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Mark Scott renews in ABC top job

Mark Scott is staying put as Managing Director of the ABC, extending his current contract by a further five years.

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Mark Scott is staying put as Managing Director of the ABC.

Scott is extending his current contract by a further five years, commencing on July 5th 2011.

ABC Chairman Maurice Newman said the Board was keen to see him continue in the role.

“Mark has made a significant contribution to the Corporation’s success in the nearly four and a half years he has been here, having presided over the launch of two television channels; the ABC3 children’s channel and ABCNews24, and the rollout of digital radio. He has also taken a number of decisions which have added greatly to the ABC’s efficiency,” he said.

“Mark Scott has led the industry in technological development, allowing the ABC to reach more people, in more ways, more often.

Scott said, “It has been a privilege to lead one of the most vibrant and innovative media organisations in the country in what has been a time of remarkable achievement. From the launch of ABC3, to the creation of Australia’s first free-to-air 24 hour news channel, ABCNews24, to our commitment to regional Australia in the development of the ABC Open project – we have committed ourselves to finding new ways to connect with Australian audiences.

“Most of all I am proud of the uniquely talented and energetic people that I have had the good fortune to work with, who are dedicated to the role of the ABC in Australian life. There is much more to be done and I am delighted to remain here as managing director to continue this work into the future.”

This year ABC has restructured management and commissioning of its channels, with the appointment of channel controllers plus new and renewed commissioning editors.

But in the wake of its successful election coverage, ABC News 24, and an increased online presence, it has also drawn the ire of media rivals including News Limited newspapers, notably via The Australian, and SKY TV.

ABC’s Drama department rolls out new titles with Rake and Sisters of War in November.

9 Responses

  2. @ Ronnie

    I looked up what you meant by BOR (Bed of Roses I assume) and LAID (actual title). I’ll admit neither one interests me. The last time I was interested in a contemporary drama on the ABC was SeaChange (if that counts). That said none of the commercial networks or other networks interest me either (for the past 10 years). By that I mean adult Australian drama and often comedy too. I think childrens television is far better but on at times I can’t watch. Also I want adults.

    So I really do hope Phryne Fisher is excellent. I prefer historical and futuristic type shows. That’s why Doctor Who is something I love. If they do try contemporary I hope it’ll involve quirky or at least an interesting character. But I’ll admit they rarely appeal to me (i.e. the modern setting). So that’s why I hope they don’t just stick to here and now as I find it especially unappealing.

    As for Love My Way and Tangle I’ve never seen them because I don’t have Pay TV. Underbelly I never saw it because I loathe criminals and find it torture to watch stuff from their point of view. I remember watching Columbo and sometimes left the room when people were up to no good (I was a kid). I’m in Victoria so we didn’t get the first season/series. But didn’t miss it.

    In other words I want more than here and now. I also love those docu-dramas. Like Curtin and the one with the Rum Rebellion and the like. I wish they’d do more of those too. The only problem I had with Curtin is it needed to be at least 1 episode per year of WWII. That was its tragedy i.e. not enough episodes.

  3. @A I’d like to see ABC drama join the 21st century with cutting edge, contemporary stories that reflect the way we live now. Love My Way, Tangle and Underbelly should all have been commissioned by the ABC but the Head of Drama needs to set that agenda and not hide behind a flawed process. And the drama department needs more and new staff – time for generational change.

  4. @ Ronnie

    What’s BOR and LAID?

    As for Phryne Fisher I look forward to it as I’ve read a lot of the books and think they’re wonderful. They remind me of Agatha Christie but with more modern sensibilities. As well as set in Melbourne and St. Kilda (plus other places) in the 1920s.

    I hope the series lives up to the books. Maybe even the British will like them if they are well done. I hope so.

  5. I’d like to agree with every single word Dr Rudi wrote.

    Under Mark Scott, we’ve seen the ‘B’ in ABC become lower-case because they’re so much more than that now. They’ve left every other media outlet in their 20th Century dust with expansions in just about all the new platforms. No doubt Scott takes his cues from their bros at the BBC, so I hope we won’t see the same kind of debate that has come out of Britain calling for the BBC to pull back.

    Here’s to another five & a bit years of MS… And Australia Network staying where it belongs. 🙂

  6. I think he’s a very savvy operator, and as taxpayers we should be pleased he’s staying. ‘Friends of the ABC’ might whinge about what used to be – but those days are long gone. We need a 21st century broadcaster, and when you think how the ABC operates multiple networks across multiple platforms, it has to be the most challenging media job in the country. Well done to Mark Scott.

  7. Mark Scott has been the best MD the ABC has had in at least two decades – and while he’s done a great job, the job is incomplete until the drama department is restored to its rightful place as a key genre of which the national broadcaster can be proud. The visionary content and commissioning restructure demands some visionary leadership from the key genre heads and until the ABC finds that person for drama we are going to have to up with BOR and LAID and Phryne Fisher and god knows what other rubbish lies ahead. The Head of Fiction should be one of the most sought after jobs at the ABC. Why doesn’t anyone really qualified every apply?

  8. Mark Scott, please I beg of thee, give us the type of quality drama the ABC were once so famous for. If Rake is as awfully sexist as the reviews indicate, then you might as well be channels 9 and 10. You should be better than that.

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