ABC boss Hugh Marks flags TV cuts as broadcaster pivots to new platforms

Hugh Marks says the ABC has regained the trust of its audience. (ABC News: John Gunn) ABC managing director Hugh Marks has described the broadcaster's legal drama with Antoinette Lattouf as a "sorry affair", conceding both she and the ABC suffered. Mr Marks says the ABC has to focus on being brave while delivering distinctive content and value, and building trust. Some legacy TV programs appear to be on the chopping block as the ABC looks to engage further with new media. Link copiedShareShare articleThe ABC's managing director, Hugh Marks, has warned audiences to brace for some decades-old shows to be axed over the next year or so, as the public broadcaster struggles to pivot to modern formats with a stagnant budget. Mr Marks, who took over the top job from David Anderson in March last year, said staff were becoming stretched as the ABC expanded from servicing two main platforms — radio and television — to five, with online news, social media and podcasting added to the mix without extra staff overall. "Often we just build extra platforms on top of what we already do and we don't actually transition, we just add," he told Alan Kohler on the ABC's That's Business podcast. "And that creates an environment where our teams are stretched to do more because there are more platforms to occupy." Mr Marks acknowledged the difficulty in moving away from much-loved programs in favour of new content. "I think the biggest challenge is the ABC has trouble stopping things," he said. "Why? Because generally when we stop things, there are some people still rusted on to that particular program or format. While Mr Marks would not give specific examples of what might face the axe, he hinted that some long-standing programs could be cut to develop and sustain more modern formats. "I'll give you an example: a legacy television show that has been around for 40 years," he told the podcast. "There's still a lot of work that goes into it. All that work is valid and there's a lot of people working hard to do it, but that particular show may not be the sort of content that we want for the future. "I won't give specific examples because then there'll be teams that go, 'What does that mean for me?' But I think I've spoken about this challenge a lot and everybody agrees with me." In the end, Mr Marks said the ABC's content had to reflect a broad cross-section of modern Australia. "And that's about talking to all Australians," he said. "We need to make sure that we're delivering a service that people really value. "Yes, emergency broadcasting is part of that, but a daily habit of engaging with the ABC needs to be a big part of that." Mr Marks said the ABC had won audience trust back after a "sorry affair" involving the sudden termination of journalist and presenter Antoinette Lattouf's contract in December 2023, following lobbying from pro-Israel groups and individuals. The current ABC boss concedes previous management was pressured by those outside influences into making a poor decision regarding Ms Lattouf's employment. "There's a lot of fear inside the ABC, fear of making the wrong decision. And sometimes fear of making a wrong decision means you end up making the wrong decision for those fear purposes," Mr Marks said. Mr Marks said the ABC was "constantly under pressure", but he was trying to create an environment in which managers underneath him feel supported. "We need to be brave enough to stick to our decisions and make the right one," Mr Marks said. In September, the ABC was ordered to pay a fine of $150,000, along with an additional $70,000, in compensation to Ms Lattouf for her unlawful sacking. A Federal Court judge imposed the penalty on the ABC for its breach of the Fair Work Act by removing Ms Lattouf from the air during a five-day presenting contract on Sydney radio in December 2023 for reasons including her political opinions. In a Senate estimates hearing in October last year, Mr Marks said the matter had cost the ABC more than $2.5 million in external costs, such as outside legal counsel, noting "this was all there to be avoided" and "it is not a good reflection on the organisation". "[Terminating her contract], it was a reactive decision that was a complete mistake," he told That's Business. But Mr Marks said research showed the ABC audience had now moved on from the incident, and "trust" had grown. "We had a low around Antoinette Lattouf," he observed. "We're now well back over 80 per cent when we do our audience surveys." Mr Marks said that was because of the national broadcaster's rigorous and enforceable editorial policies. "We have a set of standards and we have processes for complaints and there's checks and balances and I think that's a really great system," he told Alan Kohler. "In an environment where social media — and yes, there's a rise of consumption in those places, but that is a more divisive sort of self-reinforcement environment — the existence of traditional media and

ABC boss Hugh Marks flags TV cuts as broadcaster pivots to new platforms

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ABC boss Hugh Marks flags TV cuts as broadcaster pivots to new platforms

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