Seda DouglasBroadcaster Radio AustraliaCambodian-born Seda Douglas is an original

member of the Khmer Program Unit in Radio

Australia—the ABC’s international radio service.

‘I had a good job and it was a very big decision

for me to move to the ABC but it was something

I felt I was doing for my home country and still

serving Australia, my adopted land.’

Seda’s father and five siblings were killed under

the murderous regime of Pol Pot and the

Khmer Rouge. She and the rest of the family

escaped and spent four years in a refugee

camp in Thailand before coming to Australia.

‘Radio journalism was not something I thought

of doing when I was young,’ she says, ‘I wanted

to be a doctor or a lawyer.’ However, Seda

felt ‘a sense of responsibility for my country

because I had left it by force not by choice.

I also wanted to make a small contribution to

the people here who have always been so

friendly and helpful. This job gives me the

opportunity.’

Seda and her three colleagues present news

and current affairs reports, and package feature

programs. ‘We were trained to be producers

and studio operators as well as presenters. It’s

an interesting job. Every day there is something

happening and you talk to such a range of

people.’

4 24 2A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

through australian eyes

everyone’s

australians overseas

awareness

our neighbours are listening

understanding

s e c t i o n 3 4 3A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

In November 2003, ABC Radio opened its

60th Local Radio station, 92.5 ABC Central

Coast, at Erina in New South Wales. The new

service was made possible by the provision of

a new transmitter servicing the Gosford/Central

Coast region and National Interest Initiatives

(NII) funding. A new local weekday afternoon

program provides a voice for the region and an

estimated 780 hours per annum of additional

local ABC programming. 702 ABC Sydney is

carried for the remainder of the day. The station

is located in a shopping centre and is the

first ABC service to be collocated with an

ABC Shop.

Another National Interest Initiative, 107.9

ABC Ballarat was officially launched in July

with a community Open Day at the station.

In March 2004, ABC Radio relocated its Mid

North Coast New South Wales studios from

Kempsey to Port Macquarie bringing them

closer to the centre of regional business and

community activity. With a Radio News post

in Coffs Harbour, the new location strengthens

ABC Radio’s ability to better serve the whole

Mid North Coast region.

4 4A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

ABC Radio

Director of Radio

Sue Howard worked in the publishing industry and as a teacher before joining

the ABC as a radio presenter in 1986. Prior to taking a management role in

1995, she was a broadcaster with Radio National, ABC Classic FM and Local

Radio. Sue was appointed Director of ABC Radio in July 2000.

Sue Howard

Local Radio’s 60th station, 92.5 ABC CentralCoast, opened in November 2003 at Erina inNew South Wales.

In June, following extensive community

consultation, new transmission arrangements

were introduced by Local Radio in the Northern

Territory to provide more relevant programming

to local audiences. The Top End is now serviced

by 105.7 ABC Darwin, while 783 ABC Central

Australia broadcasts from Alice Springs to

communities south of Newcastle Waters.

ABC NewsRadio was launched in Launceston

in September 2003, increasing the network’s

potential reach in Tasmania by approximately

130 000 listeners.

The Internet music service, dig, also available

on digital television, continued to build audience

in its first full year of operation with average

weekly page accesses of more than 122 000

in 2003-04.

ABC Radio is participating in two digital radio

trials in Sydney and Melbourne conducted

by Digital Radio Broadcasting Australia

(a consortium of Commercial Radio Australia,

the ABC and SBS) and Broadcast Australia

respectively. ABC Classic FM and dig are

carried on both trial services and ABC

NewsRadio is also carried in Melbourne.

New Australian ContentThe ABC Radio Regional Production Fund (RPF),

established as a National Interest Initiative in

2001, continued to identify and showcase new

talent in regional Australia. In 2003-04, the

RPF commissioned more than 120 hours of

new Australian content. Since 2001, the total

amount of original content commissioned from

regional Australia has exceeded 300 hours.

More than 50% of this content has been

regional arts programming profiling regional

writers, composers, musicians, poets and

performers.

In its second year, the RPF Fresh Air project

invited unsigned, unpublished artists from

regional Australia to submit broadcast-quality

recordings of their music; selected artists then

received airplay on ABC Radio. The first two of

a series of live Fresh Air concerts featuring the

successful artists were held at Port Macquarie

and Bundaberg. Further concerts across

regional Australia are planned.

Short Stories 2004 called for regionally-based

writers to submit unpublished works, with

winning stories produced and broadcast on ABC

Radio. The winning stories were also published

online on a site featuring transcripts and audio-

on-demand readings of the stories. In its third

year, Short Stories 2004 attracted more than

2 000 entries.

Australian MusicABC Radio exceeded its Australian music

performance targets on all networks in 2003-04.

The amount of Australian music played on each

network was: Radio National 28.3%; Local Radio

31.5%; triple j 42.76%; ABC Classic FM 34%;

and dig 41.2%.

In 2003-04, ABC Classic FM broadcast

11% Australian composition, less than its 12%

annual target. The network appointed composer

Stephen Adams as Australian Music Curator to

advocate and assist in the programming of

Australian music composition. The Curator will

play a critical role in assisting ABC Classic FM

to raise its level of Australian composition.

Local Radio launched the Oztrax website

in February to promote Australian music and

performance. Oztrax provides over 100 tracks

as music-on-demand, together with background

information and photographs of performers.

This resource will grow as musicians submit

more music for consideration.

s e c t i o n 3 4 5A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

ABC Radio (continued)

This year triple j’s unearthed initiative, which

seeks unsigned Australian musical talent,

focussed on the Northern Territory, New South

Wales and Queensland, with concerts in each

capital city that attracted capacity audiences.

Winners supported high-profile local bands

and their performances were broadcast live

on triple j’s Australian music program Home

& Hosed. This year, unearthed attracted

approximately 3 800 entries in total, around

1 600 of which were submitted online through

a new MP3 upload facility on the triple j website.

This facility enables entrants to upload their

tracks and profiles, giving audiences

opportunities to listen to all entries and read

about the artists throughout the duration of

the competition.

ArtsGreek Imprints: Olympic Odyssey was launched

on Radio National in March to explore and

celebrate ancient and contemporary Greek

culture and its presence in the Australian

multicultural context in the lead-up to the

Olympic Games in Athens.

In partnership with the Houston Grand Opera,

ABC Classic FM broadcast La Traviata, featuring

the title role debut of internationally-renowned

American soprano Renée Fleming, and the world

premiere of Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince,

based on the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry book,

featuring the tenor Teddy Tahu Rhodes.

Moffatt Oxenbould, former artistic director

of Opera Australia and a major figure in

the development of opera in Australia, was

appointed as presenter of ABC Classic FM’s

Sunday Night Opera. His unique passion

for opera and his wealth of knowledge and

involvement in the development of opera in

Australia over more than 40 years adds

great benefit to listeners.

In 2003-04, triple j continued its strong

partnership of the NOISE festival, a Federal

Government and Australia Council initiative

profiling the work of young, creative Australians.

Broadcast HighlightsLocal Radio across Australia hosted a special

broadcast to commemorate the first anniversary

of the Bali bombing on 12 October 2003. The

program, presented by Jon Faine, included live

crosses to the ABC’s Indonesia correspondent

Tim Palmer and reporter Mark Bowling at the

Memorial Service in Bali, as well as interviews

and tributes from survivors and friends and

families of victims.

The funeral services of some well-known

Australians were broadcast live on Local Radio

and streamed online through The Backyard.

Across Australia, the funeral service for

R.M. Williams was broadcast from ABC

Toowoomba, while Slim Dusty’s State funeral

was broadcast from St Andrew’s Cathedral in

Sydney by Saturday Night Country presenter

John Nutting and Richard Glover from 702

ABC Sydney’s Drive program.

In Queensland, Local Radio broadcast the State

funeral of one of Australia’s last remaining original

World War One Diggers, Ted Smout, who died

in Brisbane at the age of 106. The State funeral

of former Tasmanian Premier Jim Bacon was

broadcast on Local Radio throughout Tasmania.

936 ABC Hobart Morning presenter Tim Cox

hosted the funeral service in Hobart’s Federation

Concert Hall and Breakfast presenter Ric

Patterson delivered the broadcast commentary.

Tony Delroy presented Nightlife from Tasmania

capturing the celebrations of the wedding of

Mary Donaldson to Crown Prince Frederik of

Denmark. 936 ABC Hobart Breakfast’s Ric

4 6A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Patterson filed reports into the program from

the ceremony and celebrations in Denmark.

Radio National’s Late Night Live travelled to the

Solomon Islands to record a series of programs

involving major political and cultural figures,

including the Prime Minister, Sir Allen Kemakeza,

as well as the civilian and police leaders from

the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission

to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

The 2003 Boyer Lectures were broadcast on

Radio National featuring International Affairs

expert Owen Harries. The lectures took a

timely look at the world’s only superpower,

the United States, and generated wide-ranging

critical discussion in the media and significant

audience interest.

In May 2004, Radio National launched

Counterpoint, a program which examines social,

economic and cultural issues in Australian life.

Presented by publisher and newspaper columnist

Michael Duffy, the program aims to challenge

assumptions and introduce some new and

seldom-heard commentators.

The major sporting highlights for 2003-04 were

World Cup rugby union and tennis, broadcast

nationally across Local Radio.

After lengthy negotiations, ABC Radio Sport

finalised agreement with the Rugby World Cup

for the Australian non-commercial radio rights.

All matches involving Australia, the semi-finals

and grand final, were broadcast nationally with

selected matches broadcast to local audiences.

Rights were acquired to broadcast the Davis

Cup tennis semi-final between Australia and

Switzerland in Melbourne in September and more

than 30 hours of commentary was provided

from the 2004 Australian Open Tennis. Radio

Sport is negotiating with Tennis Australia for

a Radio Broadcasting and Online agreement

to cover the Australian Open in 2005, 2006

and 2007, and for the first time, at the BBC’s

invitation, an ABC Radio Sport commentator

(Quentin Hull) joined the BBC commentary

team for the 2004 Wimbledon Championships.

For the 2003-04 Australian Cricket season,

former Australian Cricket captains, Greg Chappell

and Kim Hughes joined the ABC Radio Sport

team of Jim Maxwell, Glenn Mitchell and

Roger Wills.

Co-Productions/PartnershipsFor the second year in a row, Radio National

co-produced documentary series with the BBC

World Service. The five-part series Children of

Heaven visited Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam

and Japan to explore how traditional Asian

family values survive in communities sharing

the common and controversial heritage of

Confucianism. The fifth program, ‘Australia’s

Asian Way’, looked at multi-generational Asian

communities in Australia.

Radio National continued its partnership with

the Commonwealth Department of Industry,

Science and Technology which provides funding

to support cross-media production skills training

for new graduate scientists, and yearly

fellowships for mid-career scientists. The

aim is to improve communication skills and

facilitate a better understanding between the

science community, the public, industry and

the media.

triple j is a media partner for the British

Council Australia’s Realise Your Dream

competition which aims to provide opportunities

for development for Australia’s most talented

people aged 18 to 24. Three winners will

each receive an award valued at $10 000,

including a four-week trip to the UK.

s e c t i o n 3 4 7A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Community Focus105.7 ABC Darwin and Territory Radio captured

the atmosphere, anticipation and excitement

of the inaugural journey of The Ghan from

Adelaide to Darwin. Four outside broadcasts

were conducted from Alice Springs to Darwin

culminating in the ‘Don’t Miss the Train’

broadcast tracking the train’s progress on

the final part of the journey into Darwin.

774 ABC Melbourne and Victorian Local

Radio launched a three year community project,

Get Involved, encouraging listeners to participate

in their communities in a range of capacities.

Various groups have been selected as Get

Involved partners including the Country Fire

Authority, Victorian State Emergency Services,

Sharecare Respite Care, Foster Care,

Palliative Care, the Bendigo Brass Band

and Lifecare Ballarat.

In 2004, triple j’s Splendour Comes to You

competition invited country towns across

Australia to compete to win a live, free concert

featuring three Australian bands—Powderfinger,

Magic Dirt and Jet—from the Byron Bay

Splendour in the Grass Festival. Entrants

submitted a homemade souvenir representing

their community and over 50 entries were

received. Singleton in New South Wales was

the winning town and attracted approximately

16 000 people to their concert.

Heywire: the ABC Gives Regional Youth a Voice

entered its sixth year in 2004 and to date has

attracted the views of over 2 000 young

Australians, with 200 of their stories produced

and broadcast on ABC Radio. Heywire 2003

attracted a record number of 689 entries. ABC

Radio was disappointed by the withdrawal of

long-time supporter, the Federal Department

of Regional Services, Territories and Local

Government. However, it welcomes the

Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries

and Forestry, which has joined the Rural

Industries Research and Development

Corporation and the Australian Institute

of Sport as major supporters of Heywire.

Local Radio Victoria and the Victorian

Emergency Services signed a Memorandum

of Understanding committing the organisations

to work more closely together. This followed

the recommendation of the Victorian Emergency

Services Commissioner’s inquiry into the 2003

bushfires that emergency services work more

closely with the ABC to assist people

during disasters.

During floods in the wake of Tropical Cyclone

Grace, ABC Far North Queensland (Cairns)

provided information to affected communities,

including up-to-date information on the state

of roads, latest rainfall figures and other

emergency information.

ABC Classic FM’s Grab The Goanna

competition, open to all primary and secondary

schools across Australia, was launched in

March with a live-to-air concert featuring two

young pianists from the Sydney Conservatorium

of Music. The competition runs every four

years in conjunction with the Sydney International

Piano Competition and it requires schools to

answer seven questions about ABC Classic

FM, and provide a written reason why they

would benefit from the prize—a new piano.

Looking aheadIn 2004-05, ABC Radio will again provide

comprehensive Olympic Games coverage

from Athens in August 2004. Building on the

success of dig, two new specialist music

streams, dig country and dig jazz will be

launched in late 2004.

4 8A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

ABC Radio (continued)

s e c t i o n 3 4 9A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Director of Television

Sandra Levy was appointed the Director of Television in June 2001. She has

an impressive list of production credits, including A Difficult Woman, Come

In Spinner, True Believers, Police Rescue, Secret Mens Business and GP,

as well as feature films Serenades, The Well and High Tide.

Sandra was part of the independent production house Southern Star for ten

years and before that was ABC Head of Drama from 1986 to 1989. She has

served as a board member with the Australian Film Finance Corporation, the

Australian Film Commission and the Australian Film Television and Radio

School. She is on the Board of the Sydney Theatre Company and the NSW

Cultural Management Committee.

Sandra Levy

ABC TelevisionABC Television provides a comprehensive public

broadcast service of high quality, diversity and

innovation. It offers audiences the widest range

of genres on free-to-air television. In 2003-04,

its distinctive mix of arts, entertainment and

information attracted record audiences:

average prime time household share was 17.8%,

the highest recorded since the introduction of

‘people meters’ in 1991. Record shares were

also achieved in every capital city, with Perth

recording the highest share of 19.6%.

In 2003-04, 51 programs attracted metropolitan

audiences of over one million; of these 17 were

Australian. In 2002-03, a total of 18 programs

attracted this level of audience, six of them

Australian.

Australian ContentABC Television has adopted a strategy of

focussing limited resources to increase levels of

Australian content during peak viewing times.

Australian content comprised 54% of prime time

(6pm to midnight) programming, an increase

on 53.5% in 2002-03. Similarly, the level of

first release Australian content between 6pm

and midnight increased to 48%, compared

with 46.7% in 2002-03. Repeat Australian

programs comprised 6% of hours broadcast,

a decrease on the 2002-03 figure of 6.8%.

Correspondingly, Australian content between

6am and midnight decreased slightly to 48%,

lower than the previous year’s level of 52%.

First release content during these times was

29%, compared to 32% in 2002-03; repeat

content was 19%, compared to 20%

in 2002-03.

Genre DiversityChildren’sABC Television continued to be Australia’s

most comprehensive and diverse free-to-air

broadcaster of children’s and pre-school

children’s programs. Providing quality viewing

according to need, age and maturity is

paramount in the production and programming

of this genre.

ABC Television (continued)

In 2003-04, 1 882 hours of children’s television

were broadcast, an increase of 105 hours

compared with 2002-03. This figure included

418 hours of Australian children’s programs.

In morning children’s timeslots, ABC Television

recorded a 63% share of the 0-12 audience,

an increase of 13% over 2002-03. In the

afternoon audience share was 62%, an

increase of 6%. The ABC had 99 of the top

100 children’s programs, improving on its

2002-03 achievement of 98 programs.

Three Australian series premiered: Noah

and Saskia, Bootleg, and Backyard Science.

A series about the cyberspace friendship

between an Australian teenager and her English

counterpart, Noah and Saskia achieved an

average share of the target 5-12 audience of

almost 60%. Creature Features and repeats

of Australian series continued to be popular,

including The Saddle Club, Round the Twist

and Ocean Girl.

FactualWeekly series included Feedback, Media

Watch and Gardening Australia. Dimensions

changed its title to George Negus Tonight and

continued to cover a diverse range of subjects.

A significant proportion of the series is produced

outside Sydney and Melbourne. New series

included Kylie Kwong: Heart and Soul (cooking)

and Surfing the Menu (food, travel and adventure).

DocumentaryThe Reality Bites strand broadcast more than

40 half-hours of Australian documentary series.

Twenty-seven of these episodes were produced

with the independent sector. The series average

household share was 19.8%, an increase of

3.2 percentage points over the 2002-03

timeslot average.

In 2004, a new documentary timeslot premiered

on Wednesdays at 9.30pm creating an evening

of factual television. Australian documentaries

included Dhakiyarr vs the King, a story of two

laws, two cultures and two families; and The

Mascot, which explored how a five-year old

Jewish orphan became a poster boy for the

Nazi ideal.

Sunday evening history continued to showcase

landmark series with strong dramatic narratives.

Highlights were the Australian music series

Love Is In The Air, which celebrated pop music

and its role in Australian culture, and the British

series Seven Wonders of the Industrial World,

which documented 19th and 20th century

engineering achievements. In 2003-04, this

series achieved a peak audience of 1 723 250.

Drama and ComedyABC Television broadcast 457 hours of

first-release drama programs, a considerable

increase on 370 hours in 2002-03. Australian

first release drama also increased from 31

to 49 hours.

Australian drama broadcast was diverse in

both subject and format. Long-form series

were well represented by the return of the

medico-legal series MDA, and the premiere

of Fireflies, about life in a small rural community.

This series premiered with a household share of

40%, but averaged only 14.5% as audiences

declined over the series’ run.

In 2003, two mini-series were broadcast to

critical acclaim: contemporary drama Marking

Time, which tells the story of a young man’s

coming of age, and The Shark Net, set in late

1950s Perth, which explored themes of lost

innocence and guilt. The series gained an

average share of 31.9% in Perth, well above

the 2002-03 timeslot average of 18.5%.

5 0A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

In 2004, the telemovie Loot, about a forensic

accountant, gained an audience of over

one million.

Angels in America, the multi-award winning

American series linking interconnected stories

of relationships, religion and politics, was

screened over three consecutive nights. This

landmark six-hour television event gained an

average household share of 18.5%; each night’s

share was an improvement on the 2002-03

timeslot average.

ABC Television’s Kath and Kim (Series 2)

proved an exceptional success with critics

and audiences. The final episode earned an

average share of 37.9% and 2.15 million viewers,

making it 2003’s top rating comedy program

on Australian television. Series three of Kath

and Kim will be broadcast in late 2004.

Sharing the 2004 Logie for Most Outstanding

Comedy Program with Kath and Kim was

the inventive news satire CNNNN. Series 2

received an average household share of 16%,

above first series average of 14.4%.

Arts and CultureABC Television is Australia’s leading arts

broadcaster, programming performance,

documentary, review and analysis.

In 2004, Sunday Afternoon received a

three-fold rise in resources enabling arts stories

to be sourced from more locations throughout

Australia, a greater engagement with local

contemporary arts, and an increase in artist

interviews. A new initiative of themed

programming premiered and covered subjects

such as photography, film, classical music,

s e c t i o n 3 5 1A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Most Popular Television Programs

2003-04, 5-City Metropolitan

Average Audience

Kath and Kim (Series 2) 1 754 501

Seven Wonders of the Industrial World 1 490 326

Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2003 1 308 134

Murder Investigation Team 1 306 050

The Bill ( Saturday) 1 269 621

Who Killed Alexander the Great? 1 248 790

Wild Australasia 1 248 094

The Bridge on the River Kwai 1 235 303

The Bill (Tuesday) 1 233 144

Wire in the Blood 1 230 780

Honey Badgers of the Kalahari 1 227 349

Britain’s Real Monarch 1 221 352

Polar Bear Battlefield 1 216 796

Blue Murder 1 209 915

Schools Spectacular 2003 1 193 600

Taggart 1 191 471

Dynasties: From Macarthur to Murdoch 1 176 787

Elephants: Spy in the Herd 1 175 696

Diana: The Night She Died 1 165 169

Mother and Son 1 143 896

Most Popular Television Programs

2003-04, Regional

Average Audience

Kath and Kim (Series 2) 771 080

Honey Badgers of the Kalahari 716 983

Seven Wonders of the Industrial World 703 627

Elephants: Spy in the Herd 669 659

The Bridge on the River Kwai 650 305

Polar Bear Battlefield 627 720

Lights on the Hill:

A Musical Tribute to Slim Dusty 624 495

Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2003 616 353

Wild Australasia 605 607

Australian Story 592 859

Britain’s Real Monarch 585 938

Murder Investigation Team 585 763

The Bill (Saturday) 581 596

Killer Ants 576 015

Who Killed Alexander the Great? 574 146

Dynasties: From Macarthur to Murdoch 560 798

Blue Murder 555 425

Schools Spectacular 2003 555 342

Monarch of the Glen 553 230

Diana: The Night She Died 552 558

ABC Television and the visual arts. Critical Mass and Words

continued to provide a focus for critique and

discussion.

Prime time arts documentaries included

Obsessions: Worries on a String, a portrait

of Australian classical composer, Elena

Kats-Chernin; Wildness, the story of Australia’s

greatest wilderness photographers; and Much

Ado About Something, a feature-length

investigation of the origins of the work of

William Shakespeare.

EntertainmentConsistently gaining audiences of over one

million, Enough Rope with Andrew Denton

entertained with its eclectic mix of interview

subjects and audience participation.

In 2004, four new weekly entertainment

series were launched. Mondo Thingo takes a

light-hearted look at the week’s entertainment

news and the many products of pop culture.

The New Inventors is a series where a panel

of Australia’s leading architects, designers, and

engineers evaluate three new inventions each

week. The series attracted an audience share

of 23.1%, a large increase over the 2002-03

timeslot average of 16.7%. Strictly Dancing is

a competitive dance series featuring Australia’s

most accomplished dancing couples. The

series attracted new and loyal viewers to the

ABC, evidenced by its average audience of

1 059 093, an increase of more than 300 000

viewers on the 2002-03 timeslot average.

5 2A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Repeat First Release

02–03

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99–00

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03–04

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02–03

01–02

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Some of Australia’s most exciting dancing couples competed in the series, Strictly Dancing.

(continued)

The Einstein Factor is an offbeat quiz show

that pits ordinary Australians with specialist

knowledge against a ‘brains trust’. The series

achieved an average household share of

18.2%, well above the 2003 timeslot average

of 13.2%.

Younger audiences were attracted to Double

the Fist, a new cult adventure series, and

the return of the irreverent The Glass House.

This year, The Glass House gained a household

share of 15.9%, compared to the 2002-03

timeslot average of 12.3%.

EducationThere were major changes to ABC Television’s

education production output, as current levels

of funding did not permit the commissioning

of new schools programs. In December 2003,

new episodes of the long-running series Behind

the News ceased to be broadcast. However,

a weekly education service continued to be

broadcast throughout 2003-04 utilising previously

commissioned and acquired material.

IndigenousThe fifth series of Message Stick continued

to provide audiences with access to Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander lifestyles, perspectives

and aspirations. From September 2003, the

series aired in prime time.

A broadcast highlight was the arts documentary

Jimmy Little’s Gentle Journey that explored the

life of Australia’s first Aboriginal pop star.

Natural History and EnvironmentIn addition to the weekly prime-time strand,

Richard Morecroft Goes Wild, ABC Television

broadcast the series Wild Australasia, an

international co-production, and From the

Heart (Series 2), produced using ABC archival

resources. Both series attracted average

audiences of over one million. The ABC

Television documentary Platypus: World’s

Strangest Animal aired to critical acclaim.

Religion and EthicsThe year-round series Compass continued

to provide a diverse exploration of faith, ethics

and values from Australian and global contexts.

Australian documentaries broadcast included

Tomorrow’s Islam and Life After Josh, about

a magistrate’s quest for justice after the death

of his son in the Bali bombings.

Science and TechnologyAt the forefront of science on television, Catalyst

features the latest information and scientific

breakthroughs from Australia and around

the world.

Highlights included two ABC Television

programs: Deadly Enemies, about the Cold

War development of biological weapons,

which featured the last interview with the

late Dr David Kelly, and the international

co-production Primal Instincts.

Special EventsIn September 2003, the network broadcast

the State funeral of Australian country music

legend, Slim Dusty. On Australia Day 2004, a

special event was broadcast to try to answer

the question ‘who is our greatest Australian?’

Eight of Australia’s leading figures tried to

convince the nation of the merits of their

choice in The Greatest Australian.

SportABC Television broadcast 182 hours of national

sport including basketball, bowls, cricket,

hockey, netball, soccer, and tennis. Tennis

highlights included the 2004 Hopman Cup

and highlights of the French Open. In addition,

461 hours of regular state and territory sport

was produced and broadcast in the originating

state or territory. The World Netball

Championships, broadcasts of the Women’s

National Basketball League and the Women’s

Champion’s Trophy Hockey series continued

ABC Television’s commitment to women’s sport.

s e c t i o n 3 5 3A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Production Outside of Sydney and MelbourneIn 2003-04, Television production presenting the

diversity of Australia to all Australians through

national broadcast continued as a key strategy.

A total of 37.8% of ABC-made programs were

produced outside of Sydney and Melbourne,

compared with 42.8% in 2002-03.*

In August 2003, the ABC announced proposals

for cuts to program and non-program functions

in order to operate within budget. In Television,

budget cuts were made to schools production,

live sport and factual programming. This has

resulted in a 5% decrease in production outside

Sydney and Melbourne compared to 2002-03.

Production in capital cities outside of Sydney

and Melbourne continued with series such as

George Negus Tonight (Tuesday night) from

Perth; George Negus Tonight (Monday night),

Behind the News and Feedback from Adelaide;

Gardening Australia and Big Country Revisited

from Hobart; and Big Country Revisited and

special event programs from Brisbane.

The weekly series Catalyst, Compass, Message

Stick and Sunday Afternoon included a large

proportion of segments produced from centres

outside of Sydney and Melbourne. The drama

series The Shark Net was co-produced by

a Western Australian production company.

High Definition BroadcastsABC Television broadcast 1 381 hours of

high definition material, including 1 080 hours

in prime time, in accordance with legislative

requirements.

5 4A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

* These statistics exclude the music video program Rage,which is produced from Sydney but relies entirely on production from outside the ABC.

6am-midnight 6pm-midnight

40 45 50 55 60 65

02–03

01–02

00–01

99–00

03–04

%

6am-midnight6pm-midnight

0 500 1 000 2 000 2 500

99–00

00–01

01–02

02–03

03–04

1 500

Aus

tral

ian

Co

nten

t as

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ntag

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fH

our

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road

cast

199

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issi

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rog

ram

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first

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ase,

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st 1

999-

2000

to

200

3-04

Sport 3%

Religion and E

thics 2%

New

s 5%

Movies 2%Factual 7%

Entertainment 8%

Education 5%

Dram

a 13

%

Docum

entary 7%

Current A

ffairs 12%

Comedy 3%

Childrens 29%

Art

s 4%

AB

C T

elev

isio

n G

enre

Mix

200

3-04

as

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(exc

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es in

ters

titia

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eria

l)

* ABC internal producations and co-productions; excludes pre-purchased programs (including many documentaries and children's drama programs)

Director of New Media

and Digital Services

Lynley Marshall has over 17 years experience in the broadcasting industry and

has held a series of senior business positions in New Zealand, including Director

of the Independent Business Units of The Radio Network, GM of The Radio

Bureau and GM of TVNZ Enterprises.

New Media and Digital ServicesNew Media and Digital Services produces and

delivers the ABC’s Internet activities and is

responsible for developing new media and

digital ventures. In 2002-03, the Division

continued to increase its audience reach

and deliver innovation on existing and

emerging platforms.

Throughout the year, New Media and

Digital Services launched new websites and

broadband services, originated interactive

television content and developed new mobile

phone and wireless services. The ABC provides

quality content to increasingly mobile audiences

across a range of platforms, particularly in the

areas of news, information and entertainment.

New Media and Digital Services collaborated

with ABC Television and ABC Radio to develop

a number of cross-media programs that

capitalised on the synergies available within

the ABC as a multi media organisation.

The Division further refined ABC Online to

ensure fast and reliable content delivery and

a user-friendly environment. The website’s

navigation and searchability were further

enhanced to ensure a more satisfying

user experience.

New Media AudiencesABC Online content spans many genres, with

a focus on news, current affairs and business,

sport, children, youth, science and health,

regional and rural, arts, education and radio

and television. The year saw growth in audience

numbers across many of these areas. The

Backyard, the collective of 49 Local Radio

websites, has increased its audience by 48.3%

over the period, with the average number of

Australians accessing The Backyard each

month increasing from 174 513 in 2002-03

to 258 767 in 2003-04. The ongoing success

of new media regional content and services

indicates the importance and effectiveness of

communicating online with regional and local

communities. Other areas of high growth for

ABC Online include Broadband, Sport Online,

Rollercoaster (for 8-14 year olds), TV Online,

ABC News Online, Business and Current Affairs.

New Media and Digital Services has established

a large number of online communities and

continues to maintain and encourage audience

interaction via online forums, guestbooks and

email newsletters. At the end of June 2004,

there were 304 385 subscriptions to ABC

Online email newsletters and 100 705 registered

users of ABC Online Communities, which provide

s e c t i o n 3 5 5A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Lynley Marshall

team of web developers, producers and

journalists and draws on ABC News and

Current Affairs output.

In 2003-04, ABC News Online delivered an

average of 3 270 891 pages of content each

week. The number of Australians visiting the

site each month increased by 12.7% from

283 171 in 2002-03 to 319 237 in 2003-04.

Changing Audiences, New ServicesNew Media and Digital Services has adopted

strategies to ensure the continued relevance

of ABC services in the face of changes in

Australians’ lifestyles and media consumption

habits. Emerging technologies are permitting

audiences to consume content when, how

and wherever they choose. In response to

increasingly mobile lifestyles, New Media and

Digital Services has responded by delivering

quality content offerings to audiences in a

range of formats and across a range of platforms,

including narrowband Internet, broadband,

digital television, DVD and wireless technologies.

A key focus is interactivity as a means of

engaging audiences in the digital media

environment. Over time, New Media and

Digital Services has developed and encouraged

an audience expectation of active engagement

and interaction with content and the creation

of online communities through forums, polls,

chat, quizzes, guestbooks and SMS.

The Division is central to the Corporation’s

efforts to fully integrate new technologies

and platforms into cross-media production.

Cooperation with ABC Television and ABC

Radio has led to a collaborative production

approach to such production and the

development of several cross-media projects.

users with a unique identity and increased

access privileges to participate and contribute

to ABC Online forums and guestbooks.

The increasing popularity of these features

demonstrates a high level of loyalty and

engagement amongst the audience.

News and Information ProgrammingOne of the most successful areas of ABC

Online is its dedicated news site, ABC News

Online, which provides a variety of content,

continually updated throughout the day. The

site covers all areas of news and includes ABC

Current Affairs program-related information

and an on-demand broadband video news

service updated six times each day. ABC

News Online also delivers a regular news

email to subscribers and content for mobile

phones for special events such as state

elections. The site is created by a dedicated

5 6A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

New Media and Digital Services (continued)

ABC Online’s award-winning Greekmythology site, Winged Sandals.

The ABC’s traditional media platforms have

been able to engage their audiences further

by integrating online, mobile and wireless

content into programs. For example, in April

2004, WildWatch Australia, which was

broadcast on ABC Television and supported

by Local Radio, invited audiences to complete

a survey about wildlife in their backyard. In five

weeks the WildWatch online survey attracted

27 364 responses and over 3 000 comments

in the website’s guestbook.

New Media and Digital Services has implemented

mobile phone services for a selection of Television

and Radio programs, and inbound SMS services

for a full range of programs on ABC Local Radio

stations in metropolitan areas. In January 2004,

triple j introduced ‘Hottest 100’ voting via mobile

phones, as well as an SMS option for its

‘Super Request’ program and gig guide

information; triple j fans can also download

mobile phone ringtones and logos from the

triple j website. During the Queensland State

election in 2003, ABC News Online offered

an outbound SMS service which allowed

subscribers to receive updates to their

mobile phones during election night.

The Division managed the cross-media

components of the Love Is in the Air program,

which was broadcast in late 2003. Interactive

television content designed to support viewers

curious for extra information was available to

all Austar subscribers. Broadband video content

from the program was also available through

ABC Online.

In collaboration with ABC Enterprises,

New Media and Digital Services also initiated

production of a Midnight Oil DVD/CD pack

featuring the triple j-supported Midnight Oil

concerts recorded at Goat Island in Sydney

Harbour in 1985 and Sydney’s Capitol Theatre

in 1982. These concerts were recorded for

television and radio broadcast respectively but

had never been commercially released. The

DVD was released in April 2004 after a television

broadcast in March, and was at the top of

ARIA’s national music DVD charts and the ABC

Shop Online bestseller list across all product

categories throughout April.

Building PartnershipsPartnerships play an important role in the

development of content and services for

New Media and Digital Services. The Division

has received important development funds and

expanded the reach of its content by working

with both government organisations and private

sector partners.

New Media and Digital Services has fostered

close working relationships with industry funding

bodies, resulting in new media projects such

as the Broadband Production Initiative with the

Australian Film Commission, which provided

funding for four broadband productions to

be hosted on ABC Online. In 2003-04, Film

Victoria also contributed to the production of

4 Minute Wonders, an initiative to encourage

the development of digital media skills among

established and emerging digital artists and

filmmakers. Such initiatives ensure the

production of dynamic projects produced

specifically for delivery on ABC Online, as well

as contributing to the development of the

Australian independent production sector.

One of the best examples of the Division’s

cross-media content is the Winged Sandals

website, launched in November 2003. The site

is an educational resource on Greek Mythology

created by the ABC Online Arts team in

conjunction with The University of Melbourne,

with funding support from the ABC Development

Division. The site has received industry

recognition, winning both ‘Best of the Web’

and ‘Best e-Learning’ Awards at the 2003

AIMIA Awards, as well as international animation

prizes. Winged Sandals continues to attract

audiences for its innovation and best practice.

s e c t i o n 3 5 7A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

News and Current Affairs is one of the largest

production areas in the ABC. The Division

produces news bulletins, current affairs

programs and a substantial quantity of other

material for use across all ABC domestic and

international platforms. The programming is

aimed at providing audiences with the most

comprehensive, respected, accurate, impartial

and independent news and current affairs

in Australia.

After the introduction of a range of new

programs in the previous year, 2003-04

was a period of consolidation.

The Division’s national and international

coverage was again acknowledged through

peer recognition with dozens of awards,

including Walkleys and Logies.

The Director of News and Current Affairs, Max

Uechtritz, left the ABC to take up a position in

commercial television. Mr Uechtritz had been

at the ABC for 18 years, serving four years

as Director of the Division.

CoverageInternational coverage was dominated this

year by issues of international security, events

in Iraq and the role of the US-led coalition

forces in the lead up to the handover of

sovereignty to the Iraqi interim government.

ABC News and Current Affairs has maintained

a presence in Bagdad since the war ended

in 2003, with the security of reporters and

camera crews under constant review.

Domestically, there was extensive coverage

and analysis of Australia’s involvement in Iraq,

including the role of Australia’s intelligence

services in the decision to take part in the

Iraq operation. Other significant coverage

included the debate over the Free Trade

Agreement between Australia and the US,

a foreign exchange scandal at the National

Australia Bank, Melbourne’s gangland killings,

allegations of sexual misconduct by footballers,

and rioting in Sydney’s Redfern after the death

of an Aboriginal teenager. In politics, the

Federal Labor Party chose a new leader,

Mark Latham, there was a State election in

Queensland and the former Tasmanian Premier

Jim Bacon died a few months after being

diagnosed with cancer.

5 8A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Acting Director of News and Current Affairs

John Cameron has been Acting Director of News and Current Affairs since

May 2004, when the incumbent, Max Uechtritz, left the ABC. John has been

with the ABC for 20 years, most of these in Queensland as a radio and television

reporter and producer, and five years as the Queensland State Editor. Before

that, John was Washington Bureau Chief for three years, including the period

of the first Gulf War. He also worked as State Editor in Victoria, before becoming

the ABC’s National Editor four years ago.

John Cameron

News and Current Affairs

AudiencesNews and Current Affairs audience figures

have grown across many programs, with

key programs attracting strong audiences in

2003-04. The 7.45am news on Local Radio

achieved a five-city average weekly audience

reach of just under one million (a 3% increase

on the previous year) and AM on both Radio

National and Local Radio attracted a combined

average weekly audience reach of more than

1.1 million (up 4%). On Television, the 7pm

News had a five-city average audience of

1.1 million (1% up) and 7.30 Report 910 000

(up 7%). Australian Story’s average audience

was 1.1 million (up 12%), while one in two

episodes of the program achieved an audience

of at least 1.2 million. Online audiences

continued to grow, with the average weekly

page access total for all sites containing

News and Current Affairs content

approaching 3.3 million.

InitiativesThe renewal of Federal Government funding

for National Interest Initiatives has allowed the

Division to continue programs funded from

that source. These included local weekend

Television News bulletins in the ACT and the

Northern Territory, enhanced business coverage

across a range of programs and the appointment

of two reporters in the new ABC studios

in Ballarat.

In an effort to bring a sharper focus to the ABC’s

prime-time coverage of national and international

sports-related news stories, a new segment

presented by Peter Wilkins has been introduced

in the 7pm Television News bulletins each

weeknight. The new segment complements

local coverage of sports news stories in each

state and territory.

Through Australian Eyes, an exhibition on

the history of the ABC’s foreign reporting from

the 1930s to the present visited Sydney,

Adelaide and Brisbane. The exhibition

focussed on the ABC’s enduring commitment

to international reporting. A public forum

was held in conjunction with the exhibition’s

opening in Sydney, as well as a workshop

for university journalism students.

Four Corners and New Media and Digital

Services are completing a pilot broadband

interactive television project that provides a

rich and complex viewing experience using

several Four Corners programs on terrorism.

The aim is to extend Four Corners material

for interactive broadband, online and interactive

digital TV, with the capacity to position the

ABC as a world leader in this field.

News and Current Affairs continues to develop

a divisional training plan for a series of flexible,

competency-based accredited courses to be

delivered in the working environment of

ABC newsrooms.

s e c t i o n 3 5 9A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Emma Griffiths and John Hinde, thenewest and oldest living ABC foreigncorrespondents, at the opening of theThrough Australian Eyes exhibition ofthe history of ABC international reporting.

News and Current AffairsAs part of the Division’s continuing commitment

to leadership development, a three-day State

Editors’ conference was held in mid-October.

This was the first time that State Editors from

around the country and the News and Current

Affairs executive had met together in Sydney

since collocation was completed at Ultimo in

2001. Workshops included leadership, the

effectiveness of bi-media newsrooms around

the country and the potential of such to achieve

greater efficiencies. Twelve Executive Producers

and other senior staff are taking part in a

management development program; two

members of the Division’s executive and two

State Editors participated in a pilot senior

executive development program run by the

Australian Graduate School of Management;

and Production Managers attended a two-day

training workshop in Adelaide in October.

These development programs followed a

successful three-day forum for women

who have the potential to move into

leadership roles.

To ensure greater accountability, the Division

has entered into Service Level Agreements

or Arrangements with all output areas.

These agreements set out the programming

requirements of the networks and the agreed

processes in News and Current Affairs to

meet these requirements, as well as a range

of mutual obligations. The agreements are

expected to be reviewed annually.

News and Current Affairs has a range of

mechanisms to ensure programs are meeting

expectations of integrity and quality. All programs

are subjected to regular formal reviews which

consider story choice, talent, production,

presentation, writing and adherence to

program briefs, ABC Editorial Policies and

the Style Guide. The reviews generally involve

senior management, executive producers and

representatives from the network on which the

program is broadcast. In addition to formal

reviews, output is monitored on a daily basis

and there are occasional reviews of coverage

across programs of particular topics, such

as sport or business.

All program-making staff in News and Current

Affairs have copies of the revised News and

Current Affairs Style Guide. This advises on

language, presentation and production.

Resources and EfficienciesTo meet budget targets the Division made

certain adjustments to programs and other

areas of activity. The resources of Business

Breakfast and World at Noon were combined

to create a new program, Midday News and

Business. Some state-based weekend

afternoon and evening radio news bulletins,

produced in capital cities around the country,

were replaced with national bulletins produced

from the newsrooms in Adelaide and Perth.

The annual journalism cadetship intake was

suspended and a two-year program of attrition

and expense cuts was imposed across all

areas of local, national and international

coverage and management.

In international operations, the Brussels

bureau was closed, with some of the savings

from this closure used to augment Europe

coverage from the London bureau. A

correspondent’s position in China was also

abolished. Despite the reductions, the ABC

remains the best-represented Australian

media organisation overseas.

Field video store-and-forward technology has

been further developed and expanded. This

6 0A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

system employs a satellite phone connection

to a laptop, allowing crews in the field to file

edited television packages at significantly

lower cost and with greater convenience than

traditional satellite feeds. First used by ABC

reporters to file footage during the Iraq war,

it is now used widely overseas on a variety

of assignments and has also been used

domestically.

The Division is trialling an Internet system which

allows free calls between London and Sydney

over a broadband link. This is likely to be

extended to the other overseas bureaux.

Annual Production of News and Current AffairsIn 2003-04, the ABC broadcast approximately

14 000 unduplicated hours of television

and radio news and current affairs on its

domestic services.

These figures do not include material provided

to News Radio, Radio Australia and the ABC

Asia Pacific service; live crosses for ‘Q and A’s

by reporters into radio programs; election

night broadcasts; budget specials and any

rolling coverage.

Order in the House, Parliamentary Question

Time and National Press Club Luncheon

have also been excluded. The figures do

not include seasonal variations such as sport

broadcasts that interrupt bulletin schedules.

All radio figures are national totals.

Radio News

Outlet Hours

Local Radio and Radio National 7 009

Regionals 3 285

triple j 282

Classic FM 542

TOTAL 11 118

Radio Current Affairs

Outlet Hours

AM (Early) Local Radio 43

AM (Radio National) 87

AM (Main) 130

The World Today 197

PM (Radio National) 177

PM (Local Radio) 197

Business Report 12

Sat AM (Local Radio and Radio National) 24

Correspondents Report 20

Finance Market Report at Noon 9

Finance Market Report PM 13

TOTAL 909

TV News and Current Affairs

Outlet Hours

7pm News (all states) 1 455

News Updates 94

Asia Pacific Focus 23

Australian Story 19

Business Breakfast (ceased) 21

4 Corners 21

Foreign Correspondent 27

Inside Business 20

Insiders 30

Landline 38

Lateline 107

7:30 Report 105

Seven Days 22

Stateline 156

World at Noon 27

Midday News and Business 79

TOTAL 2 244

s e c t i o n 3 6 1A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

The ABC operates two international broadcasting

and online services, Radio Australia and ABC

Asia Pacific, to encourage awareness of

Australia in the Asia-Pacific region and offer

an Australian perspective on world affairs.

The services also provide information for

Australian citizens living or travelling abroad.

Radio AustraliaRadio Australia sought in 2003-04 to extend

its direct transmission capacity and develop

its rebroadcast network in Asia and the Pacific.

Ongoing additional transmission funding

announced in the May 2003 Federal Budget

provided resources to expand shortwave

broadcasts to Asia and to fund new FM relays.

Over the past twelve months, Radio Australia’s

shortwave broadcasting capacity to Asia has

increased by 15% and now stands at 200

transmission hours per day across Asia and

the Pacific. Additional transmission hours

have helped boost capacity for broadcasts to

Asia in Indonesian, English and Vietnamese.

In May 2004, Radio Australia celebrated 60

years of shortwave broadcasting to the Pacific

and eastern Indonesia from transmitters at

Shepparton in Victoria.

In 2003-04, Radio Australia made significant

progress in securing new local FM relays.

Radio Australia’s broadcasts in English can

now be heard 24 hours each day in Suva,

6 2A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

International Broadcasting

Asia Pacific Focus presenter Michael Maherhas been covering the Asia Pacific region formore than fifteen years.

Phnom Penh and Port Moresby, with three more

24-hour FM services planned for the end of

2004 in Honiara, Port Vila and Dili. New partial

relays have been secured in Indonesia, as well

as Bangkok and Phnom Penh. For the first

time since 1996, a range of Radio Australia

programs is available on local relay in Thailand.

Audience survey figures indicate that Radio

Australia enjoys an annual audience reach of

7 million in Indonesia and confirm its ranking

alongside other key international broadcasters.

Radio Australia’s Indonesian language programs

are heard via 38 local stations, including 22 live

satellite relays. A third of Radio Australia listeners

claim to listen to the service via local relays.

In 2003-04, Radio Australia provided specialist

coverage of key events in the Asia Pacific region.

Radio Australia’s Chinese service and the Asia

Pacific program covered the presidential election

in Taiwan with live broadcasts and reports in

English and Chinese. Radio Australia’s

Indonesian service and the Asia Pacific program

provided live coverage of 2004 Indonesian

presidential election campaign and the 2003

commemorations of the Bali bombings.

Radio Australia covered major political

developments in the Pacific in Pidgin and

English. The Pacific Beat program was

broadcast live from Fiji on two occasions

covering local political issues and HIV/AIDS

issues in the Pacific. Radio Australia’s specialist

reporters provided coverage of the South

Pacific Games and key regional issues for

ABC Asia Pacific Television.

In 2003-04, Radio Australia maintained close

relationships with Australian institutions to

deliver educational programs to Asia and

Pacific audiences. A new educational web

site, Understanding Australia, complementing

a 13-part radio series produced with Monash

University, aims to explain Australia to overseas

audiences. In a first for the ABC, Radio Australia

produced a Hindi language version of this site

with the support of the Australia India Council

and La Trobe University. The Australia China

Council is supporting the production of a

Chinese language version of the site. Radio

Australia also commenced production of a

series on the Vietnamese community in Australia.

The first programs of the series have been

welcomed by Radio Vietnam, which will

rebroadcast the programs.

Radio Australia co-produced public lectures with

major Australian universities: a public forum at

the University of Melbourne’s Asialink Centre with

Indonesia’s presidential candidate Mr Yudhoyono;

the Second Herb Feith Lecture with Monash

University at Southbank delivered by Professor

Wang Gungwu; and a public forum held with

Sydney University at the Eugene Goosens

Auditorium on ‘Smart Societies in Asia and

the Pacific’ for a new 13-part radio series.

As a further commitment to education, Radio

Australia signed an agreement with Adult

Multicultural Education Services Victoria (AMES),

to develop a vocational English-teaching

language series. The series will be produced

in Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese and

Khmer for distribution across Asia through

Radio Australia’s rebroadcast network.

In 2003-04, Radio Australia further developed

partnerships with major institutions in Asia.

A distribution agreement was signed with India’s

Indira Gandhi National Open University for

the rebroadcast of educational programs on

IGNOU’s radio network across India. In Thailand,

a cooperation agreement was signed with

Chulalongkorn University for the co-production

of educational series in English and Thai. The

co-production of a series on Asian cities with

s e c t i o n 3 6 3A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

International BroadcastingRadio Chulalongkorn and MediaCorp

Singapore is planned for later this year.

Thailand’s Ministry of Education also expressed

interest in Radio Australia’s educational programs

and in co-producing new English learning series

for Thai students.

In the Pacific, Radio Australia and Pacific Island

broadcasters have agreed to the development

of a Pacific Radio Network to support public

broadcasting and governance principles in the

Pacific. The network will facilitate the exchange

of program material informing public debate on

key regional issues. Meanwhile, Radio Australia

continued in 2003-04 to provide training and

professional attachment opportunities to

Pacific broadcasters. Radio Australia is

working closely with AusAID on a partnering

arrangement with the National Broadcasting

Corporation of Papua New Guinea to support

public broadcasting in PNG.

ABC Asia PacificThe ABC’s international television arm, ABC

Asia Pacific, grew rapidly throughout 2003-04.

The service was the fastest growing channel in

Asia according to the PAX Synovate audience

survey. The service is now seen in 32 countries.

It is retransmitted by more than 150 pay television

operators, is available in more than 190 000

hotel rooms and can be seen in seven million

homes across the region.

The service is designed for an audience

demographic comprising decision makers and

opinion leaders in the private and public sector,

including emerging middle-class community

segments, student and learning communities,

and international expatriates as well as

Government missions based in the region.

ABC Asia Pacific has enjoyed considerable

success in a crowded and highly competitive

market (most countries in the region offer

between 40 and 100 channels).

6 4A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

(continued)

ABC Asia Pacific, the ABC’s internationaltelevision service, is now seen in morethan 32 countries.

ProgrammingABC Asia Pacific offers a diverse range of

quality programming rather than a single

program genre such as movies, sport or

24-hour news broadcasts. This makes the

service unique amongst the international

broadcasting community. This programming

strategy has played an important role in the

rapid take-up of the service.

During the past year, ABC Asia Pacific

substantially redesigned and upgraded its

program schedule to better meet audience

and pay operator expectations and demands.

All programs shown are high quality, up-to-date

and recently produced. The news, current

affairs and information programs aim to be

credible and independent. The channel

is committed to showcasing the best of

Australian television by broadcasting a

minimum 60% Australian content.

During 2003-04, 75% of the schedule

was Australian content.

The nightly prime time programming

line-up is built on four main strands:

• ABC news and current affairs produced

for the Asia Pacific region;

• a quality Australian or international

drama series;

• a world class documentary; and

• an informative and entertaining feature

or lifestyle program.

Another significant programming strategy

includes transmitting education programs of

real benefit to audiences across the region.

Feedback through the ABC Asia Pacific web

site suggests that such programming,

in particular English learning content, is

extremely popular.

Australian sports coverage was extensive, with

seven games of AFL or NRL broadcast every

week of the football season, as well as coverage

of the Victorian Spring racing carnival, with the

Melbourne Cup as the highlight.

Some of the programs that proved most

successful were:

• 36 ABC Asia Pacific half-hour news

programs each week;

• Australian dramas such as The Shark Net,

Blue Healers and MDA;

• International dramas such as Forsyth

Saga, State of Play and Frost;

• Documentaries on a wide range of issues

and from differing perspectives; and

• Australian information programs such as

RPA, Getaway, Catalyst, The New Inventors

and Enough Rope with Andrew Denton.

DistributionAmong the countries and territories to

launch ABC Asia Pacific in the past year

were Singapore’s sole pay television operator,

StarHub, and Hong Kong’s dominant cable

operator, I-Cable. Negotiations continued with

Chinese media authorities for the rights to limited

transmission in mainland China. Detailed planning

is now underway to expand the service into

India and surrounding nations in 2005.

OnlineThe companion website to ABC Asia Pacific

television, abcasiapacific.com, provides a

comprehensive program listing and television

schedule, and an up-to-the-minute regional

news service produced specifically for an

international online audience. During the year,

weekly accesses to the service doubled to

nearly 100 000.

The popularity of ABC Asia Pacific education

programs Nexus and English Bites were a

major factor in this growth.

s e c t i o n 3 6 5A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Director of Production Resources

Andrew Lean was appointed Director of Production Resources in 2000.

Prior to joining the ABC, he was Director of Production for the Seven

Network. Andrew worked for the Seven Network for 23 years.

Andrew Lean

Production ResourcesProduction Resources operates broadcast and

production centres in the capital city of each

state and territory. It manages the broadcast of

ABC Radio and ABC Television, and supports

the production needs of ABC Television and

News and Current Affairs.

The Division contributes to the distinctiveness,

level, mix, quality and diversity of Australian

content produced for national and local television.

In addition to broadcast use, these programs

provide opportunities for international program

sales and additional products and services for

ABC Enterprises.

Program Genre Diversity and Australian ContentIn 2003-04, programs produced using

Production Resources’ workforce and facilities

covered all television program genres and

contributed directly to ABC Australian content

levels. Almost 70% of the Division’s workforce

activity contributed to production of television

programs in five genres: news, current affairs,

factual, entertainment and drama.

Production SupportThe production resources requirements of

ABC Television and News and Current Affairs

accounted for approximately 92% of the

Division’s costed production workforce resources

in 2003-04, a level slightly above that of

2002-03. The balance undertook ancillary

activities, including transmission support and

marketing activities through ABC Resource

Hire, part of ABC Enterprises.

In 2003-04, the Division provided a total of

more than 1.66 million workforce hours for

television program production, an increase of

over 4% on 2002-03 levels largely reflecting

an increase in hours provided for general

television production.

Broadcast OperationsFrom December 2003, Production Resources

became fully responsible for the broadcast

operations of ABC Radio and Television

through the addition of radio and television

master control rooms. The Division operates

broadcast facilities for the presentation and

switching of radio and television broadcasting

for transmission and distribution by external

providers. It also arranges and schedules

transmission facilities used for the production

and distribution of ABC content.

Facilities MarketingIn July 2003, responsibility for facilities marketing

of production resources was transferred to the

new ABC Resource Hire group within ABC

Enterprises. Production Resources continued

6 6A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

to be a provider of production workforce and

facilities resources for hire by external clients. The

revenue generated from this activity was used

to boost ABC production and programming.

National Production andBroadcast Centre PresenceThe Sydney and Melbourne production and

broadcast centres provide the majority of

resources used to make programs and to

broadcast programming for the ABC national

television network. These centres provided

resources for television news and current

affairs and for major television programs

such as Fireflies, Silver Sun, Strictly Dancing,

Kath and Kim and Enough Rope with

Andrew Denton.

While the other six capital city production and

broadcast centres provide resources primarily

for the production of local television news and

current affairs and other local programming for

state or territory audiences, they also produced

programs for the national network. These

included Australian Story, Landline, George

Negus Tonight and The Hopman Cup, as well

as a number of specials and sports programs,

such as coverage of Anzac Day marches,

annual football award ceremonies and local

sport. Perth and Adelaide provided resources

for the production of ABC Asia Pacific news

and education programs, respectively.

Sydney Production Centre MoveBy the end of 2003-04, the Sydney production

centre had moved from Gore Hill to new, purpose-

built premises in Ultimo and modified premises

at Lanceley Place in Artarmon. In late 2003,

drama facilities were relocated to new purpose-

built accommodation and the set-making

workshop at Lanceley Place was completed.

Field operations and outside broadcast

operations are now located at Lanceley Place.

s e c t i o n 3 6 7A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

The studio set for the popular Strictly Dancingin the ABC Ultimo Centre in Sydney.

Production Resources (continued)

With completion of these moves, Production

Resources’ Sydney-based production and

broadcast operations are now fully established

at Ultimo and Lanceley Place. Start-up issues

with new equipment, facilities, accommodation

and processes have largely been resolved.

Resources WorkforceWith a workforce of over 1 000, Production

Resources is the single largest employer within

the ABC, accounting for about one quarter

of all ABC staff. Almost two-thirds of the

production workforce is based in Sydney and

Melbourne, with the remaining third in the

other six capital cities. The utilisation rate of the

production workforce for 2003-04—measured

by chargeable time as a proportion of paid

time—was 78%, maintaining the same levels

as 2002-03.

The Division aims to provide workforce

capabilities for the full range of production

skills needed to make television programs.

However, when production requirements

exceeded the base capacity of the production

centres, or the capabilities required were not

available at those centres, the Division engaged

additional employees from the external television

production industry. Similarly, where required

and where facilities were not available, the

Division hired facilities from the external

television production industry.

Awards won by the Division’s employees

recognise the capabilities of the ABC

production workforce. At Australian

Cinematographers Awards ceremonies,

Production Resources employees won

awards across a wide range of categories.

At the end of 2003-04, television production

pool staff were transferred to the Television

Division to better realign editorial responsibilities

within the Corporation. This transfer involved

moving about 20% of the production workforce.

Production and Broadcast FacilitiesDuring the year, Production Resources

continued to expand digital production and

broadcast operations. In accordance with

legislative requirements, High Definition (HD)

on-air transmission began in late 2003. The

Division participated in the development of

native HD playout infrastructure planned for

operation in 2004-05. A new radio switcher

was installed and began operation at Ultimo

in late 2003-04. The Division took delivery of

another four widescreen television Outside

Broadcast vans, bringing the total number

of operational vans to eight.

6 8A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Helen Hughes

The Development Division supports the ABC

media platforms to develop new programs

and content sourced from within and outside

the ABC.

In its fourth year of operation, the Division formally

assessed 1 564 proposals and approved 174

(11%) for development support. The high

number of proposals assessed reflected efforts

made during 2003-04 to source ideas as

widely as possible.

From August to December 2003, a round of

television pitching sessions was held across

the country to provide a forum for producers

from both within the ABC and the wider

production community to discuss ABC

priorities and to present ideas.

Pitching sessions were held in all capital cities,

with ten projects approved for development

support. These included SAS: The Soldier’s Story

from Mianjin Entertainment, which traces the

history of the elite Australian SAS Regiment.

This project attracted matching development

support from the Pacific Film and Television

Commission and Screenwest.

A pitching round was held for ABC Radio in

October 2003. Twenty-nine proposals were

received with 12 selected for development

support, including We’re All Very Tired Now,

a humorous look at parenting from social

commentator Susan Maushart. Two history

projects were also approved: Patriots Three,

a four-part radio documentary for Radio

National from producer Jill Kitson, and In the

Wake of the Caledonia from triple j presenter

Daniel Browning, which traces the adventures

of one of his sea-faring ancestors.

The Division participated in a number of

industry events in 2003-04 including the

Australian International Documentary

Conference at Fremantle, Western Australia.

It also co-sponsored Pitch ’n’ Punt with Arte

France and conducted one-on-one pitching

sessions with producers.

While expenditure on program and content

development was the highest in four years, the

total number of projects supported was smaller

than 2002-03, reflecting several programming

initiatives of significant scale. The greatest

activity was recorded against the genres of

history, drama and arts and entertainment.

s e c t i o n 3 6 9A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Director of Development

During a twenty-year career in broadcasting, Helen Hughes has worked in a

range of programming roles, including journalist and news producer. Positions

held at the ABC include Head of News and Current Affairs Queensland from

1990-92 and Network Editor of the 7pm News Sydney from 1993-97.

Management roles have included General Manager Local Content Development

and Development Manager Local Television. Helen was appointed to the role

of Director Development in September 2001.

Development

DevelopmentDifferent ways of telling Australian history were

explored with projects such as Outback House

and Rewind. New arts and entertainment

programs such as The New Inventors, Strictly

Dancing and The Einstein Factor, and drama

projects, including Loot, were funded in

development. Development funds were

committed to a number of new comedy

projects, including Double the Fist, Stand Up!

and a third series of Kath and Kim.

In 2003-04, fifty documentary programs

or series covering a wide range of subjects

and sourced from across Australia attracted

development support. Projects included The

Shearers, following the fortunes of a group of

young shearers selected to enrol at Tasmania’s

highly competitive shearing school; Street

Practice, a four-part series about young

lawyers moving from university to a busy legal

aid practice; the third series of the highly

successful Dynasties; and Air Australia,

exploring the history of Australian aviation.

Development supported the cross-media initiative

Wildwatch, which featured the television and

radio promotion of an online wildlife survey

designed to capture information about wildlife

in people’s backyards in Australia. The initial

survey attracted more than 27 000 respondents,

and led to support for a second survey to be

conducted in late 2004, along with further

radio and television programming.

Development applied National Interest Initiative

funds to place a Development Officer in the

Northern Territory. This has resulted in a series

of content initiatives in 2003-04, including

arts segments for Sunday Afternoon, the thirty

minute documentary Goannas and Canetoads

for Richard Morecroft Goes Wild and a range

of stories for George Negus Tonight, such as

7 0A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

(continued)

02–03

01–02

00–01

02–03

$1.29m

70 Projects

$2.54m

19 Project

$3.70m

211 Projects

$3.97m

174 Projects

Expenditure Approved Projects

Research and Development Expenditure and Approved Projects 2003-04: Television,

Radio and New Media

Arts and

Entertainment 30%

Chi

ldre

n's

7%

Drama 19%

Factual 44%

Television Development Activity by Genre 2003-04

Boys’ Business, about a music program at

Wanguri Primary School in Darwin aimed at

re-engaging boys in the classroom.

For Radio, The Idlers, a series on travel in

regional Australia, contained a mixture of stories

about life on the road, travel information, places

of interest and tips on travelling. Under the

Welcome Mat was a series of programs that

allowed listeners to ‘pitch’ a town for the

presenter to visit and profile.

Significant New Media projects included Health

Matters, the regional health gateway, and Kids

Science Cross Media, a new interactive science

resource for young teens. Both projects were

funded from Development’s National Interest

Initiatives allocation.

Audience ResearchDevelopment Division manages Audience

Research on behalf of the Corporation. In

2003-04 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 its services.

The main data sources subscribed to in

2003-04 were:

TelevisionAudience measurement data was collected

via the OzTAM people meter panels in Sydney,

Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth and

reported on a daily basis. Regional TAM supplied

data from their people meter panels in the

aggregated regional television markets covering

most of the regional coastal areas of Queensland,

Northern and Southern New South Wales,

regional Victoria and Tasmania. Generally

this information was reported as the share

of viewing achieved and the percentage of

the population reached.

In areas of Australia where people meter panels

are not established, television audiences are

measured by the completion of viewing diaries.

Using weekly diaries members of households

record their daily television viewing, on a

quarter-hour basis. Diary surveys of television

are usually conducted over a two-to-four–week

period.

This year the Corporation participated in diary

surveys in Darwin in August 2003 and May 2004,

and in regional Western Australia in August 2003

and March 2004. Diary surveys were also

conducted in August 2003 in Mildura, and

July/August in the remote central and eastern

areas of Australia. The Corporation also

participated in a diary survey of the Griffith

television area in October/November 2003.

RadioNielsen Media Research carries out audience

measurement for the major metropolitan markets

eight times each calendar year, with listening

captured on a quarter-hour basis in five-week

tranches in each survey period. In regional and

rural areas, Nielsen Media Research conduct

less frequent radio surveys.

In 2003-04, the Corporation participated

in regional surveys at the Gold Coast and

Wollongong. Due to the lack of interest

among commercial radio networks in conducting

radio diary surveys in regional Australia, the

Corporation initiated the first of a series of

radio diary surveys at Mt Gambier, Albany

and Orange in May through June/July 2004.

OnlineThe ABC’s two primary audience measurement

methodologies for ABC Online are Site-Centric

page access measures and the Nielsen//

NetRatings service. The Site-Centric

page access measures provide insights

s e c t i o n 3 7 1A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

The Nielsen//NetRatings service uses a national

panel that provides more in-depth data on

the number of users (both at home and work),

reach and the demographic profiles of

audiences to ABC Online.

Development (continued)

into traffic volume to ABC home page and

ABC Online Gateways. To ensure compliance

with Audit Bureau of Circulations standards

for the measurement of page accesses, the

Corporation undertook a review of the

mechanisms for capturing accesses.

This review resulted in some changes in

the mechanics of collecting page accesses

which took effect from January 2004.

7 2A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

One of the many programs supported byDevelopment, Loot is a forensic accountingdrama, starring Jason Donovan and Anita Hegh.

ABC Enterprises contributes to the role of

the ABC by selling and distributing ABC

programming and content, hiring spare ABC

resources capacity, and developing and retailing

quality consumer products associated with

ABC programming or relevant to Charter roles

and values. In this way, the Division extends the

life of ABC programming, assists in fostering

and developing Australian talent and creativity,

and makes a financial return to the Corporation

for investment in programs.

ABC Enterprises began operating in an

expanded form on 1 July 2003, when the ABC

Board endorsed the proposal to integrate all

revenue-generating business activities. The

Board’s decision aimed to provide clear

separation of ABC commercial and editorial

activities and focussed management of sales

and revenue generation.

The Division is currently structured into the

three businesses—ABC Consumer Publishing

and Content Sales, ABC Retail and ABC

Resource Hire. During 2003-04, ABC Content

Sales and ABC Consumer Publishing were

merged into a single business unit.

ABC Consumer PublishingIn 2003-04, ABC Consumer Publishing

released over 800 consumer products relating

to ABC programming and Charter activities.

The business unit made a net profit of

$8.19 million in 2003-04, compared

with $8.72 million in 2002-03.

The best selling adult titles for ABC Books were

On the Road with Macca, The Bill, Surfing the

Menu and delicious: Let’s Entertain. Other titles

included Enough Rope, Gardening Australia’s

Flora and The Coroner, which featured in the

Book Bestseller list for six weeks.

The leading ABC Children’s Book was the

Saddle Club Friendship Book. Award-winning

and shortlisted children’s titles throughout the

year included Zoo Album, Baby Boomsticks,

The Naming of Tishkin Silk, Old Tom’s Man

of Mystery and Antarctica, which won the

Wilderness Society Environment Award.

ABC Audio released its first MP3-CD consumer

product, Taim Bilong Masta, in March. The MP3

format allows each audio CD to hold up to ten

hours of book reading. Christmas and Father’s

Day greeting cards with an attached audio and

music CD were the best selling audio products

for the year.

The ABC food magazine, delicious, won four

awards at the 2003 Magazine Publishers

of Australia Awards, including the coveted

Magazine of the Year. Saddle Club magazine

was another success, with a recorded readership

of 136 000 among girls aged 6-13. A triple j

annual magazine, entitled Beat the Drum,

was published in December.

s e c t i o n 3 7 3A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Robyn WattsDirector of Enterprises

Robyn Watts has been Director Enterprises since the establishment of the

restructured commercial operations division in July 2003. Robyn commenced

at the ABC in July 2000 as Director of Content Rights Management. Prior

to joining the ABC, Robyn was CEO of Southern Star Sales, a division she

established for the company and grew to a worldwide distribution force

of 13 000 hours of television programming.

ABC Enterprises

Consumer products associated with Kath and

Kim topped the bestseller lists for the second

consecutive year, with the Kath and Kim Series

2 DVD selling more than 80 000 units. A Kath

and Kim video boxed set was released for

Mother’s Day, along with a Kath and Kim

Party Tape music CD.

Sales of DVDs from perennial ABC for Kids

favourites The Wiggles totalled more than

150 000 units in Australia. In the United States,

the Wiggle Bay video sold more than 500 000

copies.

ABC Music artists won a total of nine Golden

Guitars at the Country Music Association of

Australia (CMAA) Awards. Sara Storer won a

record seven Golden Guitars, including Album

of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year.

ABC Music released Midnight Oil: Best of Both

Worlds, the first music DVD from the triple j

archival collection.

Composers on the ABC Music Publishing roster

won the 2003 Screen Music Award for Best

Music for a TV series for MDA, and the APRA

2004 Award for Most Performed Jazz Work

for If You Loved Me.

ABC Classics won ARIA Awards for Best

Classical Album for Saffire and the Best Jazz

Album for Mikrokosmos. ABC Classics’

highlights for the year included the releases

of the CDs Bach Arias and Duets, Praise,

Cinema Paradiso, Brazil, Felix and Me,

and Margaret Throsby Collection.

ABC Events staged over 300 events and

exhibitions over the year and entertained more

than 200 000 children. The major exhibition

for the year was Gardening Australia Live,

which was staged in Sydney in August and

Brisbane in April.

ABC Content SalesABC Content Sales distributes content

and programming produced by the ABC’s

Television, Radio and Online platforms and

leading independent content producers.

Global clients include broadcasters, filmmakers,

airlines, multimedia producers, internet portals,

and wireless and broadband service providers.

Revenue from the sales of ABC-owned and

independently-acquired content decreased

with a net profit of $2.22 million in 2003-04,

compared to $3.74 million in 2002-03. The

result was partly due to a decrease in available

ABC-produced content, an increase in sales

of third party acquired content, and an

associated increase in costs.

In 2003-04, ABC Content Sales attended

international television markets and launched

100 hours of new programming. Surfing the

Menu, Kylie Kwong: Cooking With Heart and

Soul, Deadly Enemies, series 1 and 2 of Kath

and Kim and Moulin Rouge Girls attracted

global buyers. International broadcasters NHK,

TVNZ and Al Jazeera continued their supply

agreements for Foreign Correspondent.

In an increasingly competitive market, ABC

Content Sales continued to increase revenue from

sales of footage, although revenue expectations

from collecting agencies and third party sales of

7 4A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

ABC Enterprises (continued)

Magazine Publishers ofAustralia named ABC

food magazine deliciousthe Magazine of the

Year in 2003.

radio programs were not met. The continued

reduction of new, saleable ABC footage was

offset by increasing sales of represented

collections (National Geographic and Associated

Press Television News) and by packaging

high-demand material such as bloopers and

popular music from the Countdown and the

GTK collections. The unit launched WILD, an

online ABC Natural History stock-shot database.

ABC Content Sales continued to ensure that

content was licensed for all major technology

platforms, establishing a long-term, multi-faceted

agreement with OptusNet to supply news and

entertainment content for their online service,

and expanding its news relationships with

Telstra, Yahoo and Austar. The unit attracted

new wireless clients such as Telstra Mobile and

Optus Mobile for SMS, WAP News and Sport,

and sold ABC news and transcripts to new

platforms such as MarketWatch and

MacquarieNet.

ABC RetailABC Retail opened one new ABC Shop at Bondi

in NSW in November 2003. In the same month,

the ABC Shop at Erina on the New South Wales

Central Coast was relocated to a new position

alongside the newly-built ABC Radio studio

within the Erina Fair Shopping Centre. During

the year, eight new ABC Centres opened and

three existing Centres closed. By the end of

s e c t i o n 3 7 5A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Resource H

ire

Content Sales

Classics

Gift

Magazines

Licensing

Events

Con

tem

pora

ry M

usic

Aud

io

Boo

ks

Retail

Video (incl. Non Theatric)

ABC Enterprises Revenue by Activity 2003-04

0 2 000 4 000 6 000 8 000 10 000 12 000 14 000 16 000

94–95

95–96

96–97

97–98

98–99

99–00

00–01

01–02

02–03

03–04

$’000

a

b

ABC Enterprises Revenue

a. includes cash from Program Sales, BDU, Non-Theatrics and Stock Footage b. includes cash from new Enterprises departments—Content Sales and Resource Hire

ABC Enterprises (continued)

2003-04, ABC Retail had 124 outlets in

operation, comprising 39 ABC Shops, 84

ABC Centres and an Order Centre which

provides home delivery of products ordered

by phone, fax, mail and online. The unit’s net

profit increased from $2.77 million in 2002-03

to $4.88 million in 2003-04.

During the financial year, ABC Shop Online

sales grew to $1.4 million, an increase of 41%

on the previous year. Online sales now account

for 71% of all home delivery sales. The ABC

Shop loyalty program, Reward, continues to be

a significant promotional tool and accounted

for 28% of all shop sales. In 2003-04, 65 000

new customers were added to the program,

bringing the total number of people using their

Reward card during the year to 131 000.

Sales of DVDs increased from 18% of all

products sold last financial year to 26% in

2003-04, and video and DVD sales accounted

for 45% of all products sold. The most

popular genres of products sold were comedy,

children’s, factual and drama. The best selling

product in the ABC Shops included Kath and

Kim Series 1 and Series 2 DVDs, The Bill Book

and The Goodies DVD. National catalogue

promotions for Father’s Day, Christmas and

Mother’s Day were all successful and exceeded

previous years’ sales results.

During the year, the most successful of the

230 local promotions undertaken included the

Gardening Australia Live exhibition, a Gordon

Ramsay lunch for delicious magazine, book

signings by Kylie Kwong and John Eales, and

a David Attenborough dinner and book signing.

ABC Resource HireABC Resource Hire uses spare capacity in

ABC facilities and crews to offer services in

television production to clients Australia-wide

and overseas. Revenue generated from its

activities is channelled into program production,

and provides ABC staff with exposure to a

wider range of production genres and disciplines.

Services offered are digital outside broadcast,

live minicam sports coverage, production

services, and costume hire and manufacture.

Also available for hire are studios, rehearsal

rooms and theatres. The business unit was

moved from the Production Resources

Division into ABC Enterprises on 1 July 2003.

ABC Resource Hire made a net profit of $1.56

million in 2003-04 compared to $2.50 million

in the previous financial year. In a competitive

market, the unit successfully won contracts

to provide content for all Australian television

networks, working with many of the country’s

leading producers and production companies.

In 2003-04, ABC Resource Hire provided

studios, facilities and crew for television

programs such as Bambaloo, Active Kidz and

Mars Venus and the production of corporate

videos and DVDs. Outside broadcast facilities

and crew covered the World Track Cycling

Championships in Melbourne and provided

national sports coverage ranging from AFL

in Western Australia, the Northern Territory

and Tasmania to basketball coverage in

Queensland and Western Australia and soccer

coverage in Western Australia. ABC Resource

Hire provided Minicam facilities and crew for

the V8 Motor Racing series around Australia

and in New Zealand.

In association with ABC Asia Pacific, ABC

Resource Hire provided facilities and crew

for coverage of the South Pacific Games in

Fiji. Minicam coverage of international events

included the Suzuka Motorbikes in Japan,

Macau Grand Prix, Korean F3 and the

Bicycle Tour of Malaysia.

7 6A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

s e c t i o n 3 7 7A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Business ServicesOn 1 July 2003, the Finance and Support

Services Division was renamed Business

Services, reflecting the incorporation of Archives

and Library Services, Rights Management and

Business Affairs.

Completion of AnnualFinancial StatementsThe Corporation’s Annual Accounts were

completed within the required time frame

and received an unqualified audit opinion from

the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO).

ABC Asia Pacific’s Annual Accounts were

completed and submitted to the Department

of Foreign Affairs and Trade after the ANAO

delivered an unqualified audit opinion.

Budget and FundingThe 2003-04 Budget was submitted to and

approved by the ABC Board in July 2003

following extensive negotiations with all Divisions.

The 2003-04 Budget encompassed reductions

to programming and non-programming budgets

amounting to some $26m.

With National Interest Initiatives (NII) funding

due to expire on 30 June 2005, the ABC

undertook a review of its performance in

implementing the NII in the first two years of the

four-year program. This review was included in

a funding submission to the Federal Government,

which included a request for the renewal of

NII funding from 1 July 2004. This bid was

successful, with NII funding committed until

the end of June 2008. An additional $4.2

million per annum for acquisitions was also

appropriated to the ABC.

Finance SystemsDuring 2003-04, work commenced on several

major Finance System-related projects that are

scheduled for completion in 2004-05.

As Finance System hardware is approaching the

end of its useful life, a Request For Proposal

for new infrastructure and related application

support services was issued to the market in

May 2004. It is anticipated that this process

will allow implementation in early 2005. The

new system is expected to deliver ongoing

savings to the Corporation.

Further business process improvements

will be delivered in 2004-05 with the redesign

and full integration of foreign currency payment

processes into the Finance System and an

interface to the new Enterprises Sales

Management System.

Director of Business Services

David Pendleton joined the ABC as the ABC 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. Prior to joining the ABC, David

held senior management positions in the public sector at the NSW Roads and

Traffic Authority and State Super Investment and Management Corporation.

David Pendleton

Finance CommitteeThe ABC Board Finance Committee met on

four occasions during the year to consider

papers prepared by the Division. Papers

included the Corporation’s annual budget,

quarterly financial reports, revenue information,

accounting policies and capital planning.

NOIEDuring 2003, the ABC trialled three

electronic solutions as part of an eProcurement

demonstration project facilitated by the National

Office for the Information Economy (NOIE).

The solutions comprised a B2B facility, a

catalogue punchout tool and shopping cart,

and an expense management system. The

Australian Government Information Management

Office (AGIMO) will commence a review of the

project in July 2004 and it is intended that

findings will be made available to Australian

Government agencies and the business sector,

and will be incorporated into a revised whole-

of-government eProcurement strategy.

Digital ConversionIn August 2003, the ABC, in partnership with IBM

Global Services Australia, commenced a project

to convert 60 000 hours of ABC analogue

television and radio content to a digital data

format. To facilitate the project, IBM commenced

fit-out of a purpose-built facility in Pyrmont

(close to the ABC’s Ultimo centre), which will

be operational in early September 2004. It is

anticipated that the conversion of material

will take three years.

The project partners also began to develop

hardware and software solutions for storing and

accessing digital data files. Robotic libraries

were installed at the Ultimo Centre for system

and user testing and will be rolled out nationally

by the end of October 2004. Specialised PCs

providing access to the converted material for

broadcast in Television and News programs

were also installed at the Ultimo Centre. The

commencement of this project moves the

ABC closer to its long-term goal of retaining the

Corporation’s content collection in a high quality

durable format that allows desktop access.

AccommodationSydneyIn July 2003, the ABC completed the relocation

of all planned activities from Gore Hill to its new,

purpose-built building in Ultimo. Following

completion, the achievements of the Sydney

Accommodation Project were recognised with

awards for excellence from the Institution of

Engineers Australia (NSW Division), the National

Electrical and Communications Association

and the Master Builders Association.

On 15 December 2003, the Chairman

of the ABC Board formally unveiled an

installation dedicating the new ABC Archives

and Library facilities in the ABC Ultimo Centre

to Brian Johns AO, the Corporation’s Managing

Director from 1995 to 2000. The dedication

recognises that under his management the

Corporation decided to proceed with the

consolidation of Sydney activities at the

Ultimo Centre.

Gore HillThe last stage of the redevelopment of the

production support base at Lanceley Place,

Artarmon was completed with the construction

of new garage and maintenance facilities for

the digital outside broadcast van fleet, together

with a new set-manufacturing workshop.

On 5 March 2004, the ABC entered into an

agreement which it is confident will result in

the sale of the remainder of the Gore Hill site

by March 2005. Net proceeds from the sale

of the site will contribute to the ABC’s digital

conversion program.

7 8A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Business Services (continued)

s e c t i o n 3 7 9A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

PerthConstruction of the ABC’s new Radio, Television

and Online centre at East Perth in Western

Australia is well advanced.

To complement the ABC’s decision to include

a significantly enhanced television production

facility as part of the project, the Western

Australian Government has committed funding

of $3.2m to assist film and television productions

in Western Australia co-produced by independent

filmmakers in partnership with the ABC. The

television production studio, part of the new ABC

Centre at East Perth, will provide the ABC with

significantly enhanced production capability in

Western Australia.

Practical completion of the building is scheduled

for October 2004 with the new facility to be

fully occupied and operational by May 2005.

CanberraOn 3 December 2003, the then Minister for

Communications, Information Technology

and the Arts, the Hon. Daryl Williams officially

opened ABC Canberra’s refurbished Northbourne

Avenue facilities. The opening marked the

culmination of five years of project work for the

Branch, including the return of local Television

News and introduction of weekend Television

News and a local Stateline program.

Since 1997, the ABC had been examining

options to provide improved administrative and

operational facilities in Canberra. The previous

facility consisted of six ageing buildings unsuitable

to meet the Corporation’s current and future

operational requirements. The scattered

arrangement of the buildings made it difficult

to achieve effective working relationships

between operational units, and electrical and

mechanical services were generally dilapidated

and in need of replacement.

The new premises have been designed to

meet the current and future accommodation,

program and technical support needs of the

branch. To improve work practices, work

areas have been collocated where appropriate

and staff located in closer proximity to each

other and the studio facilities that they use.

The project also focused on the upgrade

of technical infrastructure, in particular the

digitisation of television news equipment and

the digitisation and collocation of radio and

television central equipment rooms.

Construction for the refurbishment of the

Canberra premises commenced on 1 May 2002

and was completed on 28 November 2003.

The newly refurbished ABC Canberra offices have beendesigned to meet current and future operational needs.

Business Services (continued)

Following the official opening, ABC Canberra

held an Open Day to present the new building

and studios to the community. It was attended

by thousands of people. Tours were conducted

through the Television Studio, new combined

Television and Radio Master Control areas and

the greatly enhanced Radio Studios.

Other FacilitiesThe ABC continued to focus on implementing

its strategic property plan for capital cities and

regional areas.

Three new regional radio stations were opened

during the year with the assistance of NII funding.

The Chairman opened the new facility at Wagin,

Western Australia on 22 July 2003, while the new

Ballarat studio was opened by the Minister for

Communications, Information Technology and

the Arts on 28 August 2003. A new collocated

ABC Shop and regional studio facility was

leased at the Erina Fair shopping centre in

Gosford, New South Wales. The facility

commenced on-air operations on 28 November

2003 and was officially opened by the Managing

Director on 29 January 2004.

The first broadcast from new premises at

Nowra, New South Wales took place at the

end of July 2003, with the official opening held

on 17 September 2003. Construction of a

purpose-built studio in Port Macquarie, New

South Wales was completed, from where the

ABC Mid North Coast team commenced on-air

operations on 9 February 2004; their former

premises at Kempsey were sold at auction.

The ABC leased vacant office space in the

building adjacent to its existing Darwin premises

to alleviate overcrowding. Administrative and

management staff and functions were moved

to the new space in March 2004. The lease

will allow the exploration of options for the

future collocation of News and Current Affairs.

Other ProjectsLegal Services continued to provide the

Corporation with pre-publication advice,

litigation and submissions on law reform

to government. During 2003-04, legal

representatives of the Corporation participated

in the Federal Attorney General’s proposed

review of national Defamation laws; settled

major defamation litigation brought against

the ABC; and renegotiated major supply

agreements for ABC Television and Radio.

Legal Services also resisted applications to

restrain broadcasts proposed by the ABC;

negotiated retransmission arrangements for

ABC television broadcasts, and infrastructure

and software contracts for the ABC’s analog

and digital services; documented distribution

and sale arrangements for ABC Enterprises;

and renegotiated the ABC’s agreement with

the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

Several significant rights research and clearance

projects were undertaken on behalf of ABC’s

output Divisions and ABC Enterprises. These

projects include the new Comedy Kitchen

broadband service for New Media and Digital

Services, episodes of Play School for rebroadcast

on Asia Pacific Television, republishing of the

‘Sing’ book for Enterprises and the Dynasties

documentary series for Television and

international sales.

The ABC’s Archival collections inspired program

makers during the year, helping to provide our

audience with new perspectives on Australia’s

social, political and cultural history. Archival

material was sought for programs including

Local Radio’s Voice from the Vault, Radio

National’s Sports Factor, The Night Air, The

World Today, Australian Story, George Negus

Tonight, Love Is in the Air, Dynasties, Rewind

and The Way We Were.

8 0A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Director of Human Resources

Colin Palmer joined the ABC in 1974 and went on to manage industrial relations

in the Television Division in 1988 and later for the entire ABC in 1996. Colin has

played a key role in the evolution and negotiation of ABC enterprise agreements

and acted as the Corporation’s advocate prior to his appointment as Director

of Human Resources in June 2001. Colin has studied employment law,

organisational behaviour, personnel management and has senior-level

management experience in all disciplines of human resources.

Colin Palmer

Human ResourcesIn 2003-04, the Human Resources Division

pursued strategies and projects aimed at

delivering improved leadership, a more

supportive workplace environment and

forward-looking workforce planning and

development. These strategies are aimed

at ensuring that ABC staff have or be able

to acquire the skills to develop and broadcast

leading edge programming in a changing

media environment.

Policy InitiativesIn May 2004, Human Resources launched a

comprehensive conflict resolution web page

for managers and employees. The site provides

updated policies on harassment, discrimination

and grievance resolution, as well as a new policy

addressing workplace bullying. The Division

provided assistance to employees for resolving

conflict and to raise complaints.

A key strategy to support managers and staff

with these new tools was the development of

a training program called ‘Creating a Better

Place to Work’. This aimed at providing a

forum for information, discussion and case

studies on discrimination, harassment,

anti-bullying and resolution processes.

Workshops were undertaken in Brisbane,

Canberra, Hobart and Melbourne. By the

end of 2005, all ABC staff will have received

this training.

To build on the Corporation’s objective of

encouraging a supportive and flexible work/life

culture, the Division collated a booklet for

managers and staff covering entitlements,

resources, guidelines and childcare. Called

‘About Choice’, these booklets, which included

a parental leave supplement, were launched

at Ultimo in June 2004.

Human Resources continued to implement

Indigenous employment initiatives aimed at

attracting, developing and retaining Indigenous

staff as part of the Corporation’s objective of

a minimum of 2% Indigenous representation.

During the year the ABC conducted an

Indigenous Staff Conference at Penrith,

New South Wales with 36 participants;

hosted an Ultimo-based careers open day

for Indigenous students; established a cross-

divisional Indigenous committee and awarded

scholarships for Indigenous staff under a pilot

scheme. Indigenous representation remains

at 1.3% at year-end, with a number of

appointments in the pipeline expected to

raise the ratio in the early part of 2004-05.

During the year, Divisions focussed on the

targeting of positions and specific recruitment

initiatives, which resulted, along with other

strategies, in an increase of ten Indigenous

staff members. However, this increase was

offset by a substantial number of Indigenous

s e c t i o n 3 8 1A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

8 2A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Radio

20.

8%

Television 3.2%New Media and Digital

Services 2.6%

International Broadcasting 2.1%News and Current

Affairs 17.3%

Prod

uctio

n R

esou

rces

26.

8%Development 0.4%

ABC Enterprises 5.4%

Business Services 8.8%

Human Resources 2.3%

Corporate Affairs 0.9%

Technology and

Distribution 9.1%

State and Territory Directors 0.3%

ABC Staff by Division 2003-04

NSW 47%

NT

3%

Overseas 1%

SA 8%

Que

ensl

and

9%

Tasmania 4%

Victoria 18%

WA

6%

AC

T 4%

ABC Staff by Region 2003-04

5 523

5 437

5 343

4 887

4 177

4 134

4 293

4 116

4 260

4 321

4 244

0 1 000 2 000 3 000 4 000 5 000 6 000

1993–94

1994–95

1995–96

1996–97

1997–98

1998–99

1999–00

2000–01

2001–02

2002–03

2003–04

AB

C S

taff

num

ber

s (F

ull-

Tim

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0 500 1 000 1 500 2 000 2 500 3 000

Retail Staff

Technologist

Senior Executive

Program Maker

Admin/Professional

AB

C S

taff

by

Job

Gro

up 2

003-

04

s e c t i o n 3 8 3A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Human Resources (continued)

staff leaving the ABC for a range of individual

reasons and an increase in the overall number

of ABC staff.

Training and DevelopmentThe ABC is committed to national quality

standards for training. Following a successful

audit, the ABC retained its Registered Training

Organisation (RTO) status for a further five

years (2004-08). The ABC is registered to

deliver 14 qualifications, mainly in media skills.

This year the ABC RTO issued 146 complete

qualifications and a further 49 Statements of

Attainment to staff. In total, ABC staff received

over 77 000 hours of structured training.

A key focus in 2003-04 was developing and

promoting leadership and senior management

capability across the Corporation. Human

Resources introduced the ABC Leadership

Capability Framework which articulates the

characteristics, capabilities and competencies

required from ABC managers. Further, the

Division implemented Corporation-wide

programs to develop the skills and

competencies of managers. This included

the ABC Senior Management Development

Program, which was designed to build individual

and collective capabilities while also delivering

immediate results in the workplace, and the

ABC Executive Scholarship program.

Performance ManagementAfter three years, performance management is

now in place in the Corporation as a standard

business process and key management

accountability. Throughout 2003-04, Human

Resources focussed on improving support

for the system, including redesigning and

updating the performance management

intranet site and guidelines; further tailoring

the system to suit specific operational needs;

providing regular induction, training and

coaching; and developing a course on

‘Managing Under-Performance’ as part of a

suite of performance management training

tools. A cross-divisional group has continued

to monitor compliance and exchange ideas

on improving application of the system.

In 2004-05, a customised performance

management module will be added to the

payroll system, enabling managers to more

effectively administer and monitor all aspects

of the performance management system.

Workplace/Industrial RelationsThe Division addressed two major

workplace relations issues during the year.

Both involved disputes with the Community

and Public Sector Union (CPSU) and the Media,

Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) over

consultation processes and led to hearings in

the Australian Industrial Relations Commission

(AIRC). The first related to editorial and program

decisions, while the second concerned the

application of provisions in the ABC Employment

Agreement 2003-06 dealing with

under-performance management.

The ABC is also working with Comcare

to address a tension, common across

Commonwealth agencies, between

compensation legislation dealing with

psychological injuries and performance

management actions.

Coordinator Indigenous Employment, Paul Brant.speaking during NAIDOC week 2003.

Director of Corporate Affairs

Geoff Crawford joined the ABC as Director of Corporate Affairs in May 2002.

Prior to that, he worked for twelve years at Buckingham Palace, the last four

years as the Queen’s Press Secretary. He joined the Department of Foreign

Affairs and Trade in Canberra in 1974, working in a number of areas within

the Department, as well as undertaking overseas postings to the Middle East

and Pacific regions.

ABC Corporate Affairs provides a range

of Corporation-wide administrative support

functions in relation to corporate policy,

strategy and governance and the ABC’s

position and influence in the internal and

external environment.

Corporate MarketingThe Corporate Marketing unit manages the

ABC brand, including partnerships, cross-

promotions, community events and

cross-divisional marketing needs.

In 2003-04, the unit increased the number

of community events held using the ABC’s

On The Road Exhibition Trailer, which visited

19 sites across all states and territories. The

trailer supported outside broadcasts by ABC

Radio and Television, and promoted ABC

Enterprises products and talent. It was

visited by an estimated 350 000 people.

A major focus for the year was better

management of cross-promotional campaigns

and a more effective use of the Corporation’s

20% allocation of on-air promotion time.

The unit also concentrated on research and

analysis of brand perception and values, with

additional research on usage and opportunities

to reach new audiences.

To assist in its work, Corporate Marketing

managed the appointment of two new

advertising agencies and a number of design

companies to work with all divisions on external

communication campaigns. The unit organised

advertising for triple j and ABC Shops, and

additional brand research for ABC New Media

and Digital Services.

Work also continued on servicing existing

partnerships with festivals and non-profit

organisations and maintenance of logo and

brand use across the entire Corporation.

Corporate CommunicationsThe Corporate Communications unit oversees

ABC media relations and the distribution of

internal and external communications, such

as the ABC’s corporate website, About the

ABC; the ABC Intranet; the staff newsletter

abcXchange and the external publication Inside

8 4A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Corporate Affairs

Geoff Crawford CVO

s e c t i o n 3 8 5A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

the ABC. The unit also manages major

Corporate events and policy announcements.

During 2003-04, Corporate Communications

managed a number of significant media issues,

including the response of the Complaints Review

Executive to complaints about the AM program

by the then Minister for Communications,

Information Technology and the Arts, the Hon.

Senator Richard Alston; the announcement

of cuts to programs and non-program functions

of $26.1 million per year after the ABC’s failure

to secure additional funding from the 2002-03

Federal Budget; the release of the fourth Newspoll

ABC Appreciation Survey; the resignations of

Mr Maurice Newman AC from the ABC Board

and the Director of News and Current Affairs,

Mr Max Uechtritz; changes to the 7pm television

news in Victoria; and the renewal of National

Interest Initiatives funding in the Federal

Government’s 2004-05 Budget.

During the year, Corporate Communications

re-designed and overhauled the ABC

Intranet to provide ABC staff with a more

user-friendly internal information and

communications service.

Audience and Consumer AffairsABC Audience and Consumer Affairs logs

audience feedback and coordinates responses

where required. One of the unit’s key roles is

ensuring that program complaints are handled

in accordance with the guidelines set out in

the ABC Editorial Policies and to investigate

complaints relating to issues covered by the

ABC’s Code of Practice.

In 2003-04, Audience and Consumer Affairs

dealt with more than 160 000 contacts

(for further details, see ABC Audiences, p.27).

A major project for Audience and Consumer

Affairs was the introduction of a new audience

contacts database and workflow management

system. The unit will begin using the database

on 1 July 2004. In addition to streamlining

Stateline broadcasting from the ABC On theRoad Exhibition Trailer in Northern Tasmania.

the processing of audience contacts, the

new system will allow more information to be

recorded about each contact, enabling more

detailed and flexible reporting.

Planning ActivitiesThe Corporate Planning and Governance unit

coordinated the preparation of a new ABC

Corporate Plan for 2004-07. This included

a series of strategy and planning workshops

with the ABC Board and Executive Directors.

It is anticipated that the new Corporate Plan

will receive Board approval early in 2004-05.

The unit also continued to monitor performance

against the current ABC Corporate Plan

2001-04 and Divisional plans.

Corporate PolicyThe Corporate Planning and Governance

Unit continued to coordinate the ABC-wide

implementation of the Designing and

Implementing Record Keeping Systems

(DIRKS) methodology used by the National

Archives of Australia (NAA). This entailed

the development of a business classification

scheme covering all aspects of ABC activities.

Step B received provisional approval from the

NAA on 30 June 2004.

The unit contributed to an interdivisional review

of the ABC’s application of National Interest

Initiatives funding, and the supplementary

funding submission to Government requesting

continuation of funding for those initiatives.

The unit coordinated submissions to

Parliamentary inquiries on issues related to

the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement,

and contributed to submissions coordinated

by other Divisions.

Government andParliamentary RelationsThe Government and Parliamentary Relations

unit oversees the Corporation’s relationship with

the Parliament of Australia and Commonwealth

Government departments. During the year under

review, the unit coordinated and responded to

Parliamentary and departmental requests for

information, built relationships at the Federal

Parliamentary level and monitored developments

in Parliament of interest to the ABC.

The unit coordinated visits to ABC facilities

by Government Ministers and Opposition

spokespersons, Parliamentary committees,

senior departmental officers and official guests.

The ABC provided formal submissions to a

number of Parliamentary inquiries including

the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement, and

reviews including the Tobacco Advertising

Prohibition Act, the Digital Agenda Review

and reviews of the Copyright Act.

The ABC appeared before the Senate Estimates

Committee on three occasions during 2003-04

and answered 52 written questions on notice.

International RelationsThe ABC continues to strengthen its

relationships with a range of like-minded

overseas broadcasters to focus its public

service remit and national strategies. The

ABC participated in a number of international

conferences, including the General Assemblies

of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in

Sweden in July 2003 and the Asia-Pacific

Broadcasting Union (ABU) in Turkey in October

2003. The Director of Corporate Affairs delivered

a presentation on ‘Audiences: The Profile of the

Public Broadcaster’s Audience’ at the Public

8 6A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Corporate Affairs (continued)

s e c t i o n 3 8 7A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Broadcasters International (PBI) conference in

Poland in October 2003, while the Chairman

delivered an address at the Commonwealth

Broadcasting Association conference in Fiji

in February 2004.

The ABC also welcomed a number of

delegations from China, Thailand, Vietnam

and South Africa, as well as the Director of

the Asia Institute of Broadcasting Development

(AIBD); the Director of Program Department of

the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU); the

British Secretary of State for Culture, Media

and Sport; representatives of Swedish Radio;

the Director-General of Radio and Television

of Afghanistan; and the Ambassadors of

France and the Republic of Indonesia.

State andTerritoryDirectorsThe ABC appointed State and Territory

Directors in July 2000. These roles oversee

content and operations at a state and territory

level, add value to strategic directions and

decisions and provide a key point of external

contact. Directors represent the Managing

Director in high-level negotiations with

government bodies, liaise with community

leaders, and brief state and federal politicians

about activities of the ABC in their state.

Represented at corporate management

meetings by one of their number, currently

Geoff Duncan from Western Australia, the

State and Territory Directors liaise with

Divisional Directors on key decisions

affecting their state or territory. They also

provide feedback to the Managing Director

on local issues relevant to the ABC.

Although these positions do not have general

line-management responsibility they are

important in drawing together local Managers

from various Divisions to solve Corporation-wide

problems. To that end, they lead State Executives

and facilitate information flow to staff and

management.

During the year, State and Territory Directors

were allocated responsibility for major property

projects in Canberra and Perth.

Primary school students from Smithton, Tasmania

line up for the ABC On theRoad Exhibition Trailer.

Technology and DistributionThe Technology and Distribution Division

develops and supports the ABC’s technology

infrastructure and transmission services.

During 2003-04, the Division continued to install

digital production equipment and extend the

ABC’s digital television transmission services,

as well as completing technical fit-outs for

a number of significant ABC property

developments.

New radio and television studio facilities were

completed in Canberra, including an upgraded

television control room to allow the reintroduction

of local Television News bulletins. This project

required the creation of temporary radio studios

and the use of an outside broadcast (OB) van

to produce the News while the existing work

areas were refurbished. A key outcome of the

redevelopment was the relocation of technical

maintenance and transmission activities to

locations combining radio and television

functions. Canberra is the first site to have

a single Content Distribution Centre that

incorporates Radio and Television Master

Control Room functions and Television

Presentation in a single work space.

These redesigned areas are aimed at improving

working relationships with the introduction of new

technology, as well as addressing compliance

issues of fire safety, security and disabled access.

The technical fit-out of three new regional studios

was completed during the year. The 97.3 ABC

Illawarra facility at Nowra was relocated to more

suitable premises within the town and the main

studios for the ABC Mid North Coast service

were moved from Kempsey to the growing

regional centre of Port Macquarie. The new

Port Macquarie studio features state-of-the-art

technology, including digital on-air broadcast

consoles. In January 2004, the new studios for

92.5 ABC Central Coast opened at Erina in

Gosford, New South Wales. These innovative

studios are incorporated into the main regional

shopping centre and are highly visible to

the public.

In accordance with legislative requirements, the

ABC commenced broadcasts of High Definition

Television (HDTV) on 29 August 2003. Late in

2003-04, the ABC Board approved an HDTV

production facilities strategy that will provide

HDTV studio and control facilities, including

8 8A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Director of Technology and Distribution

Prior to joining the ABC in 1997, Colin was General Manager of Planning and

Corporate at the Australian Broadcasting Authority, where he was responsible

for development of digital broadcasting strategies for Australia. He has been

actively engaged in regulatory and engineering developments in digital

broadcasting technology since 1983. Colin has over 30 years experience

in the broadcasting, telecommunications and engineering industry and has

degrees in Communications Engineering, Management and Business

Administration.

Colin Knowles

s e c t i o n 3 8 9A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

5.1 surround sound capability, for television

Studio 21 at Ultimo; an outside HDTV broadcast

van for national use; and HDTV production field

kits and post-production facilities.

The digital conversion of the ABC’s production

and transmission facilities continued throughout

the year. All capital cities now have widescreen

capable OB vehicles, with the deployment of

the remaining digital television OB vans for

Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra and delivery

of a refurbished van to Darwin.

During 2003-04, the ABC’s satellite-based

television interchange system, which provides

the national distribution of television program

material between all states, was upgraded to

meet the demands of a multi-channel digital

television environment. The new system

began operations on 26 November 2003 and

provides higher-quality vision and audio circuits

and greater operational flexibility. In addition,

it has enabled 12 regional centres to uplink

and transfer video content to the television

interchange network, resulting in savings from

reduced itinerant satellite transponder hire.

The ABC is progressively rolling out a new

radio switching system to replace the existing

ageing hardware, for which spare parts are

now unobtainable. The introduction of this

system is a major step towards the digitisation

of the radio production process, integrating

on-air studios and signal routing in one cohesive

digital platform. The new radio switchers allow

the automated incorporation of audio content

from a variety of sources, including news

segments and outside broadcast feeds, into

a single program stream, and are capable

of exceeding current program switching

requirements by 25% or more. The system

has already been deployed in Canberra and

was commissioned in June 2004 for the

national radio network hub in Ultimo.

In April 2004, the ABC began trial transmissions

of an interactive electronic program guide (EPG)

on ABC digital channel 22 in Sydney. The EPG

was developed by the Technology Research

and Development group and provides viewers

with regularly updated program details up to

a week ahead. In addition, the ABC has

participated with other broadcasters in the

development of the specification and standards

necessary for a common EPG that carries all

of the networks’ program details. The service

on ABC channel 22 currently carries information

from two other broadcasters, but it is anticipated

other broadcasters will participate in future.

The ABC has been an active participant in two

digital radio broadcasting trials on VHF Band III

Channel 9A which commenced during the

year, providing the dig Internet radio service

and ABC Classic FM for both trials. In Sydney,

the DR2000 L-Band trial incorporating the ABC

Classic FM service is continuing, providing

participants with the opportunity to test and

directly compare the capabilities of the L-Band

and Band III services. In Melbourne, the ABC

is also trialling the use of data exchange

technologies including the transmission of dig

website information (such as current song title

and artist) for display on digital radio receivers.

Interior of one of the ABC’s new digitaloutside broadcast vans.

Archives ProjectPreservation of the ABC’s unique audio and

video media archive is a key component of

the Corporation’s digitisation strategy. In July

2003, a contract was awarded to implement

a digital archive solution for the ABC to store,

manage and preserve content and to convert

over 60 000 hours of analog archive content

into digital form over a three-year period.

The system has been installed at the Ultimo

site and is being tested prior to commissioning.

Once fully implemented, this will ensure a

sustainable, robust system for the future

preservation and online access of ABC

audio and video archives.

BroadbandA year-long project to upgrade the Brisbane

New Media and Digital Services broadband

facilities was completed in March 2004. The

upgrade has enabled the ABC to explore a

range of emerging distribution opportunities,

and the production and delivery of more

broadband program content and services

via the Internet. It has also enabled the

introduction of redundant equipment to

minimise the impact of primary equipment

failure on broadband audiences.

IT Infrastructure and ApplicationsDuring the year, the Information Technology

(IT) group completed an upgrade of the network

links between capital city sites (as well as

Newcastle and Launceston) to a modern ATM

(Asynchronous Transfer Mode) system. The

new system allows for much faster information

sharing between sites, as well as sharing

audio, voice and, potentially, video over the

same capacity. It also provides for more flexible

network management and provides a solid

foundation for future network growth without

the constant replacement of expensive

infrastructure components.

A standardised and centralised disc storage

infrastructure has also been implemented across

all capital cities, allowing for cost-effective

storage management. The infrastructure has

been designed to accommodate storage

requirement growth over the next five years,

minimising storage expenditure over that period.

Technical Project ManagementDuring 2003-04, the Technology Project

Office continued to oversee and assist in the

implementation of capital projects, co-ordinate

project status reporting and promote

Division-wide project management disciplines.

More than one hundred Divisional staff have

received training in the new project management

methodology and tools and are applying these

in daily work. Work is underway to extend

project management training to ABC internal

customers to ensure a common approach

across the Corporation.

Technology and Distribution RealignmentFollowing the conclusion of the conversion of

the ABC’s core broadcasting facilities to digital,

and the transfer of television production from

Gore Hill to Ultimo in Sydney, the Division

commenced a realignment process. Staff

involved in operational roles in transmission

were transferred to Production Resources,

while the internal Divisional realignment gave

enhanced focus to: service and support for

ABC technologies; management of new ABC

technology projects; management of contracts

with external technology and communications

services providers; and developing agreed

technology strategies for the ABC.

Technology and Distribution

9 0A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

(continued)

s e c t i o n 3 9 1A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Technical TrainingOver 11 000 hours of technical training were

delivered to Divisional staff during the year,

comprising more than 4 000 hours of technical

training, 3 000 hours of IT software and systems

training, and nearly 2 000 hours each of Project

Management and Occupational Health and

Safety (OH&S) training. As well as the on-going

training of staff in new technology, there were a

significant number of re-certification programs

for technical staff who maintain a wide range

of digital television, radio and transmission

equipment. The strong focus on OH&S training

this year included attendance at courses

relating to the Radiofrequency Safety project,

which is ensuring compliance with new

Australian Communication Authority (ACA)

regulations and the Australian Radiation

Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency

(ARPANSA) standard.

Government and Regulatory IssuesThe ABC’s technical interests were

represented at national bodies such as the

International Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC)

and international bodies including the Asia-Pacific

Broadcasting Union (ABU) and the International

Telecommunications Union (ITU).

During the year, the Corporation worked with

the other free-to-air broadcasters on a range

of common technical issues, and has been

actively involved in industry consultations

with Commercial Television Australia (CTVA),

Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) and the

community broadcasting sector. Other

consultations on a range of technical

issues have involved the ACA (Australian

Communications Authority), ABA (Australian

Broadcasting Authority), Department of

Communications, Information Technology

and the Arts (DCITA), ACIF (Australian

Communications Industry Forum), and

WTF (Wireless Technology Forum).

TransmissionThe ABC manages analog and digital

transmission contracts in excess of

$108 million per annum with transmission

service providers Broadcast Australia.

Transmission Fault RestorationDuring 2003-04, the average time for restoration

of service after a transmission fault was 15.89

minutes (15.17 minutes in 2002-03) for A-Class

transmitters (state capital works) and 42.01

minutes (39.14 minutes in 2002-03) for B-Class

transmitters (major regional centres). The

decrease in performance reflects the impact of

the continued roll-out of new digital television

services to major regional centres and the

associated installation of improved monitoring

equipment at transmission sites throughout

the year.

New Analog ServicesThe ABC’s minor extension program established

the following new services in 2003-04: Local

Radio in Port Stephens, New South Wales;

Radio National in Port Stephens, New South

Wales and Horsham, Victoria; and analog

television at Northam, Western Australia.

In June 2004, the ABC reconfigured the

Northern Territory Remote Area Broadcast

Service (RABS) to provide two distinct regional

radio services: a southern service with a central

Australian flavour from Alice Springs feeding

ABC transmitters south of Newcastle Waters,

and a northern signal from Darwin feeding

transmitters in the north and providing residents

in that part of the Territory with a more relevant

Local Radio service. The new service was

launched with outside broadcasts from Alice

Springs and Nhulunbuy on 25 June.

Also in June 2004, the ABC Board committed

to continuing the High Frequency domestic

shower services providing Local Radio to remote

areas in the Northern Territory until at least 2009.

This commitment will ensure that Broadcast

Australia upgrades the facility to improve

transmission performance levels and provide

a more reliable service to audiences.

New Digital Television ServicesIn 2003-04, the ABC commenced digital

television in 48 locations, continuing to provide

the largest terrestrial coverage of all Australian

broadcasters. New services were established at:

New South Wales: Armidale, Batemans Bay,

Bathurst, Broken Hill, Central Western Slopes,

Central Tablelands, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo,

Grafton/Kempsey, Lithgow, Lithgow East,

Manning River, Murrumbidgee Irrigation,

Portland/Wallerawang, Richmond/Tweed,

South Western Slopes, Tamworth, Ulladulla,

Upper Namoi and Wagga Wagga.

Queensland: Babinda, Cairns, Cairns East,

Darling Downs, Gordonvale, Mackay,

Noosa/Tewantin, Rockhampton, Southern

Downs, Toowoomba, Townsville,

Townsville North and Wide Bay.

South Australia: Adelaide Foothills,

Renmark/Loxton, South East, Spencer

Gulf North and Victor Harbor.

Tasmania: Hobart NE Suburbs, Launceston

and Taroona.

Western Australia: Albany, Bunbury, Central

Agricultural, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Manjimup

and Southern Agricultural.

To accommodate the introduction of digital

television, the ABC’s analog television services in

Cooktown, Miriam Vale, Mossman, Ravenshoe

and Tully in Queensland; Hay in New South

Wales and Taroona in Tasmania were required

to change channel.

9 2A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Technology and Distribution(continued)

In 2003-04, the ABC commenced digital television broadcasts in 48 new locations.

s e c t i o n 3 9 3A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

ABC Distribution and Transmission Network Aggregated 2003-04 Performance as Reported by Broadcast Australia

ABC Service No. of ABC Distribution Broadcast Australia Total ‘On-Air’

Transmitters Network Transmission Network Availability

(See Note 1) (See Note 2) (See Note 3)

2003-04 2002-03 Target 2003-04 2002-03 2003-04 2002-03

% % % % % % %

Classic FM 67 99.98 99.98 99.83 99.91 99.94 99.84 99.91

triple j 57 99.97 99.98 99.82 99.90 99.93 99.83 99.91

Local Radio 238 99.79 99.70 99.79 99.84 99.88 99.63 99.85

NewsRadio 12 98.98 98.12 99.89 99.95 99.95 99.90 99.93

Radio National 257 99.96 99.91 99.74 99.82 99.82 99.72 99.80

Analog Television 441 99.97 99.92 99.75 99.82 99.85 99.77 99.77

Digital Television 96 99.68 99.92 99.81 99.90 99.87 99.15 99.78

State (Analog services only)

New South Wales 252 99.91 99.73 99.80 99.86 99.89 99.71 99.87

Northern Territory 55 99.94 99.82 99.71 99.72 99.81 99.66 99.76

Queensland 310 99.84 99.92 99.76 99.81 99.83 99.65 99.74

South Australia 76 99.96 99.71 99.79 99.88 98.88 99.83 99.85

Tasmania 83 99.99 99.98 99.81 99.74 99.88 99.68 99.85

Victoria 120 99.97 99.97 99.82 99.89 99.85 99.83 99.85

Western Australia 179 99.96 99.87 99.75 99.86 99.82 99.82 99.79

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 the 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 the more than 60 agreements

the ABC has in place to distribute programs. The ABC’s performance in this area improved over the previous year.

Note: Local Radio, serving remote and regional Australia, is reliant on non-redundant Telstra broadcast lines. These performed as

expected in 2003-04.

2. Broadcast Australia Transmission Network (ABC Transmission Contractor): The reported transmission network performance,

provided by Broadcast Australia, was above the contracted performance targets but continued to reflect declining performance relative

to corresponding periods in the previous two years. The performance was affected by the continued roll-out of new digital television

services and the associated installation of improved monitoring equipment at transmission sites throughout the year.

The new digital television services are performing above the agreed performance targets.

3. Total “On-Air” Availability: The total ‘On-Air’ availability shows the availability of a radio or television service, regardless of quality or

coverage where some level of service continued to be provided throughout periods of on-air faults and diminished power levels due to

maintenance. It is the time where there was no total loss or denial of service to the majority of the audience. This measure shows that

Broadcast Australia reported an overall increase in the total period when services were ‘off’, in comparison to the previous year.

Digital television performance was significantly lower for this financial year.