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The many cultures of the ABC

Critics of the ABC claim it is resistant to change, that it is old fashioned, inefficient and bureaucratic. "Auntie is set in her ways" according to The Australian's Dossier series.

As for efficiency - the picture is crystal clear. One broadcast hour of ABC TV costs 36% of the average cost for the same time on Australian commercial television. British citizens pay 32 cents per day each for the BBC, Canadians pay 14.5 cents for the CBC, while Australians pay less than ten cents for the ABC.

There are some distinctive features about the ABC, but is there a single monolithic ABC culture? According to Ed Breslin, newly appointed to run Classic FM and Triple J, the two music networks are very different: 'There are several clashes with Triple J and ABC Classic FM, and they're essentially cultural clashes.'

It's probably necessary that different parts of the ABC should have different cultures. The ABC must both inform and entertain. It has to both contribute to a sense of national identity and reflect the cultural diversity of Australia. It is obliged to broadcast educational programs and broadcast programs of wide appeal. It must provide 'innovative programs' while at the same time taking account of standards set by the Australian Broadcasting Authority.

To handle this complex juggling act the ABC employs staff across a wide range of professions and crafts. There are a wide range of cultures, or at least subcultures, within the ABC.

Is there truth in the claim that the ABC set in its ways?

We only have to look at the ABC's recent innovations to know that it is not backward looking. The initial impetus for ABC Online came not from ABC management, not from some far sighted board member or some right wing think tank. The initial impetus came from long serving ABC staff, in particular Stan Correy and Stephen Rapley in Radio National, Russell Wescombe in Radio Australia and Ian Allen, producer of the TV program Hot Chips. Initially ABC management was wary of the new medium, and these pioneers had to be insistent and inventive. To its credit, management eventually saw the light and established ABC Online. Since then ABC Online has been consistently in the ten most popular Australian websites, and has won more than thirty industry awards.

Throughout the history of broadcasting in Australia, the ABC has been pushing the envelope. In TV comedy and satire we have had Max Gillies, Frontline, The Games, and now the insane Micaleff Pogram. Triple J is now well established, but what a revolution that was when it started. At the same time, the ABC started 3ZZ as a multi-lingual access station in Melbourne, only to have the Fraser government close it by force (the government revoked its broadcasting license, and sent in police to evict the volunteer broadcasters). Then there is NewsRadio, the ABC's 24 hour news network that shares a frequency with the federal parliament.

So if the ABC is undeniably efficient, cost effective, forward thinking and innovative, what is the common ABC culture that needs to be destroyed?

I suspect its common features are:

• opposition to advertising on any of the ABC media
• a commitment to quality
• a commitment to comprehensive and diverse programs for all Australians, not just an elite
• a belief that part of the media's job is to hold the powerful up to scrutiny - that scrutiny to be exercised without fear or favour, whether those powerful people lead political parties, unions, businesses, churches or media outlets.
• resistance to external political pressure.

In short, this ABC culture is little more than the principles set out in the ABC Act.

DARCE CASSIDY
FABC national spokesperson