Speaking at the regular Senate Estimates hearing this week, ABC Managing Director Mark Scott talked about the corporations push into online, and also tackled the contentious issue of cuts to some of Radio National’s specialist programs.

RADIO NATIONAL SPECIALIST REPORTS:

I have been concerned at some of the reporting on this matter and I have been concerned at the
reporting that may suggest that Radio National is moving away from specialist programming. That is
emphatically and demonstrably untrue. Next year, Radio National in its programming slate will run more than
40 specialist programs, programs with considerable depth in areas such as arts, music, science, history,
philosophy, design, religion, law, books, film, rural issues, Indigenous studies and many others.

In fact, when it comes to religion, the Religion Report is not returning next year but there will be 2½ hours
of religious programming on Radio National every week, further religious programming on ABC local radio
and ABC Classic FM, and of course we do a great religious program in prime time on a Sunday night called
Compass on ABC1. So we are absolutely committed to specialist programming, and specialist programming is
to stay.

I think there is an argument that asks: should a subject like religion have a half-hour program like the
Religion Report? For some years the ABC has run the Religion Report. Then it stopped for a couple of years
and then it came back. It is a very important time slot that it has held down, and I think the conversation we
have in the management of Radio National is: should that time slot be used for a period of time to cover some
other issues? Just because we do not have a religion report in that half-hour time slot does not mean that we
are not going to cover religion.

The ABC used to have a half-hour environment program. We do not have that on Radio National now, but I
do not think anyone would seriously say that the ABC is not significantly covering environmental issues at
some level of depth and specialisation on radio, on television, in news and online—tonight on Four Corners,
last week in The National Interest. We cover a lot of environmental issues, even though we do not have a halfhour program.

We are looking to build our religious content online. We are going to build a major website. It will be the
leading website covering issues of religion in Australia. Religion will be covered in a range of other programs
that we put to air, and we are going to continue to develop Radio National. Radio National, as I said the other day, is the jewel in the crown of the ABC. It has been tremendously successful. Its audience has grown very
significantly as we have moved into podcasts and vodcasts. We are committed to continue to do specialist
programming and to do the best we can so it can find its audience, but we do need to fvarchar(15)une our schedule
from time to time.

Let me give you the example of The Media Report. When that program started, I think it is fair to say there
was no media section in the Australian, the Sydney Morning Herald or the Financial Review; there was no
Crikey; there were no blogs; there was no internet. So The Media Report was about the only place that was
covering the media. Now media coverage is somewhat ubiquitous. So there is a question as to whether in fact
the time slot that The Media Report is filling should be used for other programs.

We are doing something called The Futures Report, which is going to investigate issues to do with
sustainability, issues to do with technology and issues to do with change in society, which are very relevant
and compelling issues to us now. That is not to say we are not going to cover the media. Radio National
Breakfast is going to do more extensive coverage of the media and media will be covered in other Radio
National programs, but choices need to be made.

If we want to keep Radio National as Australia’s pre-eminent forum for ideas and engagement around quality
thinking, then from time to time Radio National will have to change as well. So we are trying to do the best of
all of that, and one of the great things about the media is that, if you are unhappy with some of these changes
and they do not work out so well, then of course you can fine tune and modify as you go along…

There are not cuts to the Radio National budget, so this is not a cost-cutting exercise that is under way.

If we just sat on our hands and said, ‘Let’s just do what we’ve always done the way we’ve always done it,’
the audience for Radio National would be dramatically smaller than it is today. We have taken our excellence
in broadcasting and found new audiences—in the main Australians—who can now listen to that programming
at a time they want on a device they want. But, you are right: there has been no extra budget for Radio
National. We have had to find the budget ourselves in order to deliver this content. There are trade-offs that are
involved in that and we continue to judge that, but finally it is the quality of the content that makes Radio
National different. I can tell you that, with 40 specialist programs going out on Radio National next year, we
are doing nothing to walk away from our commitment to high-quality specialist broadcasting on Radio
National.

NEW MEDIA:

We see new media providing a great
opportunity for the ABC to connect with more audiences in more ways more often. We believe that we have
been the most innovative media organisation in Australia in taking advantage of the opportunities that are out
there in the new media space. In the main, if you look at our track record, we have taken advantage of new
media opportunities to take content that we have been previously creating for radio and television and using
the new media space to connect with new audiences.

For example, iView is Australia’s first internet television service [and] ABC Now is a widget that you can
download to your desktop that allows you to have an RSS stream of radio services and television catch-up
services as well. Our podcasting and vodcasting, which everyone is aware of, had 60 million downloads in the
last year; again, available free of charge.

We have taken advantage of the opportunity to make our store available online, so things that previously
people have had to go to our store to purchase, like an old television series, we now make some of those
programs available for people to download to purchase or to download to rent; so it is a download video store… We are developing an ABC mobile service. That will be commercial free on abc.net.au, and there is no
advertising on abc.net.au.

COMMERCIAL FREE DIGITAL:

Senator BIRMINGHAM—In terms of the grand vision, if we can describe it as that, to extend into digital
television, multichannelling—likewise on radio—does the ABC view all of those extensions as being
commercial free?

Mr Scott—Yes, at this stage. As we have moved into digital television, we certainly did not consider
putting advertising on ABC2. In relation to our proposal for ABC3, the children’s channel, part of that whole
proposition is around creating an environment for children where they can watch high-quality Australian
content in a commercial-free environment.

Currently our plans for digital radio are to take the radio stations that are currently available on analog, and
also our internet radio stations, and to put them out on digital radio. They do not have advertising at the
moment.

I have been in the ABC job now for more than two years. We have just in this last six months done an
extensive round of community consultations. We have had meetings with stakeholders, community groups in
cities and regional areas in every state and territory. I must say the overwhelming message I get from those
meetings is not a message for us to increase levels of commercialisation of ABC content but for us to be very
cautious and conservative about any moves to increase the level of commercialisation. That is certainly not
where the intent of our focus is.

We have a commercial division. We operate shops and stores, we sell books and CDs and DVDs. We do
license our content, but overwhelmingly our feeling is that the public want us to remain independent and
commercial free. Our latest news poll demonstrates that nine in 10 Australians believe we provide a valuable
or very valuable service and that the money the taxpayers provide us with to provide that service, independent
and commercial free, is money well spent.

CRITTENDEN SUSPENSION:

Senator LUDLAM—In terms of perceived or actual breakdown of communications where you say it could
have been done better, can you tell me what action the ABC has taken in response to Mr Stephen Crittenden’s
on-air comments?

Mr Scott—Yes, I can. Mr Crittenden has been suspended pending an investigation into his conduct, but
parties to the investigation are required to maintain confidentiality regarding the details and I therefore prefer
not to comment further at this stage.

Senator LUDLAM—So you cannot tell us anything about the process? Is there a regular process that the
ABC—

Mr Scott—Yes, there is. When there are allegations that are pertaining to breaches of ABC editorial
policies, there is a process that is then rolled out, so we are doing that now. But it is important that I not
comment further on any details around this.

Senator LUDLAM—Is this a process that is invoked very often?

Mr Scott—It is from time to time, when it is perceived that there has been a significant breach of editorial
policies.

Senator LUDLAM—And you would consider that that is what has occurred?

Mr Scott—I do not want to prejudge it. That is what the investigation is about.

Senator BIRMINGHAM—When was the last time that a journalist or on-air personality was suspended?

Mr Scott—I would have to come back to you on that.