ABC Boss Michelle Guthrie Unveils Plans For Major Restructure

ABC Boss Michelle Guthrie Unveils Plans For Major Restructure

ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie has finally unveiled her plans for the national broadcaster and it’s set to be one its biggest shake-ups in its 85-year history.

From early next year, staff will be reorganised to work on certain subjects (ie sport) rather than work on, say, TV or radio.

Guthrie has assured staff there will be no job cuts in the process. Nor is it clear if any programs will get the chop. As an example, there had been speculation the ABC’s 7.30 would be repackaged and moved to a later time to compensate for the recent culling of Lateline.

The changes come as a number of media reports suggest staff stress levels are high and morale is low at the public broadcaster with threats the union would intervene. There has been over 80 redundancies at the network over the past year.

The three main teams will include news, analysis and investigations led by Gaven Morris; entertainment and specialist content – that includes comedy and children’s content – led by the broadcaster’s television director David Anderson; and regional and local content led by its radio director Michael Mason.

Guthrie’s own “ideas lab” will also be established to nurture new content ideas. There will be additional staff training and a review of the broadcaster’s cadet program.

Commenting on the changes, Guthrie said: “This phase is not about cost cutting, program changes or a reduction in networks.

“Our content teams and managers will need to continually review programming for its effectiveness and distinctiveness. The search for efficiencies will go on, as it should for a taxpayer-funded organisation.

“But this exercise today is about making sure we work collectively in better and smarter ways to serve our audiences. There is no ‘dumbing down’. We will be boosting the capability and output of genre specialist teams. We will also be investing more in our people,” she said.




Please login with linkedin to comment

ABC Michelle Guthrie

Latest News

Revium Snags Peter Bauld From Deloitte Digital
  • Advertising

Revium Snags Peter Bauld From Deloitte Digital

Revium, a leading full-service digital and AI consultancy, has announced the appointment of Peter Bauld (lead image) as Executive General Manager. Revium is a full-service digital and AI consultancy with over 20 years of experience creating engaging digital experiences for leading organisations and their customers. Bauld joins Revium after an illustrious career spanning over two […]

Veridooh Snatches Prashand Menon From ScentreGroup
  • Advertising

Veridooh Snatches Prashand Menon From ScentreGroup

Out-of-home OOH) and digital media leader Prashand Menon (lead image) has joined OOH ad tech company Veridooh as group business director within NSW and QLD. Menon joins Veridooh from his most recent role as ScentreGroup’s group business director and brings with him more than 10 years of experience in Australian media. Previously, he held positions […]

Kat & Co Transforms Into THE WORLD OF Experiential Agency
  • Advertising

Kat & Co Transforms Into THE WORLD OF Experiential Agency

After more than twelve years of producing experiences for some of the world’s most innovative brands, including Hermes, Van Cleef & Arpels, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co, Kat & Co has quietly metamorphosed into THE WORLD OF. THE WORLD OF is an experiential agency at the juncture of culture, technology and the human condition. […]

SMG Studio Launches Risk: Global Domination X Dune Part Two
  • Campaigns

SMG Studio Launches Risk: Global Domination X Dune Part Two

Through a licensing agreement with Legendary Entertainment, SMG Studio inked the rights to adapt Dune: Part Two into a game based on Risk: Global Domination, Hasbro’s interactive board game. Inspired by Denis Villeneuve’s cinematic masterpiece, Dune: Part Two, this new digital adaptation, RISK: Global Domination X Dune: Part Two, is poised to captivate players from […]

QMS: Taylor Swift, Lunar New Year & Mardi Gras Were Boon For OOH Market
  • Marketing

QMS: Taylor Swift, Lunar New Year & Mardi Gras Were Boon For OOH Market

Taylor Swift, Lunar New Year and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival have had a dramatic impact on the number of people moving in and around Sydney over the past month, drawing big crowds into the heart of the city and its surrounding suburbs. New data from digital outdoor company QMS reveals a […]