ABC reveals plan to share regional content beyond emergency broadcasts
Hugh Marks answering a question about the diversity of his ABC leadership team
The ABC would like to make its content available to regional broadcasters and publishers according to managing director Hugh Marks.
Marks revealed his plan to extend a “major event” content sharing project currently in development in a Senate Estimates hearing yesterday.
In the same session, Marks revealed the total hard costs associated with the Antoinette Lattouf unfair dismissal case ($2.5m) and deflected criticisms about the diversity of the ABC board and how the broadcaster has covered the Middle East conflict.
Marks said he wanted to extend a project, announced last week, that will see the ABC giving away “major event” or emergency content.
“We’re going to make available our emergency broadcasting information to basically any other regional or rural broadcaster who wanted to access that information so that they could draw upon those resources as well,” he said.
“What I would hope to do is extend beyond that and also make some of our local content available to local rural and regional operators around the country.”
The ABC team (backs to camera, Hugh Marks second from left) face the Senators in Canberra
Mumbrella has asked the ABC for more information on the plan to extend its content distribution.
The idea has precedents in several international markets. In New Zealand, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) has aggressively pursued content distribution through third-party broadcasters and publishers, effectively becoming a public media wire service.
RNZ argues that this is fulfilling its charter to reach audiences with publicly funded content. Participants must agree to terms and conditions and be accredited, and apply RNZ branding to the content. RNZ content often appears on commercial sites with advertising.
In announcing its emergency or “major event” content sharing program last week, the ABC said it specifically covered “digital news content”.
“Outlets participating in the project would have access to ABC News digital news content on significant events, such as road, rail and air incidents, extreme weather events, public health crises, violent protests, major power outages, telecommunications failures and transport system shutdowns.”
The ABC plans to launch the service next year.
Mumbrella has contacted AAP, Australian Community Media and News Corporation to vet opinions about the development.
Marks, who has been ABC’s managing director since March, maintained his composure during the 90-minute grilling at the Senate Estimates hearing. He was heading up an ABC delegation that included editorial director Gavin Fang and First Nations strategy director Kelly Williams. Their inquisitors included Liberal senators Jacinta Price and Sarah Henderson, and Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi.
