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Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) ABC is sometimes known as internationally, ABC Australia, so it doesn't get confused with the American Broadcasting Company, which also goes by the letters ABC and is itself sometimes called ABC America. is Australia's national non-commercial public broadcaster. Established in 1932 as a radio network, the corporation has gradually expanded and diversified into many broadcasting and print media, including television, radio and online services. The ABC can be seen and heard throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, and overseas via its Asia-Pacific television service and Radio Australia. The corporation publishes magazines and runs a chain of ABC Shops selling books and audio/video recordings related to its programming. The ABC is funded almost entirely by direct annual grants from the federal budget and, apart from the ABC Shops, receives no income from commercial sources or public donations.

Contents

History

Early period

The ABC building in Perth, 1937
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The ABC building in Perth, 1937

Following the failure of the previous two-tiered system of "A-class" and "B-class" radio licences set up in 1924, the 12 radio stations of the original "A-class" category were nationalised and combined, and the new national broadcaster, based on the BBC model, was officially incorporated on 1 July 1932 as the "Australian Broadcasting Commission". The legislation setting up new national broadcaster initially permitted advertising, but this was removed from the Act before it came into force. The ABC was funded partly by direct government grants and drew most of its revenue from listener licence fees.

The radio spectrum was now divided between the ABC and the commercial sector. This two-tiered system became the structural foundation for the industry and remained unchanged for the next 40 years. In the 1950s, it was used as the model for the TV industry.

The ABC originally controlled 12 stations around the country: 2FC and 2BL in Sydney, 3AR and 3LO in Melbourne, 4QG in Brisbane, 5CL in Adelaide, 6WF in Perth, 7ZL in Hobart and the relay stations 2NC in Newcastle, 2CO at Corowa, 4RK in Rockhampton and 5CK at Crystal Brook.

Opening-day programs on 1 July 1932 included the first "Children's Session" with 'Bobby Bluegum'; the first sports program, "Racing Notes" with WA Ferry calling the Randwick races; "British Wireless News" received by cable from London; weather; stock exchange and shipping news; the ABC Women's Association session (topics were 'commonsense housekeeping' and needlecraft); a talk on goldfish and their care; "Morning Devotions"; and music.

Over the next four years, these largely isolated stations were brought together into a cohesive broadcasting organisation through regular program relays, and coordinated by a centralised bureaucracy. During its first decades, the programming schedules included music, news and current affairs, sport, drama, children's programs, and school broadcasts. Because recording technology was still relatively primitive, all ABC programs were broadcast live until 1935, including music. For this purpose, the ABC established broadcasting orchestras in each state, and in some centres employed choruses and dance bands.

In 1934, famed conductor Sir Bernard Heinze was appointed part-time musical adviser to the ABC. In 1937, the network was expanded with the purchase of 4BC in Brisbane. In 1939, the ABC began publishing the ABC Weekly.

World War II

During the Second World War, the ABC continued to recruit staff, including a greater proportion of women to replace men who had joined the armed forces. The organisation established reporting and recording facilities in numerous overseas locations, including the Middle East, Greece and the Asia-Pacific region. An early challenge to its independence came in June 1940 when wartime censorship was imposed, and the Department of Information (headed by Sir Keith Murdoch) took control of the ABC’s 7 p.m. nightly national news. This lasted only until September, when control of the news was returned to the ABC after listeners expressed a preference for independent news presented by the Commission.

During the war, the ABC's news bulletins attained a reputation for authority and independence, and from 1942 onwards, were broadcast three times daily through all national and most commercial transmitters. The ABC's ability to speak to all Australians across a huge, sparsely populated country was now recognised as an essential part of the nation's infrastructure. During and after the war, the ABC was given statutory powers that reinforced its independence from the government and enhanced its news-gathering role. From 1946, the ABC was required to broadcast selected parliamentary sessions live, despite the disruption this caused to regular programming.

On 7 January 1941 the ABC revived the Children's Session as a national program, including the "Argonauts Club", which was first broadcast in 1933-34 in Melbourne. The Argonauts Club proved hugely popular with young Australians - by 1950 there were over 50,000 members, with 10,000 new members joining each year in the 1950s. The Club encouraged children's contributions of writing, music, poetry and art, and became one of the ABC's most popular programs, running six days a week for 28 years.

The Argonauts Club was co-hosted for its entire 31-year run by Atholl Fleming, known to generations of Australians by his on-air names "Mac" and "Jason". Many notable Australians worked pseudonymously as presenters on the show, including poet A.D. Hope ("Antony Inkwell"), future ABC General Manager Talbot Duckmanton ("Tal") who hosted a weekly sports segment, actors Leonard Teale ("Chris") and John Ewart ("Jimmy") and future "Mr Sqiggle" host and film producer Patricia Lovell. Painter Jeffrey Smart ("Phidias") commented on art, and popular children's author Ruth Park contributed dramatised stories. Her main character, which began life as a bunyip, eventually evolved into her beloved "Muddle Headed Wombat" character, voiced inimitably by Johnny Ewart. Its popularity on The Argonauts led Park to write her popular series of Muddle Headed Wombat books in the 1960s.

In 1942 The Australian Broadcasting Act was passed, giving the ABC the power to decide when, and in what circumstances, political speeches should be broadcast. Directions from the Minister about whether or not to broadcast any matter now had to be made in writing, and any exercise of the power had to be mentioned in the Commission's Annual Report. It was used only once, in 1963.

Also in 1942, "Kindergarten of the Air" began on ABC Radio in Perth; it was later broadcast nationally and became one of the ABC’s most popular programs.

Post-war years

An early ABC Outside Broadcast van - National Museum of Australia
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An early ABC Outside Broadcast van - National Museum of Australia

In December 1945, just after the end of the war, the rural affairs program "The Country Hour" premiered. In 1946, legislation was passed requiring the ABC to broadcast Parliament when in session. The parliamentary broadcasts were put onto the interstate network. In subsequent Annual Reports, the Commission commented on the disruption this caused to its programming. Another landmark came on June 1, 1947, when the ABC's independent national news service was inaugurated.

During the 1950s, the variety and quantity of programming increased significantly, including light entertainment, sports coverage, talk programs, and features — early forms of what became known as documentaries. The ABC's coverage of rural affairs was significantly enhanced by the deployment of journalists and broadcasters in major country areas. The increasing availability of landlines and teleprinters allowed the organisation to gather and broadcast news and other program material with much greater efficiency than in the previous two decades. By the 1950s, as many as 13 national news bulletins were broadcast daily. By 1956, the Commission had begun to establish an international presence with offices opening in London, New York and Port Moresby.

In 1953, the federal Television Act was passed, providing the initial regulatory framework for both the ABC and commercial television networks. In late 1956, the ABC started regular television broadcasts from Sydney and Melbourne, just in time to cover the Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne. On November 5, the ABC made its first TV broadcast from its Sydney studios, inaugurated by Prime Minister Robert Menzies, and on November 19 the first TV broadcast beamed out from the ABC's Melbourne's studios.

Within a year, ABC-TV was broadcasting from each of the six state capitals. In its first decade, the network developed a wide range of programming that included news bulletins, light entertainment, children's and educational programs, and the performing arts.

By the mid-1960s, videotape equipment had been installed in all of the ABC's major centres, and during that decade, direct television relays were laid, first from Melbourne to Sydney, and Sydney to Canberra, then between all major centres except for Perth and Hobart. By 1972, all State capitals were linked, allowing simultaneous viewing and national programming. In 1975, colour television was introduced in Australia.

The 1960s and 70s: growing social and intellectual influence

The authority and influence of the ABC have been most strongly felt in news and current affairs, in which the organisation's innovations have set the standard for Australian broadcasting. In 1961, ABC-TV started a weekly current affairs program Four Corners, which was characterised by a new, vigorous investigative reporting style of political and social issues that were occasionally ahead of public opinion.

The ABC was one of the first TV networks to embrace the rock'n'roll revolution of the late 1950s, most notably with its pioneering show Six O'Clock Rock, hosted by Johnny O'Keefe. During the 60s and early 70s the ABC continued to produce programs on popular music, including the pop show Hitscene, innovative performance specials by groups such as Tully and Max Merritt & The Meteors, and the landmark magazine-style program GTK, which premiered in 1969 and screened for 10 minutes, four nights per week, Monday to Thursday, at 6.30pm, immediately prior to Bellbird and the 7pm news bulletin.

As well as news, special reports, film clips and interview segments, GTK was especially notable - and of great historical value - for the inclusion of a nightly segment of specially recorded live in-studio performances by Australian bands. Each week a different band was featured, which would record four songs; in the case of more popular bands, the producers chose tracks other than their hits to demonstrate different aspects of their music. Although it was long thought that most of this priceless material had been erased - like the BBC, an ill-advised "economy drive" in the late 1970s led to the wholesale erasure of large amounts of videotaped material, including most of the first two years of Countdown. However, extensive archival research within the ABC following the recent closure of the old Gore Hill studios in Sydney has revealed that, although some early videotape-only content was erased, much of the primary footage had (fortunately) been shot on film and most of this was retained. It is believed that approximately 80% of GTK has survived.

In 1967, the weeknight television current affairs program, This Day Tonight (TDT), and its counterpart on radio, PM, were introduced. Many people regard these programs, and others like them, to be essential parts of Australian public life, in which politicians and other public figures and organisations were subject to rigorous, though balanced, interviewing and reportage. The ABC also focused on producing radio and television talk programs that explored a wide range of national and international issues. Prominent among these was [The Science Show], which started in 1975 on ABC Radio, hosted by Robyn Williams. Beginning in the same year was also the prominent radio program, Coming out ready or not (later known simply as The Coming Out Show), dealing with women's issues. In 1975, colour television was introduced in Australia, and within a decade, the ABC had moved into satellite broadcasting, greatly enhancing its ability to serve as a national broadcaster.

In 1975, the ABC introduced a 24 hour-a-day AM rock station in Sydney, 2JJ (Double Jay), which was eventually expanded into the national Triple J FM network. A year later, a national classical music network was established on the FM band, broadcasting from Adelaide. Radio Australia continued to thrive as a voice of authority in the Asia-Pacific region.

The late 20th century to the present

ABC Logo from mid 1980s
ABC Logo from mid 1980s

ABC Building Sydney
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ABC Building Sydney

In 1983, the name of the organisation was changed from 'Commission' to 'Corporation' with the passing of a new ABC Act by Federal Parliament.

During the 1980s, the ABC underwent significant restructuring. Program production in indigenous affairs, comedy, social history and current affairs was significantly expanded. There was considerable pressure on the organisation to increase its production of Australian drama, which trebled from 1986–91 with the assistance of co-production, co-financing, and pre-sales arrangements. Since this time, ABC dramas have explored numerous themes related to the unique aspects of Australian living; these themes have not been covered by commercial and foreign producers to the same extent, and thus the ABC has played an important role in the evolution of Australia's national identity.

The ABC continued to be active in Australia's music world, chiefly through its six state-based symphony orchestras. The organisation managed an active concert schedule - both orchestral concerts and recitals - in the six state capitals, and coordinated the deployment of the world's prominent soloists in these schedules. However, during the 1980s, there was increasing pressure for the orchestras to be divested; this occurred in ?1990 with the formation of Symphony Australia, an umbrella organisation that coordinates the now independent state-based orchestras.

In the 1980s, the ABC set in motion plans to consolidate its disorganised arrangement of property and buildings in Sydney and Melbourne into single sites in each city. In Sydney, the radio and orchestral operations moved to a single site in Sydney's inner-city suburb of Ultimo in 1991, joined by ABC-TV operations in ?2002. In Melbourne, the ABC Southbank Centre was finished in 1994, and now houses the radio division in Victoria and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The 1990s saw the expansion of the ABC's network of ABC shops, which sell a wide range of program-related merchandise, including books, CDs and DVDs. During the same decade, ABC online was established as a valuable adjunct to the organisation's broadcasting endeavours. It is now possible for anyone in the world to access a large amount of information, including transcripts and audio and video streams of many programs, on the internet. By the early 1990s, all major ABC broadcasting outlets moved to 24 hour-a-day operation, and regional radio coverage in Australia was extended with 80 new transmitters. Live television broadcasts of selected parliamentary sessions started in ?1995, and ABC NewsRadio, a continuous news network when parliament is not sitting, was launched on October 5, 1996. Australia Television International was established as an authoritative, popular, non-commercial resource in east Asia, and Radio Australia increased its international reach. In 1995, D-Cart digital technology developed by ABC Radio, excited worldwide interest and was sold to European, North American and Asian markets. The ABC used D-Radio, the first fully digital audio system for the first time, broadcasting on Triple J. In the first decade of the new century, the ABC has continued its process of computerising and digitising production, post-production and transmission. In 2005, ABC2, a digital television channel, was launched.

Funding and relationship with government

The ABC receives the vast majority of its funding from the Australian federal government, with the exception of all revenue collected through commmercial sales in ABC bookstores. This is in contrast with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and public broadcasting in New Zealand, which receive substantial revenue from advertising, and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which receives the bulk of its revenue from licence fees and worldwide commercial operations. It is closer in scope to the American Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), but backed entirely by government money rather than public donations. Because of the ABC's almost-total reliance on government funding, the broadcaster has had a complex relationship with governments.

Relations between public broadcasters and the governments that provide all or much of their funding, and establish and maintain their legal status, have typically been through periods of turbulence since the rise of current affairs and documentaries in broadcasting. Government control of the ABC besides funding is rather lax; however, the government is responsible for the appointment of people to the board of the ABC.

The ABC's treatment of current affairs—including This Day Tonight and its successors The 7.30 Report and Lateline on television, and AM on radio, have been criticised by the political right for alleged left-wing bias in its reporting. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the conservative Liberal Party government made several attempts to curtail the ABC's political coverage by threatening to reduce funding to the news and current affairs division. In the late 1980s, the Hawke Labor government proposed commercialising the ABC, a move that was successfully resisted by the organisation itself and a significant groundswell of devotees among the public. The Hawke government also proposed to merge the ABC and its sister organisation, the Special Broadcasting Service; again, this move was unsuccessful, this time because the enabling legislation failed to pass the Senate. The Howard government reduced the ABC's operating grants by 10% soon after coming to office in 1996.

Radio

The ABC began as a network of 12 radio stations, eight in the capital cities, and four in regional centres. From its humble beginnings, ABC Radio now includes five national networks, Radio National, ABC NewsRadio, Triple J, dig and ABC Classic FM; around fifty ABC Local Radio stations and a foreign language shortwave radio service, Radio Australia.

The 12 original stations were:

| width="" align="" valign="" style="padding-left:;"| Capital cities:

| width="" align="" valign="" style="padding-left:;"| Relay stations:

|}

Radio News and Current Affairs

The ABC's news and current affairs coverage is the most independent in Australia as it is free of the commercial constraints of the commercial news networks. It is also widely regarded in the Australian media industry as the best news coverage in the country. News and current affairs programs broadcast on ABC radio stations across the country are:
  • [ABC Radio News] (Hourly news updates on Radio National, Local Radio, Classic FM and Triple J)
  • AM (Half hour-long current affairs programme broadcast on Local Radio at 8am and Radio National at 7.10am) [AM website]
  • [The World Today] (50 minute-long current affairs programme broadcast on Local Radio and Radio National at 12:10pm)
  • [PM] (50 minute-long current affairs programme broadcast on Local Radio and Radio National at 6:10pm)
  • [Radio National] also produces other news, business & current affairs programmes, such as Background Briefing, the Health, Law, Religion and Media Reports and The National Interest.
  • Hack on Triple J the only current affairs program on FM radio

ABC Local Radio

ABC Local Radio is the ABC's flagship radio station in each broadcast area. There are 46 different ABC Local Radio stations across Australia and they all follow a standard format with local hosts presenting light entertainment, talkback, music, sport and interviews. ABC Local Radio also carries nationally broadcast programming, including AM, PM, The World Today, sporting events and Nightlife. ABC's local radio stations cater for a diverse audience, but are most popular with older audiences.

ABC Radio National

ABC Radio National can be heard across Australia and broadcasts over 60 special interest programs per week. These programs are about a diverse range of topics including music, comedy, book readings, radio dramas, poetry, science, health, the arts, religion, social history and current affairs

ABC NewsRadio

ABC NewsRadio was previously called the Parliamentary and News Network (PNN). The station was set up to broadcast Australian Federal Parliament and is similar to the BBC Parliament television channel in the UK. It was built around the Parliament's existing broadcast service. PNN was originally set up to allow other ABC Radio networks to not broadcast Parliament sittings by moving it to a dedicated channel. However, when Parliament is not sitting, the station broadcasts news on a 24/7 format with updates on the quarter hour. Most of its news comes from ABC News reporters, however it also uses the resources of BBC Radio, NPR, Deutsche Welle and CNN Radio.

Triple J

Triple J or JJJ is a national youth radio network, broadcasting new alternative music, particularly Australian music. The station's demographic is 15-25 years. Triple J was first established in 1975 and was formerly known as "Double Jay" when it first hit the airways on 19 January 1975.

dig

DiG radio broadcasts over the internet, pay TV and Digital Radio. It is not available via a standard radio on AM or FM frequency. Dig broadcasts a diverse range of music and also plays music submitted by listeners.

ABC Classic FM

ABC Classic FM was the ABC's first FM service. It was originally known simply as "ABC FM", then for a short time "ABC Fine Music". Its format borrowed heavily from community stations that eventually founded the Fine Music Network and also from BBC Radio 3.

The ABC, through ABC Classic FM has helped support the ABC owned state symphony orchestras, chamber music, instrumental recitals, opera, choral and solo singers.

Radio Australia

The ABC also operates Radio Australia, an international shortwave service with transmissions aimed at East Asia and the Pacific Islands, although its signals are also audible in many other parts of the world. It features programs in various languages spoken in these regions, including Mandarin, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Khmer, and Tok Pisin.

Radio Australia concentrates on news and current affairs, but it also features historical documentaries, information about Australian lifestyle and culture, and light entertainment. Although it does produce some of its own programming, most of the shows transmitted over Radio Australia are relays of programmes produced by the domestic Radio National network.

Radio Australia bulletins are also carried on the World Radio Network, which is available on satellite in Europe and North America.

It is of little interest to domestic Australian audiences as most of its material has already been broadcast or is broadcast simultaneously on the easier to receive domestic ABC networks.

Television

See List of Australian Broadcasting Corporation programs.

ABC TV

The ABC operates two nationwide TV channels, ABC TV and the digital-only ABC2. In addition a separate digital network ABC Asia Pacific provides commercial digital TV services into the Asia-Pacific region.

Each state and territory has a slightly different version of analogue ABC TV. The differences between these are small, consisting of a nightly news program, a weekly current affairs program, a weekly sports program during winter, state election specials and the odd other program. These regional versions are listed below with the name of their main transmitter.

Regional programming

The ABC produces a number of programs aimed at rural and regional viewers.

News and Current Affairs

ABC produces a large range of high quality current affairs television programs, notably Lateline, Australian Story, The 7.30 Report and Four Corners. The ABC's number of foreign reporters is unmatched by other Australian networks. The ABC news and current affairs programs include:

Sport

ABC-TV broadcasts a diverse range of less popular sports which are not shown on commercial networks or pay-TV. ABC Sport primarily broadcasts domestic and international netball, international lawn bowls, women's basketball and state Australian rules football and rugby league competitions. The national broadcaster also covers the Paralympic Games and Hopman Cup tennis tournament.

Drama

The ABC has recently been criticised for its lack of Australian drama and its heavy reliance on British, particularly BBC drama programs.

Comedy

Despite its low budget, ABC-TV has screened some quality comedies and launched the careers of some of Australia's most successful comedians. Recent notables have included the ratings hits Kath & Kim , The Glass House , Enough Rope, CNNNN and The Chaser's War on Everything. Over the years the ABC has also produced highly successful programs such as Frontline, The Micallef Program, The Games , The Late Show, Mother and Son , Backberner, Good News Week and The Aunty Jack Show.

Comedic personalities that appear on the ABC include: Chris Taylor, Wil Anderson, Adam Hills and Dave Hughes

Children and Education

The ABC is unmatched in Australia for its commitment to children's programs. Its morning programming is committed entirely to programs aimed at entertaining and educating Children. On the entertainment side, programs such as Sesame Street and the ABC's own Play School & Bananas in Pyjamas are highly popular. Educational programs like Behind the News have educated Australian children for generations.

ABC2

On March 7th, 2005, ABC2 was launched [link]. It is largely a combination of the ABC Kids (Australia) channel, short-format news and informaton programs and retransmission of main channel programs. It screens predominantly repeated ABC news and current affairs programs, compilations of ABC news bulletin stories with some additional reporting, children's programming, music documentaries and state football.

ABC Asia Pacific

The ABC Asia Pacific TV service was launched in 2002. It is partly funded by Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and partly by advertising. The channel is available free-to-air to East Asia and the Pacific Islands via satellite and local cable systems is also now available in South Asia and the Middle East. It can be also watched on the [Internet].It is currently available in 8 million homes in more than 35 countries across the region and in more than 190,000 hotel rooms.

ABC Asia Pacific screens a variety of programs, from the ABC itself, including tailor-made news bulletins for the region, from the other Australian terrestrial TV networks, plus Sky News and independents. It also carries the soap opera Home and Away, Australian Rules and Rugby League matches, and British drama series.

One of its foreign affairs programs, Hemispheres, is co-produced with the CBC of Canada, and presented from both Sydney and Vancouver. This is now shown in Australia on ABC2.

In August 7, ABC Asia Pacific is now known as [Australia Network]

Australian free-to-air television networks
Metropolitan: ABC - Seven Network - Nine Network - Network TEN - SBS
Regional: ABC - Prime (GWN) - Southern Cross - NBN - WIN (WA) - Southern Cross Ten - SBS

Online

Further information: ABC Online, ABC News Online
An experimental Multimedia Unit was established in 1995, charged with developing policy for the ABC’s work in web publishing. This unit continued until 2000, when the New Media division was formed, aggregating the internet output from radio and TV as well as web-original material under one umbrella.

This division had over a million pages of material published by late 2003 and was instrumental in developing ABC content on other platforms such as mobile phones.

In 2003 the New Media division became New Media and Digital Services, reflecting the broader remit to develop digital platforms such as digital TV. In March 2005 the division launched the ABC2 free-to-air digital TV channel, the successor to the short-lived Fly and ABC Kids digital channels.

In conjunction with the ABC’s radio division, New Media and Digital Services implemented the ABC’s first podcasts in December 2004. By mid-2006 the ABC had become an international leader in podcasting with over 50 podcast programs delivering hundreds of thousands of downloads per week. . Among the most notable websites are:

ABC News Online

ABC News Online has a comprehensive local news coverage of Australia, publishing stories from the ABC's 36 regional bureau. It also provides extensive national news and international news from an Australian perspective.It provides several broadband video bulletins daily of general news as well as sport , business and rural news.

ABC Kids

Consistently rated as one of the top children's sites on the Internet, this site is designed to be a safe place for kids to be entertained.

ABC Science Online

A rambling site, The Lab provides a gateway into the world of science, including the unique self-service science forum and the best science news from Down Under.

ABC Enterprises

ABC Enterprises is the commercial Division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The Division is comprised of ABC Retail, ABC Consumer Publishing and Content Sales, and ABC Resource Hire. It was established in 1974 with all profits from the sale of consumer product and production services returned to the Corporation to reinvest in program-making.

It now operates over 40 retail shops and 80 centres, an international delivery service on the Internet as well as developing and licensing ABC brands and programs and providing production resource hire to the general public and industry alike.

ABC Retail

The ABC Shop Online (at http://www.abcshop.com.au) is a shopping website operated by ABC Enterprises. It sells DVDs, CDs, books, spoken word, toys, clothing, music downloads and mobile/cell phone products related to programming on ABC TV & Radio and Australian culture in general.

The ABC Shops (at http://www.abcshop.com.au) sell theatrically released products (DVDS, books, CDs, spoken word, toys and clothing) related to programs broadcast on ABC TV and Radio and related to Australian culture.

ABC Consumer Publishing & Content Sales

Develop and license products and brands related to ABC programming selling to both the general public and wholesale TV and radio markets worldwide.

ABC Resource Hire

Offer a range of productions services including costume hire, soundstage and studio facilities, venue hire and event staging.

ABC Logo

The ABC wavelength logo is one of the most recognisable logos in Australia. In the early years of television, the ABC had been using Lissajous figures as fillers in-between programs. In July 1963, the ABC conducted a staff competition to create a new logo for use on television, stationery, publications, microphone badges and ABC vehicles. In 1965, ABC graphics designer, Bill Kennard, who had been experimenting with telerecording of the Cathode Ray Oscillograph displays, submitted a design which was part of the waveform of an oscilloscope. The letters A-B-C were added to the wavelength design and it was adopted as the ABC's official logo. Mr Kennard was presented with twenty five pounds for his design.

State orchestras

In Australia there are currently six State Symphony Orchestras. These Orchestras were originally formed by the ABC as Broadcast Orchestras. They have since evolved into platform orchestras and now play a vital role in the cultural life of the country. The Orchestras were corporatised in the 1990s but continue to be wholly owned by the ABC. The six orchestras are: The Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, The Queensland Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

Postal address

The ABC's postal address is "[PO] Box 9994 in your Capital city" followed by the postcode.

There is a persistent urban legend that '9994' is in memory of the life-time test cricket batting average of the Australian cricketer Sir Donald Bradman (he scored 6996 runs in 70 completed innings, an average of 99.94 runs per innings). Supposedly, Sir Charles Moses, a long time managing director of the ABC and personal friend of Bradman's, arranged for this number to be used. The story has been denied by the ABC, and in fact the ABC was not assigned the postal address until after Moses' successor, Sir Talbot Duckmanton had retired. [p8]

The ABC's national phone enquiry service also has the number 139994.

Senior management

General Managers

  1. Sir Charles Moses (1935 - 1965)
  2. Sir Talbot Duckmanton (1965 - 1982)
  3. Geoffrey Whitehead (1983 - 1986)
  4. David Hill (1986 - 1994)
  5. Brian Johns (1994 - 1999 )
  6. Jonathan Shier (1999 - 2002)
  7. Russell Balding (2002 - 2006)
  8. Mark Scott (2006 -)

Chairmen

  1. Ken Myer
  2. David Hill (? - 1986)
  3. Bob Somervaille
  4. Mark Armstrong
  5. Donald McDonald (1996 - current)

References

See also

Note

External links

 

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