‘The organisation needs to look at the science behind complaints’: Dr. Norman Swan slams ABC over app issues
One of Australia’s most trusted experts, Dr Norman Swan, has taken aim at the ABC for failures in its Listen app following an upgrade, slamming the “breathtaking incompetence” involved.
Swan sent the angry missive, in which he admitted he was “just letting off steam”, as an all-staff response to an email from from Radio National manager Dina Rosendorff.
The email from Rosendorff came after an ABC Listen app upgrade had resulted in several bugs that saw shows and settings wiped, and in some cases, the entire app removed from devices.
“All I can say, this is breathtaking incompetence in relation to our major gateway,” Swan wrote.
“When something like this happens and there’s no public accountability, morale drops and cynicism rises.
“The organisation needs to look at the science behind complaints. They’re an iceberg. Ships founder on icebergs.”
Speaking at a Mumbrella conference in 2022, Dr. Swan stressed the need for organisations to have public trust.
“The most important thing you have to have is a brand that you trust,” he said.
“You have to have a message that’s transparent and trustworthy and if you’re not, or abusing that trust, or taking a risk, you will be found out.
An ABC spokesperson told Mumbrella: “The rebuilt ABC listen app was designed to create a seamless and personalised experience for ABC audiences across our digital audio services.
“The new app is faster and has improved accessibility, curated genre content and is more personalised based on individual preferences and listening habits.
“The development of features and enhancements for ABC listen is ongoing and being prioritised based on audience usage. Episode sharing is currently being rolled out on iOS with Android to follow shortly.”
Keep up to date with the latest in media and marketing
Got a tip?
Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
Linkedin
Have your say