Australian Broadcasting Corporation annual report 1997–98 Australian Broadcasting Corporation annual report 1997–98 Australian Broadcasting Corporation annual report 1997–98 contents ABC Corporate Profile charter ABC Charter inside back cover Mission Statement 1 ABC Services 2 The functions and duties which Parliament has given to the ABC are set out in Significant Events 4 the Charter of the Corporation (ss6(1) and (2) of the Australian Broadcasting Priorities – Performance Summary 6 Corporation Act 1983). Financial Summary 10 6(1) The functions of the Corporation are — ABC Board Members 12 (a) to provide within Australia innovative and comprehensive broadcasting services of a ABC Organisation 14 high standard as part of the Australian broadcasting system consisting of national, Executive Members 15 commercial and community sectors and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, to provide— Statement by Directors 16 (i) broadcasting programs that contribute to a sense of national identity and inform and entertain, and reflect the cultural diversity of, the Australian community; and Review of Operations (ii) broadcasting programs of an educational nature; Regional Services 21 (b) to transmit to countries outside Australia broadcasting programs of news, current Feature: Radio and Television Audiences 25 affairs, entertainment and cultural enrichment that will— National Networks 28 (i) encourage awareness of Australia and an international understanding of Australian News and Current Affairs 39 attitudes on world affairs; and Program Production 42 (ii) enable Australian citizens living or travelling outside Australia to obtain Enterprises 44 information about Australian affairs and Australian attitudes on world affairs; and Symphony Australia 47 (c) to encourage and promote the musical, dramatic and other performing arts in Human Resources 51 Australia. Finance and Business Services 55 6(2) In the provision by the Corporation of its broadcasting services within Australia — Technology Strategy and Development 58 (a) the Corporation shall take account of— Chief of Staff 60 (i) the broadcasting services provided by the commercial and community sectors of the Australian broadcasting system; Financial Statements 65 (ii) the standards from time to time determined by the Australian Broadcasting Authority in respect of broadcasting services; Program Performance Statement 91 (iii)the responsibility of the Corporation as the provider of an independent national broadcasting service to provide a balance between broadcasting programs of wide Appendices 92 appeal and specialised broadcasting programs; (iv)the multicultural character of the Australian community; and List of Tables Graphs and Maps 118 (v) in connection with the provision of broadcasting programs of an educational nature — the responsibilities of the States in relation to education; and Index 119 (b) the Corporation shall take all such measures, being measures consistent with the obligations of the Corporation under paragraph (a), as, in the opinion of the Board, will be conducive to the full development by the Corporation of suitable broadcasting programs. Front Cover: Throughout April and May ABC News and Current Affairs provided extensive coverage of civil unrest in Indonesia, culminating in President Suharto’s resignation, which was broadcast live on the World at Noon and The World Today. Pictured from top: President Suharto’s resignation; Evan Williams, ABC correspondent; Michael Maher, ABC Jakarta correspondent; Michael Brissenden, ABC correspondent; Tony Eastley, World at Noon presenter. Back Cover: Images and icons from the Playground, ABC Online’s Website for Published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation children. Designed and typeset by ABC Corporate Relations Printed by NCP Printing This Annual Report is available on the World Wide Web, follow the About For information on this Annual Report please contact: Manager Corporate Publishing, ABC link on ABC Online (www.abc.net.au) ABC Corporate Relations GPO Box 9994 in your capital city National Library of Australia card number and ISSN 0816 827X mission To achieve this the ABC will: statement v transmit independent, comprehensive and innovative national broadcasting services for all Australians; v inform, entertain and contribute to a sense of national identity; v reflect Australia’s regional and cultural diversity; As Australia’s national v broadcast programs of an educational broadcaster and major cultural nature; organisation, the ABC’s mission v contribute towards the diversity of is to provide its audiences with broadcasting services in Australia; v broadcast programs that provide a balance the best programs, performances, between wide appeal and specialised products and services it can programs, making use of and being receptive to Australian creative resources; acquire and produce. v provide an independent service for the broadcasting of news and information regarding local, Australian and overseas events; v contribute to public debate concerning issues and matters of importance to Australians; v encourage and promote the musical, dramatic and other performing arts in Australia; v transmit broadcasting programs outside Australia; and v utilise new production and delivery technologies to respond to audience needs. The ABC may also: v provide subscription broadcasting services and subscription and open narrowcasting services. 1 ABC services National Networks Regional Services • Metropolitan Radio stations in nine cities. Television • Regional Radio with 40 regional stations • Australia’s national television service and 8 smaller studio facilities. carried on over 650 transmitters. • Local television in each State and Territory • The leading producer of drama, documentaries, children’s and education programs. News and Current Affairs Radio • Australia’s most authoritative and • Radio National, a specialist spoken word independent television, radio and online network. news. • ABC Classic FM, a network devoted to • Leading current affairs programs on Radio classical music and performance. and Television including AM, PM, 7.30 Report, Lateline, and Four Corners. • Triple J, an FM youth network featuring new, especially Australian, music. • Separate 7.00pm Television news bulletins produced in each State and the Northern • ABC NewsRadio on the Parliamentary and Territory. News Network, a continuous news and current affairs service, with live broadcasts • More than 450 local, regional, State and of both Houses of Federal Parliament when national news bulletins on radio every day. sitting. • Australia’s most extensive network of overseas correspondents. Multimedia • ABC Online, a dynamic Internet service. • Development of CD–Roms and other Enterprises interactive media. • 28 ABC Shops, 96 ABC Centres and a mail and telephone order service. International Services • Production of books, classical and • Radio Australia, an international radio contemporary recordings, audio cassettes, service broadcasting by short wave and videos, multimedia and licensed products, satellite, in English and five other and music and magazine publishing. languages, to Asia and the Pacific. Symphony Australia • Six symphony orchestras employing around 450 musicians and providing more than 700 performances a year to over a million people, as well as to radio and television audiences. 2 ● Darwin Darwin Brisbane ◗ ▲ ABC–TV Kununurra ▲ ABC–TV ▼ 8DDD 105.7 ▼ 4QR 612 ◆ 8RN 657 ◆ 4RN 792 ✚ 8JJJ FM103.3 ● Cairns ✚ 4JJJ FM107.7 ✹ 8ABC FM107.3 ● Broome ✹ 4ABC FM106.1 ✪ ABC Shop ★ 4PB 936 ❖ ●▲ Townsville QSO ✦ ✪ ● Mt Isa ABC Shop ● Karratha ● Mackay ▲● Alice Springs ● Longreach ●▲ Rockhampton ◗ Gladstone ✦ ●Bundaberg ◗ Maryborough ●Maroochydore Toowoomba● ● ● Gold Coast ●Geraldton ●Lismore Kalgoorlie● Tamworth ◗Coffs Harbour Pt Augusta ● ● ● ●Broken Hill Dubbo● Kempsey ●Perth ● ● Muswellbrook Pt Pirie ● ● Newcastle ● Renmark Esperance Pt Lincoln● ● Orange ● ▼ 2NC 1233 ● Bunbury ●Mildura ● Adelaide ●Wollongong ◆ 2RN 1512 ● Albany Wagga Wagga● ◗Nowra ✚ 2JJJ FM102.1 Shepparton ◗ ● ● ✹ 2ABC FM106.1 ● ✦ Wodonga Horsham ● ★ 2PB 1458 Bendigo ●Bega Mt Gambier● ● ✪ ABC Shop ● Warrnambool● Sale ◗ Traralgon Perth Adelaide Melbourne Sydney ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ABC–TV ABC–TV ABC–TV ● ABC–TV ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ 6WF 720 5AN 891 3LO 774 Burnie ●▲Launceston 2BL 702 ◆ 6RN 810 ◆ 5RN 729 ◆ 3RN 621 ◆ 2RN 576 ✚ 6JJJ FM99.3 ✚ 5JJJ FM105.5 ✚ 3JJJ FM107.5 ● ✚ 2JJJ FM105.7 ✹ 6ABC FM97.7 ✹ 5ABC FM103.9 ✹ 3ABC FM105.9 ✹ 2ABC FM92.9 ★ 6PB 585 ★ 5PB 972 ★ 3PB 1026 ★ 2PB 630 ❖ WASO ❖ ASO ❖ MSO ❖ SSO ✪ ABC Shop ✪ ABC Shop ✪ ABC Shop ✪ ABC Shop Hobart Canberra ▲ ABC–TV ▲ ABC–TV ▼ 7ZR 936 ▼ 2CN 666 ◆ 7RN 585 ◆ 2RN 846 ✚ 7JJJ FM 92.9 ✚ 2JJJ FM 101.5 ✹ 7ABC FM 93.9 ✹ 2ABC FM 102.3 ★ 7PB 729 ★ 2PB 1440 ❖ TSO ✪ ABC Shop ✪ ABC Shop Key Metropolitan Services Regional Services ▲ ABC Television production centres ● Regional Radio Studios ▼ Metropolitan Radio ◗ Regional Studio outposts ◆ Radio National ▲ Television Production Centres ✚ Triple J youth network ✦ Radio Australia Transmitters ✹ ABC Classic FM ★ NewsRadio on the Parliamentary and News Network ❖ State Symphony Orchestra ✪ ABC Shop 3 significant events July 1997 journalists feature among the Walkley Awards finalists. • Incorporation of Symphony Australia and • Coverage by Radio Arts of the Melbourne the Melbourne, Adelaide and Western International Festival of the Arts and the Australian Symphony Orchestras. Melbourne Writers Festival. • NAIDOC week celebrations Youth: Our Future/Our Foundation, included special ABC radio and television programs and