ABC revamps Channel Controller strategy
ABC revamps its Channel Controller model, three and a half years after it was put in place.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
ABC Director of Television Richard Finlayson is revamping the broadcaster’s BBC-style Channel Controller strategy instilled by his predecessor Kim Dalton.
“From January 1 the existing Controller model will be replaced with a structure that reallocates responsibilities within the existing team and will help meet our objective to cement ABC TV and iview as the home of the best quality, most impactful and entertaining Australian content,” says Finlayson.
Current ABC1 Controller Brendan Dahill (pictured) will become Head of Programming ABC1 and ABC2, assisted by two Channel Managers.
Stuart Menzies currently Controller ABC2, will act in a newly created role, Head of TV Content and Creative Development, with responsibility for genre heads across fiction, entertainment, comedy, Indigenous, arts, factual and sports and events.
Arul Baskaran will remain Head of Online and Multiplatform, and newly-appointed Deirdre Brennan is Head of Children’s TV overseeing ABC3 and ABC4Kids (ABC2).
ABC News 24 remains under the News division, headed by Kate Torney.
“ABC TV has an outstanding and close-knit creative executive team, and I believe this realignment is the one that will best achieve the priorities we’ve set over the next few years,” says Finlayson.
An ABC statement said the internal changes would not affect how production partners approach bringing their ideas and content to ABC TV.
Dahill has been ABC1 Controller since August 2010.
4 Responses
I agree with Barrie T. Appointing a Head of Content is another bureaucrat doing a job which should be driven from the top by the Head of Television whose job description is misleading. He doesn’t have any control over news and current affairs which has a separate head and is the most politically sensitive job. The Head of TV should drive content just as they did for nearly fifty years before the position was momentarily created by his predecessor. I would love the ABC to analyse just what it achieved with the extra $130 million the government gave them for drama, comedy and documentary over 5 years ago. It is not exactly stand out television. Remember Crownies, The Straits, Serangoon Road and the demise of one-off documentaries in prime time slots which has alienated some of our best doco makers? All the same people are still there. Why will this restructure effect change?
This is a good move. What’s the point of having genre heads commissioning and then having to convince a controller to allow something on their channel. The old structure was pointless, programmers can program stations. It makes sense for Kids and News but not for ABC1 and 2.
Great to see Richard Finlayson put his stamp on the structure of his division and for having the courage to identify and tackle one of the really big challenges early in his tenure – which is how to improve the overall content that is being produced by the ABC. I note the article states Stuart Menzies is Acting in the role – so I assume the position will be formally advertised. It will be interesting to see who applies for such an important role. Who has the vision and ambition for what ABC content could be and the leadership skills to inspire the genre heads?
Typical corporate strategy. Hey guys, we’ve got 6 positions to fill so let’s give 3 people 2 jobs each and save some money. Bob is not working out so let’s make him head of creative thinking and maybe he’ll leave