RN exists to nurture the intellectual and cultural life of all Australians, and is as a vital and integral player in the development of a national conversation around the ideas that matter. 

Known for its specialist content across arts and culture; business and current affairs; health, science and technology; Indigenous culture and issues; and religion and ethics, thought-provoking analysis delivered on air and across digital platforms, RN is a dynamic and world-class production house where innovative content is commissioned and made.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/about/

 

Apparently RN is in Guthrie's —ABC CEO (employed by the taxpayers or the rabid Kanbra government whicever comes first)) — firing line. People who want to be intellectualised can go to podcast hell... CRAP.

https://twitter.com/ethicalmartini/status/802271881222963200/photo/1?ref...

Michelle Guthrie has hired Jim Rudder, a veteran consultant to Rupert Murdoch’s global pay-TV company, Sky, to help restructure the ABC.

A former product executive at Foxtel in Sydney, Rudder has spent most of his career working for Sky. The Australian journalist has consulted for Sky operations in the UK, Germany, Italy, the US and Australia. He also spent a year as news director for Channel Nine in 2003.

Along with the “business transformation expert” Debra Frances, Rudder was brought in on a short-term contract in November “to assist the Executive in delivering our 2020 strategic objectives”, Guthrie told her executive team in an email.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/06/michelle-guthrie-murdoch-consultant-restructure-abc-jim-rudder

 

Meanwhile ABC programs bleed to death from lack of cash...

The ABC board has asked the director of radio, Michael Mason, to explain the rationale behind the cuts to Radio National at a monthly, two-day board meeting in Sydney on Wednesday and Thursday.

Guardian Australia understands the managing director of the ABC, Michelle Guthrie, did not brief board members before the announcement last month of severe cuts to documentary and music programs.

The board’s discontent over Radio National cuts comes as Guthrie seeks their approval for a restructure of the ABC that would see some directors in her executive team demoted and a new, powerful position of chief content officer added.

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/07/abc-board-demands-director...

Staff asked Guthrie questions about the loss of programs and experienced program-makers, and told her how upset the staff and listeners were to lose more documentary and music programs and explained why they had signed a no-confidence motion against RN management. But it didn’t go at all well. 

ABC staff told Weekly Beast they watched on “with their jaws on the floor” as Guthrie became very defensive and raised her voice, repeatedly asking them “what they would do” and how they “justify their massive budget when their reach is so low”. She also asked staff whether it was fair that RN had three times the budget of Triple J.

The musician and broadcaster Lucky Oceans, whose Daily Planet has been axed, asked how many signatures it would take to reverse the decision. Guthrie said it was irrelevant because the decision had already been made. Technically it is still supposed to be a consultation period. Asked why a 25-year-old program like Daily Planet had been cancelled, Guthrie said words to the effect of “Twenty-five years? Isn’t it time for a change?” to which someone said, “Should we cancel Four Corners because it’s been on air for 40 years?” 

The MD said people outside the major cities would not lose out when music moved from the radio to digital platforms because they could listen to digital radio on their televisions. Not so easy to do on a tractor.

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/09/jaws-drop-at-abc-as-michel...

It is obvious that Guthrie never understood what PUBLIC BROADCASTING IS.  She wants to make her mark on the whatever of whatever but she has no idea except the wrong ones. Mind you some of the people working for her may not have any idea either, but as the MD, she should know better. Radio National is listened to by MANY PEOPLE who don't have access to other means of listening than an old radio in a clapped out car or while trying to get a grip on what's happening in the world before going to work, doing the ironing, juggling three kids and a hubby, or cooking breakfast for a bunch of cats and dogs. A radio is perfect for this kind of stuff. So piss off Guthrie you are now showing to be the worse manager at the ABC since ... even worse than the worst of them all... Yes I know, the board thought you were a good guy... They were wrong.  

At the Lowy Institute in August, the ABC managing director, Michelle Guthrie, praised Four Corners for its story on youth detention in the Northern Territory, singling out the investigative journalism program as one of the jewels in the public broadcasting crown.

“Investigations like the searing Australia’s Shame put together by Caro Meldrum-Hanna and her team on Four Corners that prove the adage that real news is revealing what someone else is trying to keep secret,” she said in her keynote speech.

So it was more than a little surprising to some ABC insiders to hear Guthrie’s suggestions for improving Four Corners at an end-of-year gathering of the program’s staff last month, an annual event to stocktake the year’s stories.

Asked what the program could do differently next year, Guthrie suggested they could be kinder to business and perhaps add some profiles of successful business leaders to the lineup of stories.

When asked about The Forgotten Children, the heartbreaking program about the children stranded on Nauru as a result of Australia’s refugee policies, Guthrie qualified her praise of the program by saying they should have sought out some happy children to interview as well. There weren’t any, said one staffer.

Underwhelmed and gobsmacked were just some of the reactions to Guthrie’s contribution, sources told Guardian Australia.

An indication of how controversial her leadership has become emerged on Friday when her Wikipedia page was defaced. She was described as a “corporate stooge” for News International and as “director of corporate greed” for Foxtel.

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/09/she-doesnt-get-what-we-do-...

When it came to the program about children on Nauru speaking about their dire existence as captives of Australia’s offshore refugee policy, the managing director thought Four Corners should have found some happy children to interview. 

In one breath she showed us she hadn’t a clue about journalism – yet journalism is a large chunk of the ABC’s core business. At least previous notable managing directors have had to varying degrees a foot in the journalist camp – Mark Scott, David Hill, Brian Johns – and consequently they had a grasp on how and what the news apparatus should be doing. 

There are other dispiriting signs including the dismemberment of Catalyst, an appalling decision to strip from the schedule a weekly science program, and the ritualistic plunder of Radio National. 

RN has been under assault for so long that it is constantly on a war footing. With an annual budget of $23m, the network costs peanuts while audience surveys show that its specialist programs are one of the factors that generate audience loyalty for the ABC. Radio National is where you find much of the creative brains of the ABC, so to tinker and mess with the formula shows management is not without skill when it comes to shooting itself in the neck. 

Guthrie goes into defensive mode when pressed about the RN cuts, asking staff at a meeting in Perth, with raised voice, how they “justify their massive budget when their reach is so low”.

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/14/michelle-guthrie-t...

The Oz went on to quote Guthrie telling “a closed-door briefing” of senior management in Sydney that there was “no hidden agenda or ‘Murdochis­ation’ of the ABC, whatever that means”.

At the briefing Guthrie defended the hiring of former Murdoch consultant Jim Rudder, saying he would bring “fresh insights” while criticising staff such as Robyn Williams, who had publicly complained about the cuts, as “mischievous and totally erroneous”.

We understand Guthrie has engaged the services of public relations queen Sue Cato, who is giving her personal advice on how to improve her image. Cato, a gun for hire for the top end of town, made headlines herself when she accidentally forwarded her own advice to Fairfax executives on handling the embarrassing timing of a $2.4m pay rise in 2014.

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/16/midsumma-spurns-herald-sun...

Chastising Robyn Williams for defending the ABC against Guthrie's rough cut and paste while murdoching with "fresh insights" is a bit dumb. Robyn Williams is an institution with more knowledge about broadcasting —WHICH THE ABC IS — and also podcasting than a million Guthrie. The reach of both — broadcasting and podcasting — is not a contest. Radio National should remain RADIO and NATIONAL. Buger off, Guthrie: THIS IS NOT "YOUR ABC". FO.

Finlayson's resignation comes at a time of deep unrest within the ABC, with job losses and cost cutting leading to accusations of "piss poor management".

ABC radio broadcaster Robyn Williams accused ABC bosses of being "morally and spiritually bankrupt" after the axing of science program Catalyst in November.

In the same month, more than 60 Radio National staff passed a motion of no confidence against their superiors, citing "systemic failure" in senior radio management and "the erosion of the editorial and managerial responsibilities of executive producers".

Hundreds of Australian musicians including Paul Kelly, Missy Higgins and Gurrumul also signed an open letter to Guthrie and the ABC board saying they were dismayed by the decision to cut music programming on Radio National.

read more:

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/news-and-current-affair...

The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, has called on the prime minister to step in and save ABC shortwave broadcasts in the Northern Territory, claiming the broadcaster’s reasons to shut them down “do not account for the reality” of life in the outback.

In December, the ABC announced it would cease transmitting local radio broadcasts through shortwave radio in the Northern Territory and parts of the Pacific at the end of January.

It did so without community consultation and sparked a backlash from users who say the service is vital in remote areas.

Federal politicians from both major parties in the NT have lobbied the ABC to reverse its decision.

On Thursday, Shorten wrote to Turnbull, asking him to work with ABC management, local stakeholders and Labor “as a matter of urgency to ensure the continued provision of shortwave radio service in the NT beyond 31 January 2017.”

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jan/27/bill-shorten-calls-on-turn...

 

It is the view of some insiders at the ABC that Guthrie NEVER READ THE ABC CHARTER... It seems that way... The more she goes on the more it appears that Guthrie has no idea about public BROADCASTING.  But saving the shortwave broadcast in the Northern Territory isn't enough. 

 

See toon at top.

Suddenly, Michelle Guthrie might see value in doing some good for the ABC...

 

new trick...

 

read from top.

The ABC’s managing director, Michelle Guthrie, has told Senate estimates she believes it is not her job to lobby government for more funding for the broadcaster but to work within the budget she is given.

Under questioning at a fiery Senate estimates committee, Guthrie revealed she saw her role as a manager rather than an advocate for more funding, a marked difference from her predecessor Mark Scott who was a consistent lobbyist for additional funding and critic of government cuts.

“On my second day in the job I was handed down the triennial funding in the May budget and as far as I’m concerned we operate within that three-year funding envelope,” Guthrie said.

Asked repeatedly if she believed it was her role to seek more funding to fulfil the ABC’s charter she said no because her focus was on providing content and operating efficiently.

“We have had budget cuts since 2014 but my view is we operate within the funding envelope we are provided and we make decisions within that as an independent broadcaster.

“I think what you’re asking is reasonably hypothetical. We are operating within the government’s funding envelope and making decisions on audience behaviour and technological advancement.”

She also refused to concede that anyone other than the 15 people who called the ABC to complain, or the 51 who gave submissions to a Senate committee, had been affected by the decision to scrap the shortwave radio service.

She appeared before a Senate estimates committee on Tuesday, answering questions about the decision to end the broadcasting of local radio through shortwave channels in the Northern Territory and Pacific region. The decision was been widely criticised, including by all major parties.

During the sitting, Guthrie was also unable to provide evidence of prior consultation on the decision and claimed the ABC was not the official emergency broadcaster.

Asked by Greens senator Scott Ludlum about the “extraordinary cuts” to Radio National features, religion and music, Guthrie dismissed his premise, saying: “I wouldn’t characterise taking three music programs away from RN as an extraordinary decision.”

The vote of no confidence in RN management was “not something we would desire but did not represent all the views of the staff at Radio National”, Guthrie told Ludlum.

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/feb/28/michelle-guthrie-says-it-i...

 

That is a recipe for more funding cuts galore... and the destruction of intelligent programming. 

Aunty’s new bookkeeper?

Michelle Guthrie is expected to announce a major restructure of the ABC on Tuesday. Working closely on the new-look ABC with Guthrie is Louise Higgins, the former chief operating officer at Lachlan Murdoch’s privately owned Nova Entertainment. Higgins also previously worked for Macquarie Group and the BBC.

Higgins, whose remit included Sydney’s Nova 96.9, Melbourne’s Nova 100 and the easy-listening hit station Smooth FM, left commercial radio in August. Now based in the MD’s office as a consultant, Higgins is tipped to be Guthrie’s new chief financial officer, replacing David Pendleton, who resigned before the restructure. The Weekly Beast understands the restructure will result in hundreds of job losses across the ABC, starting in operational areas and moving towards content areas later in the year.
State of emergency
Although the public relies on the national broadcaster in an emergency – and the ABC has repeatedly asked the government for money to fund its emergency broadcasting – Guthrie confidently told Senate estimates that the ABC was not the emergency broadcaster in the Northern Territory. 

An ABC spokesman had to clarify her statements later: “The ABC managing director was referring specifically to ABC shortwave as an emergency service provider. ABC shortwave is not a reliable source of emergency information. Other ABC services along with the Bureau of Meteorology and other providers offer comprehensive emergency information.”
Guthrie’s revelation that she didn’t see her role as a lobbyist for more funds for the ABC that raised the ire of Labor MP Mark Dreyfus, who thought her comments “disappointing”. “I think that the ABC needs in the managing director a champion for the work of the ABC,” he told Jon Faine’s ABC local radio show the next day. 

“There have been very major cuts to the funding of the ABC under this government since 2014 and every previous managing director, at least every one that I recall, has been a champion of the ABC … I think the role goes well beyond just being a manager, I see the role of managing director as being a public advocate for the ABC, someone who will get out there and argue the case for why we need an ABC, why it’s a vital role as the national broadcaster and why the cuts that have been inflicted on the ABC are harming the ABC.”
The ABC’s latest foray into digital journalism – which was meant to attract a younger audience – might just have backfired.
read more :
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/mar/03/herald-suns-comedy-feature...
————————————-

You are allowed to panic.

I have no idea what the “major restructure” of the ABC is going to be but I have the feeling that it’s not good.

First one has to say that the ABC is a far more complex organisation that say BHP Billiton. 

This could appear glib but it’s not. The ABC deals in many areas of broadcasting which are designed to inform the public. It’s like a complex soul management. Unlike moving dirt and filling boats with Iron ore, the ABC deals with people, including you and me. 

So gutless Guthrie went to the senate estimate and suggested her role is not to beg for more cash for the ABC, but work with what she’s given… Here, one can see that historically, with such simpletonian position, the budget for the ABC will be cut some more by the government. While BHP Billiton work around the price of iron ore within the vagaries of the market — and makes a tidy profit— the ABC budget has always been a beggar’s bowl. 

So fucking beg.

My informants  — not at the ABC, but on the various tracks that Louise Higgins has been on — tell me that she is “bad” and I use a euphemism to hide the indecent apostrophes… 

Here I can smell the accountancy of the firm I worked in the 1970s, which started to cut all new investments to maximise profits on projects already finished. This led to a facile new format, say like Smooth radio station. No need to say that unlike Smooth, this enterprise bit the dust within two years. With Smooth, it's a piece of cake, you don’t invest in ANYTHING NEW nor creative and pay the minimum fees to AMCOS since most of the songs played on air are about 30 years old. And you play the same songs weekly in and out, using a randomiser and a couple of “personalities” who introduce a packet of them between adverts. Day in day out. Not a speck of creativity, not even in the accounting. And you keep the old sheep in their stupor. What else does society want?

Even community radio stations are far more complex than "the Smooth". 

Last night, Stan Grant intoduced The Link, a new Friday format at 7:30 on ABC TV. It was well done and far more compelling than the rehash of the news, interviews of lying pollies and token celebs interviews on the weekly 7:30 Report. I wish the ABC promotion department did not try to hide the fact that Stan has a dark skin...

So we’ll have to wait and see what the new accountant and the gutless manager have concocted… Will we see some old important standards disappear? Will we see more inane programming? Will we see everything replaced with something with Stephen Fry in it? Will we see more programming for millenials who don’t watch anything serious but their own butts?

Will we see a mature ABC continuing its major role as the most important thinker on the airwaves? 

I tremble at what has been concocted with tongue lizards and skin of toad plus an eye of newt…

I hope I'm wrong...