Thursday 11 December 1997

NEWS RELEASE DIGITISATION TO BENEFIT REGIONAL AUSTRALIA The Managing Director of the ABC, Brian Johns, today said that the States and regional Australia stood to benefit most from the introduction of digital broadcasting. Speaking at a Friends of the ABC meeting in Melbourne, Mr Johns said that regional Australia ought to expect more programs and services as a result of the new technology. "With the competitive advantage of its regional spread, the ABC is clearly well placed to enhance its service to local audiences at minimal cost because of new technology. Audiences will quickly see the benefits - more local information for television, radio and online services". Mr Johns said that the ABC had given the Federal Government a submission setting out its digital planning over the next five years and seeking assistance. "We are asking for the kind of assistance the ABC has received in the past to deal with technological change, to enable the national broadcaster and its audiences to keep pace with the rest of the industry. "For every broadcasting organisation in the world, digitisation is a top priority. At my recent visit to the United Nations World Forum on Television in New York, this topic dominated discussion. "The ABC's request for digital funding is a benchmark decision for Government. Despite cuts of $66 million over the past two years, the Government has continued to express its support for the ABC. "The decisions taken by Government on the ABC's entry into the digital age will be a test of this support". The ABC had done as much as it could through its One ABC restructure to reshape the organisation for the digital age. However, the Government's cuts had made this restructure extremely difficult. "People who say that there's no evidence of pain don't understand. The organisation has had to downsize rapidly. But the impact of these cuts will take some time to filter through to audiences because of the long lead time in program production. There are programs we can no longer make. "Depriving the ABC of funds for programming jeopardises its effectiveness and its key competitive position in the Australian broadcasting industry". For further information: Anne McCraig, Media Adviser Tel: (02) 9333 1500 Thursday 11 December 1997

Head Office ABC Ultimo Centre 700 Harris Street Ultimo NSW 2007 GPO Box 9994 Sydney NSW 2001 Australia Tel (02) 9333 1500 Fax (02) 9333 5905