Brand Australia push in regional channel revamp
Propaganda not an issue, says Australia Network CEO The new Australia Network born out of the old ABC Asia Pacific – may be Aussie down to the bugs on screen,
but there’s not an Australian it would rather have in its
audience over a true-blue Asian viewer.
“This channel has been created for non-Australian audiences,” says Australia Network CEO, Ian Carroll. “We live or die as a management team on the number of non-Australians who use the service.” The new network launches on August 7, turning the fourand- a-half year-old ABC Asia Pacific into a more streamlined channel with a simpler schedule and a revamped news and current affairs slate, including the flagship Focus current affairs programme ( 9 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays) .
Focus will be produced exclusively by the news team from national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). “Our offer is a different
view, a different perspective, presented in a different way… That would be the number one difference. Number two is the simpler schedule. And the third is a more distinct Australian perspective, whether drama or documentary,” Carroll says. But, as much as some things change, others will stay the same. For one, the money (said to be some A$18 million a year) is still coming from the Australian government.
