President's Report

PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL REPORT 2008/9
Presented to the Annual General Meeting of the FABC (NSW) Inc held 10 Oct 2009

In my last Annual Report, I expressed disappointment that the first year of the Rudd Labor Government had produced no positive benefits for the ABC. It is pleasing to be able to report that, in a very difficult budget climate, the ABC was successful in gaining an increase in funding of $160 million over the next three years - $67 million for the new digital children’s channel (aiming for 50% Australian content in three years), $70 million for new Australian television drama (most of which will go to independent studios in co-productions), and $15 million for 50 new regional broadband “hubs,” interactive local “town squares” where individuals and organizations will be able to contribute content and react to material being broadcast. The ABC remains the leader in new styles and techniques of communication, highlighting the importance of the ABC as a source of news, information and entertainment, particularly in rural and regional Australia.

For those who question the relevance or necessity for Friends of the ABC, it is worth noting that one Federal MP, when asked why the ABC did so well, indicated that in pre-budget discussions in Canberra the ABC was a recurrent theme amongst our political representatives, which suggests that our concerted campaign throughout the months of the budget preparation was successful, and the intense lobbying and letter-writing by branches, individual members and state organizations paid off. Members must be reminded, though, that the additional funds are tied to specific programs. Funds for the daily operation of the ABC remain desperately short (about half what they were in 1986 in real terms), particularly in news, current affairs and radio, so the battle for adequate funding must go on. The BBC operates on $107 per person per year in the UK – the ABC receives a little more that $40 per person to do the same job.

Lack of funds to adequately fulfil its charter underlies the battle with ABC management over programming on Radio National, a battle in which Friends of the ABC was much less successful than the one with politicians over funding. The sweeping changes to the RN program lineup which produced such an extraordinary and negative response from listeners are now a fact of life, and the RN audience is the poorer as a result of the changes. We have lost the breadth and detailed analysis of programs like the Religion Report, the Media Report, The Ark, In Conversation, The Sports Factor, and none of the exciting new and innovative programs promised by management seem to have materialized. Stephen Crittenden, in the opinion of many the most knowledgeable and experienced broadcaster anywhere in the world, was, after a period in the “sin bin,” reassigned to Background Briefing, where his specialist knowledge is of little use. The combined weight of Heads of Churches, Catholic bishops, distinguished former ABC staff, and thousands of letters from listeners was not enough to save the Religion Report – an interesting example of ABC management completely ignoring the wishes of its audience.

The Radio National problem reflects a widening gap between creative people who make programs and management people who determine the budgets on which those programs depend. Program makers of long standing are finding the relentless pressure from managers to compromise on quality and depth very debilitating. Traditional ABC values of programming based on merit are disappearing, and the assets of time, experience and dedicated staff (essential for good programming) are being steadily stripped. Long-term staff speak of a loss of diversity, and moves towards presenter-led “flow-programming,” the very antithesis of broadcasting of depth, insight and quality, because it is cheaper to produce.
Friends of the ABC acknowledged this traditional excellence in broadcasting and commitment to quality by recognizing the extraordinary contribution of Playschool over 42 years to the education and development of our children, and saluted the achievements of Chris Masters, who retired after 42 years with the ABC, much of that time producing ground-breaking investigative reports, one of which brought down a corrupt government. It was a concern, though, to hear him say that “Moonlight State” could not be produced by today’s ABC – there is simply not the budget to provide the resources of time and staff that were available in 1987 for such investigative reporting.

Whilst not agreeing on all of the decisions made by ABC management, it is pleasing to report that Friends of the ABC maintains excellent dialogue with Mark Scott, Managing Director, and other senior managers – Mark is readily available to attend FABC functions, and is willing to meet and talk about issues of concern. He acknowledges the support of FABC in the constant battle for funding and resources for the ABC, whilst agreeing to differ on some management decisions. Friends of the ABC also recognizes that he has been a very effective advocate for the ABC in discussions with government, and has been passionate in his leadership of the ABC into the new digital technologies.

The Federal Government has been slow to act in filling the vacancies on the ABC Board, but the appointment of Michael Lynch and Julianne Schultz were the result of a new “arms length” method of board appointment, with nominations from the public and an independent selection process. We still await the long-promised reinstatement of the staff-elected director. We also await the report on the Federal Government review into the ABC and SBS, to which FABC made a submission which emphasized the ABC charter, funding needs, the ABC’s role in education, creative Australian content, and the needs of Radio National.

The strength of local branches, a structure unique to NSW, is crucial to the effectiveness of FABC in its contact with politicians and advocacy and education of the public. Whilst some branches are in hibernation, we applaud the energy and commitment of branch leadership and members in organizing a variety of activities at the local level, typified by another outstanding forum organized by the Blue Mountains branch in July, attended by over 250 people and addressed by Mark Scott, Quentin Dempster and Annabel Crabb. ABC presenters and personalities remain very willing to attend branch activities, always expressing appreciation for the support provided by the Friends. High on the agenda for NSW FABC in 2010, and a discussion point at the 2010 state conference, will be strategies for supporting the branches in their activities, particularly in drives for membership. There should also be an examination of ways in which NSW ABC can support the other states where, apart from Victoria, Friends of the ABC is not a strong presence.

Membership must be a concern – our Membership Secretary reports a steady decline in membership numbers over the past two years, and it may well be that there is a perception that the ABC is no longer under threat from a seemingly benign and sympathetic Labor government. However, the reality is that, as the ABC responds to technological change, it faces even greater challenges in maintaining a quality service to all Australians in traditional broadcasting as well as in the new technologies. We must ensure that the ABC remains totally independent of both commercial and political influence, whilst maintaining the culture of quality that we value so much in our public broadcaster.

The work of NSW Friends of the ABC remains dependent on the commitment of loyal, dedicated people who give many hours to the cause. I pay tribute to the members of the NSW Committee for their support, but particularly James Buchanan, our Secretary/Treasurer/Public Officer, Angela Williamson, our Membership Secretary, and Chris Cartledge, Webmaster and technology consultant, without whom we would not be able to function. Their value to our organization is inestimable.

Mal Hewitt
President FABC (NSW)