BBC and NWA: the day ABC staff went on strike – and left Aunty looking ‘a bit different’ | Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Broadcasters had warned their viewers that ABC would look “a little different” on Wednesday, and they were wrong when the clock hit 11am.
More than 2,000 ABC staff walked off the job for the first time in two decades to protest working conditions, while the public broadcaster’s news channel switched to the BBC.
ABC’s radio networks gravitated towards the dulcet tones of classical music and pop hits.
“My colleagues and I are on strike,” Hilary Harper told listeners on Radio National’s Critics’ Corner program before a pre-recorded episode of The Law Report began at 11am. “The normal program will continue tomorrow at 11:00.”
ABC radio Melbourne and Sydney entered the first minutes of the strike with Boy Meets Girl’s 1988 hit Waiting for a Star to Fall.
Melbourne mornings host Raf Epstein He told his audience that staff were striking “because there was a debate about how best to provide sustainable, safe work”. “We don’t like talking to you and being around you, but I’ll be back on the radio Friday morning,” he said.
Sydney morning presenter Hamish Macdonald gave the last word of his shift to his boss, with a clip from an earlier interview with ABC chief executive Hugh Marks saying he was “very” upset about the strike and its impact on listeners.
“We’ll be back Friday morning,” Macdonald concluded before belting out Boy Meets Girl. “I hear your name whispered on the wind / it’s a sound that makes me cry.”
Triple J staff left their desks and walked out at 11am with a more meaningful message. Express Yourself with NWAThe station played it 82 consecutive times in 1990 in response to ABC censorship.
After emerging from the ABC’s Ultimo office in Sydney to cheers from union members and supporters, Jack James, a breakfast presenter on Triple J, told Guardian Australia it was “hard to see a future” in the organisation.
For the rest of Wednesday, ABC’s radio stations relied heavily on wraps, reruns and soothing music. Some local radio programs were broadcast in each state on Wednesday afternoon and evening and were hosted by James Findlay, Spence Denny and Nikolai Beilharz.
Without the BBC, the ABC’s TV news channel might have become a hum. From 11am, Tim Ayres’ speech to the National Press Club relied almost entirely on the UK broadcaster, apart from a repeat of Planet America and an expanded version of Question Time.
Ayres’ speech ended at 1.37pm, at which point the ABC interrupted the live broadcast of the House of Representatives, providing ABC viewers with statements from members of parliament until Question Time at 2pm. He did not leave the hall until 16.00, giving the audience the opportunity to watch the entire debate of public importance.
Former AM host Sabra Lane read the headlines on Tuesday after opting not to strike. “I’m here because this is a vital community service,” the Hobart-based journalist, who is a correspondent for ABC News Tasmania and host of the weekend 7pm slot, told Guardian Australia. he said.
A pre-recorded voice would periodically announce over the airwaves, “Due to labor action, we cannot bring you your usual programming.” “We apologize for the interruption. Normal ABC programming will resume as soon as possible.”
Similar messages appeared on ABC’s television stations and online news site.
Television’s flagship news programmes, including News Breakfast, 7pm news bulletins and 7.30pm with Sarah Ferguson, will be replaced by the BBC World Service on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
Back on ABC Ultimo, James said the 24-hour strike was “a day where we could finally all breathe” after months of fighting for better conditions.
“The only reason the ABC keeps running is because we all work hard,” he said. “It’s very important for us to have a moment where we can stop this and speak for ourselves without fear of consequences.”
