Month: August 2024

ABC Managing Director David Anderson has notified the ABC Board of his intention to leave the organisation following a recruitment process for his successor.

ABC Chair Kim Williams AM has asked Mr Anderson to stay on in the role until a new Managing Director has been appointed to ensure a smooth transition. This means he will remain in the role until early 2025.

Mr Anderson was appointed Managing Director in May 2019, after acting in the role from September 2018. Prior to this Mr Anderson enjoyed a thirty-year career at the ABC across a wide range of television, digital strategy and executive roles.

In a note to all ABC staff today Mr Anderson said the decision had not been an easy one.

“I am still very much committed to the importance of the ABC to the nation,” he said. “I believe it is the right moment for leadership renewal for the next stage of the ABC’s continued evolution.

“To have the opportunity to serve the Australian public and lead such talented and dedicated people across the country and overseas for what is approaching six years is humbling.

“I am grateful to Kim Williams and the Board for their support and their efforts to persuade me to stay on for my full second term. Their unabashed enthusiasm for the importance and future of the Corporation makes this decision easier. I am confident the timing is right for both me and the ABC.

“Kim has asked that I stay on in the role until a new Managing Director has been appointed to ensure a smooth transition, which I expect will be at least until the start of next year.”

ABC Chair Kim Williams said: “David Anderson is a loyal, devoted and talented ABC executive. He has served the Corporation in the best tradition of committed public service over a long period.

“I have requested that he stay on in the role until a new Managing Director has been recruited and appointed. David’s agreement to offer support through the coming months to ensure a smooth the transition to a new Managing Director is welcome, generous and has been accepted.

“I have to say my admiration for him and his commitment to the ABC is undiminished and my respect grows ever greater. He is an exemplary executive in many ways.”

As Managing Director, Mr Anderson has brought stability to the organisation during a challenging period that has included the ABC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019 Mr Anderson defended journalists, whistle-blowers and press freedom following raids on ABC offices by the AFP.

Mr Anderson has successfully advocated for reinvestment in the ABC after several years of budget cuts, an increase in journalist numbers in regional Australia, and an expansion of services to audiences across the Indo-Pacific.

Mr Anderson has also led the national broadcaster through a period of rapidly changing audience habits and the transition to digital services.

Before stepping into the role of Acting Managing Director in September 2018, Mr Anderson was the Director, Entertainment & Specialist, responsible for all ABC radio music networks (triple j, Double j, Classic, Country and Jazz), podcasts and specialist radio content (Radio National) as well as broadcast television networks (ABCTV, ABC Kids, ABC Comedy, ABC ME), on-demand products and services (ABC iview, ABC listen, ABC Kids listen, ABC Kids) and network websites and apps.

His other roles have included Director of Television, Director of the ABC’s Digital Network and Director of Strategy & Planning.

The ABC Board will in due course begin the process to select a new Managing Director.

At The Audio Edge Brisbane, Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) revealed the results of a radio advertising trial with Dan Murphy’s and Analytic Partners. The trial highlighted the significant role brand-focused radio ads played in enhancing the cross-channel impact of Dan Murphy’s latest campaign, “Nobody Beats Dan Murphy’s.”

Dan Murphy’s saw radio deliver a notable performance uplift across multiple platforms, with a 19% increase in Out of Home (OOH) results, an 18% boost in TV impact, and a 14% enhancement in online video effectiveness. This cross-channel amplification paired with a consistent sonic asset has laid strong foundations for sustained brand growth.

Sam Byrne, Senior Integrated Media Manager at Dan Murphy’s, stated, “Radio played a pivotal role in elevating our brand message across channels. Historically we have used radio for value messages, but using radio for brand has not only supported our campaign’s goals but also strengthened projections for our brand presence in the market moving forward.”

This success mirrors the impact seen in McDonald’s Australia’s recent radio trial, where return on investment (ROI) surged across platforms – TV by 14%, social media by 12%, and online video by 3%. Both case studies demonstrate radio’s unique ability to amplify results and deliver strong ROI.
Paul Sinkinson, Managing Director of Analytic Partners, added, “The power of radio lies in its ability to drive synergy across channels. For Dan Murphy’s, the integration of radio improved the results for the other media channels.”

Jo Dick, CRA, chief commercial officer concluded, “The results from Dan Murphy’s and McDonald’s showcase radio’s distinct advantage in brand campaigns. In today’s crowded media landscape, radio has an unparalleled ability to cut through the noise to deliver enhanced results and an enduring impact.”

Want access to The Audio Edge Report? Download your copy today: The Audio Edge Playbook.

Landmark partnership sees training on core inclusion skills, gender equity, cultural diversity, disability, First Nations, LGBTIQ+, generational diversity and appropriate workplace behaviour made available to all members of the IMAA Academy.

National hybrid-funded broadcaster SBS and the Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) have forged a new landmark partnership which will unlock SBS’s deep library of inclusion training for the more than 175 Australian agencies that make up the leading industry body.

Under the partnership, SBS will become the official Diversity & Inclusion Partner of the IMAA and agrees to provide its market leading Inclusion Program to thousands of employees who make up the IMAA membership.

“This is a significant partnership for the advertising sector,” said Jane Palfreyman, SBS Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer. “SBS lives at the intersection of public and commercial media and this deal means we will be providing important training to many of the leading independent agencies across the advertising sector.

“The Program is built to be online, interactive and informative,and is delivered in a very engaging manner. The businesses and agencies who have access to this world-class training for their people also get the reassurance that they are meeting the latest legislative requirements when it comes to areas like workplace behaviour.”

The SBS Inclusion Program is designed to help employers maximise the benefits of diversity and inclusion through Australia’s leading online training courses – covering core inclusion skills, gender equity, cultural diversity, disability, First Nations, LGBTIQ+, generational diversity, and appropriate workplace behaviour.

SBS’s courses are designed to ensure employers are able to meet new legal requirements by providing specific training around issues such as workplace sexual harassment.

IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan, welcomed the SBS partnership: “We’re delighted to partner with SBS to provide this important program for our members. Diversity and inclusion is one of the IMAA’s key pillars and the training program provided by SBS will help not only educate our members but also ensure compliance with workplace standards.

“We have partnered with SBS because they house a significant amount of knowledge and training materials, as well as the desire to make real positive change, which will only benefit our members.”

The SBS Inclusion Program content is largely delivered as short films – animations which make difficult concepts easier to understand, and interviews featuring real stories from diverse people, academics and managers of diverse teams. It is complemented by activities designed to make people think about themselves. Additionally, further reading sections provide more detailed information on specific topics and links to a range of resources. Learn more about the SBS Inclusion Program here. Learn more about IMAA Academy here.

CBAA is pleased to announce the latest addition to our board – Jessica Tapp. Jessica comes to the board with extensive experience in multimedia journalism and production with the ABC, and in communications and media management in the not-for-profit and government sectors, particularly in the Northern Territory. Jessica is the Community Voice Manager at Port Macquarie Hastings Council.

Joining the CBAA board provides an excellent opportunity for Jessica to connect with her background as a broadcaster as well as give back to community broadcasting as a sector, which has served the communities she worked with in New South Wales, Victoria and the Northern Territory.

Connection to community and country are important to Jessica, who is a proud Aboriginal woman. Jessica seeks to champion the voices of diverse, rural, First Nations and migrant communities in her work.

We spoke to her to find out more about her professional background, interest in community media and, of course, her dream community radio show.

 

What motivated you to join the CBAA board?

I was really looking for the opportunity to give back to that world. A lot of the work that I had done in the Northern Territory was around emergency management, we relied so heavily on the community broadcasters to do that.

And I’ve always had a public service mentality as well. Where can you give back? And where can you help your community? Whether it’s your immediate local community, or broader community.

There’s also the sense of being grounded in communities that are made up of local people, who have this interest and want to tell their stories and focus on the hyperlocal.

It’s a real strength of community broadcasting that I’m looking forward to getting to see and experience and support through this role.

 

What perspective do you think your background brings to the board?

What’s really been helpful is looking at processes and systems and what that adherence to regulation can look like in a much more structured and departmental environment. But then also the need to be agile depending on the work you might be doing with ministers or councillors.

It’s interesting because the last job I had in the Territory before I moved to New South Wales was with a not for profit, but it had been created in this really interesting way.

It was an independent research institute, but it also had an education component.

It was a body corporate, but it had been established under a government act.

So, there was a level of accountability to the relevant Minister and that’s been really helpful looking at what those processes are in the machinery of government, but also when you’re on the other side and you need to talk to government and advocate or have conversations with them.

 

What do you think of the role that community radio has to play in amplifying less heard voices?

There’s the phrase if you can’t see it, then you can’t be it. That gets used a lot in community and it’s really important for people to be able to see and hear at a higher profile level, people that look like them or sound like them and have the ability to then connect and for that information to really resonate.

If you don’t have access to those sorts of channels, it can make it a lot harder to really connect and feel like you are part of a community.

I think it’s really important to celebrate Australia’s diversity as well, to celebrate and highlight those differences that we have because it is a rich cultural tapestry.

 

You are offered a radio show – you can have any timeslot, play whatever music you like, discuss whatever you feel is of interest – what is happening today on the Jessica Tapp Variety Hour Radio Show? 

If it was me here, either on Larrakia Country (where we spoke to Jessica for this interview), or back where I normally am on Biripi land, we’d have Gathang language spoken, we already would have had a chat with an Elder and a language teacher as well because you can’t move forward if you don’t know your history.

We would have had a whole segment of skip hop. We also probably would have had a real mix of country in there as well. Australian music for the win!

And then I think we’d be having a chat with some of our up and comers from the local high school, in a ‘This Is Your Community’ news segment. Maybe wrap up with some gardening too.

—–

Thanks to Jessica for taking the time to chat with the CBAA team, and we look forward to working with her as a member of the board for years to come. Visit this page if you want to get to know the rest of the CBAA board and its observers.

Full-time – 38 hours per week (flexible)

Salary range – $65,000 – $73,000 p.a. (plus super)

(Salary packaging options)

 

We are looking for:

• An enthusiastic, well-organised and dynamic individual with a passion for helping others, including those living with disability and older people.

What we are offering:

• An office coordination and administrative support role with an accessible media organisation with a strong community focus;
• Rewarding work in support of an inspiring team of skilled volunteers;

• The opportunity to work in a small, professional team within a large, caring community; and
• Attractive salary packaging options and flexible hours.

Our requirements

The position involves co-ordination of internal and external business communications, membership and volunteer support, internal events, and the administrative needs of the Board and committees.

Reporting to the General Manager, you will be responsible for providing a wide range of office administration functions to support the smooth running of the organisation.

Previous mid-level administrative experience is essential and relevant tertiary qualifications are desirable.

The job is offered on a full-time ongoing basis subject to the standard probation period.

 

About Radio 2RPH

Radio 2RPH goes to air 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with entertaining and informative spoken word content. Our radio reading service features all the top Australian and international daily newspapers, magazines, and books.

We provide radio broadcasting, online streaming and podcasting services.

You can listen to us on 1224AM, 100.5FM and DAB+ in Greater Sydney, 100.5FM in Newcastle and the Lower Hunter, 93.3FM in Wollongong and the Illawarra or via online streaming.

Radio 2RPH operates within the St Helen’s Community Centre in Glebe.

Applications by Sunday 1 September.

 

 Please review the position description for additional job requirements.

Inquiries:

Barry Melville

General Manager

Radio 2RPH Co-operative Limited

2rph@2rph.org.au

02 9518 8811

The ABC’s Global Affairs Editor John Lyons has been honoured as Journalist of the Year at the 2024 Kennedy Awards for Outstanding Journalism at a gala event dominated by the ABC.

Lyons, one of Australia’s leading and most respected journalists, was recognised for his body of work reporting from the front lines in the Middle East. Lyons was also recognised with the Outstanding Team Player or Mentor award, and the award for Outstanding Feature Writing.

The ABC won nine awards in total at the Kennedy’s beating thousands of entries at the event held in Sydney.

ABC political journalist, presenter and broadcaster Annabel Crabb won the award for Outstanding Columnist for three columns that covered issues in the law, politics and the media.

The joint ABC Indigenous Affairs Reporting Team and Four Corners program Guarded, an investigation into private security policing in the Northern Territory, won the Indigenous Affairs Reporting award. Four Corners and ABC Investigations were also awarded Outstanding Television Current Affairs Reporting — Long Form for the Careless investigation into how the NDIS fails to protect our most vulnerable.

And the Stop and Search podcast produced by ABC Investigations for Background Briefing won the Outstanding Podcast award.

The ABC was also honoured with awards in the Digital Innovation and News Camera Coverage categories.

ABC Director News Justin Stevens said the breadth of work across the ABC’s winning entries reflected the public broadcaster’s standing as Australia’s most trusted source of news.

“To see our journalists recognised in this way across all platforms and categories shows the standards of newsgathering, investigation and analysis that are the hallmarks of ABC News.

“It is terrific to see John’s exceptional work over the year recognised in this way. The standard of work and depth of analysis John has brought to our coverage has been a central part of the team effort from our foreign correspondents during a challenging year on the international stage. Their work helps Australians make sense of the world around them. Congratulations to all finalists and winners.”

The Kennedy Award judges said Lyons’ reporting of the conflict in the Middle East has been “brave, impartial and incisive.”

“Since the attacks of October 7, 2023, John Lyons has been the most authoritative Australian voice in both reporting and analysing this generational calamity. With both accuracy and moral clarity, the vastly experienced Middle East hand has framed this conflict in ways that will stand the test of time.

“As the American foreign correspondent TD Allman, who died this year, put it:” Genuine objective journalism not only gets the facts right, it gets the meaning of events right.” John Lyons passes that double test. It is journalism of the highest standard.”

The 2024 ABC Kennedy Award Winners

Journalist of the Year

John Lyons -ABC

Outstanding Team Player or Mentor

John Lyons — ABC

Indigenous Affairs Reporting

Four Corners Guarded Team — Guarded — Four Corners, ABC

Outstanding Columnist

Annabel Crabb — Hitting A Nerve: Three Columns – ABC

Outstanding Feature Writing

John Lyons — Body of Work — ABC News and ABC online

Outstanding Digital Innovation

Alex Lim, Katia Shatoba and Thomas Brettell — The Mullet is Alive and Well in AFL — ABC News

Outstanding News Camera Coverage

Fletcher Yeung — Volunteer Doctors Evacuate Wounded Soldiers in Ukraine — ABC News

Outstanding Television Current Affairs Reporting — Long Form

Anne Connolly, Amy Donaldson and Jessica Longbottom — Careless- Four Corners, ABC

Outstanding Podcast

Paul Farrell, Mario Christodoulou, Benjamin Sveen, Leila Shunnar and Ingrid Wagner- Stop and Search — Background Briefing, ABC

As the screen industry continues to boom, exciting employment opportunities are created for below-the-line professionals, like production accountants, to help manage productions across Australia. At AFTRS, our courses are designed to meet the emerging needs of the industry, and this month, we return to Perth to partner with WA Screen Academy at Edith Cowan University to run our Production Accounting Intensive.

Production accountants remain a critical, and currently under-resourced, role in the screen industry. When we spoke with 1st Assistant Accountant, Ramadan Zekirovski, he outlined just how vital production accountants are to screen productions.

“The truth is, without an Accounts department, a production simply cannot function – period. Without it, crews remain unpaid, businesses struggle financially, budgets lack structure… ultimately leading the production to a halt.” 

Production Accounting Intensive delivers fundamental industry knowledge and specialised skills to add to your accounting or bookkeeping expertise. Across five days, you’ll learn about accounting technologies and workflows, funding reporting and financial and compliance requirements, from industry expert and Managing Director of Entertainment Partners Australia and New Zealand, Jane Corden. If you’re in Perth and have a passion for film, TV and numbers, this is your opportunity to explore an exciting new career in a buzzing industry. 

AFTRS for Business also returns in September with a suite of online and in person courses. Gain communication and content creation skills that you can apply to your work under the guidance of industry professionals with screen and corporate experience. 

Explore Podcasting for your Brand this month, delivered online with media pioneer and award-winner, Toni Tenaglia. Just this past May, the Australian Podcast Ranker revealed the highest ever monthly listener figure of 5.9 million, showcasing the growing number of Australians regularly listening to podcasts. Learn the fundamentals of podcast creation and production, from identifying your audience to scripting and writing techniques, over three online sessions and start harnessing the power of audio storytelling.

 

Explore all our short courses in September:

Presentation Skills | 10 Sep (in person) 

Storytelling for Business | 11 Sep (online) 

Podcasting for your Brand | 17 Sep (online) 

Production Accounting Intensive | 23 Sep (ECU Perth)  

Mobile Content Creation | 25 Sep (online) 

 

Early bird and alumni discounts apply – learn more. 

Looking for something else? Explore all our short courses and AFTRS for Business courses. You can register your interest on each course page and we’ll notify you next time it runs.