Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is a government owned and funded media organisation which provides a diverse range of programs and services for Australians.

The ABC was founded on July 1, 1932. Since then it has provided Australians with independent, high quality media programs. Now the ABC is a vast media network which includes television and radio stations, magazines and a vast network of websites and internet streaming services.

In many countries, state owned media corporations are controlled by the government. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983 ensures that the ABC will provide an “independent national broadcasting service.” The ABC’s Charter, which is part of this act, is fascinating reading for a legal document. It mandates that the ABC must provide programs which “contribute to a sense of national identity and inform and entertain, and reflect the cultural diversity of, the Australian community.” It also directs the organisation to provide programs of an “educational nature”. The ABC is an important provider of news and current affairs in Australia, producing programs that are free of political bias and commercial interests.

Reading

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We need to fund the ABC to tell Australian stories

ASSESSMENT TASK: ABC RESEARCH REPORT

Every year the ABC produces an annual report, which outlines their achievements and contains a detailed financial statement. Use the current ABC annual report to answer the following questions.

1. Give an overview of the type of programs that the ABC produces. Which forms of media do they use to broadcast texts?

2. Where does the ABC get its income and finance from? How much does it cost to run the ABC?

3. Who owns the ABC? What is the role of the Board of Directors?

4. In your own words, describe the ABC’s Vision, Mission and Values. What is the ABC’s Charter and what does it say about what they should do?

5. What sort of audience does the ABC attract?

Photograph: Gnangarra