Sweeping changes to the ABC’s structure will see the organisation look towards making money out of its store of digital content, and will bring elements of the new media division back into the fold of the corporation’s traditional broadcasting divisions.
Under the first changes since Jonathon Shier’s 2000 restructure, the New Media division will be no more.
Part of New Media, the ABC News Online unit, will be merged with News and Current Affairs to form the ABC News Division.
Multi-skilling in the ABC’s 60 local radio stations will be stepped up, with the Radio Division becoming the Radio and Regional Content Division. The ABC says this will accelerate the process of turning each local station into a hub for digital content generation, providing both audio and video content for radio broadcasts, local ABC websites and television programming.
A new Innovation Division designed to drive digital development across the ABC will be set up, reporting directly to managing director Mark Scott.
New Media’s digital TV channel ABC2 will be integrated into ABC TV.
The ABC’s international operations, Australia Network and Radio Australia, will be combined into one division.
Potentially the most controversial development is the decision to pursue “the potential for new revenue streams afforded by digital technology, including video-on-demand, the digitisation of the ABC archive and partnerships to disseminate ABC content more widely.”
A new commercial division, ABC Commercial, will be established, which would incorporate the current activities of ABC Enterprises with a brief to seek new sources of revenue through developments in digital technology.
Former director of ABC New Media Lynley Marshall will head up the Commercial division, with the present head of ABC Enterprises Robyn Watts becoming a casualty of the changes.
Watts was hired by Shier, but will not be offered a new position by Scott.
The Head of Human Resources Colin Palmer is also tipped to be on the way out, with the introduction of a People and Learning structure.
Scott says digital media is now integral to everything the ABC does: “It is not an add-on, it is not a novelty, it is the present reality as well as the future… a key part of everything that we do. ”
He says the proposals reflect the shift of digital and new media from the fringe of ABC operations 10 years ago to the very centre of its television, radio and news and current affairs output.
In a note to all staff Mark Scott told ABC employees “the times suit the ABC. Our strong presence on all broadcast and digital media platforms, and the depth of our program making expertise is unmatched in the Australian
media industry… Increasingly [audiences] will want ABC content on demand, when they want it, not just when we want to schedule it – and we need to
respond to that.”
Organisation structures make little difference on their own according to Scott, who says the changes “will have a direct effect on relatively few people.” His hope is that the changes will “generate minimum distraction” for the corporation.