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ABC job cuts hit journalists, commissioning, production execs in transition to “digital first” media

Andrew Probyn amongst first job losses at ABC as broadcaster overhauls its ranks; new ABC News Sunday bulletin, Digital-first Stateline returns.

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  • Up to 120 ABC job cuts hit profile journalists and staff
  • Reduction in the number of ABC executives in commissioning and production
  • Current Affairs Digital Transformation Project as broadcaster moves towards digital-first media organisation
  • ABC News Sunday, a new national bulletin to replace local editions
  • Digital-first Stateline returns as part of extended 40 min Friday news bulletin
  • Dedicated Climate, Environment and Energy reporting team

The axe has swung at ABC today with job cuts hitting profile journalists and ABC executives in commissioning and production, as the broadcaster transitions more to becoming a “digital-first media organisation.”

ABC political editor Andrew Probyn has been made redundant by ABC in up to 120 job cuts. 40 positions will become redundant in ABC News with the creation of 24 new roles in digital skills. ABC is calling for expressions of interest in redundancy from staff in the News Division until 5pm AEST on Sunday 25 June.

Probyn told Guardian Australia he was told by the national broadcaster that they no longer need a political editor for the TV news.

“I’ve been informed that the national broadcaster no longer need a political editor and that they want to reinvest the money into social and digital reporting roles,” Probyn said.

“Very good luck to the ABC. I’m still I’m still trying to get to come to terms with it. I am very proud of all the stories I’ve broken at the ABC and the determination and vigour with which I’ve brought to political reporting at the national broadcaster.”

Probyn is the most high-profile journalist so far to be named in a cull of as many as 100 jobs.

He joined 7:30 as their Political Correspondent in 2016. He was previously Federal Political Editor for The West Australian, a State Political Reporter for ABC, and previously worked at Herald Sun in Melbourne and Canberra. He has been Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery Journalist of the Year and a Gold Quill in the Melbourne Press Club Awards.

Last week ABC released a Five-Year Plan to become an integrated digital operation by 2028 as it adapts for audiences and the future.

ABC Managing Director David Anderson said today, “Along with media organisations here and overseas, the ABC is operating in an environment that is subject to inflationary pressures. We also need to increase investment in digital transformation to improve our efficiency and meet the needs of audiences.

“We have made clear our vision for the ABC to be an essential part of everyday life for all Australians through our high-quality journalism and content, wherever they may live across the country.

“The continued migration of audiences from broadcast services to digital provides an opportunity to ensure the ABC is a trusted, central part of daily media consumption for more Australians.

“By 2028 the majority of audience engagement will be on the ABC’s digital platforms and we will have a digital-first approach to commissioning, producing, and distributing content.  We will enhance our primary digital products, ABC iview, ABC listen and ABC News, to provide personalised services that enable audiences to more easily discover the journalism and content that is relevant to them.

“To make the most of that opportunity, we must better align our resources and invest in the new skills we need in our workforce we can’t create through retraining.

“Achieving these outcomes requires some difficult decisions. While we have targets for savings in support areas, including travel and consulting costs, unfortunately there is an unavoidable impact on some roles.

“These changes are important to secure the long-term success of the organisation, but we acknowledge it is never easy, particularly for individuals who are directly impacted by these proposals.”

The proposed changes include:

  • The launch of the Current Affairs Digital Transformation Project to ensure some of the ABC’s best investigative programs have the capability to meet audience demand for long-form on-demand video and in-depth digital content.
  • Continuing the shift in the News Operations team from linear television programming to on-demand digital content and modernising the ABC’s skills base.
  • The introduction of ABC News Sunday, a new national bulletin bringing the best stories and journalism from around Australia and the world.
  • The return of a digital-first Stateline, unpacking the local stories that matter through long form journalism, in-depth interviews and explainers for on-demand and broadcast audiences.
  • The establishment of a dedicated Climate, Environment and Energy reporting team to focus on the issues that are consistently rated as critical for the nation’s future, particularly by younger Australians.
  • Streamlining our commissioning editor structure by reducing the number of ABC executives involved in the commissioning and production process with the independent sector, freeing up funds for investment in high-quality distinctive Australian content.
  • A digital-first approach to commissioning and choosing content, with a focus on the audience from the earliest development stage.
  • Enhancing the ABC iview, ABC News and ABC listen audience experience to drive faster uptake to these platforms.
  • Promoting our digital output with new roles established in our digital teams.

Amongst his adivce to staff, News Director Justin Stevens said, “ABC News produces eight broadcast TV 7PM news bulletins across the country, seven nights a week. Consolidating our effort in one national bulletin on Sunday will put the bulletin on a more sustainable long-term footing while continuing to serve our loyal 7PM viewers with our highest quality journalism. It also frees resources to better serve our rapidly growing digital and social audiences. Significant local news would be retained with the strongest state stories elevated to a national audience. State and territory teams would retain all reporting staff at weekends. We would have the capacity to mount additional locally based coverage for 32 bulletins a year across the country for big breaking news events such as state elections and emergency coverage. The bulletin would be up-to-date in each market.   In coming weeks we will confirm plans for this initiative, including who will present it and the location. We are currently scoping all options, although I can confirm it will not be broadcast out of Ultimo. “

Stateline will be produced out of state and territory newsrooms and anchored by local 7pm presenters.  

“We will be investing in elevating state issues by launching the return of a digital-first Stateline focusing on state and territory-based news and current affairs. This will be available on-demand to digital and social audiences and via ABC iview and also form part of an extended Friday 7PM News bulletin for broadcast audiences that will run in an extended bulletin to 7.40pm,” he added.

Union MEAA has called on the ABC to explore all options for redeployment of staff before moving to redundancies, and to offer voluntary redundancies before forced redundancies.

MEAA Media Director Cassie Derrick has said the targeting of long-standing, experienced journalists will hurt the ABC’s reporting now and well into the future.

“The ABC has been running on empty for the past decade and we are concerned about how it can continue to deliver quality public interest journalism with even fewer staff following these cuts,” she said.

“Local journalism in our country continues to be eroded, and these cuts are a further insult to local audiences.

“MEAA members will be demanding a voice at the table to ensure the ABC does continue to deliver the news and other content that the Australian public deserves.

“The recent enterprise bargaining agreement was a chance for ABC management to reset its relationship with the workforce. It hasn’t got off to a good start.”

This post updates.

37 Responses

  2. Andrew is probably more suited to the high profile commercial TV news format than working for the ABC, but overall as the ABC’s political editor he did a journeyman’s job and along with David Speers provided the political context to the opinions currently trending on ABC News panels. In my opinion the ABC News does need a political editor or ABC News may lose some of its objectivity as left wing media influencers take control. But at least for now the ABC wont be, as the former head of BBC News Roger Mosey warned The Sunday Times, facing a looming crisis as younger viewers begin to question why they should pay the (UK’s) yearly $296 AUD TV license fee when they’ve mostly decamped to Netflix, for now the ABC viewer don’t have to pay a TV license fee for their ABC.

  3. The ABC’s restructure is straight out of the Michelle Guthrie playbook. Guthrie was accused of “Google-ising” the ABC. The ABC Board terminated Guthrie, two and a half years into her five-year term, citing her re-structure which cut staffing and divided the organisation into three divisions based on genres of content rather than platforms, was “not in the best interests” of the national broadcaster.

  4. Andrew Probyn…really like this young man…I am disgusted…so is this the beginning of the end of ‘our ABC’?…..alienating viewers with all these ‘digital’ changes.

  5. 120 job losses in an organisation that employs how many? While I feel for Andrew and hope he gets snapped up elsewhere, I do think the response to this restructure has been a little over the top. Commercial businesses go through restructures and job losses and job boosts all the time. Why would the ABC or government be any differnet? And it over reports on federal politics so I totally see a need to get more reporters dealing with more state and local issues

  6. This ABC obsession with trying to lure a younger audience is as witless as a middle-aged man putting Grecian 2000 through his hair, sticking a baseball cap on backwards and walking into a Newtown bar saying; “Hey kids, what’s happening?”

  8. This is heartbreaking. Andrew is one of the best journalists in Australia and the whole world watched and admired him capture Macron’s words regarding ScoMo. I find it fascinating that The ABC cannot find a way to utilize Andrew for a long time to come. Godspeed, Andrew!

  10. Isn’t there already a “national” ABC News bulletin at 7pm on ABC24 (ABC NEWS)? So, a simulcast? (ABC National News 7:00PM – 7:30PM Gemma Veness presents the latest news)

  11. Is this My ABC? I heard a ABC representative explaining that they are catering to those under 30 by focussing on digital formats. Does this mean more than half of the population (over 30) are no longer the focus of the ABC?
    Like others here I’m disappointed to hear the Sunday night news will be a single national programme. This follows a trend on ABC local radio (I live in Brisbane) for local programming to be replaced with southern states radio programmes over the summer holidays. There is already too much overlap across FTA, digital and email news stories already. ABC runs the risk of becoming homogenised.

  12. So the ABC board are not only happy to alienate their faithful viewrs over the years by supporting the dregs of the previous government, they now sack Andrew Probyn and make the sunday night news bulletin national. I remmebr them doing that a few years ago and it rated so poorly they had to revert back to state bulletins. The ABC board needs to go, right now please!

  13. The ABC puts Orwell’s Ministry Of Truth to shame. What a load of doublespeak codswallop ! These people couldn’t find their bums in a change room.

  18. It’s interesting that they have chosen Sunday to axe state news. For commercial networks, this is often their highest rating night which is the reason they changed their A team from Mon-Fri to Sun – Thu.

  20. It will be very sad to see ABC cut local Sunday news in favor for a national bulletin. By axing local news, ratings will suffer. WA will cop the worst due to time zone difference. Hence WA viewers will have to endure a piece of 2-hour-old news that mostly focuses on the east coast. Now I’m afraid that there will be cuts to staff/reporters at ABC Perth. 🙁
    We’ve seen what happened to WIN News since 2012 when they axed its locally produced WA bulletin. By axing Regional WA news, many staff have been affected.

    1. Will it really make much difference. Blink and you’d miss any WA news on that so-called national breakfast show that airs 7 days per week, no wonder the WA ratings are woeful. Even on the 7pm news, 10 minutes in, and you’re back to generic content.

  21. Sacking a very experienced journalist and abolishing the position of Political Editor seems totally dumb to me. No doubt Andrew Probyn will get picked up by Sky or one of the commercial stations, but the ABC tossing aside someone of his skill doesn’t say much for the quality of decision making in that organisation.
    And a national news bulletin at 7PM on Sunday nights – that’s a cost savings measure, no question about it!

    1. Usually Saturday is the quietest viewing night of the week so you’d think they’d make that one national and keep Sunday’s as is.

      1. having staff work on a Sunday, they might be up for additional shift allowances instead of penalty rates etc. Aka, a drive to reduce costs overall. The ABC already trimmed the Sunday bulletin from 40mins back to 30 mins a few months ago so this just adds to it.

  22. So no local news happens on Sunday?

    Combining it – a Perth viewer isn’t interested in an Adelaide local story.

    WIN tried that in Tasmania and got walloped by Southern Cross News.

    “Your” ABC has really lost the plot.

  23. I’ve loved Andrew Probyn’s work since he joined the ABC and I am sad to see him go. Surely if they no longer need a political editor they could conduct a reshuffle of the politics team sans an ‘editor’ rather than actually remove him entirely – unless he was costing them too much?

  24. Absolutely disgraceful move by the ABC… I read the headline about Andrew Probyn being canned and couldn’t quite believe it… no longer need a political editor certainly doesn’t sound right. I’d rate Andrew up there with their top journos / personalities, so not only is it a giant slap in the face to him, but sends a worrying message to others across the organisation too – if this is how they treat their senior journalists / those who are highly regarded, watch out if you’re a newbie or at a lower level.

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