Annual Report 2006-2007: Part 1 – ABC Divisions

68
d ra m a t h e n . . .
Professor Charles Wheeler
supervising the production
of a play in May 1935. In the
early productions, actors
were required to wear formal
evening wear during the
performance until 1942.
It took time to loosen the hold of “the old
world” on Australian cultural life.
The dramatic arts made an almost seamless
transition from theatre to radio although
often against the odds with funding and
creative talent in short supply.
In 1936, ABC Radio began a three-year
project to present the complete works of
Shakespeare, each play abridged to 90
minutes. The plays went live to air with
actors who were respectably attired in evening
wear—notwithstanding their invisibility to
the audience.
The ABC attempted through a system of
competitions and prizes to locate Australian
plays of suitable quality to rival the
European masters.
Yet, within Saturday Night Playbill and Monday
Night Repertory, Shakespeare, Molière,
Turgenev, Strindberg and Shaw remained
section 3
dominant. In 1943, Prime Minister John Curtin
spoke for many Australians when he said
that “most of the plays broadcast by the
ABC seem to deal with the old world”.
Australian radio serials, meanwhile, tended
towards the idealisation of rural life—
The Lawsons then Blue Hills.
Despite the nation’s growing cultural
confidence, the quest to find suitable
Australian talent remained a problem
following the introduction of television
in 1956.
By the 1960s, however, there emerged
a strong interest in exploring Australian
William McInnes as Australian
wartime Prime Minister, John
Curtin in Curtin.
. . . a n d n ow
themes. A new wave of Australian dramatists
was attempting to understand the character
and tensions of contemporary Australia.
ABC Television’s drama department,
established in 1965, welcomed these
innovators into the Australian Playhouse
series of half hour plays.
While radio drama remained important to
Australian writers, most Australians turned
to television. So many ABC dramas live on
in popular memory—like Bellbird, Certain
Women, Brides of Christ, Rush and Sea
Change—testament to the imaginative power
of drama in distilling the great narratives
of social evolution and national identify.
69
70
Sue Howard
Director of Radio
and Regional Content
Sue Howard joined the ABC in 1986. She has presented programs on
three ABC Radio stations and achieved some notable firsts for the ABC,
including pioneering ABC Radio’s midnight-to-dawn shift, becoming
the first woman to present a Breakfast program in 1993 and the first
female Local Radio Manager when taking on the combined metropolitan
and regional management responsibilities in Victoria in 1996.
Sue became Head of Regional Services in 1996 and Director of Radio
in 2000. She continues to be passionate about the wireless and is excited
about its digital future.
Sue holds a Bachelor of Arts from Monash University and a Diploma
of Education.
ABC Radio
and Regional
Content
In February 2007 ABC Radio was renamed
ABC Radio and Regional Content. This
acknowledged both the Division’s interaction
with local and regional audiences across the
country and its success in building cross-media
production. ABC Radio and Regional Content’s
objective to extend the reach of content on new
and diverse platforms progressed significantly,
especially with the announcement that digital
radio would be introduced in Australia, from
January 2009.
triple j’s irreverence, authority and attitude
came to life in a new dimension with the
launch of jtv on ABC Television in July 2006.
The successful magazine, jmag, moved from
quarterly to monthly publication in June 2007.
Progressively, ABC Local Radio’s metropolitan
stations began live online streaming, joining
all ABC national radio networks and dig
digital radio services in being available
24-hours a day. More material was made
available as podcasts and on mobile platforms.
The ABC Cricket Magazine edited by ABC Radio
Sport’s Jim Maxwell set a new record with
its highest ever preliminary sales of 28 225
copies, 28% more than the 2005–06 edition.
Community participation continued to be
strengthened through triple j’s One Night
Stand, ABC Classic FM’s Flame Awards
and concerts staged in regional towns and
broadcast on ABC Local Radio and ABC
Radio National. Marking the start of the
ABC NewsRadio transmission rollout in
regional Australia, the service was launched
in Wagga Wagga and the South-Western
Slopes–Eastern Riverina regions of New
South Wales in April 2007.
Distinctly Australian
New Australian content by external producers
was showcased through the ABC Radio
Regional Production Fund (RPF). The RPF
encourages projects for delivery on multiple
platforms including interactive websites,
podcasts and videos.
In 2006–07, the RPF commissioned 64 projects,
focusing on larger scale initiatives with
demonstrable benefits to regional communities.
Projects included a Fresh Air concert in
Karratha in Western Australia and concerts
to support communities in the aftermath of
crises in St Helens, Tasmania and Briagolong
in the Gippsland region of Victoria. The RPF
also supported Australian Snapshots and the
Short Story Project, which sought entries
from aspiring photographers and writers,
from rural and regional Australia.
section 3
Australians were treated to major sporting
events during the year. Soccer fever surrounding
the 2006 FIFA World Cup spread nationally
and ABC Local Radio broadcast live from
sports centres, pubs and community halls.
Broadcasts captured the local colour
surrounding matches between Australia and
Italy and the final between Italy and France.
The Ashes Cricket series was broadcast live
on ABC Local Radio and streamed on ABC
Cricket online, with overseas fans able to
access the ABC’s coverage via the Cricket
Australia website. ABC Cricket online received
over seven million page views during the
Fifth Ashes Test. There was also coverage
of World Cup Cricket and Australia’s third
consecutive World Cup win from the West
Indies on radio and online.
The ABC’s Australian Football League (AFL)
match commentary commenced streaming
on the AFL’s website and between six and
eight National Rugby League (NRL) matches
per week were streamed on the NRL’s website.
ABC Radio Sport also acquired broadcast and
streaming rights to cover the 2007 World
Swimming Championships and the Australian
Open Tennis in Melbourne.
ABC NewsRadio introduced a new sports
program, Weekend Half Time, and triple j
celebrated the 20th year of Roy and HG’s
Festival of the Boot (a call of the AFL and
NRL Grand Finals skewed with humour and
fierce commentary).
Australian Music
ABC Radio networks have a strong commitment
to Australian music and met or exceeded their
annual Australian music performance targets.
triplejunearthed.com was formally launched in
August 2006 with a special live performance
from Unearthed winner Missy Higgins. Replacing
the annual state-based Unearthed initiative,
triplejunearthed.com allows unsigned artists
to upload their music and lets listeners review
and access the music online. In the first month
4 585 artists had registered and uploaded 8 562
tracks. triple j broadcast tracks and provided
opportunities for winners to play at festivals
such as Homebake and One Night Stand, and
as support for major artists touring Australia.
ABC Classic FM’s inaugural Choir of the Year
—Australia’s largest choral competition—
attracted around 250 choirs, comprising some
7 000 singers. In six State and Territory finals,
41 of the choirs vied for a place in the National
Final in front of a packed house at the Sydney
City Recital Hall, in September 2006. ABC
Classic FM broadcast the event live. Winning
Brisbane choir, The Birralee Blokes, will be
recorded by ABC Classics and will perform
a new choral work for broadcast.
ABC Capricornia Mornings presenter Craig Zonca
at work in Rockhampton – the ABC’s oldest
continuously operating regional station
caption
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
ABC Radio National’s Book Show called on
listeners to provide synopses for imaginary
prequels or sequels to great Australian novels
as part of the Australian Government’s 2006
Books Alive campaign.
71
72
ABC Radio
and Regional
Content continued
triple j recorded the Indigenous Music Awards
in Darwin and included performances by
emerging Indigenous musicians and artists
for broadcast on dig, triple j, ABC Local Radio
and ABC Radio National. The Awards were
also filmed for broadcast on ABC Television.
ABC Classic FM Drive presenter, Julia
Lester, hosted the 2006 APRA Classical
Music Awards in Sydney, in August. The
awards were broadcast live on ABC Classic
FM with video footage featured on the website.
ABC Classic FM was also media supporter
for Opera Australia’s first live big screen
relay of a production in the Sydney Opera
House to audiences on the forecourt steps
and in Melbourne’s Federation Square. The
network also continues to support the ABC
Symphony Australia Young Performers
Awards to nurture young musicians.
Australian Communities
ABC Radio and Regional Content plays a
significant role in reaching out to support
the life of Australian communities and
providing essential information during
emergency events. Throughout 2006–07,
ABC Local Radio provided extensive coverage
of bushfires, cyclones, storms and other
emergencies on radio and online.
The drought was a major issue of community
focus in 2006–07. In the States of Queensland,
New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia
and Western Australia, a weekly program,
My Country, was introduced on ABC Local
Radio and a companion website established
to examine the response of rural communities
to the drought. Please refer to The ABC
in the Community section on page 44 for
more information.
Special editions of ABC Radio’s Indigenous
programs, Awaye! on ABC Radio National
and Speaking Out on ABC Local Radio,
marked the 40th anniversary of the 1967
Referendum to extend citizenship to
Indigenous Australians.
ABC Rural Radio’s 2006 Heywire attracted
more than 800 entries from across Australia.
In its ninth year, more than 3 000 young people
have participated in Heywire, with 300 of these
people telling their stories on ABC Radio.
In March, an idea from four teenage Heywire
participants was turned into a national radio
and online community event. The 40 Hour
Drought encouraged more than 2 000
registered participants to limit themselves
to the consumption of 40 litres of water for
a period of 40 hours in order to more closely
empathise with Australians living in drought
conditions and to highlight water awareness
and conservation strategies.
Broadcast Highlights
ABC Radio was a major partner of the 2006
Melbourne International Arts Festival, with
Radio presenter and Spicks and Specks panellist Myf Warhurst
at triple j’s One Night Stand concert at Cowra
section 3
702 ABC Sydney and Australia All Over
broadcast live from the Sydney Harbour
Bridge to celebrate the 75th birthday of both
the Bridge and the ABC.
ABC Radio National travelled to Vietnam in
August 2006 to record concerts commemorating
the 30th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan.
Material was made available for podcast by
ABC Radio National and featured also on dig,
Radio Australia and ABC Television.
ABC Radio National also broadcast a unique
collaboration between renowned Vietnamese
guitarist, Kim Sing, and Australian Blues
guitarist, Don Turner.
Cross-Media Innovation
ABC Radio increased substantially the amount
of content available as podcasts or MP3
downloads. These included radio sports
commentary of selected AFL and Victorian
Football League Grand Finals, special podcasts
covering the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival
and ABC NewsRadio’s WordWatch segments,
StarStuff, Health Minutes and Question Time.
ABC Radio National launched Edpod, a
podcast-only service that gathers the best
education stories broadcast on ABC Radio
National each fortnight, into one download.
a project co-produced with the Melbourne
University History Department. Three
walking tours of Melbourne voiced by 774
ABC Melbourne presenters are available
to the public via MP3 download on the 774
ABC Melbourne website along with maps.
ABC Radio National’s Movietime is trialling
an enhanced podcasting format that enables
segments from the program to be reversioned
to incorporate video, still images and text
with audio. The podcast can be downloaded
as an MPEG-4 file for use on home computers
and video-enabled portable devices.
triple j and ABC Commercial launched the
J Player, a new MP3 player specifically
designed for triple j. The player comes
pre-loaded with triple j podcasts, j frequencies
and records voice, live sounds and FM radio.
In August 2006, ABC Local Radio undertook its
first online outside broadcast from the Byron
Bay Writers Festival, through the ABC North
Coast New South Wales site. It featured text,
podcasts of speakers and forums, photos,
blogs, a guestbook and threaded message
boards. This tested a model for future regional
outside broadcasts to enable audiences from
across Australia to have cross-media access
to regional cultural events. ABC Local Radio
undertook a second online outside broadcast
from Australia’s longest running regional
arts festival, the 2007 Castlemaine State
Festival, in Victoria.
Digital Radio
ABC Radio National is believed to be the
largest radio podcaster in Australia. Its
science program, All in the Mind, was the only
Australian entry on the list established by
Apple iTunes Music Store Podcast Directory
in June 2006. Apple created the directory to
acknowledge programs that helped make
podcasting a household name.
In January 2007, 774 ABC Melbourne
launched the ABC Melbourne Podtours,
ABC Radio and Regional Content welcomes
the introduction of digital radio in Australia
from January 2009 and the commitment of
funding in the 2007 Federal Budget for the
national broadcasters’ rollout of digital radio
to the six State capitals.
ABC Radio and Regional Content is developing
the ABC’s digital radio content strategy with
a focus on new services.
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
774 ABC Melbourne, ABC Radio National, ABC
Classic FM and dig, all broadcasting from the
Festival and featuring special coverage of
events from 12 to 28 October 2006.
73
74
Kim Dalton
Director of Television
Kim Dalton has been the ABC’s Director of Television since January 2006.
He was previously Chief Executive of the Australian Film Commission.
Other roles have included Manager of Acquisitions and Development
for Beyond International Limited, General Manager of the Australian
Children’s Television Foundation, Investment Manager for the Australian
Film Finance Corporation and principal of his own production company,
Warner Dalton Pty Ltd.
Kim graduated from the Flinders University Drama School and
has a postgraduate Diploma in Arts Administration.
In June 2007 Kim was awarded an OAM for service to the film
and television industry.
ABC Television
ABC Television delivers two commercial-free,
free-to-air national television services, offering
distinctive programs that inform, educate and
entertain. The main channel is simulcast on
digital terrestrial and analog frequencies and
ABC2 is available only as a digital channel. The
channels deliver content of specialist appeal
as well as programs of general interest.
A number of organisational changes in early
2007 have enabled ABC Television to focus on
multiplatform and multichannel distribution
of programs. In addition to the main channel
and ABC2, the Television Division also delivers
its content through streaming and video
downloads, via the internet, and is developing
the multiplatform potential of its programs.
In 2006–07, the main channel broadcast 1 107
hours of first-release Australian content,
53.7% of the prime time slot, 6 pm to midnight,
compared to 1 009 hours, or 49.1%, in the
previous year. Repeat Australian programs
comprised 6% of hours broadcast, compared
to 7% in 2005–06 for the 6 pm to midnight
time slot. Over its 24-hour broadcast period,
ABC2 provided 4 550 hours of Australian
content of which 58.9% were repeats.
In accordance with legislation, ABC Television
broadcast 8 557 hours of high definition
material in 2006–07, including 1 642 hours
in prime time.
Engaging in Australia’s Social,
Cultural and Political Life
In 2006–07, ABC Television played a key role
in creating a shared experience and a national
conversation by broadcasting contemporary
and relevant Australian programs, including:
• The documentary Who Killed Dr Bogle and
Mrs Chandler?, the most watched Australian
documentary ever screened on the ABC,
with an audience of 2.5 million people
• The well received Constructing Australia
series: The Bridge; Pipe Dreams and A Wire
Through the Heart
• The Carbon Cops series, which blended
science and the environment in practical terms
• Air Australia, which vividly portrayed
Australia’s airline history
• Difference of Opinion, a topical debate
show guided by respected journalist Jeff
McMullen, with eminent panellists and the
public engaging in the debates
• jtv, which extended the triple j brand to speak
to young Australians, across programs,
vodcasts and live performances
• Arts documentaries, such as the IOU series,
Artists at Work and The Art Life
• The Sunday Arts program, which continued
this year with interviews, performances,
first-run Australian documentaries and
short films
• Enough Rope with Andrew Denton, engaging
national and international figures on a
personal level, and included tributes to
Steve Irwin and Don Chipp
section 3
Main Channel, Australian First-Release
and Repeat Content, 6am – Midnight,
as a Percentage of Hours Broadcast
2002–03
2003–04
2004–05
2005–06
2006–07
0
5
10
15
20
First Release
25
30
Repeat
35
%
Main Channel, Australian First-Release
and Repeat Content, 6pm – Midnight,
as a Percentage of Hours Broadcast
2002–03
2003–04
75
• The fifth series of Dynasties, exploring among
others the Ansett and McGuigan families
• Family Footsteps, which investigated
where people may have been had their
parents not migrated
• The Choir of Hard Knocks series, which
attracted outstanding audience engagement
with the story of a choir master building a
choir for disadvantaged and homeless people
• Bastard Boys, which dramatised the 1998
battle for industrial control of Australia’s
waterfront, and Curtin, which dramatised an
intense period of Australian wartime history
• Life at 1, a world first series, which was a
landmark study unlocking the secrets of
healthy, happy children in Australia
• Operatunity Oz, which gave ordinary people
a once in a lifetime opportunity to become
an opera singer
• Hidden Treasures with Betty Churcher,
showcasing unseen artefacts from the
National Gallery of Australia
• Painting Australia, which provided an art
masterclass from around Australia.
2005–06
2006–07
0
10
20
30
First Release
40
Repeat
50
60
%
Main Channel, Australian Content
as a Percentage of Hours Broadcast
2002–03
The ABC of Our Lives: 50 Years of Television,
presented by John Clarke, was a 90-minute
journey through the ABC’s archives and a
tribute to those who produced half a century
of television, with extended highlights on the
ABC website.
The documentaries Tasmanian Devil: The
Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn, Words
from the City, Searching 4 Sandeep, What
the Future Sounds Like and The Passion
of Gina Sinozich appeared at the Adelaide,
Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals.
2003–04
2004–05
2005–06
ABC Television’s coverage of ANZAC Day
marches achieved large audiences across
metropolitan and regional centres, and
2006–07
0
10
20
6 am – midnight
30
40
50
60
6 pm – midnight %
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
To commemorate its 50th anniversary, ABC
Television collaborated on a visual arts
exhibition in Sydney, with a range of visual
and performing arts organisations. Yours,
Mine and Ours explored ideas about Australian
culture, television and social history.
2004–05
76
ABC Television
continued
engaged Australians in perspectives on war
and history with programs such as Gallipoli
Dawn Service, Andrew Denton’s Gallipoli:
Brothers in Arms, Vivian Bullwinkel: An
Australian Heroine and Jennifer Byrne
Presents War Stories.
ABC Television presents Australia’s most
comprehensive and respected package of
news, analysis and commentary, produced
by ABC News—the 7 pm News, The 7.30
Report, Lateline, The Insiders, Four Corners,
Foreign Correspondent and Australian Story.
In conjunction with other ABC divisions, ABC
Television broadcast the funerals of “the
crocodile hunter” Steve Irwin and racing
driver Peter Brock.
Providing for a Diverse
Range of Audiences
ABC Television has continued to present
programs that cover a broad range of genres
and subjects, as well as providing associated
content and interaction online.
Stand out ABC comedy and entertainment
programs were The Chaser’s War on
Choir of Hard Knocks with
conductor Jonathon Welch
Everything and Spicks and Specks. The
Chaser’s website was also popular and the
podcast was number one in the Australian
iTunes Store for months. In 2006 the satirical
comedy program The Glass House reached
a milestone of 200 programs and its final
episode was watched by over one million
people. The Sideshow provided a stage for
Australia’s leading musical comedy acts
and performers of all kinds.
Other Australian entertainment included The
Einstein Factor, The New Inventors which
celebrated its 100th episode in 2006, Gardening
Australia which celebrated the 80th birthday
of Peter Cundall AM, and held expos in Sydney,
Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Collectors
went on the road with Collectors on Tour in
the Blue Mountains, New South Wales and
Ballarat, Victoria.
The ABC remains the pre-eminent free-to-air
broadcaster of children’s content with 98 of
the top 100 programs for children (up from
92 in 2005–06) and provides the most visited
and trusted children’s website in Australia. The
Play School 40th Birthday Concert presented
26 performances in remote areas and six at the
Sydney Opera House. RollerCoaster continues
to provide popular programs for older children.
The ABC’s magazine program, Creature
Features, has a large following among six to
ten year olds. The award-winning Behind the
News continued to perform strongly both on
television and online. Australian children’s
productions to premiere included Blue Water
High Series 2, Five Minutes More, Dorothy
the Dinosaur and new episodes of The Wiggles.
ABC Television provides a diversity of topics,
styles and formats in programs such as
My Favourite Album, Two Men in a Tinnie,
Stepfather of the Bride, The Good The Bad
and the Ugg Boot, The Floating Brothel, Not
all Tea and Scones, The Cook and the Chef,
Can We Help?, Talking Heads, and Crude—
The Incredible Journey of Oil. Both At the
Movies’ presenters, Margaret Pomeranz and
David Stratton, and rage celebrated 20 years
on-air with a stronger following than ever.
section 3
Catalyst remains Australia’s most trusted
source of scientific information on television.
It has developed a website to stream programs
and materials online.
Compass explores life’s big questions with
a focus on religion and ethics and provides
perspectives on issues such as human rights
and global religious tensions.
77
Main Channel, ABC-Commissioned Programs,*
First-Release, Hours Broadcast
2002–03
2003–04
2004–05
6am – midnight
6pm – midnight
2005–06
Message Stick, produced by Indigenous
Australians, is about the lives, history and
culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples and showcases documentaries,
drama and short films.
2006–07
500
0
1 000
1 500
2 500 Hours
2 000
* ABC internal productions and co-productions; excludes pre-purchased
programs (including many documentaries and children’s drama programs).
s0
%
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.5
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n's
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Chi
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Entertainment 9.5%
n 3%
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% Et
Fea ies 0.9
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ture %
s0
s 1.
.8%
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Arts 5%
Bus
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s 0.2
%
ABC2 Television Genre Mix 2006–07 as a Percentage
of Hours Broadcast (excludes interstitial material)
%
5.5
's 2
en
r
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il
Ch
.7%
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tary
5.3%
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Factual 12
0.3%
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
%
3.9
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Doc
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A total of 40.8% of ABC-made programs were
produced outside of Sydney and Melbourne
in 2006–07, compared to 37.8% in 2003–04,
and 44.6% in 2005–06. These programs
included Collectors in Hobart, Can We Help?
in Perth, Talking Heads in Brisbane, and
Behind the News in Adelaide, as well as
sports coverage in all States and Territories.
Arts 4.2
%
5.8
ie
ov
Fa
c
.1%
1.2%
Sport 4
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nd E
ion a
Relig
ws
Ne
ABC Television continued to provide outstanding
international documentaries and dramas
including Sir David Attenborough’s Planet
Earth, Bleak House, a new series of Doctor
Who, Silent Witness, Wire in the Blood
and Robin Hood.
Main Channel Genre Mix 2006–07 as a Percentage
of Hours Broadcast 6am – Midnight (excludes
interstitial material)
M
ABC Television broadcast 287.5 hours of
national sport, over 30 hours more than in
2005–06. This included netball, women’s
basketball, women’s golf, bowls, and live
tennis, and 550.5 hours of state and territory
sports coverage. Netball was broadcast on
ABC2, and included the International Netball
Test series between Australia and New
Zealand. Cricket specials were broadcast
over the summer and ABC Television will
be the host broadcaster for the Australian
Women’s Open Golf for the next three years.
ABC Television has also provided a Woman
Sport Broadcaster Internship, for a one-year
training contract.
78
caption
ABC Television
continued
Creative Leadership and
Innovation
This year a number of initiatives have seen
the ABC at the forefront of providing rich
digital media and interactive online
experiences.
ABC Television has increased the amount of
video content that is streamed or available to
be downloaded through its new online portal.
A new documentary portal A Place to Think
was launched in June 2007. It offers audiences
the ability to travel through the archives of Film
Australia as it celebrates its 60th anniversary.
First Tuesday Book Club hosted by Jennifer
Byrne has an online book club that commences
after the television broadcast. jtv streamed
the Hottest 100 live from Sydney’s Centennial
Park on Australia Day.
The launch of the children’s Rollermache
website provides a safe online space for
children to create, upload and share their
video animation creations with others. The
RollerCoaster website has The Zimmer
Twins, which allows children to create
broadcast quality animation using an online
tool. Approximately 30 000 animations
were received from children from all over
Australia with a selection being screened
on RollerCoaster.
Junglist and Bajo from
Good Game (Series 2)
The re-designed Gardening Australia website
was launched and includes streaming video
segments, a plant look-up database and a
new gardening forum. Sunday Arts launched
an Art Map on its website, providing a national
view of arts events that is easy for viewers to
access and for organisations to up-load their
own arts events.
ABC2
ABC2 continued its growth in audience reach
throughout the year with a national average
daily reach of 300 000 by the end of March
2007. ABC2 was rebranded in August 2006
with a fresh new look. Animation students
from the Australian Film, Television and
Radio School, in conjunction with ABC2,
produced a series of station identification
segments built on young and regional
audience appeal.
ABC2 production continued with the daily half
hour regional news and magazine program
Australia Wide, a second series of the gaming
program Good Game, the weekly music
showcase digtv and digtv presents, jtv’s
long form edition jtvxl, the interview series
Talking Science and the second series of
summer specials, Short and Curly (Australian
short films), Late Night Legends, and Four
Corners—The Interviews.
One-off specials included Maluka, about the
restoration of the 70-year-old yacht and its
participation in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race,
Naked Painted People about an unusual fundraising bike ride, music from WOMADelaide
2006 and Australia Deliberates.
ABC2 consolidated its live sport coverage
with netball over the winter and women’s
basketball in the summer. New to the schedule
in 2007 was international women’s tennis
with the Federation Cup and the Pacific Six
Nations rugby contest. Music was augmented
with acquired specials and concerts, and
young people’s programming enhanced with
anime, jtvxl and concert features.
section 3
79
Five-City Metropolitan
Most Popular ABC Television Programs 2006–07
Average Audience
Who Killed Dr Bogle and Mrs Chandler? (7 September 2006)
1 782 000
Planet Earth (9 July 2006)
1 569 000
Spicks and Specks (30 May 2007)
1 517 000
The Chaser’s War on Everything (16 May 2007)
1 477 000
Midsomer Murders (6 October 2006)
1 449 000
Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2006 (30 December 2006)
1 292 000
Robin Hood (15 April 2007)
1 290 000
Constructing Australia: The Bridge (18 March 2007)
1 245 000
New Tricks (18 November 2006)
1 237 000
The New Inventors: Saving Water Special (30 May 2007)
1 231 000
Blue Murder (3 November 2006)
1 222 000
The Worst Jobs in History (10 September 2006)
1 195 000
Dynasties (11 December 2006)
1 189 000
Curtin (22 April 2007)
1 189 000
The Chaser’s War on Repeats (27 June 2007)
1 175 000
Taggart (22 June 2007)
1 168 000
Wire in the Blood (11 August 2006)
1 162 000
The ABC of Our Lives: 50 Years of Television (5 November 2006)
1 157 000
The Glass House: 2006 Glass House Awards for Eksalince (29 November 2006)
1 156 000
The New Inventors (6 June 2007)
1 153 000
* Source: OzTAM Television Ratings
Who Killed Dr Bogle and Mrs Chandler? (7 September 2006)
Planet Earth (9 July 2006)
Midsomer Murders (29 September 2006)
Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2006 (30 December 2006)
Spicks and Specks (30 May 2007)
The Chaser’s War on Everything (30 May 2007)
Robin Hood (15 April 2007)
The Worst Jobs in History (24 September 2006)
How the Hell Did We Get Here? (6 January 2007)
The New Inventors: Saving Water Special (30 May 2007)
Doctor Who (15 July 2006)
Blue Murder (3 November 2006)
Spicks and Specks: Another Specky Christmas (17 December 2006)
Taggart (8 June 2007)
New Tricks (11 November 2006)
Rocket Man (1 July 2006)
The New Inventors (26 July 2006)
Silent Witness (7 July 2006)
Dalziel and Pascoe (23 February 2007)
Constructing Australia: The Bridge (18 March 2007)
* Source: Regional TAM Television Ratings
Average Audience
797 000
752 000
741 000
699 000
678 000
655 000
612 000
599 000
595 000
592 000
585 000
581 000
568 000
562 000
555 000
553 000
551 000
548 000
542 000
541 000
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
Regional
Most Popular ABC Television Programs 2006–07
80
John Cameron
Director of News
John Cameron was appointed Director of News in July 2004. Before
that he was National Editor, ABC News and Current Affairs, a position
he had held since 2000. John has worked at the ABC for more than
20 years as a radio and television producer and as a reporter, foreign
correspondent and editorial manager. He has been the State Editor in
both Queensland and Victoria, as well as Washington Bureau Chief for
three years, including the period of the first Gulf War.
He began his career with a newspaper cadetship in New Zealand, and
then worked in newspapers and commercial radio in New Zealand, the
United Kingdom and Australia for 12 years before joining the ABC.
News
The News Division provides bulletins, programs
and items of audio, video and text to all ABC
platforms—radio, television, online and
mobile devices.
It underwent considerable change in 2006–07,
with the full integration of News Online into
the Division, the relocation of the Queensland
News operation, the introduction of new
programs and a change of name for the
Division. It has also been a year of strong
performances by programs—growing
audiences, setting agendas and again
receiving significant peer recognition.
This included, for the second consecutive
year, winning Australian journalism’s most
important award, the Gold Walkley.
The name of the Division was changed from
News and Current Affairs to News. This is in
line with the long-standing practice of other
broadcasting organisations around the world.
The Division also took full responsibility for
ABC News Online, previously managed by
the New Media and Digital Services Division.
The News Online operation had been based
entirely in Brisbane until this change.
Recognising the growing importance of online
media, considerable planning has gone into
fully integrating online production across
the Division’s operations, while retaining a
significant presence in Brisbane.
The first stage of this integration was a
complete redesign of the ABC News Online
website, which allows significantly more
audio, video and text content to be added
to the site every day, as well as an increase
in the amount of local content provided by
journalists around the country. Audiences
can also tailor the content as they want it:
they can focus on news from their local area
or on particular subjects they are interested
in and choose the audio and video they want
to play in the order they want to play it.
As part of the integration of News Online
into the Division, online producers are being
appointed in every capital city and the
production of broadband content is being
centralised in Sydney. This includes the
production of Australia Wide for ABC2,
previously undertaken by the Television
Division. The centralising of broadband
content is part of a larger plan to develop a
continuous news desk to deliver content to
all platforms—radio, television and online—
throughout the day.
Despite the disruption caused by the relocation
of staff from the ABC’s Brisbane centre to
other sites, Queensland News continued to
cover major stories and provide audiences
with their usual comprehensive coverage.
Programs
Business reporting was augmented with the
introduction of two new television programs
section 3
A revamped news line-up for Australia
Network began in March 2007. The current
affairs program Asia-Pacific Focus now
runs five nights a week, Monday to Friday
(previously it ran two days a week). Focus
is broadcast into Asia from Melbourne—
previously it came from Sydney. News also
provides Australia Network with 11 news
bulletins a day, specifically targeted to the
Pacific, Asian and Indian time zones.
Significant coverage during the year included
three state election campaigns—in Queensland,
Victoria and New South Wales—the lead-up
to the 2007 federal election and the change
of leadership in the Australian Labor Party,
fires and weather emergencies in several
regions, the deaths and live broadcasts of
the memorial services for wildlife crusader
Steve Irwin and racing car driver Peter Brock,
ABC News provided extensive coverage of the
running aground of the freighter the Pasha
Bulker in Newcastle following severe storms
in New South Wales
the release from Guantanamo Bay of David
Hicks and his return to Australia, and
internationally, the conflict between Israel
and Hezbollah in Lebanon and the ongoing
conflict in Iraq.
There were also some ground-breaking
national programs. Lateline’s award-winning
coverage of allegations of abuse of children
in Indigenous communities in the Northern
Territory was widely seen as a catalyst in the
Federal Government’s intervention in these
communities, and three men found guilty of
murder in Western Australia who were the
subject of an Australian Story series had their
convictions overturned. The three-part series,
Beyond Reasonable Doubt, raised serious
questions about the way the police investigation
was handled. The men convicted of the murder
were freed on appeal.
To mark the 50th anniversary of television
in Australia, two specials were broadcast
on consecutive Monday nights, in the Four
Corners timeslot. The first, Reporting the
Nation, focused on events in Australia. The
second, Reporting the World, highlighted the
work of the ABC’s foreign correspondents.
There were also specials highlighting five
decades of local reporting in the six States
in Australia. As part of the anniversary
celebrations, News produced a special
website that showcased the history of ABC
Television reporting and some of the big
national and international news events that
have been covered in the past five decades.
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
in August 2006. Lateline Business, presented by
Ali Moore, focuses on the day’s developments
in the business sector with a mix of reporter
packages and feature interviews with newsmakers and opinion leaders. It runs for 25
minutes from Monday to Thursday, at the
end of Lateline, and a shorter segment is
included in the Friday edition of Lateline.
Business Today is broadcast on Australia
Network and reports overnight business and
finance news from Wall Street and Europe,
with live analysis and a look at the day ahead
in the Australian and Asian markets. It uses
some of the stories from the previous night’s
Lateline Business.
81
82
News continued
There were changes to the schedule of news
bulletins across ABC Local Radio, ABC Radio
National and ABC Classic FM. The new
streamlined schedule is aimed at improving
the quality and consistency of radio news
bulletins and to take advantage of the fact
that all three networks now take state-based
composite news bulletins—a mix of local,
national and international stories.
dealing with potentially traumatic incidents,
and it has attracted considerable attention
from other media organisations interested
in developing similar programs.
Behind the News ran a survey to ask children
across Australia what most worried them.
Almost 2 000 children responded and ranked
their concerns. Results showed two things
worried Australian children most—their
parents and friends dying or becoming sick
and the environment.
News has taken responsibility for the
management of the schools’ education
program, Behind the News (BtN), formerly
part of the Television Division. The move
was aimed at editorially strengthening this
successful program. BtN is now part of the
Division’s editorial management processes
and has access to the expertise of specialist
reporters in Australia and overseas.
The ABC commissioned some focus group
research about audience response to The 7.30
Report. The research was done in Melbourne,
Sydney and Ballarat (Victoria), in late 2006.
News programs were disrupted by industrial
action over enterprise bargaining negotiations
—a 24-hour strike in September 2006 and
then a series of shorter stoppages. In almost
all cases, news bulletins were replaced by
national bulletins produced by management,
or by other content in the case of current
affairs programs taken off air.
The foreign correspondents’ exhibition
“Through Australian Eyes” continued its tour
around Australia, travelling to Wagga Wagga
and Lismore in New South Wales and Darwin.
With National Interest Initiatives funding from
the Federal Government, News continued
its enhanced business coverage and local
weekend television bulletins in the Australian
Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.
As part of its 40th anniversary celebrations,
AM has been visiting every capital city and
some remote areas to broadcast the program
and take part in community events.
Annual Production of News
In 2006–07 the ABC broadcast more than
15 000 unduplicated hours of news and
current affairs programming on television
and radio on its domestic services and
on Australia Network.
This year the figures include three election
night broadcasts in Queensland, Victoria
and New South Wales.
Initiatives
News has developed training courses in trauma
awareness which are being offered across
the ABC. Coverage of stories involving conflict,
war, bushfires and other natural disasters may
be traumatic and can have a detrimental
effect on both employees’ own well-being
and their ability to do their job. The crossdivisional program is aimed at anyone in the
ABC whose work involves them covering and
These figures do not include material provided
to ABC NewsRadio and Radio Australia; live
crosses to reporters into radio programs;
and any rolling coverage. The figures also do
not include seasonal variations such as sport
broadcasts that interrupt bulletin schedules.
section 3
83
Radio News
Outlet
ABC Local Radio, ABC Radio National and ABC Classic FM
Regionals
triple j
Total
Hours
7 391
3 468
251
11 111
Radio Current Affairs
Outlet
AM (Early) ABC Local Radio
AM (ABC Radio National)
AM (Main)
AM/PM special Election coverage
The World Today
PM (ABC Radio National)
PM (ABC Local Radio)
Saturday AM (Local Radio and ABC Radio National)
Correspondents Report
Finance Market Report at Noon (Ceased March 2007)
Finance Market Report PM
Summer Specials
Total
Hours
43
87
160
1.5
215
189
210
40
20
6.5
15
5
992
Outlet
7 pm News (all States and Territories)
News Updates
Summer Late Edition News
Sunday Focus
Australian Story
Four Corners
Foreign Correspondent
Inside Business
Insiders
Landline
Lateline
Lateline Business (Began August 2006)
Offsiders
The 7.30 Report
Stateline
The Midday Report
Behind the News (Became part of News January 2007)
State Election night coverage (Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland)
National Press Club
Order in the House
Parliamentary Question Time
Australia Network News and Asia-Pacific Focus
50 Years of Television Specials
Budget Specials
Total
Hours
1 453
163
8
18
20
22
26
22
43
52
127
70
22
109
157
130
36
12
46
19
133
317
8
2
3 015
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
Television News and Current Affairs
84
Ian Carroll
Director of Innovation
Ian Carroll has been the Director of ABC Innovation since March 2007.
Previously he was Chief Executive of the ABC International television
service, Australia Network, and before that Head of ABC’s Digital Television,
where he established two channels, ABC Kids and Fly.
Ian is one of Australia’s most successful and experienced television news
and current affairs executives both for the ABC and the commercial networks.
Among the Australian programs created or led by Ian as executive producer
are Lateline, Nationwide, Channel Nine’s Today, Four Corners, The 7.30
Report, ABC TV News and the Paul Kelly documentary One Hundred Years.
Ian holds a Bachelor of Arts from Monash University and a Graduate
Diploma of Media Management from Macquarie University.
Innovation
The Innovation Division commenced operating
in March 2007 as part of the organisation
re-structure that included the disbandment
of the New Media and Digital Services Division.
More than 60 New Media and Digital Services
staff transferred to the new Division, and the
balance—almost 100—moved to the Radio
and Regional Content, Television, News,
International and Commercial Divisions.
ABC Innovation has two primary objectives.
The first, in partnership with other divisions,
is to drive strategic development throughout
the ABC in the creation and distribution of
ABC content on new platforms and in crossmedia production. The second is to enrich
ABC Online and ensure its continued growth
by providing editorial and technical leadership
and overseeing standards in presentation
and design.
The Innovation Division has responsibility for
the ABC Online home page and also manages
online projects and portals that are not
primarily based on the output of other divisions,
including the science and health websites.
ABC Innovation will act as a research and
development incubator and project manager
for the ABC, identifying audience, industry
and technology trends; developing prototypes
with other divisions; and providing specialist
expertise and solutions to assist other areas.
ABC Online
The ABC is a leading provider of online content
among Australian audiences. Given the higher
percentage of broadband users across ABC
Online, compared to its peers, ABC Online
users have proven to be early adopters in
using rich, multimedia online content such
as video, photo and audio content. Users can
elect to subscribe to regular updates of video
and audio content or they can go to ABC Online
and watch or listen to a wide range of programs
whenever, and wherever, they want.
Over the last year ABC Online video content
increased tremendously with the addition
of video downloads (vodcasts) and growth
continued in the volume of audio downloads
(podcasts) across a large number of ABC
websites. The ABC has been one of the most
popular providers of this type of content in
Australia, with ABC content consistently
ranking highly in Australian iTunes. In June
2007 there were over two million downloads
of audio programs and 1.8 million downloads
of video from ABC Online.
Interaction with readers through forums
and web logs (blogs) is another way that
audiences are actively engaging with the
ABC. ABC Online has large ongoing forums
in the areas of science, news and current
affairs and in association with ABC Television
programs. ABC Online blogs focus on news,
sport, entertainment and special events,
such as live sport.
section 3
themselves in a 3D transparent dome
constructed entirely of news headlines from
the ABC’s website; visit “The Eco House”,
which is designed for sustainable living and
linked to the ABC Radio National program
on architecture and environments, called
By Design; and participate in a number of
activities such as live video streaming events.
Cross-Platform Initiatives
The ABC launched A Place to Think in June
2007. The website provides material that
complements Australian documentaries
shown in ABC2’s A Place To Think timeslot.
It offers additional opportunities to learn
more about the films, filmmakers and interact
with content available only online. The full
length documentaries are streamed online
with additional material including: a selection
of the best photos from Film Australia’s
archives; interviews with filmmakers and
critics; and letters, old articles, scripts
and memos to go with selected films.
It is unclear how this environment will develop
—whether it will be a fad or a genuine new
platform—so at this stage Second Life is
an experiment and an opportunity to learn
about virtual worlds and develop skills in
the presentation of 3D content. It is also an
opportunity for the ABC to explore new ways
of interacting with online audiences and
communities. The Division has worked closely
with the Australian Film, Television and Radio
School and is also collaborating on Second
Life projects with the CSIRO, Powerhouse
Museum, University of Technology Sydney
and Australia Council for the Arts.
Other cross-platform initiatives included
ABC’s participation in Second Life, an online
virtual world that gained considerable
attention during the year. Its virtual ABC
Island ranks in the top three most popular
sites within Second Life. The ABC Island
offers a space where Second Life residents
can learn to build virtual objects; immerse
For several years ABC content has been
available on mobile phones as part of the
“walled garden” of content offered by carriers.
New technology and lower data costs now
provide an opportunity for audiences to obtain
ABC content on their mobiles independent of
their mobile service provider. Innovation has
begun work to explore how the ABC can
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
ABC Online also encourages user-generated
photos and many websites feature images of
people, places, news events or weather-related
scenes. During the stranding of the Pasha
Bulker cargo ship in Newcastle, New South
Wales, for example, audiences submitted
photos via mobile phones that were
immediately posted on ABC Online.
85
Avatar, Abi Goldflake on the virtual ABC Island
creative exploration of Second Life
86
Innovation continued
distribute content directly to its audience
in a timely, affordable and easy way.
Partnerships
ABC Innovation has assumed responsibility
for a range of strategic partnerships formed
between the former ABC New Media and
Digital Services and screen agencies,
government departments and independent
producers. These are intended to create a
broad range of multiplatform content for
the ABC and to reinforce the Corporation’s
successful collaboration with the independent
production sector.
Over the last year a number of projects
launched, including: The Pure Drop, under
the Broadband Production Initiative with the
Australian Film Commission; Moving History,
with Film Australia; four projects under the
miniSeries initiative with the South Australian
Film Corporation; and Andrew’s Guide to
Being a Man and Did You Know? with the
Pacific Film and Television Commission.
Other co-productions included the second
series of Dust Echoes animations with the
Elliot Spencer of RollerCoaster
Djilpin Aboriginal Arts Corporation, two
games under the Game On initiative with
Screen West and the ABC Parents online
gateway with the Raising Children Network.
ABC Innovation secured a new enabling grant
from the Federal Department of Education,
Science and Training, representing $2.96
million over three years for 2007 to 2009.
This agreement ensures the ABC can continue
the broad range of science initiatives developed
under the previous 2004–06 enabling grant.
In March 2007, the co-production between the
ABC and the Australian Film Commission,
Chiko Accidental Alien, won the Best Children’s
category at the Australian Interactive Media
Industry Association (AIMIA) Awards.
Looking Ahead
There are signs that the organic growth of
ABC Online is slowing. During the next year,
the division will redevelop the ABC Online
home page to improve access to the rich
multimedia content that the Corporation has
to offer and will add more features such as
customisation of content and the capacity
for audiences to contribute and share their
own content. The goal will be to attract
audiences to ABC Online more frequently
and to strengthen their engagement with
content. In addition, Innovation is developing
a number of tools to enable people to select
and receive the ABC content they want—
text, audio and video—directly to their
computer desktops.
The ABC’s ability to produce unique, high
quality content that appeals to passionate
users with distinct and varied interests, gives
the Corporation a strong differentiation in a
competitive market and positions the ABC for
continued success in the digital environment.
section 3
Murray Green
87
Director of International
Murray Green leads two divisional groups: ABC International and
Corporate Strategy and Governance. The activities of Corporate Strategy
and Governance are reported separately on page 104 along with other
corporate functions.
Prior to March 2007, Murray was Director Corporate Strategy and
Communications. He earlier served as State Director Victoria and
the ABC’s Complaints Review Executive, dealing with the review of
complaints about accuracy and bias.
He is a graduate of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School,
has an honours degree in Asian and Pacific History, and is a lawyer.
ABC International
Established in February 2007, the ABC’s
International Division includes Radio
Australia, Australia Network, International
Projects and International Relations. The
drawing together of broadcasting with
development and consultancy services
reflects the ABC’s commitment to strengthen
its international profile—especially in the
Asia and Pacific regions.
through the common interests of education,
information and entertainment. Bayvut.com
had registered more than one million page
views per month by June 2007.
Radio Australia
Radio Australia operates 24-hour, free-to-air
FM relay transmissions, with new services
opening in Kiribati, Lae in Papua New Guinea,
and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. These
complement the existing FM services in
Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (Cambodia),
Dili (East Timor), Port Moresby (Papua New
Guinea), Honiara (the Solomon Islands),
Port Vila (Vanuatu), Nadi and Suva (Fiji),
and Nuku’alofa (Tonga).
Radio Australia responded to changing
audience behaviour in Vietnam, for example,
by ceasing to broadcast on traditional freeto-air radio. Instead, the Vietnamese language
service operates wholly online through
Bayvut.com, which targets young aspiring
Vietnamese. Links to Australia are provided
Audience numbers continued to increase
via the FM network. In Cambodia, 178 000
people per week listened to English language
programs, compared with 8 000 four years
ago. Radio Australia’s Khmer language service
attracted 223 000 listeners per week via
multiple local rebroadcasts in Phnom Penh
and provincial stations. Comparable trends
continue to emerge across Radio Australia’s
FM network.
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
The media industry in Asia continued to
undergo rapid development resulting in
market fragmentation and diversification in
many countries. Radio Australia responded
with focused content, distribution and
marketing initiatives. In particular, it provided
more breaking news relevant to Asia and
the Pacific within a flexible program format.
Major events covered included a mud flow
disaster in Surabaya, (Indonesia) renewed civil
strife and late elections in East Timor, and
the most recent military coup d’état in Fiji.
In Singapore, Radio Australia developed
a partnership with local rebroadcaster,
Rediffusion, broadcasting on the new Digital
Audio Broadcasting (DAB) system.
88
Australia Network
and Radio Australia
satellite footprint
Radio Australia’s
Language Services
Countries
with one FM
frequency
Countries
with two FM
frequencies
Map does not
include Radio
Australia’s 155
partner stations,
cable distribution
or direct-to-home
satellite.
ABC International continued
Radio Australia maintains a shortwave service
for audiences outside the range of local
FM services and a direct-to-home satellite
service from three satellites: IS-2, IS-8 and
IS-10, extending footprints from the eastern
Pacific to the Middle East.
Competition for radio audiences in South
East Asia is very strong. In Indonesia, for
example, international stations have taken
advantage of the changed broadcasting
environment to establish local production
bases. This is challenging the traditional
notion of broadcasting across borders.
Alternative Distribution
Radio Australia moved promptly to provide
content for downloading to personal computers
or MP3/MP4 players (podcasts). Its podcasts
now regularly achieve well over one million
downloads per month.
The majority of these podcasts result from
the focus on bi-lingual English learning
programs available in Khmer, Chinese,
Vietnamese and Indonesian.
Radio Australia’s online services continue
to provide on-going support to the core
business. Technology adoption and continued
internet penetration, particularly in Asia,
has seen increased development of Radio
Australia’s online services. In the case of
the available bi-lingual English lessons, the
internet has become the primary medium.
Radio Australia will continue to develop
its FM rebroadcast strategy as well as
extending into new technologies, for
example broadcasting to mobile devices.
Under new Chief Executive, Hanh Tran,
Radio Australia will focus on shared content
distributed on appropriate platforms to
people in the region aspiring to a greater
understanding about Australia and the world
around them.
Australia Network
Australia Network is the ABC’s international
television and online service. It broadcasts to
Asia, including the Indian sub-continent, and
the Pacific. The Network operates in a highly
competitive market in which many countries
offer between 40 and 100 channels. The
section 3
Australia Network’s operations are funded
directly by the Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade (DFAT). In late 2005 the ABC
won the tender to operate the service for
a second five-year term. The service has
since re-branded from ABC Asia Pacific to
Australia Network. The new contract runs
until August 2011.
Audience Growth
Australia Network is available in 41 countries.
Throughout 2006–07, audiences grew rapidly,
due mainly in part to the launch of the service
into India in September 2006. The channel
has an estimated monthly audience of six
million viewers in 21 million homes across
the Pacific and Asia, including India. The
website also receives an average of one
million page views per month.
Distribution
The channel is available to 11 million or
40% of India’s cable and satellite homes and
reaches a weekly audience of three million in
the all-important AB demographic. Australia
Network’s Indian audience, as at week three,
2007, comprised:
• An average of three million ABs per week
Radio Australia broadcaster Dian Islamiati,
in Jogjakarta, Indonesia
(ABs relate to socio-economic groups
defined by income, salary and class. “As”
are defined as upper middle class in higher
managerial, administrative or professional
positions and “Bs” are defined as middle
class in intermediate managerial,
administrative or professional positions.)
• Cumulative reach of at least five million
per month.
(Source: TAM India, Day Part 7 am to midnight, CS15+)
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are both recent
additions to the re-broadcast network and
are serviced by re-broadcasters independent
of the India market.
Australia Network has also strengthened its
distribution in Korea, Japan and Taiwan with
new rebroadcasters, giving the channel an
extended footprint outside of the capital cities.
In most cases, Australia Network is available
on the digital tiers, subscriptions for which
are rapidly growing across the Asian region,
as many countries prepare for the switch
over from analog to digital in 2009–10.
The Malaysian distributor Astro had to
postpone Australia Network’s launch into
that market. It is anticipated the Malaysian
launch will take place in January 2008.
Online
The Australia Network’s website
australianetwork.com publishes a
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
service is designed for decision makers and
opinion leaders in the private and public
sector, including emerging middle class
community segments, student and learning
communities, international expatriates and
Government missions based in the region.
89
90
ABC International continued
comprehensive program listing and
television schedules for more than 45
locations across the region. The website
supports and extends English language
learning programs such as Nexus and
English Bites through online video
stories and learning materials. Video
and transcripts from other programs
are also available online along with
a multimedia news service produced
with the resources of the ABC.
Programming
The programming schedule underwent a
major overhaul in August 2006, coinciding
with the signing of the new contract and the
change of the service’s name to Australia
Network. One important change was the
adjustment of the India signal to bring its
schedule into alignment with the rest of the
Asia and Pacific signals. Viewers in Suva,
Hong Kong and Delhi could henceforth expect
to see their favourite programs at the same
local times across the service’s footprint.
Another was the gradual introduction of
specially-produced business (Business
Today) and current affairs (Asia-Pacific
Focus) programs.
The new contract also prompted a greater
emphasis on Australian programming, with the
aim of progressively reducing the proportion
of non-Australasian drama programming by
early 2008, when most prime time drama is
expected to be Australian. The number of
news bulletins have increased and Australia
Network correspondents have been appointed
in Canberra, Jakarta, Beijing and Delhi.
The Future of the Brand and
Other Projects
The launch of the new Australia Network
brand was accompanied by an extensive
marketing and communications campaign
in target markets. Australia Network
commissioned a comprehensive research
study, which will continue over a four-year
period. This started in May 2007 with a
series of qualitative focus groups in Hong
Kong, Korea, Indonesia and India.
Participants gave generally positive feedback,
particularly with regard to the new brand
and its positioning of “A Different View”.
However, Australia Network continues to face
considerable challenges reaching audiences
in such a diverse and competitive marketplace.
This set of qualitative research will be followed
up in July 2007 by an online quantitative survey
which will seek to further investigate some
of the points raised in the qualitative research
across a wider audience.
International Projects
ABC International Projects works with media
organisations principally in Asia and the
Pacific—to enhance their relevance and
capacity to operate in the public interest. These
partnerships are designed to support the
goals of the ABC’s media partners in finding
their own path to sustainability and growth.
International Projects offers assistance in
the form of training and mentoring, strategy
facilitation and specialist advice, technical
support and secondments. It operates on
the premise that strong and responsible
public media institutions are essential
to the wellbeing, creativity and effective
governance of all communities.
Some projects are funded by the Australian
government’s aid agency, AusAID, while
others receive some funding from international
organisations such as the Asia-Pacific
Broadcasting Union (ABU), the Asia-Pacific
Institute for Broadcasting and Development
section 3
(AIBD), the Commonwealth Broadcasting
Association (CBA) and United Nations agencies,
UNESCO and UNICEF. Initiatives are also
undertaken directly with national and
commercial broadcasters.
In 2006–07 International Projects undertook
significant programs in association with
Papua New Guinea’s National Broadcasting
Corporation; Cambodia’s state broadcaster,
Radio National Kampuchea (managed by
Radio Australia); the Vanuatu Broadcasting
and Television Corporation; East Timor’s
national broadcaster, Radio Television
Timor-Leste; and the Al Jazeera Children’s
Television Channel, based in Qatar. It also
undertook a number of short or one-off
training activities in association with the
AIBD and AusAID.
International Relations
The ABC has close contact with public
broadcasters and broadcasting associations
around the world, including the: ABU; AIBD;
CBA; British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC); Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
(CBC); European Broadcasting Union
(EBU); International Radiocommunications
Advisory Committee (IRAC); International
Telecommunications Union (ITU); Nippon
Hoso Kyokai (NHK); Radio New Zealand
(RNZ); Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK);
and the South African Broadcasting
Corporation (SABC).
In addition, the ABC engages with the following
international organisations: Association for
International Broadcasting (AIB); Association
of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA); Cable &
Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia
(CASBAA); Conference of International
Broadcasters’ Audience Research Services
(CIBAR); Federation Internationale des Archives
de Television (FIAT/IFTA); International Music
Council (IMC); MediaCorp of Singapore;
National Association of Broadcasters (NAB);
North American Broadcasters’ Association
(NABA); Pacific Island News Association
(PINA); Prix Italia; Public Broadcasters
International (PBI); State Administration
of Radio, Film and TV of China (SARFT);
Television New Zealand (TVNZ); Voice of
the Listener and Viewer UK (VLV); Voice
of Vietnam (VOV); and WorldDAB.
The ABC aims to contribute positively to
the debate on public service broadcasting
internationally, on three fronts. First, the
ABC is a respected public broadcaster, which
others frequently approach for advice or
dialogue. Second, the ABC is seen as one
of the more well-developed members of
the global media community, therefore
having a role to play in helping to shape the
broadcasting future. Finally, the ABC may
assist in supporting the values of free and
independent media in Asia and the Pacific.
During 2006–07,
the ABC hosted
a number of
international
delegations,
including groups
from China,
Malaysia, Papua
New Guinea,
Korea, Qatar,
Singapore,
South Africa,
Cambodia
and the
United States.
91
92
Lynley Marshall
Director of ABC Commercial
Prior to joining the ABC in 2000 as Director of New Media and Digital
Services, Lynley held a series of senior broadcasting positions in New
Zealand. As Director of ABC New Media and Digital Services, Lynley
was responsible for the integrated delivery of the ABC’s digital content,
including ABC Online, the digital television channel ABC2, ABC Video On
Demand, interactive television, mobile and other emerging platforms.
In February 2007, Lynley became Director of ABC Commercial with a
brief to develop the ABC’s commercial businesses and pursue new
business opportunities in the digital media environment.
Lynley holds a Master of Business Administration.
Commercial
2007 and to incorporate the operations
of ABC Gift into ABC Licensing.
ABC Commercial provides a revenue stream,
through its commercial activities, to support
the ABC in fulfilling its Charter roles and
obligations as a national public broadcaster.
Consumer Publishing
In February 2007, ABC Commercial was
established to incorporate the existing
revenue-generating activities of ABC
Enterprises—ABC Consumer Publishing and
Content Sales, ABC Retail and ABC Resource
Hire—and develop new revenue streams
for the Corporation, including pursuing the
potential afforded by digital technology. In
March, the Division established the Digital
Business Development unit.
In 2006–07, Consumer Publishing business
units released more than 1 000 consumer
products relating to ABC programming and
Charter activities.
The strong financial performance of ABC DVD
was led by sales of a range of DVD releases
from perennial ABC for Kids favourites, The
Wiggles, both series of The Chaser’s War
on Everything and The Glass House. As
in 2005–06, a strong British Broadcasting
Corporation DVD catalogue supported ABC
DVD’s financial performance, including
bestselling titles such as Little Britain,
Extras, Planet Earth and Top Gear.
Financial Performance
ABC Commercial finished the 2006–07
financial year with a net profit of $13.475
million, following stock write offs within
the Books, Audio and Gift businesses.
In March 2007, management identified three
business units—ABC Audio, ABC Gift and
ABC Licensing—which were not operating
on a profitable basis. After a comprehensive
review of their performance, the Division
concluded they would not operate on a
profitable basis in the foreseeable future.
ABC Commercial management decided to
close the ABC Audio business on 30 June
ABC Music, ABC Classics and ABC for Kids
Music won a total of three Australian Record
Industry Association (ARIA) Awards—
for Best Blues and Roots Album, Best
Classical Album and Best Children’s Album,
respectively. ABC Music artists won eight
Golden Guitars at the Country Music
Association of Australia (CMAA) Awards
in Tamworth. At the annual CMAA Achiever
Awards, ABC Music Publishing won the
“Music Publishing Company of the Year”
category for the fifth year in a row. The best
selling release for ABC Classics for the year
was Choir of Hard Knocks, which sold more
section 3
than 40 000 copies, achieving Gold Record
status, in its first month of release.
The best selling title for ABC Books for the
2005–06 financial year, Spotless, by Shannon
Lush and Jen Flemming, continued to sell
strongly throughout 2006–07. It was the
second best selling ABC title for the year
behind Speed Cleaning, by the same authors.
Other best selling titles for ABC Books
were Five of the Best, Back from the Brink,
Matthew Hayden Cookbook 2, and Debt Free,
Cashed Up and Laughing and children’s
titles including the 2007 edition of Sing,
Layla Queen of Hearts, How to be a Princess,
Parsley Rabbit’s Book about Books and the
re-release of the Lily Quench series. Damian
McDonald won the 2007 ABC Fiction Award
for his work Luck in the Greater West.
delicious magazine received the award as
Best Epicurean Magazine at the prestigious
Folio Awards in New York; and the first issue
of delicious to be published in Holland by
Sanoma Uitgevers, under licence from
FPC and ABC Magazines, was launched
in December 2006. The popularity of the
Contribution to ABC Net Revenue
by ABC Commercial
93
quarterly triple j magazine, jmag, supported
a business case for the magazine to be
published monthly. The first monthly edition
of the magazine was released in June 2007.
Highlights of the year for the Product and
Content Development unit included the
screening of Five Minutes More, the ABC
Commercial co-production with Snow River
Media and Buster Dandy Productions, on
ABC Kids in August, and the production of
the Countdown Spectacular. The unit also
managed the multiple rights acquisition for
the newly acquired ABC Television series
Bindi: The Jungle Girl.
ABC Events entertained more than 300 000
young Australians at more than 400 concerts
and “meet and greets” throughout Australia.
Highlights on the ABC Events calendar for
the year included staging Gardening Australia
Expos in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane,
and the inaugural Expo in Perth; and the
Countdown Spectacular in Newcastle in New
South Wales, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide,
Perth and Brisbane.
ABC Commercial Gross Revenue
by Activity 2006–07
Licensing 0.4%
99–00a
00–01
DV
D2
4.4
%
01–02
Music Publishing 0.4%
02–03
03–04b
Co
nt
em
Cla
po
ss
ra
ica
l M ry M
us
ic usic
2.3 3
Book
% .8
s 8.4
%
%
Retail 45.9%
04–05
06–07
0
5 000
10 000
15 000
20 000
$'000
a. includes cash from Program Sales, Business
Development Unit, Non-Theatrics and Stock Footage
b. includes cash from new departments—Content Sales
and Resource Hire
Spoken Word 1.5%
s
ale
nt S
nte
Co
05–06
%
8.3
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
98–99
%
Magazines 2.1
Gifts 0.5%
Events 0.7%
Resourc
e Hire 3
.8%
87–98
94
The Chasers’ War On Everything
J Player
The Wiggles
Commercial continued
ABC Licensing launched a triple j branded
MP3 player, the J Player, in September, and
showcased a range of licensing programs
and properties, including The Fairies, Play
School, Five Minutes More and GirlForce,
at the Australian Toy Hobby and Nursery
Fair in Melbourne in March 2007.
Content Sales
ABC Product and Content Sales distributes
content produced by the ABC’s Television,
Radio and Online platforms and independent
producers, along with ABC consumer product,
through non-traditional retail sales and direct
sales channels. During 2006–07, ABC Program
Sales represented more than 140 hours of
first-release content at international program
and content markets including MIPTV and
MIPCOM in Cannes, and DISCOP in Budapest.
In developing new markets for ABC content,
ABC Program Sales attended the Asian
Television Forum in Singapore, meeting with
buyers from around Asia, many of whom
do not attend markets such as MIPCOM.
Following the significant international
interest in ABC content at these markets,
Program Sales confirmed major sales
including Crude—The Incredible Journey of
Oil to the A & E History Channel in the USA,
The Silence for the Middle East, Europe and
Asia, and Five Minutes More into France.
ABC Content Licensing continued to seek
new markets for content for wireless and
internet usage, and launched a range of
sport mobile sites during the year for events
such as the Football World Cup, Cricket
World Cup and The Ashes test cricket series.
Content Licensing finalised deals for rage
and ABC Kids channels on Vodafone, for
mobile comedy and animation content with
BigPond Mobile, and for mobile comedy
content, including The Chaser’s War on
Everything with Hutchison 3G Australia.
ABC Retail
The ABC Retail business—comprising ABC
Shops, ABC Home Shopping, which provides
home delivery of products ordered by
telephone, fax, mail and through ABC Shop
Online, and ABC Centres—grew gross revenue
by 7.2% in the 2006–07 financial year.
At the end of 2006–07, ABC Retail had 146
outlets—42 ABC Shops, 103 ABC Centres,
plus the Home Shopping Service—trading
throughout Australia. During the year, one
new ABC Shop opened at Rosny in Tasmania,
20 new ABC Centres were opened and four
existing ABC Centres closed.
Sales through ABC Shop Online continue to
grow. They increased on the previous year by
17% and now account for 82% of ABC Shop
Home Shopping sales and 4% of total ABC
Shop sales.
The ABC Reward Program continued to be
an important promotional tool, contributing
$16 million or 23% of total sales. Approximately
section 3
The major national promotions of Father’s Day,
September Kids, Christmas, New Year Sale,
Easter Clearance, Mother’s Day and Mid Year
Sale were all successful. During the year, 257
local promotions were undertaken in ABC
Shops and Centres. The most successful
of these were Gardening Australia Expos
in Sydney and Perth, Play School 40th
Anniversary Concert in Sydney, Good Food
and Wine Shows in Melbourne and Sydney,
as well as book signings by Matthew Hayden,
The Chaser Team and Dr Karl Kruszelnicki.
The best-selling product formats were DVDs
with a 52% share of total sales followed by
music and books both with 17%. The bestselling genres were comedy, drama and
children’s. The best-selling products in ABC
Shops were the Planet Earth Part 1 DVD,
Chaser’s War on Everything Series 1 DVD,
Choir of Hard Knocks CD, and Speed
Cleaning and Spotless books.
ABC Resource Hire
ABC Resource Hire uses spare capacity in
ABC facilities and crews for productions
for clients Australia-wide. Services offered
are digital outside broadcasts, live minicam
This year the ABC celebrated the
80th birthday of Peter Cundall AM,
presenter from Gardening Australia
sports coverage, production services,
and costume hire and manufacture. Also
available for hire are studios, rehearsal
rooms and theatres.
ABC Resource Hire generated gross revenue
of $6.7 million in 2006–07, compared with
$9.1 million (Commonwealth Games year) in
the previous financial year. The results reflect
a strong production marketplace driven by
television network competition and new events.
Across the year, the business successfully won
contracts to provide services to all Australian
television networks.
In 2006–07, ABC Resource Hire provided
studios, facilities and crew for television
programs such as Con:Test, Australia’s
Brainiest, Raggs Kids Club Band and dramas
including The Falls and The King; as well
as television commercial shoots for various
clients including corporate video production
for Tupperware. In association with Australia
Network, ABC Resource Hire provided facilities
and crew in Adelaide for the production of
education programs.
Outside broadcast facilities and crew mounted
host coverage of events including the Peter
Brock Funeral in Melbourne and Steve Irwin
Memorial in Queensland, both in September
2006. Outside broadcast coverage of national
sports included: Australian Football League,
rugby union, soccer, basketball, boxing and
beach cricket in various locations nationally.
In 2006–07, ABC Minicam again covered the V8
Motor Racing series around Australasia and
travelled regularly to Asia for sporting events.
ABC Costumes continued its growth by
increasing its public hire customer base and
expanding its manufacture activities, including
corporate mascots and character costumes.
Venue hire clients included major cultural
organisations for performances and recordings
in Sydney and Melbourne, along with
rehearsals for the musicals Miss Saigon
and We Will Rock You.
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
104 000 members, including nearly 39 000
new members who joined during the year,
used their Reward Card in 2006–07.
95
96
David Pendleton
Chief Operating Officer
David Pendleton joined the ABC as the General Manager of Group Audit in
1996. He went on to become General Manager of Financial Operations and
Accounting, and later Head of Finance. In February 2002, he was appointed
to the position of Director of Finance and Support Services, which was
re-named Director of Business Services on 1 July 2003. On 31 August 2004,
he was appointed as the Corporation’s Chief Operating Officer. Before
joining the ABC, David held senior management positions in the public
sector at the New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority and State
Super Investment and Management Corporation.
David holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and a Graduate
Diploma from the Securities Institute of Australia.
Operations Group
The ABC Operations Group consists of the
divisions and units reporting to the Chief
Operating Officer. These are the Human
Resources, Technology and Distribution,
Business Services and Production Resources
Divisions; the Capital Works, Business Affairs
and Business Development Units; and, for
administrative purposes, Group Audit. These
areas provide a range of internal services
across the Corporation.
Strategic Alignment to
Corporate Objectives
In 2006–07 the Operations Group continued
its efforts to align its resources for
maximum responsiveness to the ABC’s
current environment; and focused on the
development of staff and infrastructure
to sustain the ABC into the future.
The Operations Group commenced work
on phase two of the Integrated Capital
Strategy (ICS) project. The ICS project will
result in the formulation of a ten-year capital
funding strategy to provide for anticipated
infrastructure requirements within the limits
of the ABC’s capital budget. The Technology
and Distribution Division has concentrated
skilled resources on developing and mapping
new technology strategies for the ABC’s
content creation, information and content
management needs. This work will support
new digital content, as well as content
delivered via the ABC’s project to digitise
and preserve archival material.
In line with this work, during 2006–07, the
Operations Group progressively rolled out
a limited high definition production and
playout capability across the Corporation.
Ongoing projects are focused on introducing
the equipment to facilitate the file and
server-based technologies necessary for
an end-to-end digital process. This has
an impact on field and camera systems,
desktop editing and automated playout
systems, including the need to develop new
work practices. These systems will lead
to more efficient program production and
enable the ABC to maximise its ability to
provide material on multiple platforms.
In May 2007, Federal Parliament passed
legislation to introduce digital radio
broadcasting in Australia by January 2009.
In anticipation of this legislative change,
since 2005, the ABC has worked with other
members of the Australian radio industry on
testing enhanced audio encoding standards
and, through membership of the World
Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB)
forum technical committees, lobbying for
section 3
During 2006–07 the Operations Group
introduced a number of programs to
ensure the effectiveness and sustainability
of its workforce.
The Production Resources Division expanded
its Skills Exchange Program and initiated a
new development program known as ABC
Pathways. The Skills Exchange Program aims
to maximise the Division’s capacity to respond
to production demand levels nationally. Skilled
staff are relocated interstate for periods of
up to six weeks to meet production peaks
that cannot be met locally due to illness,
leave or short term project peaks, as an
alternative to engaging casual labour. The
Pathways program offers all ABC staff the
opportunity to obtain formal qualifications
in television production.
The Technology and Distribution Division
commenced a graduate program, with the
first three Graduate Technologists joining
the ABC in February 2007. The two-year
national program provides recent electrical
engineering and information technology
graduates with a broader knowledge of
broadcast technology. The program will
assist in providing highly skilled technical
staff to support the Corporation’s digital
technology infrastructure.
A cross-divisional leadership development
program, aimed at providing greater
development and succession opportunities
for staff across the ABC’s Operations Group,
also commenced.
Output Delivery
Content Creation
Production Resources manages the facilities
and labour for the ABC to meet its Charter
obligations to bring television programs of
relevance to the Australian public. In 2006–07
Production Resources improved productivity
by 2.6% (over 25 000 hours) to supply 1.26
million skilled labour hours for television
production, with the same funding as the
previous year.
The Division continued to provide wide-ranging
production services for all television production
including four new scheduled programs—jtv,
The Sideshow, Lateline Business and First
Tuesday Book Club. In addition to regular
program delivery, single episode programs
included the Long Tan Memorial, the
Queensland, Victorian and New South Wales
State elections, coverage of the release of
the Federal Budget, the Women’s Open Golf
Paul McDermott, presenter of The Sideshow
provides a stage for Australia’s leading
musical comedy acts and performers
of all kinds and is produced by
ABC Production Resources
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
the adoption of this advanced standard
worldwide. As a result of this collaborative
effort, World DMB adopted the new DAB+
standard in December 2006 and the European
Telecommunications Standards Institute
(ETSI) did so in February 2007. The new
encoding standard within Digital Audio
Broadcasting (DAB) will enable the Australian
radio industry to deliver a greater number
of radio channels or services with the
commencement of digital radio.
97
98
Manager Diversity, Chrissie
Tucker, and Indigenous
Employment Coordinator,
Paul Brant (far right),
receiving the Employment
and Inclusion of Indigenous
Australians Award at the
diversity@work Awards,
along with other winners
Operations Group continued
Tournament, the Steve Irwin memorial (with
an estimated 300 million viewers worldwide)
and the funeral of Australian racing legend
Peter Brock.
In July 2006 the ABC broadcast its first
programs in high definition. Production
Resources facilitated the delivery of the
first ABC-produced high definition program,
Big Blue, followed later in the year by the
television drama Bastard Boys. A high
definition fit-out was completed in the ABC
Ultimo’s Studio 21 in Sydney and became
operational in March 2007. At the Movies
was the first program produced using the
new control room.
Content Transmission and Distribution
The ABC increased its number of radio services
in 2006–07 through the Radio Subsidy Scheme
and the ABC NewsRadio rollout to regional
population centres. The Radio Subsidy Scheme
offers communities the opportunity to receive
a one-time subsidy towards establishing an
ABC Radio retransmission service. Twenty-one
of the 84 planned regional radio services were
rolled out in 2006–07. In July 2006 the Federal
Department of Communication, Information
Technology and the Arts, approved funding
for 13 new ABC NewsRadio FM transmission
services and one new ABC Local Radio service
(Dubbo, New South Wales) as phase one of
the NewsRadio rollout.
The Transmission Network Services Unit
continued to coordinate the rollout of the
ABC’s digital television transmission facilities
with Broadcast Australia. Of a scheduled 439
sites, 237 have now been completed covering
97.02% of the population.
Broadcast Operations continued to raise the
standard of operational performance in both
television presentation and Radio Master
Control, each having a less than 1% error
rate across all network signals leaving
the ABC. When the decision was taken to
close the ABC’s Toowong site, in Brisbane,
Broadcast Operations responded quickly
to incorporate switching and distribution
functions out of Queensland to maintain
local services to the Queensland public.
Supporting Responsible
Management
The ABC is committed to the adoption of
a strong corporate governance and risk
management framework. During 2006–07
the Operations Group continued to ensure
its responsibilities were met through the
delivery of major initiatives and the regular
review of policies and procedures.
Governance
Emergency coordination and crisis
management structures were developed
during the year as part of the ABC’s
section 3
Production Resources initiated a major review
of its manual handling practices. Manual
handling injuries are the most consistent
source of workforce injuries for the Division
and a significant occupational, health and
safety issue. An independent assessment by
the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Services
Injury Prevention Division was commissioned
to assess all handling tasks in production
across Australia, including outside broadcasts,
field production, news production, staging,
rigging and workshops. Specific manual
handling training was developed and delivered
to Production Resources staff, based on this
assessment. The Division holds a monthly
national forum to address occupational
health and safety issues and publishes
periodic newsletters addressing specific
safety issues.
The National Occupational, Health and Safety
Group’s Test and Tag project commenced in
Canberra in April 2007. The project will ensure
the Corporation complies with electrical safety
standards and Occupational Health and Safety
legislation. The testing and tagging of specific
electrical equipment will be carried out at
all ABC sites.
Consistent with the requirements of the
Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act Amendments 2003, a
revised Heritage Strategy was submitted
to the Department of Environment and
Water Resources on 20 June 2007, outlining
the ABC’s heritage identification and
maintenance approach for the four-year
period to June 2011. A heritage assessment
of the former ABC Radio and Television
studio site in Perth was also completed in
preparation for future sale. The site was
found to meet a number of Commonwealth
and state heritage criteria and a detailed
Conservation Management Plan was
developed to ensure ongoing preservation
of those values following divestment. It
has been confirmed that the site will be
placed on the Western Australia State Register
of Heritage Places on an interim basis.
Performance
On 9 May 2006 the Minister for
Communications, Information Technology
and the Arts wrote to the ABC to request
a detailed report on the Corporation’s
response to recommendations arising
from KPMG’s Funding Adequacy and
Efficiency review. In 2006–07 a project
was commissioned to examine each
of the recommendations with a view to
developing the mechanisms to attest and
implement them. The report is due to be
delivered to the Minister in October 2007.
During the year, the Operations Group
initiated a program to revise key performance
indicators (KPIs) used in measuring operational
performance across the ABC. The first part
of this program is targeted at the indicators
covering the Operations Group. A complete
set of new Operations Group KPI data for
the 2006–07 financial year will be completed
in early 2007–08.
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
Business Continuity Management program.
A newly formed Crisis Management Team
and Operations Command Team participated
in familiarisation workshops and crisis
simulations. The Broadcast Disaster Recovery
project, completed in March 2007, provides
the ABC with the ability to maintain essential
broadcast capabilities for ABC Radio and
Television by bypassing Ultimo (Sydney)
as the hub of the network. A business
impact analysis was carried out for all
State metropolitan sites to identify critical
operations, key staff, the technology and
facilities that support them and the potential
impact of the loss of these operations. Based
on these identified priorities, the Business
Continuity Management Unit developed
business-specific recovery plans for the
Ultimo site.
99
100
ABC Distribution and Transmission Network Aggregated 2006–07
Performance as Reported by Broadcast Australia
ABC Service
No. of
Transmitters
ABC Classic FM
triple j
ABC Local Radio
ABC NewsRadio
ABC Radio National
Analog Television
Digital Television
ABC
Distribution
Network
Broadcast Australia
Transmission
Network
(See Note 1)
(See Note 2)
Total Network
Availability
(See Note 3)
Total “On-Air”
Availability
(See Note 4)
67
57
242
14
257
439
233
2006
–07
%
99.97
99.97
99.56
99.99
99.92
99.95
99.82
2005
–06 Target
%
%
99.98 99.83
99.91 99.82
99.67 99.79
99.99 99.89
99.97 99.74
99.97 99.75
99.85 99.78
2006
–07
%
99.89
99.89
99.75
99.91
99.79
99.78
99.88
2005
–06
%
99.89
99.88
99.71
99.87
99.74
99.77
99.83
2006
–07
%
98.72
98.47
97.99
99.75
99.38
98.89
99.07
2005
–06
%
99.21
99.27
98.18
98.86
99.56
99.16
98.37
2006
–07
%
99.83
99.82
99.74
99.89
99.68
99.72
99.79
2005
–06
%
99.88
99.72
99.21
99.69
99.65
99.72
98.95
256
54
310
76
81
120
179
99.92
99.93
99.73
99.94
99.94
99.95
99.83
99.95
99.73
99.90
99.96
99.91
99.97
99.93
99.85
99.30
99.80
99.79
99.76
99.80
99.85
99.83
99.65
99.68
99.84
99.73
99.84
99.86
98.46
98.44
98.88
99.43
99.25
97.80
99.83
98.91
97.58
99.32
99.48
98.58
99.08
99.93
99.77
98.72
99.71
99.73
99.63
99.75
99.74
99.80
98.14
99.59
99.76
99.59
99.85
99.72
State
NSW
NT
Qld
SA
Tas
Vic
WA
99.80
99.71
99.76
99.79
99.81
99.82
99.75
Notes:
1. ABC Distribution Network (included contracted service providers): The ABC distribution network ensures that programs
are delivered from the studio to local transmitters throughout Australia. The network includes outsourced satellite and
terrestrial broadcast distribution services, from telecommunications carriers such as Optus and Telstra. This measure has
been designed to be consistent with the contracted transmission targets and represents the aggregated performance of
more than 60 agreements the ABC has in place to distribute programs. The ABC’s overall performance in this area was
consistent in the third quarter of 2006–07 relative to 2005–06. A small decline in performance was attributable to the
introduction of new satellite platforms in the Optus distribution system.
Note: ABC Local Radio, serving remote and regional Australia, is reliant on non-redundant Telstra broadcast lines. These
performed below expectation due to an increase in the time taken to repair a small number of line failures to remote sites
in 2006–07.
2. Broadcast Australia Transmission Network (ABC Transmission Contractor): The reported transmission network
performance, provided by Broadcast Australia, was close to the targets in most cases, improving in 2006–07 relative to
2005–06. Performance of the ABC Local Radio network and the services in the Northern Territory, Victoria and Tasmania
were below their targets. Installation of new digital television services and improved monitoring equipment at transmission
sites throughout the year resulted in the disruption of existing transmission services.
The new Digital Television services are performing above the target, improving relative to 2005–06. Broadcast Australia
have included the performance of services that have been subject to unexpected interference issues that were not anticipated
during the planning and construction phases of a number of the new services this year.
3. Total Network Availability shows the impact of all outages of the overall network. It reflects the delivered service
availability to the audience, regardless of the source of fault or interruption. In practice, during the majority of reported
outages, a reduced level of service continued to be provided. This accounts for the difference between the contracted and
overall network performance.
Overall these statistics show the delivery of services to the ABC analog network audiences in 2006–07 declined relative to
2005–06. Except for ABC NewsRadio and services in Tasmania, all analog networks and states performed below expectation.
ABC Local Radio services on FM and other networks were adversely affected by the ongoing construction works required
for the new Digital Television and ABC NewsRadio transmission services. Throughout the year, two ABC Local Radio transmission
services experienced off-air interference due to the impact of another ABC transmission service in the same area. Digital
Television services’ performance improved relative to the prior year, due in part to resolution of post commissioning
adjustments to a large number of the new services. Broadcast Australia, with the ABC’s permission, operated a number
of services below minimum performance levels for sustained periods throughout the year. This is only partially reflected
in the data.
4. Total “On-Air” Availability shows the direct impact of all outages experienced by the audience, where some level of
service continued to be provided throughout faults and maintenance. That is, where there was no total loss or denial of
service to the majority of the audience. In 2006–07, Broadcast Australia reported a decrease in the total period services
were “off”, in comparison to 2005–06. Reported Digital Television performance improved in comparison to the previous
year. ABC Classic FM and overall services in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia experienced declines in
performance compared to the previous year.
The Northern Territory was affected by the loss of the three inland High Frequency (HF) Vertical Incidence Local Radio
services that were switched off for long periods to facilitate post-installation work on the new transmitters.
section 3
101
marine cables, FM, satellites—helped the ABC
reach out to Australians everywhere and
connect them over land or sea or in the air.
t e c h n o lo g y
then...
Mobile broadcasting started in a small way in 1947
becoming an integral part of ABCs involvement with
it audiences covering sport, major events and news.
People commonly said they listened to
“the wireless”—the young technology of
through-the-air radio broadcasting that
brought Australia’s disparate population
centres together in one national context.
During the ABC’s first years, all broadcasts
went live-to-air because recording technology
was not available for the purpose. Thereafter,
each technological advance in sound recording
extended the realm and accessibility of
popular culture and the society’s “living
history”—technology such as shellac discs,
tape recorders and videotape.
Developments also in broadcast transmission
and communications technology—coaxial links,
Radio’s ubiquity resulted from a technological
transformation that saw it become smaller
and less expensive. Soon, “the wireless”
was no longer confined like furniture, to
the living room—but appeared in bedrooms
and kitchens and sheds. With the advent of
transistor technology, it became portable—
available everywhere, including the car.
Radio continued to prosper notwithstanding
the introduction of television, an extraordinary
mass medium that underwent its own
technological trajectory—from valves to
transistors, black-and-white to colour,
from one to multiple sets in most homes—
and eventually from analog to digital.
In the mid 1990s, the ABC embraced the
emerging digital technology and, with it,
established its presence on the internet,
which would set the pace within media on
the eve of the century.
Today, “wireless” has a new meaning—
far beyond radio—and the ABC has again
shifted up a gear to embrace it. Australians
everywhere can experience the ABC via
the web, through laptops, phones and an
increasing range of mobile media devices.
. . . a n d n ow
The ABC covering the arrival
of the QE2 in Sydney.
102
Corporate
Gary Dawson
Director of Communications
Gary Dawson has been Director of Communications since February 2007.
Prior to this appointment he was Head of Strategy and Development.
Before joining the ABC in May 2005, Gary was the Communications
Director of The Law Society of New South Wales and previously spent
five years as a senior advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office, including
two years as senior policy adviser on communications, information
technology, science and innovation.
Earlier in his career, Gary worked as a journalist for 15 years in print,
radio and television, including with ABC Radio and Television News
in Townsville and Canberra.
Gary holds a Bachelor of Economics Degree from the Australian
National University.
Communications
Corporate Communication
The Corporate Communications unit manages
the ABC’s media relations and all matters
that relate to corporate communications,
including the ABC intranet, the ABC Corporate
website About the ABC and all major policy
announcements. A new internal newsletter
ABCYou! was launched by the unit in 2006–07,
with support from the Corporate Marketing unit.
During 2006–07 Corporate Communications
launched a special 75th anniversary History
of the ABC website, abc.net.au/75years,
to give audiences a snapshot of the ABC’s
contribution to Australian life. The site
includes an interactive timeline, featuring
video footage, stills and audio clips of some
of the critical moments of the ABC’s history.
Major ABC statements and news events
handled by the Corporate Communications
unit during 2006–07 included:
• Announcement of the relocation of ABC
staff in Brisbane following the findings of
an expert scientific report on the incidence
of breast cancer among ABC staff at the
Toowong studios
• The launch of the revised ABC Editorial
Polices by ABC Managing Director, Mark Scott
• Detailed briefings on internal restructure
to better position the ABC to maintain its
leadership in the digital media environment
• Publicity for the ABC’s 75th
anniversary events
• The appointment of Maurice Newman AC
as Chairman of the ABC.
Corporate Marketing
The Corporate Marketing unit manages
the ABC brand, its partnerships, cross
promotions, community events and crossdivisional marketing needs. A new area
within the unit, technology marketing +
e-marketing was formed in 2006, to grow
with the new technologies.
In 2006–07, the unit continued to focus on
brand awareness and identifying opportunities
to reach new audiences. It also increased
the level of community contact with a record
number of events staged in every State and
Territory to commence the celebration of the
ABC’s 75th Anniversary.
The Corporation’s travelling Exhibition Trailer
visited a record 21 events and was open to the
public on more than 74 days. The Trailer’s
schedule included a regional tour of Tasmania,
the first broadcast of triple j’s Hottest 100 in
Hyde Park, Sydney, as part of the Australia
Day celebrations, the Sydney Harbour Bridge
75th Birthday Celebration and ongoing
participation in Royal Agricultural Shows
around the country.
section 3
The unit organises and manages public tours
of the ABC Ultimo Centre, Sydney, attracting
more than 6 600 visitors to the complex in
2006–07. Currently there are 18 volunteer
tour guides who run the Ultimo program.
The unit has also supported and implemented
other State sites tours of their studios and
broadcasting and production centres.
Government and Parliamentary
Relations
The Government and Parliamentary Relations
Unit has responsibility for liaison with the
Parliament, Parliamentary Committees,
Government and Opposition, Commonwealth
agencies and industry groups on policy matters.
Its role encompasses advising other divisions
of the ABC on dealing with government
departments and parliamentarians. The unit
provides advice to the Managing Director and
other ABC executives and is charged with
responding to departmental and ministerial
requests for information.
103
The Manager Parliamentary Relations
coordinates the preparation and lodging of
answers to Questions on Notice from Senate
Estimates Committee hearings. During the
year, the ABC appeared before the Senate
Estimates Committee three times and provided
answers to 203 Questions on Notice.
During the year, the ABC provided submissions
to, and in some cases appeared before,
a number of Parliamentary Committee
inquiries including:
• Women in Sport in Australia
• Broadcasting Services Amendment
(Media Ownership) Bill 2006
• Broadcasting Legislation Amendment
(Digital Radio) Bill 2007
• Australia’s Public Diplomacy.
In March 2007 the ABC hosted a successful
75th Anniversary reception at Parliament
House, inviting all Members and Senators.
The Government and Parliamentary Relations
unit also maintained its role as a conduit
between the ABC and parliamentarians for
other key ABC activities, such as the annual
Heywire project.
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
ABC’s 75th birthday celebrations
in Glebe Park in Canberra with
Jay Laga’aia from Play School
104
James Taylor
Director of
Corporate Development
James Taylor has been the Director of Corporate Development since
its establishment in February 2007. He joined the ABC in 2000 and has
advanced through a series of analytical and business development
roles, focused on developing business cases to facilitate investment
decisions and leading significant commercial negotiations, business
reviews and corporation-wide improvement initiatives. Most recently,
James held the role of Head, Business Development and Business Affairs.
James has a Bachelor of Business (UTS), a Master of Commerce (UNSW)
and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Corporate Development
Corporate Development was established in
February 2007 to provide advisory, strategy
implementation and industry trend analysis
services to the Managing Director’s Office.
Since inception, its efforts have been
significantly dedicated to three specific
initiatives: the planning and implementation
of key elements of the Managing Director’s
Digital Evolution 2007 change program
(see Corporate Governance, page 56);
Murray Green
overseeing the implementation of a series
of recommendations dealing with the ABC’s
management of content rights in a digital
environment; and leading a review of the
ABC’s television production model.
The unit has also written or coordinated
submissions to Parliamentary inquiries, the
Department of Communications, Information
Technology and the Arts and the Australian
Communications and Media Authority.
Director of Corporate Strategy and Governance
Murray Green—as Director of ABC International, Corporate Strategy and Governance—is
responsible for both the International Division (see pages 87–91) and Corporate Strategy
and Governance.
Corporate Strategy
and Governance
Audience and Consumer Affairs
The role of Audience and Consumer Affairs
is to ensure that program complaints are
handled in accordance with the guidelines
set out in the ABC Editorial Policies and
in particular, to independently investigate
complaints that relate to issues covered
by these Policies and by the ABC’s Code of
Practice. The ABC’s Code of Practice outlines
a range of program standards against which
the ABC can be evaluated. The unit also
responds to a large number of programming,
policy and transmission enquiries.
Further details about the nature and subject
of contacts with Audience and Consumer
section 3
Audience Research
Corporate Strategy and Governance manages
Audience Research on behalf of the Corporation.
In 2006–07, the ABC subscribed to a range of
audience measurement data and commissioned
research to help measure its audiences;
inform programming, scheduling and marketing
decisions; and gauge audience attitudes to
the Corporation’s services.
Information on the ABC’s audiences in 2006–07
can be found in ABC Audiences (page 26).
Bonner Committee
The Bonner Committee’s role is to advance
Indigenous development across the
Corporation, including areas of employment,
cross-cultural awareness and specialist
staffing of Indigenous content areas and
programs. The Committee’s Executive
reports to the Director of ABC International,
Corporate Strategy and Governance every
two months.
During 2006–07, the Committee progressed
the development of Indigenous protocols to
assist ABC program makers with appropriate
cultural considerations in regard to access,
language and customs when producing and
presenting Indigenous content.
At Ultimo, Sydney, the Bonner Room was
completed for the purpose of establishing a
central meeting room for Indigenous forums.
Indigenous Scholarship Award winner,
Elton Rosas, with ABC Learning
consultant Denise Potter.
In March 2007 the second Indigenous
Programs Launch took place to promote
the specialist Indigenous programs and
teams across ABC Radio and Television.
The Committee is named after the late
Neville Bonner AO, who was an ABC Board
Director from 1983–91 and Australia’s first
Indigenous Senator.
Corporate Planning and
Governance
The Corporate Planning and Governance unit
provides strategic support, analysis and advice
in relation to the ABC’s external reporting
accountabilities and corporate governance
activities. Specifically, it coordinates corporate
planning and policy work, produces the ABC
Annual Report and leads or participates in
major corporate projects.
The unit worked with the Managing Director
and the corporate Leadership Group to
develop the ABC Corporate Plan 2007–10 and
performance measurement framework. It
contributed to the design and implementation
of a re-alignment in the ABC’s organisation
and management structure to support the
Corporation’s strategic objectives. It also
provided advice and assistance to the ABC
Board in relation to the structure and terms
of reference of Board committees.
During the year, Corporate Planning and
Governance concluded the task of coordinating
a major review of the ABC Editorial Policies,
coordinated ABC-wide activities to review
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
Affairs can be found in Corporate Governance
(page 56).
105
106
Corporate Strategy
and Governance continued
and update a range of corporate policies
and took over the secretariat functions to
support the ABC Advisory Council.
Other ongoing functions included
administration of the ABC’s Freedom
of Information obligations.
State and Territory Directors
The State and Territory Directors represent
the geographical and operational breadth
of the ABC’s operations in relation to its
Charter obligations to “contribute to a
sense of national identity” and to “reflect
the cultural diversity of the Australian
Community”. In 2006–07 the Directors
facilitated conversations between their local
audiences, external stakeholders, ABC staff,
the corporate Leadership Group and the
Managing Director. The Directors worked
to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency
of each State and Territory through crossdivisional and cross media co-operation and
by leading state leadership and content teams.
A significant part of the State and Territory
Directors’ role is establishing and maintaining
relationships with external stakeholders to
reflect community interests and needs in
ABC policy decisions. Throughout the year
the Directors maintained an extensive
database of stakeholders and systematically
engaged with community leaders whom
represent political, cultural, sporting and
other interests. They also coordinated major
community events designed to showcase
ABC programs.
The State and Territory Directors maintained
partnerships with emergency service agencies
and liaised with internal ABC divisions, to
ensure Australian communities were well
served with information during major bushfires,
storms, floods and cyclones. In 2006–07 the
ABC continued to work closely with Emergency
Service bodies in their emergency coverage
and received accolades for their commitment
to local communities—for example, when wild
storms battered Newcastle and the Hunter
Valley in New South Wales in June 2007.
Directors of Western Australia, Queensland
and the Northern Territory provided on-theground coordination of work to improve the
capacity of ABC facilities to withstand
cyclone conditions.
In 2006–07 State and Territory Directors
performed a number of corporate management
roles: participation in a range of corporate
committees, including specialist initiatives
such as the National Green Energy Committee
and leadership of local “Green” teams;
participation in the Production Review;
Chairmanship of the Policy Reference Group;
the role of Complaints Review Executive;
conduct of Freedom of Information internal
reviews; representation on international
broadcasting delegations to Indonesia and
Papua New Guinea; and participation in a
range of external committees including the
Australian Open Garden Scheme, University
Media Course Consultative Committees; and
membership of the Tasmanian Symphony
Orchestra Board.
In 2006–07, State and Territory Directors
gave particular emphasis to a number of
risk management activities such as: local
adherence to business continuity planning;
transmission issues; fraud; and the monitoring
of local occupational health and safety
compliance. The Queensland State Director
provided support to management and staff
in relation to the relocation of all ABC
operations in Brisbane, in response to
the findings of an investigation into a
higher than normal level of breast cancer
at the Toowong site.
section 3
Paul Chadwick
107
Director of Editorial Policies
Paul Chadwick joined the ABC as the inaugural Director of Editorial
Policies in January 2007. A journalist and lawyer, he was the first Privacy
Commissioner of Victoria (2001–06). He ran the Victorian operations of
the non-profit Communications Law Centre for eight years and was a
member of the Brennan Committee that revised the Australian Journalists’
Association Code of Ethics in the 1990s. In 1997, he received the Walkley
Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism.
Paul holds an honours degree in Law (Melbourne) and is admitted to
practice as a barrister and solicitor of the Victorian Supreme Court
and federal courts.
Editorial Policies
Over the 75 years of the ABC, the Editorial
Policies have been reviewed and updated
from time to time. Under various names,
they can be traced back to at least 1949. As
technologies and the wider media environment
have changed, so the policies have been
adapted, pruned and expanded. Like any
organisation’s core standards, the Editorial
Policies live and breathe with the ABC.
In October 2006 the Managing Director
announced the results of the most recent
revision and the intention to create the new
role of Director of Editorial Policies. Paul
Chadwick’s appointment to the role was
announced in December 2006 and he started
work on 8 January 2007.
Three Main Functions
The new Director has three main functions:
to advise, verify and review in relation to
compliance with the Editorial Policies.
The purpose of the advice work is to ensure
clarity and consistency in the interpretation
of the Editorial Policies. The new Director
provides advice as appropriate, in particular
to Directors and the Managing Director. (For
day-to-day Editorial Policies queries, the
pre-existing upward referral processes
within each Division remain unchanged.)
The Director of Editorial Policies has not
been interposed between the Managing
Director and other Directors, but rather
is co-equal with the other Directors, who
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
The Editorial Policies of the ABC are its leading
standards and a day-to-day reference for
makers of ABC content for radio, television,
online and in print. The Editorial Policies
serve three main purposes:
• Give practical shape to statutory obligations
in the ABC Act, in particular the obligations
to: provide services of a high standard;
maintain independence and integrity; and
ensure that the gathering and presentation
of news and information is accurate and
impartial according to the recognised
standards of objective journalism
• Set out the ABC’s self-regulatory standards
and how to enforce them, the source
document for the Code of Practice
that the ABC notifies to the Australian
Communications and Media Authority
• Describe and explain to staff and the
community the editorial and ethical
principles fundamental to the ABC.
108
Editorial Policies continued
remain sovereign over their content and
decisions to broadcast or publish, subject
only to the Managing Director. The specialist
editorial policies advisers in the various
divisions continue to report to the Directors
of those divisions, and do not answer to the
Director of Editorial Policies, although they
are requested to co-operate with him and
his staff. Efforts have been made to ensure
appropriate multi-divisional consultation
among the various specialists across the
ABC to gain the benefit of their combined
experience and to pursue clarity and
consistency in applying the Editorial Policies
throughout the whole organisation. The
Director of International, Corporate
Strategy and Governance remains
responsible for complaints handling in
relation to particular cases of alleged
breaches of the Editorial Policies.
Verifying whether the ABC is meeting the
high standards it sets itself involves the
Director of Editorial Policies in the design
and implementation of quality assurance
projects. The work is retrospective not
prospective. That is, the content assessed
has already been broadcast or published.
Using fair and rigorous methodologies, the
verification work is unusual in Australian
media and another example of the ABC’s
longstanding record of innovation, this time
in the field of self-regulation. The main
purpose of the verification work is to provide
evidence on which the Board, management,
staff and community can assess adherence
to the Editorial Policies.
The review function reflects heightened
awareness of the speed of change in the
media environment in which the ABC operates.
This function will focus on the text of the
Editorial Policies, to ensure the standards
stay up to date. Technological and other
change require all traditional media entities,
whether public or commercial, to be agile if
they are to maintain audiences and serve
them well. Instead of periodic reviews every
few years, the Editorial Policies are to be
kept under constant review, with the Director
identifying areas that may require amendment,
consulting and making recommendations to
the Managing Director and the ABC Board.
To assess and acquire relevant knowledge of
self-regulatory systems in operation elsewhere,
in May 2007 the Director attended the annual
conference of the Organisation of News
Ombudsmen, held at Harvard University,
and consulted counterparts in leading
United States and United Kingdom media
organisations including the British
Broadcasting Corporation.
In a note in the printed version of the 2007
Editorial Policies, the new Director committed
himself and his staff to the four values that
have bound all other ABC staff since 2002—
honesty, fairness, independence and respect
—and stated:
Applying policies well in any field, but
particularly in media, requires discussion,
reflection, decision and explanation. I am
new to the ABC, but not to journalism, nor to
this sort of work. I look forward to engaging
with ABC personnel in the complex and
worthwhile work of having the policies work
well. When they do, everyone benefits.
section 3
109
Legal Services
ABC Legal Services provides a comprehensive
range of legal services to the Corporation
including:
• pre-publication advice on a 24-hour, seven
days per week basis
• conducting litigation commenced against
the Corporation
• detailed advice on contractual and rights
issues, regulatory regimes and the statutory
obligations of ABC divisions
• developing submissions to Government
bodies about law reform.
Consistent with previous years, Legal Services
continued its media law training program,
which is aimed at minimising the ABC’s
exposure to legal proceedings by delivering
a series of specialised in-house media
law workshops for program makers within
the Corporation, covering topics such as
contempt of court and defamation.
ABC ANNUAL REPORT 2006–07
During 2006–07, Legal Services challenged
applications to restrain broadcasts proposed
by the ABC; continued to renegotiate blanket
rights agreements; formulated submissions
on matters including the Australian Law
Reform Commission’s Review of Privacy; and
continued to participate in the review of the
ABC Editorial Policies. Other major projects
included advising on the divestment of the
orchestras and amendments to the ABC’s
Analog Transmission Services Agreement
to extend the coverage of NewsRadio and
local radio services.