ABC chair Kim Williams (Image: Private Media/Zennie) Earlier this year, after hearing about ABC chair Kim Williams’ thoughts on the broadcaster’s direction, Crikey got in touch and asked if he wanted to chat with us about what exactly he envisioned. Williams, a former News Corp chief executive known for his way with words, took over as chair of the ABC in January at a critical juncture for Australian journalism, with industry competitors under strain in a difficult commercial market, as well as alongside the challenges involved in covering Israel’s ongoing occupation of Gaza. A couple of months later, we received an invitation from Williams’ office into the C-suite of the national broadcaster for a cup of tea.
In a wide-ranging conversation, we talked about the direction of the ABC, its competitors, and whether it truly remains the mirror to the nation (much to our chagrin, however, there was no actual tea). Owing to the length and breadth of the September 25 interview, we’ve opted to let the transcript speak for itself — you can click through to Williams’ responses to specific topics below. Here are the ABC chair’s thoughts on: What the ABC should do less of The next federal election and the ABC’s funding The ABC’s transition to digital Radio National SBS The ABC’s relationship with News Corp The role of a chair Culture and diversity at the ABC Leadership and senior management at the ABC The ABC’s audience His personal consumption Local content quotas.
