Page 1

friends of the abc

insideFrom the President 2

Letter to the Editor 4

Peter Pockley's description of the first moon landing 5

ABC TV cancels plans to broadcast documentry on the Isreali-Palestinian Conflict 6

Has the ABC’s Success put It inDanger? 7

Lessons from the BBC 8

News for parrots 10

ABC gets into bed with Fairfax ... and news is the winner 11

Mark Scott responds to the ABC’s Critics. 12

Branch News 14

There are rarely true ‘firsts’. NeilArmstrong was first to set footon the moon (as far as we can

tell!); Mark Oliphant was the firstPresident of our Academy of Scienceand Suzanne Cory is the first womanto be so elected – even so late as 2010!

Peter Pockley was not exactly thefirst science broadcaster of any

consequence in Australia, but he hasbeen, in all likelihood, the greatestpioneer. Crosbie Morrison, the naturalhistorian, presented many programsbefore and after World War Two forwhat was then The AustralianBroadcasting Commission. JuliusSumner Miller was a famous, finger-wagging, starry-eyed performer of

Background BriefingincorporatingUPDATE

‘Why Is It So?’ segments on ABC TVin the 60s and 70s, his furiouseyebrows being almost asdisconcerting as his Yankee accent.But both were unashamedly didacticteachers on air. Peter did somethingquite different. He established sciencejournalism, the need to cover allaspects of scientific research,invariably with a proper infusion ofshowbiz.

I first met him in March 1972. I hadbeen sent over by Humphrey Fisher,who then ran TV Features at the ABC– including some of its science. Peterwas in his fourth floor office at thetop of William Street in Sydney,within the pink limits of the King’sCross Red Light District. After hours aflamboyant line of hookers andtrannies did business outside thebuilding. There was a car showroomon the ground floor. By contrast Peter

continued on page 4.

RECOGNITION foran ABC SCIENCEBROADCASTINGPIONEER by Robyn Williams

Prof Kurt Lambeck, President, Australian Academy of Science, Governor General Quentin Bryce,

Peter Pockley.

Friends of the ABC (NSW) Inc.quarterly newsletter

June 2010 Vol 18, No.2

Page 2

the documentary is pro-peace ratherthan pro-Palestinian, taking testimonyfrom Israelis and Palestiniansexpressing their hopes and aspirationsfor peace in the region. My inquiry toMark Scott for further informationproduced the following reply fromMichael Millett, ABC CommunicationsDirector:

“I am able to confirm that ABC TVwas uneasy with the partisan nature ofthe documentary, and its inability atthat time to find something tocounterbalance (see Editorial Policy –The ABC is committed to impartialityand must demonstrate this through thepresentation of a diversity ofperspectives. This requires a diversity ofperspectives to be demonstrated acrossa network or platform by providingcontent of a similar type and weight inan appropriate time-frame.) ABC TV isnow reviewing the initial rejection tosee whether it can find something toair as a counter balance.”

There is no doubt that the Israeligovernment has an array of well-trained spokespersons, and unlimitedresources, instantly available to put theIsraeli government point of view onany matter. I write this late on thenight we learned of the Israeli armyattack, in international waters, on therelief convoy taking food medicalsupplies to Gaza. Predictably, there wasthe well-prepared Israeli Governmentrepresentative putting their version ofevents to Kerry O’Brien on the 7.30Report, but where was the interviewwith a spokesperson for the other side?It was surely a situation whichdemanded that we hear both sides, andabsurd to imagine that such arepresentative could not have beenfound.

It was Joan Michie’s complaintregarding coverage of the Gaza conflictthat too often we only heard the Israelipoint of view. Roger Raven, reportingelsewhere in this Update, refers to the2006 study of the BBC’s Middle-Easterncoverage – “it had a pro-Israeli bias,partly because it was naturally easier toget interviews and moving pictures

Friends of the ABC warmlycongratulates pioneering sciencebroadcaster Peter Pockley on the

high honour bestowed on himrecently by the Australian Academy ofScience – the award of its medal.Robyn Williams, current writer andpresenter of The Science Show haswritten a wonderful tribute to Peterand the vital work that he did inplacing the ABC Science Unit at theforefront of science broadcastingthroughout the world, and we arereminded of his memorable livebroadcast in 1969 of the first landingon the moon. The Governor General,Quentin Bryce, presented Peter withhis medal, and spoke of the pivotalrole that he played in educating us allabout science.

THE CHALLENGE OF BALANCEDREPORTING of the ISRAELI/PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

Joan Michie, a former editor of“News and Views”, the predecessor ofUpdate, has expressed her concern atthe inadequacies of the processwhereby complaints against the ABC’scoverage of a particular issue areinvestigated by the IndependentComplaints Review Panel (see herletter in the March Update.) Joan’soriginal complaint concerned lack ofbalance in the ABC’s coverage of theGaza conflict in December 2008/January 2009, mainly the failure toadequately cover the Palestinianviewpoint. The full text of the I.C.R.P.report may be found on the FABCwebsite, along with Joan Michie’sreply. A perusal of thiscorrespondence does suggest that theprocess is unsatisfactory in its currentform, and rather substantiates Joan’sconcern.

Andrew Pike, Managing Director ofRonin Films, an Australian companybased in Canberra, writes in thisedition of Update of the withdrawalby the ABC of a formal offer toacquire and (presumably) broadcast adocumentary about the Palestiniansituation, “Hope in a Slingshot”.Andrew puts a very strong case that

Update is published four times a year byFriends of the ABC (NSW) Inc. (FABC), PO Box 1391 NORTH SYDNEY 2059.

Printpost approved PP245059/00002

To become a member phone (02) 9990 0600 or email tofabcmem@fabcnsw.org.au or access our websitewww.fabcnsw.org.au.

Extracts from newspapers and otherpublications appearing in Update do notnecessarily reflect the views of the members of FABC. Update is distributed to all members ofFABC, as part of the membership fee.Update is also supplied to journalists,politicians and libraries across Australia. It is edited and produced in Sydney butcontributions are welcome from NSW countryand interstate branches. Material may be quoted or reproduced from Update provided the source isacknowledged and reproduction is sent to the President FABC.

Would you like to receive Updatemagazine electronically?Save the planet's trees and The Friendsprinting and postage costs and read Updatemagazine on your computer.Each quarter, when Update is published, youwill receive an email with a link to the latestissue (each magazine is around 0.5MB). You can try this now by going to our website at www.fabcnsw.org.au andclicking on Update.If you prefer this delivery option for futureUpdates please send an email to theMembership Secretary.

Who to write…Anyone seeking basic information aboutwriting to persons of influence might find ithelpful to go to the FABC NSW websitewww.fabc.org.au where there are some menu items under "Be Active" leading topages of information: Who can I write to?What can I say?

FABC (NSW) Executive Committee Office Bearers

President - Mal HewittPhone: 9637 2900Email: malandal@optusnet.com.au

Secretary & Treasurer - James BuchananPhone: 9371 5621Email: jamesbuc@bigpond.net.au

Membership Secretary - Angela WilliamsonPhone: 9416 4463Email: fabcmem@fabcnsw.org.au

Update Editor - Mal Hewitt PO Box 1391 N. Sydney NSW 2059Email: malandal@optusnet.com.au

Cartoonist - Phil SomervilleEditorial Cartoonist for The Sun Herald(Sydney)phil.somerville@somervillecartoons.com

Layout Artist - Paul Martenspaul@martens.name

Membership Line: 9990 0600

Update Publication Information

From The President

Page 3

from the dominant side; indeed theBBC later did a secret deal with Israelfor access in return for BBCcompliance with Israeli censorship.”We would like to think that ournational broadcaster took a morebalanced approach than the BBC, butI think that the jury is still out onthat!

ANOTHER BLUE MOUNTANSFABC FORUM

I urge all FABC members to cancelany previous commitments onSunday 27th June, and make yourway to Wentworth Falls School ofArts, where the incredibly energeticBlue Mountains Branch is holdinganother of their wonderful winterforums on the topic “The ABC’s Rolein Australia’s Governance.” Theseannual events in the mountainsattract some fascinating speakers, andthe 2010 Forum is no exception – PruGoward, Robert Manne and KerryChikarovski will discuss the topic, and

answer questions from the audience.Always entertaining and informative,you are treated to a sumptuousafternoon tea as well. Further detailsmay be found in the advertisement inthis edition of Update.

MARK SCOTT REPLIES

The ABC Managing Director haswritten a wide-ranging reply to manyof the questions and criticisms onrecent ABC decisions and directionswhich have been expressed in Updateand the opinion pages of the dailypress. Mark makes the strong pointthat the ABC is not a nichebroadcaster – quite clearly its charteris to serve the whole population ofAustralia, in all its social andgeographic diversity. Whilst agreeingto differ with the Managing Directoron a number of issues (including theaxing of The Religion Report!), NSWFriends of the ABC acknowledges thatthe ABC has a passionate andpowerful advocate in Mark Scott,

whether talking to government, thebroader community, media rivals orthe international community, and weappreciate that he has taken the timeto contribute to the debate inUpdate.

As the Federal Government lurchestowards another election, it is clearthat the National BroadcastingLegislation Amendment Bill is goingnowhere, although this is more thefault of the Opposition and SenatorFielding than Mr. Rudd’s LaborGovernment. Should the governmentretain power and control the Senate(even with the help of the Greens),we will have the long-awaited changeto the method of appointing the ABCBoard, and the restoration of thestaff-elected director. Should Mr.Rudd lose, there is little hope of thisreform ever taking place. Considerthat as you consider which party willreceive your vote.

Mal HewittFABC NSW President

The ABC’s Role inAustralia’s Governance

FRIENDS OF THE ABC – BLUE MOUNTAINS

SPEAKERS’ FORUMFOLLOWED BY AFTERNOON TEA

2PM SUNDAY JUNE 27AT THE SCHOOL OF ARTS,WENTWORTH FALLS

Compere: Neil Inall OAM

Tickets ($15.00 each) are available for purchaseat Megalong Books (Leura), The Turning Page(Springwood) and Glee Books (Blackheath)

Or contact: Bob Macadam 4754 1620Warren Nicholls 4739 3185

Speakers:

Pru Goward – Liberal MP for Goulburn

Robert Manne – Professor of Political Science,La Trobe University

Kerry Chikarovski – Director, Infrastructure andPlanning Australia Pty Ltd

Audience participation and discussion will be encouraged

Page 4

Pockley was the embodiment ofOxonian elegance, dark-eyed (as thenewspapers duly noted) and wearingkit that nicely registered his historyhalf-way between the quad and thesmoother parts of theBBC. He had beentrained at the Beeb onhis way home from ajob teaching chemistryat a posh school inEngland.

I wrongly inferred aprivileged upbringing –Geelong Grammar,Melbourne U. andBalliol. He was ascholarship lad and hadearned his every stepalong the way. Unlikeso many of the languidtoffs I had known atthe BBC, this was not afellow who assumedany divine rights. ButPeter did, and always has, made it hisbusiness to keep in contact with thehigher echelons of the professionsand government. Perhaps that is whyhe is always so immediatelysuspicious of interlopers and spivs.

The ABC Science Unit I discoveredin 1972, which he had established in1964, was packed with brains. TheExecutive Producer was John Challis,with his PhD from the Vatican and acharmingly adroit way of cuttingthrough sloppy thinking. RobinHughes was there (Margaret Throsby’ssister-in-law), the youngest producerever hired by BBC Third Programmeand who would go on to run FilmAustralia and the Film and TelevisionSchool. Max Bourke had just left theUnit to join CSIRO, and was soon tobecome adviser to the first Ministerfor Science, Bill Morrison – and thenCEO of The Australia Council.Michael Daley was there, a NewZealander of robust flair andformidable drinking habits (he’dmake Christopher Hitchens lookascetic!) whose journalism setstandards internationally.

Peter knew that great radio and TV

departments, like leading scienceoutfits, are founded on top minds andcreativity. In Bill Gates’s words: youhire the best you can find and letthem do what they want. This isalways tricky with Head Office.Mutterings about “smartarses” and“who do they think they are?” camefrom the more sporty or ruraltraditions of Broadcast House. PeterPockley was gone soon after I settledin. This was the early 1970s.

He went to The University of NSW,then found a spot at UTS to set up afore-runner of what is now theresoundingly successful AustralianScience Media Centre in Adelaide –run by the very person, SusannahEliott, he appointed back then to helphim – then started to write for whatbecame the Australasian ScienceMagazine, as well as doing manyreports for ABC Radio.

It was during this latter period thatPeter gave some of the newer faces onthe science scene a hard time, notleast those astonishingly well-endowed spruikers at CSIRO whosebackground in the cigarette industryperplexed many of us. He was utterlyunrelenting, and, ultimately,successful in seeing them off.

He has now also built up aformidable archive of recordedbiographical interviews with leadingresearchers for the National Library,providing a record of achievement forall Australians to consult.

On presenting Peter Pockley withthe Academy’s medal the GovernorGeneral, Quentin Bryce, spoke of his

RECOGNITION for an ABCSCIENCE BROADCASTINGPIONEERcontinued from page 1.

Peter Pockley receives the Australian Acadamy of Science’s Medalfrom the Governor General.

Letter to the EditorRRee.. AABBCC CChhaaiirrmmaann ––lleettttiinngg tthhee gglloobbaallwwaarrmmiinngg sscceeppttiiccsshhaavvee tthheeiirr ssaayy..I have been following both thescience and the politics of globalwarming for over 30 years. Theproblem is that, like most of theAustralian population, themajority of ABC journalists arenot experts on the science. Theso-called sceptics whochallenge the peer-reviewedscience are therefore notproperly questioned when givinginterviews. Much of theinformation provided by theskeptics is, when examined indetail, found to be eithercontradictory, based inmisinformation or a manipulationof the peer-reviewed data.

How can it be possible thatanybody can believe that thesceptics are not getting airplay?When the sceptics speak out, itis front page. When their data isput to the test and found to beincorrect, it is on page 7 or notmentioned. This is not a tiradeagainst the ABC not getting itright on an issue. It is about theprinciples by which the ABC isgoverned.

Obviously, not everyone canbe a scientific expert. I find ithard to forgive the Chairman ofthe Board, not because he doesnot understand the debatebetter than the averageAustralian or journalist, butbecause he did not do hishomework before speaking out.What he is really saying is:ignore the facts, ignore the truedebate, and dumb down theABC. That I cannot forgive, andMr. Newman is not worthy tocontinue in his position asChairman. He is guilty ofplaying hard politics when he issupposed to be exemplary inhis neutrality.

Gus SharpeMurrumbateman, NSW

Page 5

record in setting up a special ScienceUnit in the ABC and for doing thosethrillingly evocative broadcasts in1969 as Armstrong and Aldrin walkedon the moon.

Why have a specialist unit? Becausethere are so many topics which eludethe mainline news and current affairsprograms – there is more to sciencethan dinosaur finds, cancer‘breakthroughs’ and space disasters.Non specialists also tend to over-emphasise the information fix and‘debate’ elements. The more you arefamiliar with scientific ideas the moreyou know how to dispense with thetechno-chat and the false dichotomies.There are few leading scientists whoreally think HIV isn’t connected toAIDS or who question the mainfindings on climate change. ScienceUnits are also able to mount intriguingspecials on topics you never dreamtmight be worth your time: one of thefirst Peter had me helping to edit wasa feature by him recorded in PNG;another was on the biology of coral reefs.

Peter also insisted we go beyond thestandard confines of our homehighbrow network and even of regularprograms. In May 1972 one of my firsttasks was to build up research andthen help with broadcasts aroundApollo 16 (then, later, the last Apollomission, No. 17, in December) whenwe went to air at all times of day andnight on ABC metro stations breakinginto regular shows with live updates,exchanging excited chat with DJs andchat shows as if it were the mostnatural thing in the world. We evenmounted the ABC’s first phone-ins.Peter’s remit: have mike, will travel; inscience there are no limits, in radio orTV – or, especially, culturally.

That set of definitions, way backthen, have been the basis for ABCScience ever since. This was not aboffiny enclave handing out privilegedinfo de haute en bas. It was a testingground and melting pot for all mannerof enterprising broadcasters from MattPeacock and Ramona Koval to RichardAedy and Kirsten Garrett. It enabledhundreds of those outside the ABC topresent shows, from the legendary DrEarle Hackett (who became chairmanof the ABC, no less), to Peter Mason,Frank Talbot, Mac Burnet, Gus Nossal,Fiona Stanley and Derek Denton.

AABBCC SScciieennccee SShhooww,, 88tthh MMaayy 22001100

Peter Pockley was founding head ofABC Science in the 1960s and early1970s. In fact he pulled the strings tocreate The Science Show and ABCRadio National's Science Unit. In July1969 Peter was commentator andradio host bringing description of thefirst lunar landing to Australian radiolisteners. The Australian Academy ofScience awarded Peter the AcademyMedal in 2010 which acknowledges anoutstanding contribution to science bymeans other than the conduct ofscientific research.

Robyn Williams: So do you think theMoon landings were also faked? PeterPockley doesn't. And, as the GovernorGeneral said at the start of thisprogram, it was Peter's broadcasts atthe time, 40 years ago, that made thelanding so compelling. He won theMedal of the Australian Academy ofScience this week, congratulationsagain. And also heartfelt thanks forFrank Meany for our recordings of theAcademy celebrations in Canberra onThursday. Production for this ScienceShow by Charlie McCune and DavidFisher. And this is how Peter Pockleydescribed the Moon landings wayback then:

Peter Pockley: There's somemovement now occurring, somemovement of Armstrong.

NASA transmission, Houston: OkayNeil, we can see you coming down theladder now.

Peter Pockley: He's moving down theladder. His face onto the ladder.

Neil Armstrong: Okay. I just checkedgetting back up to that first step. Itdidn't collapse too far. But it's

adequate to get back up. It's a prettygood little jump.

Peter Pockley: He's checking hisstep, checking his balance on the step,moving down slowly and steadily.Martin Royal has joined us for thisdescription of the space walk.

Neil Armstrong: I'm at the foot of theladder. The LM foot beds are onlydepressed in the surface about one ortwo inches, although the surfaceappears to be very, very fine-grained asyou get close to it. It's almost like apowder. It's very fine.

Martin Royal: We can certainly seeone of the lunar boots movingdownwards, just how far down it's notquite apparent. How many steps arethere, Peter?

Peter Pockley: I think there are ninesteps, I think he takes 11 movementsaltogether before actually stepping onthe lunar soil. There's the boot again,waving out in space as he feels aroundawkwardly. One hand on the ladder...

Neil Armstrong: It's one small step forman, one giant leap for mankind.

Peter Pockley: One small step for man,Armstrong says.

Neil Armstrong: The surface is fineand powdery, I can kick it up looselywith my toe.

Martin Royal: He's got a foot on thepowder.

Peter Pockley: Neil Armstrong...

Neil Armstrong: ...adheres in finelayers, like powdered charcoal, to thesole and sides of my boot.

Peter Pockley: Neil Armstrong has setfoot on the Moon.

It set up links to sister organisationsall over the world which we stillenjoy today. This is something PeterPockley pioneered, when it reallymattered, nearly fifty years ago.

He may be someone who will neverwrite a single page memo when

twenty pages will do; nor take issuewith one villain when they may all bevanquished. But his record andcommitment to science has beenunswerving. Hence, one of theAustralian Academy of Science’shighest honours, its medal – is sothoroughly deserved.

Peter Pockley'sdescription of the first moon landing

Page 6

The ABC has withdrawn aformal offer it made to Ronin

Films to acquire a documentarycalled HOPE IN A SLINGSHOT,by Australian filmmaker, InkaStafrace. The offer was acceptedby Ronin, but was latercancelled by the ABC on thegrounds that the documentarywas, in the words of the Headof Television, Kim Dalton,“an opinion program” abouta “contentious” subject andthat it conflicted with theABC’s policy of“impartiality”, as requiredby Clause 6.6.3 of theABC’s Editorial Policy.Dalton stated that theABC was unable to findanother program thatbalanced the viewsexpressed in the film.

This cancellation isof concern for severalreasons. The film is an exploration ofthe Israeli-Palestinian conflict andmakes a pro-peace statement, stronglyand refreshingly expressed. It ispersonally narrated by the filmmakerand she shares her experiences withinthe conflict zone. The film wasindependently produced and self-funded, although small amounts ofmarketing money were donated byboth the Jewish and Palestiniancommunities in Australia.

The film focuses on the details,particularly the human costs, of theoccupation of Palestine by Israel. It isnot a case against Israel, the Israelipeople or the Jewish community. Thebulk of the film expresses the thoughtsof human rights activists (both Israeliand Palestinian) who live in the regionas they discuss the realities of thesituation in the West Bank.

The ABC’s policy, as stated by KimDalton, suggests that a pro-war filmwould need to be presented tobalance this pro-peace film, but sucha policy would logically require a pro-government film to be shown everytime any film about revolutionaries isaired. The call for balance defies logic

and contradicts the ABC’sown routine programmingdecisions.

Israeli military objectivesroutinely dominate our

mainstream mass mediacoverage of the conflict.

Yet, in the words ofthe filmmaker, InkaStafrace, “If any articleor news grab ofviolence in the regionfails to mention the

occupation, it isfundamentally un-

balanced”. The Palestinianshave only limited independentmedia access to the West, unlike thepowerful influence of the Israeligovernment’s press office. The veryshowing of HOPE IN A SLINGSHOTwould provide an opportunity tocontribute to the “balancing” ofdominant media reports on theconflict in this country.

The film has received manyexpressions of support. Dr Jake Lynch,Director of the Centre for Peace andConflict Studies at the University ofSydney, and a member of theAdvisory Board of the Sydney PeaceFoundation, makes the followingcomment: HOPE IN A SLINGSHOT is“extremely impressive. ... A signalcontribution to peaceful mediarepresentation of this conflict”.

The Australian Teachers of Media(ATOM) have prepared a study guidefor HOPE IN A SLINGSHOT, intendedfor use in secondary schools. Thisguide provides further opportunity forthe issues raised by the film to bediscussed and analysed.

Clearly the ABC is afraid of someform of political repercussion if itwere to show HOPE IN A SLINGSHOT.The cancellation of the broadcast

ABC TV CANCELS PLANS TOBROADCAST DOCUMENTARY ON

THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

Left: Inka Stafrace, Director and Producer. Right: Andrew Pike, Director of Ronin Films.

Page 7

highlights the need to have anational television network which istruly independent in terms of itseditorial content. Whether the ABC’sfear of backlash is a threat comingfrom government or from thecommunity, our national broadcastershould not be subject tointimidation of this nature.

Senior management should be ableto stand by the decisions of qualifiedand experienced ABC staff who aremaking informed assessments ofprograms offered to them. It alsoseems that it would be good businesspractice for senior management tohonour agreements made by theirstaff in the course of the professionalconduct of their work.

Interestingly, while the freeexpression of political opinion (suchas anti-war arguments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) seem to beinhibited in ABC television, thesame constraints do not seem toapply to radio: a pro-peaceprogramme recently aired on ABC’sRadio National.

Finally, it should be noted that“balance” is an inherentlyproblematic concept. “Balance”implies that there are only two sidesto any story, yet in the case of thecomplicated Israeli-Palestinianconflict, there are infinitely moreviewpoints than just two.

What we need from our nationalbroadcaster are programs thatfearlessly challenge and provokedebate. The ABC’s policy ofmaintaining “balance” on“contentious” issues runs the risk ofhalting dialogue and censoringinnovative points of view ratherthan stimulating them, as it soclearly has done with HOPE IN ASLINGSHOT. The Australian publicshould have access to the film. Ourunderstanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict calls for the filmto be shown.

Dr Andrew Pike, OAMDirector, Ronin Films

24 May 2010

Note: DVDs of HOPE IN ASLINGSHOT are available fromRonin Films(www.roninfilms.com.au)

Back in 1998Australianmedia

academic JockGiven wrote in hisbook The Death ofBroadcasting –Media’s DigitalFuture:

No one talks muchof the death of Australian commercialbroadcasting at the moment … Ifthere is a discourse of death it is theABC’s,hammered by funding cuts andlimited additional funds for thetransition to digital broadcasting.

How things have changed in twelveyears. Both the BBC and the ABChave made the new digital mediawork for them, not against them. Nowthe complaint is that the publicbroadcasters, particularly the ABCand the BBC, are too successful.There is now a concerted campaign,spearheaded internationally by theMurdoch press, and backed up inAustralia by the Fairfax/Rural Pressgroup, to cut public broadcastingback.

This could be a dangerous time forthe ABC and the BBC. Both haveworked well to integrate the oldtechnologies of radio and televisionwith the new digital technologies.They have been so successful withthis that the commercial sector isstarting to blame public broadcastingfor its own failures. However theproblems of commercial broadcastersare mostly due to the breakdown ofthe mass advertising model.

Have the two Marks (Mark Scott ofthe ABC and Mark Thompson of theBBC) been too expansionist? Inchallenging the dominance of thecommercial media, have they stucktheir necks out too far?

Certainly Mark Thompson hasrecently become more cautious, andhas scaled back some of the BBC’sexpansion plans. Mark Scott, on theother hand, is pushing ahead,particularly with his efforts to securethe contract for the internationalnews channel for the ABC.

The self-interest of the commercialbroadcasters in attempting todiminish the BBC and the ABC isobvious. It is hard to believe GregBaxter, corporate affairs spokesmanfor News Ltd in Australia when hesays “''I can't remember us everarguing about [ABC] funding.” SirKeith Murdoch (Rupert’s father) ran asuccessful campaign to persuade theMenzies government to cut the ABCbudget by 16% and fought long andhard to prevent the ABC running anews service that might competewith his newspapers.

HAS THE ABC’SSUCCESS PUT IT IN DANGER?

Darce Cassidy

While the motives of thecommercial media are clear, and theirsincerity suspect, a legitimatequestion remains -is Mark Scott indanger of stretching the ABC’slimited resources too far?

continued overleaf...

?Has the ABC

(and most of therest of the media)been putting less

resources intoinvestigativejournalism?

Page 8

...continued from previous page.

The ABC not only has newdigital TV channels , and newdigital radio networks (so farsimply simulcasting the AM andFM services) but it is alsoexpanding its services to regionalradio audiences. Much of this hascome without additional funding.

In the news and current affairsarea how much effort is going intothe fundamentals (finding thingsout) and how much effort is goinginto “re-purposing” – re-workingthe same information for a differentmedium (radio, television, internet),but without adding substantially tothe content?

Has the ABC (and most of therest of the media) been puttingless resources into investigativejournalism? Has the breadth of theABC’s output has been growing,while its depth has beenshrinking? It is hard to find firmevidence, but it seems to me thatthere is less real investigativejournalism.

Two recent programs lead me tothink that the ABC is starting totake this criticism on board.

The first is Kerry O’Brien’s wellresearched and tightly arguedinterviews with Kevin Rudd andTony Abbot. I’ve not seen him dobetter. It was a model of how theABC should hold politicians up toscrutiny in an election year.

The second is the collaborationbetween the ABC and the Age onthe Securancy bribery scandalcovered by Four Corners. Manyother media outlets gave this storycursory treatment. Bothgovernment and oppositionseemed happy to brush thingsunder the carpet. However theABC and the Age, by poolingresources, produced some veryeffective investigative journalism.The trick will be to maintain thestandard set recently by KerryO’Brien and Four Corners.

However the ABC faces otherchallenges than the need topursue stories in depth. Breadthalso remains a necessity.

Roger Raven, Former President,WA FABC, has just returned fromthe UK, and provides the followingcomments on the recent BBCexperience, relating it to our ownpublic broadcaster.

Since the BBC wasthe model for theABC, this article isabout BBCdevelopments inthe context ofimplications forOur ABC. Indeed,

the BBC and Our ABC seem to sharemany challenges, funding, bias,populism, role, management issues,independence, and atomisation of themedia and of the audience beingsome. But as with the ABC, itsmission remains to inform, educateand entertain.

One of the BBC’s strengths wasobserved by Donald McDonald(previous ABC Chair) to be that

“ … [the BBC], by our standards, isrich beyond the dreams of avarice. Toserve a population 3 times ours, theBBC has nearly eleven times ourfunding. It can afford to take MrMurdoch and all comers head on. Wecan't, and nobody wants us to.”

In 2008-09, the BBC earned roughly£4,606 million ($8,080 million at May’10 exchange rates), 75% of whichwas from the annually increasinglicence fee. For the ABC in 2008-09,the total appropriation was $1,082million.

However, the BBC, too, has itsproblems. Though there was littledoubt that the BBC would be able tohave its Charter extended to 2016,

some bigchangesoccurred.BBCGovernors werereplaced by aBBC Trust to whichis subordinated anExecutive Board. Itdecided to close someprogrammes anddeliberately withdraw fromsome areas of legitimatepublic broadcasting. PowerfulBritish political forces, such as theTories backed by Murdoch and others,seek to build on those successes tofurther degrade the BBC.

Indeed, the BBC managing directorcriticised the ABC managing director’sview that a public broadcaster shouldnot be expected to prop up failingcorporate models – which shows theBBC does know the ABC exists.

Both assure all and sundry that theyare focussed on delivering better valuefor money, on news and children'sprogrammes, about harnessingtechnology to creativity, talent to newideas, workplace flexibility, etc.Certainly they are typically leaders inthe new media technologies.

Both are committed in effect toflogging-out and to a lesser degreeflogging-off, even though doing soconsistently means higher cost andlower quality.

Lessons fromthe

Check out our Website!• Want information on the

latest issues?

• Need a printablemembership application?

• Current and past issues ofUpdate?

• Who to write to?

Go to:

www.fabcnsw.org.auOr check out the National Portal

(links to all states):

www.friendsoftheabc.org.au

Page 9

Both are well aware of the need tokeep public support, and frequentlyquote from favourable ratings surveys.It is also a protection against theirfrequent reviews. Typically being toserve political or populist pressures ofthe day, each review is carried out asthough their many predecessors hadnever been.

Both tend to be defensive regardingaccusations of bias, not so much onthe merits, but because powerfulgroups use even the most threadbareaccusation of bias for political attacksdesigned not to end bias but toensure bias in their favour. In 2004,the BBC faced the 2004 HuttonReport, of which David Marr wrote:

“A great cloud hangs over publicbroadcasting in Britain since LordHutton's trial and sentencing of theBBC. Yet for the journalist at thecentre of the fuss, Andrew Gilligan,it's been a great week, as moreevidence emerged that his story

[accusing the Blair government ofknowing the pre-Iraq-invasion

“intelligence” was dodgy] wasessentially correct.“

In the same year, and forthe same political reasons, the

then Minister forCommunications Senator Alstonlaunched his 68 (some weredropped, others added) complaints,of which David Marr said:

“I've had to read a stack of ABAreports in the three years I've beenpresenting Media Watch but this isprobably the silliest so far. It's a nota bad result for Richard Alston. Sure,two thirds of his dossier has nowbeen rejected a third time, but afterall these months of investigation byGod knows how many lawyers andofficials, he's managed to score 24hits on the ABC. But … Not for thefirst time in our experience, the ABAhas shown it doesn't really knowhow journalism works. “

While the BBC now claims to wantto be the best media source in theworld, the 2006 study into theimpartiality of the BBC’s coverage ofthe Israeli-Palestinian conflict foundthat it had a pro-Israeli bias, partlybecause it was naturally easier to getinterviews and moving pictures fromthe dominant side; indeed, the BBClater did a secret deal with Israel for

access in return for BBC compliancewith Israeli censorship, rather likemany Australian mediaorganisations do with the police.Indeed, the BBC has so far spent£200,000 to suppress the apparentlysimilar Balen report of 2004. A 2006report by Media Tenor examined theTV coverage of the pre-Iraq-invasionperiod of 2003 by some of theworld's leading broadcasters. Themost biased was the BBC, whichgave just 2% of its coverage toopposition views - views thatrepresented the majority of theBritish people.

Both are doing better than thosemedia supported fully or in part byadvertising. Here, the Ministerrecently saw the need to make a giftof more than $200 million in licencefee rebates over three years for thecommercial TV networks. Naturallythere was no such untied fundingfor the ABC.

In some respects the BBC seems tohave been less successful in handlingthese challenges than the ABC; toreply to the snippet from DonaldMcDonald, the BBC might be able totake on the likes of Rupert, but it(meaning its most seniormanagement) doesn’t want to.Instead of a politically drivendismemberment, the ABC’s Boardstructure has been substantiallydepoliticised. Unlike Tony Blair,Senator Conroy is at least officiallyand for the moment defending ourpublic broadcaster against self-interested attack. Successive ABCMDs advertising of their willingness to prostitute the ABChave – for now – been reasonablysuccessful, without abnormaldamage to the ABC.

No doubt we can expect the ABCto pursue a BBC3 (apparently ayouth oriented realism TV channelwith an idealistic tinge, to keep holdof those who lacking a TARDIS toescape Childrens’ BBC TV).

Much of the ABC’s goodjournalism is due to what formerABC Board Member, IPA supporter,and Murdoch columnist JanetAlbrechtsen would call “staff-capture”. We have the staff ratherthan the most senior managementto thank for what is usually good,and occasionally truly excellent,

journalism at Our ABC. Recall (thecurrent Chairman) Newman's and(current managing director) Scott'stantrums and vindictiveness overthe Chaser issue, and Newman’schampioning of the global warmingskeptics – Newman was reportedly(and rightly) censured by severalstaff. There is very little good scienceon the side of the global warmingskeptics, but much political power.

So there remains a need fororganisations like VLV in Britain andthe Friends here to campaign for ourideal of an excellent andindependent public broadcaster.That, for FABCs, is a more complexand less glamorous task than whenwe were dealing with ideologicalzealots. “Getting more members”,for instance, is a useless exerciseunless doing so increases FABCassertiveness. The article above isintended to take us a little furtherthat way.

Page 10

Good evening. Here is the news forparrots. No parrots were involved in anaccident on the M1 today, when a lorrycarrying high-octane fuel was in acollision with a bollard – that is aBOLLARD and not a PARROT.

A spokesman for parrots said he wasglad no parrots were involved. TheMinister of Technology (photo of ministerwith parrot on his shoulder) today metthe three Russian leaders (cut tophotograph of Brezhnev, Podgomy andKosygin all in a group and each with aparrot on his shoulder) to discuss a $4million airline deal ….(cut back tonarrator) None of them went in the cage,or swung on the little wooden trapeze, orate any of the nice millet seed yum, yum.That’s the end of the news.

Monty Pythons Flying Circus Episode 20.

As the ABC introduces additionalradio and TV channels andadditional Internet services,

without a corresponding increase inbudget there is a danger that qualitywill be diluted, breadth will bepreferred to depth.

It is not just a matter of the Internetmaking so many channels available,but new digital radio and digitaltelevision channels look like they willadd further to the fragmentation ofaudiences.

The dilemma for public broadcasterslike the ABC is whether to be aspecialist broadcaster, a generalistbroadcaster, or try to be both.

British anthropologist Professor

Georgina Born, the author ofUncertain Vision: Birt, Dyke and theReinvention of the BBC, in conversationwith Gerald Tooth on RadioNational’s Media Report, explainedthe critical role of public servicebroadcasters in in the development ofpublic opinion in the U.K:

… really, until the advent of nationalradio in the ‘20s and growing into the‘thirties, there is no such thing as anational public, and no such thing as anational culture to speak of. There werevarious sorts of bands of elite publics [orsub-cultures], and there was of course agrowing labour movement and workingclass identity. But the creation of thispan-class, truly national body of opinion,depended on broadcasting’s arrival. It’s avery powerful argument, and I think itsintimate links with the growth of massdemocracy and universal suffrage arecrucial.

While the BBC, and the ABC, haveplayed a key role in establishing auniversal public sphere that isnecessary for effective democracy,their representation of the nationalculture has often been, in GeorginaBorn’s words “flattening, monolithicand homogeneous”. Nationalbroadcasters need to be “responsive tonew groups in society, to the diversity,the heterogeneity, tomulticulturalism, to indigenouspeoples’ voices and so on”

However Professor Born was criticalof some Australian academics who shesaid had over emphasised the need torepresent diversity to the point that

NEWSFORPARROTS

fragmentation of audiences was indanger of threatening the need forunification.

We need a universal public systembecause it mirrors our political system,the Federal political system. We need aspace in which all those micro publicscan talk to the majority, and the majoritycan be expected to listen. And only masschannels provide that kind of universalspace, not that for example thenewspaper market is more and moresegmented as well.

Put simply, while specialist servicesfor sub-cultures – parrots, stampcollectors or cricket fanatics- areimportant, so is a national forum inwhich we can all take part.

Ken Inglis, in the second volume ofhis history of the ABC, made a similarpoint:

All in all it is likely that viewers andlisteners in the digital age will becomeeven more reliant on public broadcastersfor electronic representation of theirnation’s character, and the humancondition. …There is plenty of life yet inthe adage about the ABC and itsequivalents elsewhere, that they addresstheir audiences as citizens, not consumers.

That is why it is important thatMark Scott pursues his aim for theABC to be a town square where notonly are all welcome, but also whereall are comfortable.

Narrator: And while that’s going on, here isthe news for gibbons. No gibbons wereinvolved today in an accident on the M1…

Darce Cassidy

Page 11

Margaret Simons writes:

CCrriikkeeyy 2255 MMaayy 22001100

Australian Wheat Board,Four Corners, SecurencyInternational, The Age

Once, journalistsguarded their storiesfiercely, and the ideaof competing withanother media outlet,let alone doing a jointoperation, would have

been anathema. Things have changed.

Yesterday, last night and this morningwe are seeing the results of aninvestigative story conducted as a jointoperation between The Age and theABC's Four Corners. It is a ripping yarnabout an arm of the Reserve Bank, thepolymer note manufacturer SecurencyInternational.

The scandal was described with somejustice on last night’s Four Corners aspotentially Australia’s most serious caseof corruption since the Australian WheatBoard affair.

So how does such a story come to beresearched as a joint venture by Fairfaxand the ABC? And in a time of stressednewsrooms and editorial budgets, arewe likely to see more of this?

Perhaps. In this case, the joint ventureis the result of a particular set ofpersonal relationships, brokered andfacilitated by key executives in bothmedia organisations, who clearly havethe worth of the journalism as a centralmotivation.

The lead reporter on the case is NickMcKenzie, formerly of the ABC and nowworking for The Age, but retaining all hisABC contacts. McKenzie has takenunpaid leave from The Age to fill in atFour Corners on a couple of occasionsin recent years.

The joint project was brokered byMcKenzie, but made possible throughthe co-operation of Age senior deputyeditor Mark Baker, and like-mindedpeople at the ABC.

McKenzie and Age reporter RichardBaker have been chipping away atSecurency for more than a year, and

while they have had some impact, asMcKenzie himself said to me yesterday,"it was nothing compared to the mediafest that began yesterday morning,when the ABC began to use its crossmedia resources to promote the indepth Four Corners investigation".

The Securency story is also part of ashift at the ABC. I have been amongthose who have previously accused thenational broadcaster of not breakingenough stories. One of the repliescoming from within the organisation hasbeen that the Auntie does break stories,but that it hasn’t been good enough atacknowledging that across theorganisation, and using its resources tocross promote and follow up.

So is this the way of the future?McKenzie thinks it might be. Theinternet has altered the news cycle, hesays, meaning that gaining audienceand impact is more important thankeeping a scoop to yourself.

"The speed of the news cycle meansthat an exclusive is only exclusive forabout three seconds now," he says.

With ABC budgets tight, andnewspapers effectively fighting for theirlives, joint ventures can be one way ofgetting important journalism done, andout there.

But the arrangements depend onsimilar editorial cultures, relationships oftrust between individual reporters

ABC gets into bed with Fairfax... and news is the winner

This is part of the larger story of anorganisation often at war with itself, withalmost as many factions as there aremicrophones. In recent months, therehas been a concerted effort to breakdown those walls and act strategicallyto maximise the effect of breaking news.

So it was that yesterday morning ABClisteners woke to news bulletins thateffectively previewed the Four Cornersscoop. Opening Fairfax newspapers,they then read even more on the story.Four Corners screened, and then todayFairfax newspapers have followed up.

As a result a story previously confinedto one media organisation is now a topstory throughout the nation.

across organisations, and the good willand public spiritedness of mediaexecutives.

This time, it all came together. Noweven News Limited, which previouslyran dead on the issue, is on to the story.It can no longer be ignored, and will notgo away until questions are answeredand allegations investigated.

News organisations are becomingmore porous, it seems. And getting thenews out there can be a matter ofcollaboration -- with colleagues andwith the audience -- as much ascompetition.

Interesting times.

Page 12

The Managing Director of theABC has provided Update withthe following article, which isbased on his recent address tothe Commonwealth BroadcastingAssociation in South Africa.

There’s been vigorous debaterecently about the role of theABC – particularly around ourlatest innovations such as ABC3,ABC Open and ABC News 24.

Isee this debate as anacknowledgement of howimportant the ABC is to Australia’s

cultural and civic life. Inevitably ofcourse, some of our critics have eithermisunderstood or misrepresented ourmotives.

However I’m in no doubt that theABC is, in all its new activities, actingjust as the public broadcaster should -in the interests of the public.

Friends of the ABC are likely to befar more familiar with the ABC Actand the Charter than most. The Actplaces certain obligations upon us, andthey are particularly relevant to thedigital age.

Among them is a demand that we beinnovative, and that we ensure we’reproviding maximum benefit to theAustralian people.

Every move the ABC makes ischecked against these foundingdocuments, to ensure that we aremeeting the responsiblities theyimpose both in letter and in spirit. Wedo not expand for expansion’s sake.

And I’m proud to see how well theABC is living up to the Charter andthe Act, and that we see theseobligations as opportunities to buildan ABC that’s going to remainabsolutely integral to Australian life inthe future.

I was invited to speak about this at

the recent CommonwealthBroadcasting Association Conference.

As I indicated in that speech, thelightning speed with which newtechnology is being developed andadopted, the flow-on effects ofchanging consumer behaviour andexpectations and disruptions to thebusiness models for delivery news,information and entertainment arepresenting the ABC with big challenges.

Change that would once haveoccurred within the span of ageneration is now experienced in thespace of a few years.

looking to the future for the publicbroadcaster, I am a liberal, aprogressive.

Being both conservative andprogressive means there’s equalopportunity forcriticism from bothsides. If it seems like a contradiction,it’s one that will enable to the ABC toprosper and survive. As Tancredi said inThe Leopard "If we want things to stayas they are, things will have to change."

Let me explain why I am aconservative on some mattersinvolving the ABC. The Charter andAct that came with the transformationof the ABC into a Corporation in 1983set out a number of principles thatgovern our operations.

Considering these were enacted ayear before the birth of the inventor ofFacebook, those principles remainremarkably robust and relevant to thisdigital era.

Let me highlight three key principlesderived from that enabling legislationthat are driving strategy for the futureof the ABC.

The first principle is that the ABC isnot a niche broadcaster. The Charterasks that we provide content of wideappeal and content that is specialist innature.

Consequently, we look to engage notonly with small communities ofinterest but to also bring the nationtogether around content that willgenerate critical mass.

So ratings do matter to us, but theyare not the only thing that matters. Inthe heart of prime time, we deliverprograms on science and religion, artsprograms, specialist documentaries,serious news and analysis that wouldnever get a run on commercial free-to-air television.

MARK SCOTTRESPONDSto the ABC’s Critics.

The argumentseems to be becausePay offers specialistcontent, the ABCshould not. The

logical conclusionto this would be the

ABC’s exclusionfrom television

altogether.

This environment makes us seriouslyconsider what we are delivering andhow we deliver it. As publicbroadcasters reliant on the trust andfinancial support of the public, welook at what services we are uniquelypositioned to provide, what our placein the marketplace is and how weourselves must change in response tochanges that are all around us.

From time to time in Australia thereis debate about the ABC’s need to befair, balanced and impartial. Well,when considering the role of the ABCin Australian life, I am firmly aconservative. At the same time,

Page 13

We have a radio network, RadioNational, which devotes most of itsairtime to specialist content.

The ABC’s strength then, as now,came from the diversity of content -both specialist and of wide appeal.

Some of our TV programs can attract25 percent of the free-to-air audience.Others struggle for a quarter of that.Our Local Radio network can generatefour times the audience of some of ourspecialist radio networks.

But together, side-by-side, theseconstitute a strong and credible ABCexperience that both meets audienceneeds and has significant impact onAustralian thinking, imagination andculture.

By being a broadcaster for allAustralians and part of the experienceof all Australians, a connection withthe Australian people has been createdand it has continued acrossgenerations. This connection has beenkey to our ongoing financial supportfrom Canberra.

It means that on content such asnews and current affairs, like ourpopular authentically local radionetwork, the ABC has become a placewhere Australians come together tolisten to one another, to assess anddiscuss the great issues of the day.

A shared space for the nation. Acommons in an increasinglyfragmented world.

Whether popular or specialist, whatthe ABC delivers is trusted, distinctiveand of quality. And Australians turn tothe ABC confident that they will findcontent that embodies these values,that has passed the test of quality anddistinctiveness.

The second principle from the ABCCharter that guides us is that the ABCshould, when making contentdecisions, take account of what isbeing offered by commercial andcommunity broadcasters. As you cansee, there’s a direct link to the firstprinciple about widely appealing andspecialist content.

There are now new and extremepressures on commercial media, andbecause there are, it’s been suggestedthat certain markets today should beserviced exclusively by commercialbroadcasters with neither contributionnor competition from the publicbroadcaster. Australian civic and

cultural life would be poorer for this.

James Murdoch in last year’sMacTaggart lecture gave us NewsCorporation’s Head Office view onthis. Attacking the BBC, Mr Murdochsaid public sector broadcasters shouldvacate key areas of service to let themarket be satisfied by private sectorcorporations.

Naturally, there have been echoesand minor variations on that line from

audience needs, and whether itrepresents a good investment oftaxpayers’ money.

With the possible exception offinancial journalism, investment inquality news - international,investigative, detailed analyticalreporting - has always been subsidised.

Through classified advertising, orbenevolent proprietors, or fundingthrough public broadcasting - valuedservices the market cannot supportdirectly on its own, have neverthelessbeen provided.

The cross-subsidy of qualityMurdoch publications like The Timesof London and The Australian hasbeen well-documented.

In an Australian context, the demiseof most of the long-time media baronsand family ownership structuresaround media organisations hasinevitably led commercial broadcastersto first reduce the priority given to,and then reduce investment in, seriousnews and current affairs.

The evidence is strongest in radioand in regional areas, but also in themajor television networks.

If the product doesn’t deliver profits,commercial investors must first slashcosts, then investment, then simplywalk away. They carry no overarchingcommitment to journalism as a publicgood, as something inherentlynecessary in a society with responsiblegovernment and accountable publicand private institutions. Their brief isto maximise the return toshareholders. That is theirresponsibility and our systems ofcorporate governance andaccountability would not have it anyother way.

But now, after years of commercialmarket cuts to investment in newsand current affairs, we’re in a goodposition to appreciate the wisdom of acontinuing public investment in theABC’s news service.

Our strategy is built upon a thirdprinciple as well which, like theCharter, derives from the ABC Act.And that principle is the Board’s dutyto ensure the ABC provides themaximum benefit to the Australianpeople on the public investment inthe ABC.

In looking foranswers, it’s

important to holdtight to what is

working, what hasdelivered and

continues to deliver.

some of News Corporations branchoffices and investments in Australia –particularly the pay-TV sector.

They argued against the ABCoffering a children’s channel becausePay offers channels for children. Theyargued against an ABC news channelbecause Pay offers news channels.

The argument seems to be becausePay offers specialist content, the ABCshould not. The logical conclusion tothis would be the ABC’s exclusionfrom television altogether. Leaving itto the market to provide.

This is a wilful misreading of theABC’s Charter obligation to takeaccount of what is being offered in themarket.

Taking account of the commercialsector does not mean the ABC mustavoid any activity a commercial playeris providing.

And it never has. The ABC hasdelivered quality news on televisionfor more than 50 years. Every free-to-air television network has offerednews. None of these free-to-airnetworks suggested that news belimited to commercial providers, thatthe ABC not deliver nightly newssimply because they could deliver it.The consensus was that the best resultfor the public would, in fact, comefrom both.

In looking at new services, we needalways to consider the distinctivenessof what we provide, how we can meet continued overleaf...

who have been long accustomed to thegood years of sustained economic andsectoral growth are finding the leanyears particularly difficult. Yet, theanswers to these challenges will beequally difficult.

James Murdoch’s proposal – thatwhen commercial media are in trouble,public media should be shut out–comes dressed as a solution, an easyanswer. Yet it’s an answer that is in theinterests only of his shareholders,rather than the interests of our owners,the Australian people. As Adam Smithwould say, in this case the privatecorporation’s shareholder interests are“in some respects different from, andeven opposite to, that of the public.”

In looking for answers, it’s importantto hold tight to what is working, whathas delivered and continues to deliver.To what has been valued in the pastand may have an even more importantrole in the future.

It is why I am happy to debate therole of the ABC. It’s why so manyAustralians will fight hard to defend it,protect it and secure its future.

Page 14

IllawarraABC’s Role as EmergencyBroadcaster

In mid May 2010 about fortymembers of the Illawarra Branch ofthe Friends met for morning tea andan address by Peter Riley, BreakfastShow presenter and Team Leader ofABC Radio Illawarra 97.3FM.

Peter has had a key roll in the ABCRadio’s Emergency Broadcastingservice. Increasingly, the ABC is beingcalled upon during publicemergencies such as flood andbushfire to provide a vitalcommunication link between theState Emergency Service and policeand the people living in the affectedarea.

This role was demonstrated veryrecently (26 May 2010) when 130homes were evacuated during violentweather on the South Coast of NSWat Bulli. There was the potential for adam left over from a disused coalmine bursting and flooding thehouses downstream. During theafternoon and into the early eveningABC Illawarra broadcast warning anddetails of the two evacuations centres

Dr Dorothy Jones thanks the ABC’s Peter Riley.

... continued from previous page.

Our new news channel, ABC News24, will do just that.

The biggest cost in creating a newschannel is in the reporting teams onthe ground. We have that – nearly1000 journalists working locally,nationally and internationally.

I suspect we have more peopleworking in our international bureauxthan all other Australian media outletscombined.

Teams in 60 local radio stationsaround the country. A News radiostation. Big capital city news rooms.Vast experience.

And, by implementing newtechnology and work processes, wehave made significant savings in ourtelevision production model – and aretherefore able to redirect thisoperational money to fund thechannel.

So for no additional call ontaxpayers, we will deliver thisimportant new service free-of-charge,available to every Australian home.

Those who said it was scandalousthat the ABC would create a digitalchildren’s TVchannel with additionalpublic funds then said it wasscandalous that the ABC would createa news channel without additionalpublic funds. Critics like these aredifficult to please.

But for the Board, the ABC’s Newschannel is a clear example of how, byleveraging off current spending andexpertise built up over decades andthrough hard work and internalreinvestment, the ABC will delivermaximum benefit to the Australianpublic.

By adherence to these guidingprinciples, enshrined in our Charterand our Act, we continue to serve theAustralian public well and ensure theABC remains an important, credibleand connected part of the Australianmedia landscape.

These are demanding times. Thereare countless new pressures on mediaorganisations every day.

Understandably, those in the media

BranchNews

Page 15

setup. They were then on standby fora repeat of the weather forecast forthe following weekend and into thefuture until the dam is dismantled.

Peter gave a Power Point presentationoutlining the ABC’s role and links withother emergency service providers. Heplayed a role in the cyclone emergencyin Karatha W.A. in March 2007 and thedevastating floods in Ingham NorthQueensland earlier this year.

Peter Riley is also a journalist andtook photographs of the devastation inthe areas he had worked on emergencybroadcasting. He included many ofthese photos in his presentation whichshowed graphically not only the affectsof the emergency on locals but theconditions under which the emergencybroadcasts are sometime made.

Chris Cartledge

Northern Rivers

The launch of a Public Audit of theABC was the main topic ofconversation at the April 28 meetingof the Northern Rivers branch. Thisaudit is an initiative of the NorthernRivers branch. It aims to examine theextent to which members of thepublic access and appreciate the fullrange of services provided by thenational broadcaster.

The audit asks respondents tocomment on the ABC’s proposed 24hour news and current affairschannel, the quality of programs forchildren and adolescents and thestandards of journalism in the ABC’snews and current affairs programs.Respondents have a chance tocomment on the importance of TripleJ, Classic FM. Local ABC and RadioNational as well ABC Online. In thetrial audit there has been a strongresponse to the notion of increasingfunds for regional programming.

The Public Audit can now beaccessed by members of the publicand members of other Friends of theABC branches by going to theNorthern Rivers branch website(http://home.iprimus.com.au/webformation/friendsabcnr). Potentialrespondents are asked to download aword file and return responses eitherby email attachment or post. Resultsof the audit will be posted on the

branch website and reported at theregional conference in August.

At the last branch meeting it wasdecided that the branch will berepresented at the regional conferenceby Neville Jennings (President) andJill Keogh (Byron Bay Sub-branchConvenor).

The Northern Rivers branchsupports local film-makers andwriters. Once again we are officialsupporters of the Byron Bay WritersFestival to be held from 6 to 8 August.ABC North Coast plays a significantrole in promoting the festival. Branchmembers have been offered freepasses to see the locally-made film“Lou” which was shot in the TweedValley with Mount Warning as abackdrop. The film will have itspremiere at Byron Bay andMurwillumbah on June 17.

Details of the next branch activitywill be announced in Northern Riversnewspapers.

Neville Jennings

Central Coast

Central Coast Branch had plans for avisit by ABC News/7.30 ReporterTracy Bowden for June. HoweverTracy reminded us that as ABCreporters may be called away withoutnotice to cover stories from aroundthe world, it was quite possible thatshe would not be available at the lastminute. With tickets to be sold andcatering organised, the committeedecided to postpone this event toanother occasion.

In March we were pleased towelcome Jeremy Fernandez to speak

to our group at an afternoon teafunction at Wyong, a change ofvenue from previous functions. Morethan 60 attended, the majority ofwhom were not members. We havenot yet heard from FABCNSW if anynew members joined on that day.

Jeremy who was accompanied byhis wife, Danielle, an ABC News Radioemployee, entertained the audienceafter a brief address, by answeringtheir many questions .

He is a passionate supporter of theABC and its Managing Director andfeels it a real privilege to be workingfor them. Since late 2009 he has doneso in Sydney, filling in for JuanitaPhillips from time to time and alsofor Felicity Davey. As well he writesscript for some of Juanita’s newsstories.

Jeremy’s career has been forgedthrough the internet and his ownpersistence.”Don’t get into this gamebecause you want to read the news,study what you are interested in,don’t listen to people who say youcan’t do it, get work experience inthose fields in which you haveinterest, don’t be intimidated byothers,” were some of the words ofadvice he gave to a Year 12 WyongHigh student.

News readers and other ABCpresenters read religiously theaudience Contact Reports to findpraise or criticism from viewers andlisteners. To the question, "Where dokids get their news from if not the7.00pm ABC News?", he added,”Oftenfrom their mobile phones,” andadded that during the recent Haitiearthquake there were 300 000 hitson ABC News content from mobilephone users.

He acknowledged that the sharingof News between TV Channels occursfrequently and although the ABCshows footage from other sources italways undertakes the often timeconsuming authentication of thefacts presented.

Central Coast FABC hopes to holdits next function in July.

Regular meetings and/or coffeeafternoons are held on the secondSaturday of each month from 2.00pmat the Central Coast Leagues ClubGosford.

John Hale

Dorothy Saddler and Charlie Proctor with

Jeremy Fernandez.

Branch News

Membership Form Please fill out the form below and return it with your payment to:The Treasurer, Friends of the ABC (NSW) Inc.PO Box 1391, North Sydney NSW 2059.

My details will be passed on to my local FABC branch. (Strike out if you disagree)

I would like to receive my copy of Update Magazine electronically.

Use only if joining or if your membership has expired.

:liamE emaN tsaL emaN tsriF

:liamE emaN tsaL emaN tsriF

edoC/P brubuS sserddA

boM )kroW( )emoH( enohP

(Please Print)

I would like to join I would like to renew Membership No. ______________

Age Group 30 or under 31-50 51+

.sry3 .ry1

55$ 02$ laudividnI

Family/Household $25 $70

04$ 51$ tnedutS

04$ 51$ renoisneP

Corporate (covers 3 people) $60 -

I would like to make a donation $_________

latoT $ _________

I am paying by cheque in favour of FABC (NSW) Inc.

visa mastercard money order

Card Number

Name on credit card

Expiry date

etaD erutangiS sredlohdraC

Partner

Page 16

State and Regional Branches

National Web Portallinks to all State Branches.

Go to:www.friendsoftheabc.org.au

New South WalesMal Hewitt (President) FABC NSWPO Box 1391 North Sydney 2059Phone: 9637 2900malandal@optusnet.com.au

AlburyJim Saleeba621 Lindsay Ave.Albury NSW 2640Phone: 6021 5690

ArmidaleVal Sherwell167 Markham StreetArmidale NSW 2350Phone: 6772 0342valsherwell@bigpond.com

BathurstTracey Carpenter76 Havannah StBathurst NSW 2795Phone: 6331 8305havannah@bigpond.net.au

Blue MountainsBob Macadam34 Lee RoadWinmalee NSW 2777Phone: 4754 1620macadamr@bigpond.net.au

Central CoastJohn Hale21 Stephenson RdBateau Bay NSW 2261Phone: 4333 8107jhale@tac.com.au

CowperJoyce Gardner (Secretary)FABC Cowper7 Royal Tar CrescentNambucca Heads NSW 2448Phone: 6568 7532fabccowper@gmail.com

Eastern SuburbsNizza Siano (Secretary)16 Holland RdBellevue Hill NSW 2023Phone/Fax: 9327 3423nizzamax@gmail.com

Great Lakes & Manning ValleyMargaret GardnerPO Box 871 Forster NSW 2428Ph: 6554 9181 (H) 6591 3704 (W)margaret.gardner@tafensw.edu.au

HunterPeter Brandscheidc/o PO Box 265Merewether NSW 2291Phone: 4943 8076pbrandscheid5@bigpond.com

IllawarraJan Kent (Secretary)Friends of the ABC IllawarraPO Box 336, Unanderra 2526Phone/Fax: 4271 3531jankent@hotkey.net.au

Mid North CoastDrusi MeggetPO Box 1752Port Macquarie NSW 2444Phone: 6583 8798drusi@tsn.cc

Northern RiversNeville JenningsPO Box 1484 Kingscliff 2487Phone/Fax: 6674 3830 (H)njenning@scu.edu.au

Byron Bay Sub-branch convenorJill Keogh Phone: 6688 4558

OrangeBev Holland26 Sunny South CrescentOrange NSW 2800Phone: 6362 4744bevpch@gmail.com

ParramattaMal Hewitt31 Queen St Granville 2142Phone: 9637 2900malandal@optusnet.com.au

Victoria – FABCFriends of the ABC (Vic)GPO Box 4065Melbourne VIC 3001Phone: (03) 9682 0073fabcvic@vicnet.net.au

Queensland – FABCProfessor Alan KnightCreative Industries Faculty QUTGPO Box 2434 Brisbane 4001Knighta1949@gmail.comfabcqld@hotmail.com

ACT – FABCJane TimbrellGPO Box 2625Canberra ACT 2601Phone: 6249 8657president@fabcact.org

South Australia – FABCSandra KanckPO Box 7158 Hutt StAdelaide SA 5000Phone: 8336 4114sandramyrtho@internode.on.net

Western Australia – FABCHarry CohenPO Box 534Subiaco WA 6904fabcwa@hotmail.com

Tasmania – FABCMelissa SharpePO Box 301North Hobart TAS 7002Phone: 0427 041 161melissa.dms@bigpond.com

FABC RESOURCE CENTREDarce Cassidywww.friendsoftheabc.org