long time member of FABC. Armidale For Friends Armidale the months leading up to the Federal election were particularly busy ones. Candidates were invited to outline their Parties’ policies and those Come One Come All who accepted were: Stuart Saintclair, the sitting Member, to The and other candidates including the Greens Party, the Democrats and Country Labour. Senator Sandy Friends Stall McDonald was unable to accept our invitation. at the FABC also continued to maintain its presence at the ABC local markets, including undertaking a survey of market patrons. The results were analysed and the areas of con- Gardening cern to the people of Armidale were identified as board political appointments, commercials, Australian co n t e n t Australia Live and particularly the shortfall in funding for the ABC. Exhibition In addition to activities relating to improving/main- taining the quality of the national Broadcaster, Armidale The Sydney Showgrounds Friends also enjoyed several social events: in the Homebush Bay Armidale Autumn Festival parade, brunch at a local café on a market Sunday and on 25 April, a night at the 10:00 - 6:00 movies, 'Amalie', preceded by drinks and nibblies. This - proved to be very popular. Just on 200 people attended. Thursday, 20 September Fu t u r e activities are planned to ensure a positive prof i l e Friday, 21 September for the FABC Armidale in the community by supporting Saturday, 22 September functions organised by other local community groups. Sunday, 23 September Our next social function is proposed for 16 August - Dinner with Andrea Ho, our Local ABC Manager and one of the breakfast time announcers. Around the Groups...’Friends’ in action statewide Fundraising Fun Parramatta Membership was galvanised by the local Federal Member, Ross Cameron’s call for the ABC to be privatised. In the run up to the November election, Parramatta branch ran a succession of street stalls, collected more than 2000 signatures on petitions defending the ABC’s independence and held a public meeting at Granville Town Hall.The only candidate who failed to turn up was - Ross Cameron. Central Coast Central Coast group was com- piling a fresh list of concerns for its next meeting - the Board selection FABC Illawarra members (L-R) Alan Mackay,Trish and Peter Knevitt help out on the Friends process, funding and morale, bol- stall at the Berry Fair (NSW South Coast). stering Australian content across with passers by. the broadcasting spectrum, the Illawarra local issue of ABC reception - TV You will also need membership and radio - on the Central Coast Fundraising can be fun! There is forms for the NSW Branch. A a little shopkeeper in most of us. and deciding are we a lobby group Contact List form is also a good or forum or both? What is our role Holding a stall at a local market, way to collect details for future mail- between budgets and elections? fair, festival etc is also a great way outs. Send them a copy of your to meet and enlist ABC fans. The next newsletter together with an Illawarra Friends have recruited application form. Blue Mountains Blue Mountains Friends: always around 40 new members in this way Another handout, with letter writ- busy, publishes a regular news let- over the past 12 months. Twenty ing points and the contact details of ter and is currently inviting Friends two new members joined the local your local federal MPs and relevant to a 70th birthday ‘bash’ in the FABC Group at the Jamberoo Ministers is also a good idea. Valley Folk Festival last September. Palm Court Room at the Hydro- For a Stall Check List and sam- Majestic on July 27th from 4 to Draw up a stalls program ples of the above forms e-mail 6pm. Kerry O’Brien will be guest speaker. (Since Kerry spoke at To find out where such events are Chris Cartledge Lawson last year we’ve had a flood in your region ask your newsagent [email protected] of new members.) for the magazine 'Australian Markets or phone (02) 4226 2323. & Fairs' (around $4). This is a gre a t res o u r ce, providing such details as You will have to get up early to Blue Mountains dates, times, charges, contacts an d get a good spot for your stall but by Friends phone numbers. Each year, from this the end of the day, I am sure you mag, the Illawarra Friends draw up will feel good about your efforts. Celebrate a stalls programme with a stall every second month in a different Chris Cartledge, ABC’s 70th town. By the way, tell the organisers President, FABC Illawarra Birthday you are a not-for-profit organisation 27 July 4 - 6 PM and they may waive the charges. Northern Rivers completed its AGM Palm Court Room FABC merchandise available with a social evening: 20 members Hydro-Majestic Hotel You will need FABC merchandise entertaining three ABC North Coast Medlow Bath to sell and this is available from the staff - Fiona Wylie, Justine Frazier NSW Branch (Gary Cook 0404 829 and (Lismore ‘old-boy’) James Guest Speaker: 372). Contact your local ABC Radio O”Brien - and were in turn informed Kerry O’Brien station, they may have ABC stick- of the issues from a staff perspec- Contact: ers, bookmarks etc that you can tive...and entertained. Northern Romola Martin 4759 3753 hand out for free. Free handouts Rivers includes two sub-groups, [email protected] are a great way to break the ice Nimbin and Byron Bay. Cost: $15 pp Through 70 years with the ABC... Pictures from the archives.

St Kilda Palais ... and the ABC in the 1930s ...The ABC Dance Band

Jimmy Dibble’s farewell. In the group are: Margaret Throsby, ’Nugget’ May, , and Ross Symonds.

“The Childrens’ Hour” goes on tour. Jimmy wants to go with the luggage, but Robin,Earle, Mac and Diana won’t let Gold medals galore! Olympic swim stars John and Ilsa Konrads him (1960). The ABC’s original dance band formed in Melbourne by Cecil Fraser in 1932. Seated left to right: McDuff William,Dick Bentley who went on to comic fame and fortune in a series of BBC comedies begin- ning with “Much Binding in the Marsh”, Peter McCarthy, Arthur Rothwell and George Dobson.

“Idiot Weekly” 1958 (Live to audience with ABC Dance Band) L-R Ray Barrett,Michael Eisdell, , , Ray Goldsworthy, .

Mother and Son:The Big Sleep. Maggie (Ruth Cracknell),Robert (),Arthur (Garry McDonald) [1992]

6 O’Clock Rock with the ABC’s first rocker, Johnny O’Keefe. Lessons Learned from Kroger Affair the ABC board, ABC Chairman Update asks: given the uproar ist to do a nice profile of Simon Donald McDonald is to be congratu- that ensued, what’s left to be said Crean –“Call it exactly as you see it , lated for his reported defence of the about the ‘Kroger affair’? only make sure Crean comes out Four Corners program.” looking like a dill” For a chuckle, the gamut ran from So what’s left to be said? As we ’s elevation of Alan On the other hand, at the outset of go to press – just two things: Jones to the equivalent of Don the row, Mr Kroger declared he Bradman to Richard Ackland’s pene- would keep on saying that the ABC Victorian President, Terry Laidlaw, trating summary of Mrs Krog e r ’ s jour- was not ‘balanced’ about John in a letter to the Melbourne Herald- nalism in a Melbourne Sunday paper- Howard – “that’s actually a statutory Sun, questioning the propriety of Mr on dinner parties, hairdr essers and duty of board members,” he said. Kroger’s action, remarked that “On clothing store fitting rooms. Issues, his appointment by the present Ackland wrote, that Four Corners To which Richard Ackland Government one of Mr Kroger’s first and Lateline ignored at their peril responded: “This is a bold assertion. moves was to propose that the ABC (but) “Never mind the coruscating Hitherto no individual non-executive accept advertising and sell 49% of vacuity, at least it is not ‘institution- board member has assumed the the highly successful ABC Online… alised bias against John Howard’.” authority to prescribe editorial tone, Mr Kroger’s actions demonstrate a let alone content.” lack of understanding of, and sup- Very willing, but conflicting, public port for, independent comprehensive exchanges between Kroger and Four The federal Opposition called on Kroger to resign for having “cast a public broadcasting in general and Corners’ man, Chris Masters, as to the ABC in particular.” what the board Member said to cloud over the integrity of the ABC Masters during the preparation of his and brought the organization into Last word – Errol Simper’s*: report left readers with the challenge disrepute.” “(Kroger’s) done two really silly of who to believe or what exactly Friends’ national spokesperson things. He propelled the ABC back constituted ‘pressure.’ … something Darce Cassidy issued a statement into the news-making, media-circus Kroger insisted he hadn’t applied. calling on Mr Kroger to separate his mode that characterized the reign of its former - Kroger-mentored - man- Kroger conceded however that he political friendships from his role as an ABC Board member. aging director, J. Shier. And to com- had stressed Jones was a good pare Alan Jones with bloke and that any profile of him “While it is Mr Krog e r ’ s right, indeed is unforgivably absurd. Anyone who should be positive. du t y , to express his views about the witnessed the cash-for-comment The Australian’s Errol Simper content of programs at board meet- inquiry knows Jones has tremendous remarked that this was the eq u i v a l e n t ings, individual board members have problems with spin.” no authority to act independently of of a newspaper editor telling a journa l - *The Australian, 16/5/02. Political interference and the BBC Solution ”running interference”- to run a public broadcaster.

It was if Michael Kroger had and the hand of Jonathan Shier Senator ended in June. stepped out of the pages of Above highlighted the issue: Board - the Senate Inquiry into the Friends' strategy is to lobby Methods of Appointment to the The ABC is a public institution of strongly to have the Bill progressed. ABC Board - or as a tailor-made which the Australian public are the shareholders, who are entitled ... at "Vicky Bourne's contribution to case history to support Democrat the Communications Debate will be Senator Vicki Bourne's private least to have the Corporation oper - ate in an open and transparent missed. She has had a really com- members Bill to de-politicise board prehensive grasp of her portfolio - appointments. manner, and have Board members operate in this way too. To the extent being on top of new technology, as well as legal matters and everything Above Board - currently lingering that these public concerns are ignored, the Board is seen to be pertaining to the ABC," FABC NSW in limbo - concluded "the board as president, Penelope Toltz, said. "We a whole lacks the range of depth of loyal to the government, or at least sympathetic to government policy should be conducting a 'write-in' to skills and experience which would move the bill on," she said. be necessary to provide adequate interests, in spite of their re s p o n s i - bility to upholding the public interest. Essentially Senator Bourne’s bill leadership of the ABC. The over- seeks to adapt Britain's Nolan whelming view of submissions," it The Board of the ABC has been Rules for the ABC Board. states, "was that the ABC has conspicuously silent in the growing become politicised, has lost it’s public debate about what is widely Recommendations of the independence and, accordingly, has seen as the destruction of the ABC Senate Inquiry into ABC Board lost the confidence of the public." [under J Shier]. appointments will be published in the next Update, space per- A Friends of the ABC statement How can that be so? Board members of a company in private mitting. Briefly, they recom- issued at the time - September mended a system similar to the 2001 - commented "that just about enterprise, faced with sustained Nolan Rules. everyone disagrees with the current shareholder dissatisfaction, would system - except for the party in swiftly react to address shareholder power at the time." Or as past Staff concerns. The true stakeholders of Way to go! Director, , put it: the ABC are the Australian public. Julian Burnside QC It was interesting to hear that the Inquiry arose "because of a ’s Attorney General Peter pattern of behaviour by executive Patmore has instituted a new way government over almost the entirety Senator Bourne's bill, also backed by the ALP, is at the sec- of appointing judges in his state. of the ABC's existence since To open up the process to a wider 1932...characterized as the applica- ond reading stage (June, 2002) with Senator Bourne yet to make her range of candidates, judges are tion of the party political ‘stack’ of now chosen by a selection panel the board from time to time." second reading speech. Unfortunately she failed to be re- after advertisement in the press. For Julian Burnside, QC, the From RN’s Breakfast program need for a process of transparency elected last year and her term as bb The BBC Solution The Way WE Do it! In 1995 the British Conservative The Minister for Communications government met charges that the How do the ch o o s e s each member as a vacan- appointments made to the BBC Nolan Rules work? cy occurs. We do not know what Bo a r d of Governors by the other side process he follows in making his had been political by adopting far- The selection process draws ch o i c e . reaching reforms to the method of candidates by advertising and public appointing to government boards, nomination, as well as by invitation Th e r e is no clear system for including the BBC. fr om the Government and the Board. developing selection criteria. The process has no formal selec- Selection criteria are advertised So for seven years the BBC tion criteria. Governors have been appointed to attract candidates with qualifica- under the Nolan Rules, a system tions and expertise that would con- What qualifications are recommended by an Inquiry, the tribute to the overall balance of rel- required of ABC Directors Nolan Inquiry. It found; evant skills and backgrounds on the Board. ‘The ABC Act requires that Directors must be experienced in A disproportionate number of An essential condition for broadcasting, communications or posts were given to Conserva t i v e appointment is a declaration by management, or have expertise in party activists, ex-candidates or candidates of any political activity financial or technical matters, or those who donated money to the or affiliation. This is not necessarily have cultural or other interests rele- party, both as a reward for loyalty to exclude the politically active but vant to the provision of broa d c a s t i n g and as a way of ensuring boards to make political connections trans- services.’ who would be supportive of gover parent and to monitor political bal- nment policies and uncritical of ance on the Board. That is all! Ministerial decisions. Also there JL bb existed a tendency for Ministers to Nolan considered the issue of appoint those who were closest to potential invasion of privacy. On There is without doubt wide- them and sympathisers to public balance it was decided it was more sp r ead public perception that ABC posts. important to se r ve the public interest above issues of individual privacy Board appointments have been This applied to appointments to and reputation. politically motivated. This public the BBC Board of Governo r s . by perception causes damage to the means of: The interviewing of applicants ABC and its reputation as the . . discussions of an informal follows selection of the short list independent national broadcaster. kind between the Director General, The cornerstone of the whole The process of appointing the a Senior Official, The Chairman of process is the INDEPENDENT Board can be made more trans- the Board and the Minister respon - ADVISORY PANEL which selects at parent and produce better and sible - at which ‘names come up”’- least two candidates for the short fa i r er outcomes. which supplies the nominees for list. On this panel are one or more The political party which com- government appointments of to INDEPENDENT ASSESSORS cho- mits to achieving this will be act- make sure that ‘the right chaps are sen by the Commissioner of Public ing in the public good and will win in the right jobs.’ Appointments. The Independent considerable electoral support. Major’s government accepted Assessors are generally ret i r ed public JL the Inquiry’s recommendations and servants or retired members of the the ‘Nolan Rules’ now determine judiciary. Also on the advisory panel bb appointments to government statu- is a representative of the Minister’s tory bodies, including the BBC. department and one from the BBC. The final choice from the short list ...The moguls should be left is made by the Minister. on their present chains for ever. A key part of the system is the Once freed, they would put their criteria for appointment of bo a r d enormous strength and insa- members and the Independent tiable appetite into cannibalising Assessors.These are: selflessness, the media, the old and the new, integrity, objectivity, accountability, with the eventual outcome proba- openness, honesty and leadership. bly a complete duopoly. A media door to which only a Murdoch Public scrutiny of the appointees, and a Packer hold the keys is and openness to Parliamentary not press freedom. questions regarding the integrity of the process, ensures a democratic David Bowman and accountable selection process. 24 Hours, July ’99 Another attempt to change Brave New the media ownership rules World of Digital The Media Ownership Bill, intro- trol, the Government proposes duced on 21/3/02, virtually removes something extremely insidious: Television all impediments to media ownership accountability to a government- The federal government legislat - by current owners of newspapers, appointed body by newsroom man- ed to compel the ABC and the TV networks and radio stations, agers for their policies and prac- other free-to-air broadcasters to and it opens the media market to tices... Government oversight of broadcast television digitally from overseas interests. news gathering and reporting. 1/1/01. Under the guise of safeguarding The ABC is now beaming out Professor Flint, head of the newsroom independence, this legis- two digital channels, ABC Kids and Australian Broadcasting Authority, lation subverts it in the most funda- Fly for young adults (without addi - the man charged with supervising mental way. A truly audacious piece tional funding). The commercial net - television and radio broadcasters of conjuring! works and SBS only digitally broad - and now with overseeing editorial cast their normal programming. independence under the new law, There has been no widespread has already offered his backing for outcry against the proposal and it is So how is the digital the changes. interesting to speculate why. revolution getting along? Perhaps the breadth of the Howard Chris Nash writing in the SMH Government’s attack on the inde- It is 15 months since Australia’s 27/3/02: pendence of civil institutions - the free-to-air television stations began Public Service, the Defence Force, simulcasting both analogue and The media ownership legislation the ABC and the judiciary - has digital picture, 12,500 digital set-top . . . is Orwellian in its implications people focused on their turf. In the boxes have been sold. It means for press freedom and in the dou- ABC there is undoubtedly a mea- 0.18% of Australia’s 6.8 million blespeak it uses to camouflage its sure of battle-weariness as well. homes are digitally enabled. effect. The legislation allows media moguls to increase their grip on Chris Nash is director of the ‘The theory was that people Australia’s media by owning elec- Australian Centre for would rush to buy new set-top tronic and print outlets in the same Independent Journalism , boxes, or new digital sets, in order city or region. This flies in the face Univ of Technology, Sydney to see high definition television ser- of the most widespread criticism of vices. That theory has now been the Australian media: that owner- shown to be nonsense. There is no ship is far too narrowly based to be The greatest thing that demand for HDTV anywhere in the healthy in a democracy. could happen in the State and world. Australia is the sole country the Nation is when we get rid to have mandated it; interactive ser- Now it proposes to increase of the media.Then we would vices are somewhere between zilch what is the most concentrated live in peace and tranquillity and nowhere and will remain so until media ownership in the Western its software can be agreed on; and world and introduce government and no one would know any- thing. analogue picture quality is 98% as oversight of newsroom manage- good as standard definition digita l . ment under the pretence of limiting Joh Bjelke Petersen Who’ll pay $700 for a set-top box for the very powers it is seeking to a 2% picture improvement? About expand. The cynical contempt for 0.18% of the population, I’d say. both logic and democratic principle Mark Day, The Australian, is breathtaking.. Media section, 18/24/02 To implement this Clayton’s con- bb

Cartoon courtesy Bill Leak Travails with my Auntie Discouraging times Photo of D. David Salter from the prefect’s rooms of second- for a well-meaning Salter here recalls a checkered rate private boys’ schools. Literature journey. was anything published by A&R. editor Yet despite all this tenured self- It is with no pride Donald McDonald, whatsoever that I indulgence, the ABC’s most valued asset is it’s core notion of indepen- chairman of the claim the individual record for total ABC, likens the number of resignations and/or sack- dence was defended with vigour. beleaguered ABC to ings from the ABC. Since 1967 I've rightly treated the first translators had to clean my desk out six times politicians with disdain and usually into English of the (and that’s not counting all those silly ignored their attempts at pressure. Bible: relocations caused by the Richard Boyer understood that pro- tecting the editorial integrity of the Corporation’s unrelenting mania for John Wycliffe had made the ABC’s output was the Board’s pri- “structural rev i e w í ” . So much for civil first English translations from Latin mary function. service job security. in the 14th century, because he wanted common folk to be able Why then do I remain such an After a few years tied to radio’s to read it. Knowledge of Latin was ABC loyalist and Defender of the apron strings, the new and uniquely Public Broadcasting Faith? Because powerful mass medium of television limited to that era's elite - the the alternatives are too horrible to was allowed to find its own feet. By priesthood. Wycliffe believed the contemplate. the early ‘70s Channel 2 was setting Word of God was locked away the local information and entertain- from those who needed it most. Somehow, in the peculiar broad- ment agendas for the nation. The casting landscape of Australia, the ABC made programs because pro- The Church was not happy ABC has managed to maintain its ducers felt there was an obligation or with the English translation, nor genuinely independent national voice. need to do so, not to satisfy the latest happy to lose its monopoly on the So m e h o w , despite the best efforts of obsession or poach a few rating Bible. Wycliffe was condemned at sour politicians and incompetent points from the commercial networks. the Council of Florence in 1415. managers, it has found the courage The ABC has always been at its to provide a platform for disco m f i t i n g William Tyndale provided ideas and disconcerting tastes. strongest when it concentrated on the primary job of making and another translation about a centu- broadcasting programs for its estab- ry later. In doing so, in setting out At its best, the ABC is the gristle to liberate the Word of God, he amongst all the pre-masticated pap lished outlets. Everything else - the doomed Pay TV venture, Australia set himself against Church ortho- that passes for content in this coun- doxy as well. Naturally, he was try”s electronic media. Television, its current multi-channel ambitions, even the Internet - all are condemned as a heretic, and he But let’s not waste time just cele- dangerous distractions. was strangled as a consequence. brating the achievement. Making a Which was a mercy - because fuss over essentially meaningless Dangerous, because they after that, he was burned at the landmark anniversaries is a poor ex- inevitably involve seeking additional stake. cuse to avoid honest self-examina- funding from governments quick to tion. The more constructive approa c h impose conditions. Distracting, To make sure everybody is to pause and consider the positive because the diversion of people and understood how the Church felt lessons of history: what we can res o u r ces into these adventurist about translations, the first trans- extract from the ABC’s past to help excursions weakens the commit- lator Wycliffe's bones were disin- ment to mainstream broadcasting. secure and enhance its future. terred, and they too were burned. You could say these were dis- But this should not be an exercise So beware of hucksters proclaim- couraging times for the well- in ‘good old days’ nostalgia. I’ve ing the ABC will be marginalised meaning translator and editor. been in, or around, the Commission/ unless it ‘migrates’ to broadband Corporation for exactly half its 70 and embraces every new wave of years and can assure you that many technology. They make the fatal mis- There is a range of interesting of those ‘old’ days were deplorable. take of confusing delivery systems stories there - about elites and the Ultra-conservative management and with content. masses, about language and meaning, about the price you pay board; ultra-cautious program And content is what the ABC has for heresy, for being different. The heads; ultra-Anglophile cultural atti- always done best. tudes; ultra-wasteful and lazy per- distance between yesterday's heresy and today's consensus is manent staff. Davud Salter joined the ABC as part of the original This Day Tonight sometimes not so great. Dig out the tapes of ABC radio’s team. He was a Senior Producer in so-called Golden Era in the early Current Affairs, Head of TV Sport From a speech at the 1950s and youíll be aghast at the and more recently Executive Producer University of Tasmania 4/3/02 smug mediocrity they broadcast. The of Media Watch and Littlemore. bb pr evailing value-systems came direc t l y The real cost of ABC’s lost TV production capacity

Friends South Australian President, Joan Laing, went The amount available for the production of television to the ABC’s defence in ‘The Advertiser’, but it was still a pr o g r a m s has not been increased since then. sad story, reflecting more of the Shier legacy and earlier Instead it has decreased still further as money has political inroads.* had to be diverted to other parts of the ABC: to the development of ABC Online, for example, and for con- Earlier this month, The Advertiser published two let- tent production on the two digital channels, ABCKids ters about the axing of Something in the Air. One letter and FlyTV. referred to ”the ABC's decision to replace a top Australian program...with yet another overseas soap... The cost of producing an hour of Australian drama is shows how much it cares about Australian talent.'' three or four times the cost of buying foreign drama. It is difficult to sell Australian drama overseas - not even Why was Something in the Air replaced with yet SeaChange sold well overseas - so the costs often can't another British import? be retrieved. To fill its television schedules, it has to Not because the ABC doesn't care about Australian import programs. It has no choice but to do that . talent but because it has been robbed of most of its If we want Australian drama on the ABC, it must be capacity to produce or commission local drama. better funded. Under former managing director Jonathan Shier, the Joan Lang ABC lost more than 100 television production staff. The Friends of the ABC ABC lost 12 per cent of its budget in 1996-98. *The Advertiser, 17/05/2002 bb ABC emerges unscathed from independent audit For almost a year the ABC has tion television and less free time to been undergoing examination from watch free-to-air television for many. the Australian National Audit Office. The analysis of audience reach and This was basically to discover how share for ABC Television showed well the ABC measured up to its that, over the last ten years, there Charter obligations. has been a decline in the number of people watching the ABC as a pro- The PM chided Lateline for While the broadsheet press most- portion of the Australian population disproportionate coverage of as y - ly gave a reasonable summary of as a whole. On the other hand, the lu m - s e e k ers at the exp e n s e of the Australian National Audit Office's ABC's share of people who are other current affairs issues. report on corporate governance in watching television has increased.’ As ever, the PM was spot-on the ABC, tabloids like 's [Our emphasis.] with his crit i c i s m . I’ v e occasionally Advertiser went overboard in trying st u m b led across Lateline by mis- to put a negative spin on what was Moreover, the Audit Office identi- take and haven’t seen a single generally a favourable view of the fied the Internet, where ABC Online story on dramatic weight loss, ABC's operations. is one of the top Australian sites, as excruciating back pain, shonky car one of the reasons for less TV view- mechanics or the brilliant white The Advertiser led with the quite ing generally, meaning it is likely that dress Kylie wears on television false statement that the auditor-gen- some of the audience have simply where you can see everything eral found ‘the national broadcast- moved from ABC TV to ABC Online. er's audience shrank almost five per except her plumbing. Indeed, if cent in less than ten years’. The audit's broad conclusion you look at the subjects the pro- gram tends to cover - things such The audit said no such thing. The The ABC Charter sets out the as law reform, economics, foreign audit made a statement about a functions and duties of the ABC and policy and reconciliation - the ABC decline in TV viewing generally, not defines the qualities of the programs should seriously consider a name about the ABC's total audiences it is required to produce and the change from Lateline to Latte-line. (which includes domestic and inter- outcomes it is required to achieve. Matt Price national radio, and the ABC's The audit did not disclose any evi- W/E Australian 27 Internet audience). dence to indicate that the ABC does not comply with its Charter require- Here's what the audit really said: ments. Nevertheless, there was sig- ‘The ANAO found that, over the last nificant scope for the ABC to ten years, there has been a decline improve its strategic planning and in the number of people watching me a s u r ement so that the Corporation free-to-air television. This is the can demonstrate just how well it is result of a combination of an performing against its Charter increase in alternative leisure activi- requirements. ties such as the Internet, subscrip- Darce Cassidy bb Friends of the ABC as “indispensable now as in the beginning” Historian, Professor Ken Inglis, the orchestras from the custody of Anthony Rendell, about the effects on an organization that, he says, the ABC - the second was the of the new managerialism on the has been "arousing and channeling introduction of advertising or spon- BBC under John Birt. We (were) riv- public concern about the ABC for sorship or in the new lingo of man- etted by the shock of recognition - more than a quarter of a century." agerialism 'corporate underwriting'. 'The typical new CEO has not work- The story begins in 1976. The minister's explanation of why ed in public service broadcasting his government was rejecting the before, is combative and intolerant (These are extracts from a recommendation was itself a tribute of dissent, and appears driven to speech he made in Canberra to the to the Friends. measure his success by the degree National Conference of The Friends to which he exerts dominance over of the ABC, May, 2002) "It is apparent,"he said,"that many people and organizations.' people view the proposals as a direc t The Friends came into being as a threat to the ABC's editorial inde- Rendell’s commentary, Highfield response to cuts imposed by the pendence and programming ability." said, was a signal warning about Fraser government on the national our ABC. The Friends had given broadcaster. I quote from my That was TWENTY years ago. Highfield a platform he could not book*: 'When ABC people met at Looking briefly at the role of the otherwise have had for making pub- gatherings of their unions, there Friends under the Corporation lic his own and his colleague’s con- was plenty of applause for speakers which replaced the Commission in ce r n about the condition of the ABC. who said that the new government 1983, I want to dwell on that rally That was true also of Quentin last year in Canberra. The star of was deliberately weakening the Dempster and other ABC speakers national system in order to mute its the day was Ruth Cracknell, Maggie at the rally. If we’re counting up the independent voice and to make it Beare. She read to us, and spoke Friends’ achievements, this is not compete less vigorously with private beautifully, these words by the great the least: to give broadcasters a enterprise.' American writer, E.B White, in 1967: public platform. "Non commercial television 'Outside the ABC, cells of trou- Talking to the Friends is a bled listeners and views began to should address itself to the idea of heartening experience form in April, first in Melbourne, excellence - not the idea of accept- They can’t air the problems of where they took the name "Aunty's ability - that is what keeps commer- the ABC when they’re on the job. Nieces and Nephews, then in other cial television from climbing the Getting out and talking to the cities where they were "Friends of staircase.” Friends, one senior person in Radio the ABC" to deplore the cuts and ‘Arouse our dreams’ National told me this week, is a generally speak out. “I think television should be the heartening experience. People who cherished the ABC visual counterpart of the literary ABC board and management essay. It should arouse our dreams, accept the Friends, sometimes The Melbourne body described satisfy our hunger for beauty, take reluctantly, as an institution having itself as "an association of citizens us on journeys, enable us to partici- the right to be informed and heard committed to the preservation of an pate in events, present great drama on ABC matters - The Friends are independent ABC." They expressed and music, explore the sea and the taken seriously as watchdog for the the Argonautical concern of people sky and the woods and hills ... it public interest. who had cherished the ABC all their should restate and clarify the social lives and sensed that it was in peril.' dilemma and the political pickle...." "This is the ABC” (1983). (Next,) the Friends lobbied the So there's an item about the Professor Inglis is now writing a Fraser government in 1982 to reject effects of public concern on the book about the more recent his two recommendations of the Dix ABC. And here's another, from the tory of the ABC. The book will committee which had just reviewed same rally. When John Highfield be out late next year. the ABC. The first was to remove spoke, he quoted from an article by

FABC (NSW) Inc. Executive Committee President - Penelope Toltz Phone: 9960 5542 Fax 9960 5767 Treasurer - Peter Burke Phone 9144 2668 email [email protected] Secretary - Lilliane Leroy Phone 9969 5159 Membership Secretary - Dev and Faith Webber Working session around the table at the Friends National Phone 9990 0600 Conference in Canberra While the boss is away, the viewers stay: Aunty rakes in the ratings David Dale In theory, the ABC is a rudderless million viewers against 60 Minutes an d What the doctor ordered ship, drifting aimlessly while its board Big Brother Evictions, and which par- dithers over who should be the next ticularly appeals to men aged 40-54. ABC Television should have no managing direc t o r . In fact, ABC trouble maintaining its momentum for Tel e v i s i o n is going through one of the The most surprising mini-hit is the next three months. Just as the most successful periods of its history. Kath and Kim, a sitcom written and nation is arguing about the medical performed by Gina Riley and Jane indemnity crisis, it will launch MDA, an The week’s ratings figures, to be Turner, attracts 1.1 million viewers Australian drama series about doctors released today will show the national Thursday nights, many in the 16-39 age facing malpractice suits. Starring broadcaster is attracting 15.5 per cent group, which the ABC rarely reaches. Kerry Armstrong (of Lantana and of the prime-time TV audience in the SeaChange), MDA supposedly com- mainland capitals. This time last year, Kath and Kim was almost a victim bines the legal trickery of The Practice when Jonathan Shier was still ABC of the Shier regime. It was to begin with the suspense of E.R. The ABC’s boss, it was sitting on 13 percent.The production in March last year, but was emphasis on history will continue on figures will also show the ABC is cancelled at the last minute, appar- Sunday nights. After Walk On By ends adding viewers aged 30 to 50 to its ently because of Shier’s view that it next week there will be a documen- traditional base of children and ret i re e s . was not appropriate for the ABC. It tary called The Real King Arthur, fol- was given a second chance this year lowed by Famous Faces, about stars The audience surge is not the res u l t by the new director of television, such as Marilyn Monroe. At 8:30, it of a single blockbuster such as Sandra Levy. will challenge the commercial net- Se a C h a n g e or Walking With Dinosaurs, works with a dramatisation of the life which in their day attracted nearly 2 Jane Turner told the Herald last of Queen Victoria. million viewers, but were freak occu- month: “You know what the ABC was Back in the Big Time rances. Instead, the growth in 2002 like for much of last year. It was in tur- involves a string of “mini-hits” - pro- moil. Everyone was immobilised and ABC Television’s share of the grams which each draw more than a we got caught up in that. It was shock- prime time audience (%) million viewers in the mainland capitals: in g . We just thank God, Sandra Levy 1999 15.5 Monarch of the Glen, Kath and Kim, took over as head of television and 2000 15.8 Walk on By, Australian Story, The Big that Robyn Kershaw came into the Mid-2001 13.0 Picture, and the 7pm news, which is drama department and things got well up on its 2001 ratings. back on the rails” Mid-2002 15.5 The mini-hits that are The run began in March with The As well as its new hits, the ABC lifting the ABC boat Six Wives of Henry The Eighth - a maintains its command over two seg- Million* dramatised history program that was ments of the community ignored by pulling so many viewers from Nine on the higher-rating networks: children Australian Story (Mon) 1.29m Sunday nights that John Westacott, under 12 and adults over 55. The chil- The Bill (Sat) 1.29m executive producer of 60 Minutes, dren follow afternoon programs such Monarch of the Glen (Sat) 1.2m said publicly that he was grateful as Big Knights, George and Martha The Bill (Tues) 1.19m Henry had married only six times. The and Angela Anaconda in preference Walk on By (Sun) 1.16m 1.1 million who loved Henry stayed on to the cartoons and ancient sitcoms The Big Picture (Tues) 1.16m for a series about his daughter. on commercial channels. The over ABc News (weekdays) 1.14m 55s are devoted to The Bill, Monarch Kath and Kim (Thur) 1.11m The current incumbent of the of the Glen and Australian Story. * Audiences sizes across the mainland 7:30pm Sunday slot is the pop music capitals, third week of May. Source OzTAM series Walk On By, which gains 1.12 SMH 10/5/02 update Print Post Approved PP 245059/00002 Update is published four times a year by Friends of the ABC NSW, P.O. Box 1391, North Sydney 2059. Phone 9960 5542. Fax 9960 5767 ww w. f a b c . o r g . a u / n s w Opinions in the newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the executive committee of the Friends of the ABC (NSW) Inc. Up d a t e goes to all members of FABC (NSW) Inc., as part of the membership fee. Update is also supplied to journa l i s t s , politicians and libraries across Australia. It is produced and edited in Sydney but contributions are welcome from NSW country and interstate branches. Material may be freely quoted or rep r oduced from the newsletter prov i d e d the source is acknowledged and reproduction is sent to FABC’s President Penelope Toltz and Editor Brian Davies. FABC Update Post The Editor Visit us at www.fabc.org.au/nsw C/–FABC Update Links on our website will take you to all state sites. PO Box 1391 Facsimile (02) 9660 5767 North Sydney NSW 2059 Email [email protected] State and regional branches of Friends of the ABC New South Wal e s Blue Mountains Northern Rivers AC T Penelope Tol t z John Derum Neville Jennings Ma r g a r et O’Conner PO Box 1391 P.O . 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