ABC CEO David Anderson has announced his intention to step down after almost six years at the helm of the national broadcaster, saying he believes it is time to renew his role.
Anderson was first formally appointed CEO in 2019 after serving in an interim capacity, and was re-appointed in August last year for a term that was due to be five years.
The ABC said in a statement at the time that his re-election was aimed at “ending speculation about his tenure”, following Ita Buttrose's decision not to run for a second term as president in 2024.
Anderson, who first joined the broadcaster in 1989 and has led several ABC divisions, said his decision to step down just a year into his second term was not easy.
“I remain deeply committed to the importance of the ABC network to the nation,” he wrote in an email to ABC staff Thursday afternoon.
Anderson says he remains “very committed” to the ABC but the time is right for him to step down. (ABC News: Brendan Esposito)
“I believe this is the right time to renew leadership for the next phase of the ABC's continued evolution.
“Having the opportunity to serve the Australian public and lead such talented and dedicated people across the country and overseas, for almost six years, is humbling.”
“Constant pressure” in the CEO role
Speaking to ABC News' Ross Childs after the announcement, Anderson said he had been in talks with ABC President Kim Williams about resigning for some time, and Williams tried to dissuade him from making the decision.
“But look, when you know, you know and I've already made my decision,” he said.
“Looking ahead, I feel like this is the right time for renewal and I think it's the right time for me. “I feel completely comfortable with my decision.”
When asked if the pressures he faced – both internal and external – over the past few years played any role in the decision, Anderson acknowledged that the pressure was “constant,” but that he did not take that role lightly.
“Of course, it's hard to know the pressure you'll face (in a job like this) until you join,” he said.
“These roles require a lot of effort: you give everything you can. But if you look at ABC right now, ABC is in very good shape.”
Anderson said he has agreed to remain in his position until a new CEO is named, a process that could take until early 2025.
Anderson, left, with ABC President Kim Williams after his announcement. (ABC News: Brendan Esposito)
Mr Williams, who replaced Ms Buttrose as chairman in March this year, Mr. Anderson issued a statement shortly after Mr. Anderson's announcement, praising his service to the ABC and predicting that he would be “treated generously in the overwhelming amount of comment about his decision.”
“I have noted to my colleagues on the ABC board that my admiration for David and his commitment to ABC has not diminished and my respect grows greater than ever,” Williams said.
“He is exemplary in his overall spirit of public service and his deep commitment to the company.”
ABC News Director Justin Stevens also praised Anderson's tenure, noting his leadership from the beginning of his first term.
“When he was appointed, the ABC was in a period of turmoil and needed calm, confident leadership,” Stevens said.
“David has achieved this enormously and has returned the organization to normality.”
Anderson was officially named CEO for the first time in 2019, following the firing of Michelle Guthrie.
The fallout from Guthrie's dismissal led Justin Milne, then head of ABC, to resign from his position.
Anderson's resignation follows the announcement earlier this month that ABC's chief ratings officer, Lisa Bacon, will step down from her role on September 6.
“Human Shield” for National Radio
Anderson's time as CEO was marked by significant changes at ABC, including the move of broadcast operations to digital media and increased scrutiny of the news division's journalism during the Indigenous Voice referendum and the Israeli invasion of Gaza. after the October 7 attack.
Early in his tenure, the ABC's Ultimo office in Sydney was raided by Australian Armed Forces officers, who seized files relating to the ABC's investigation into allegations of unlawful killings and misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.
Anderson criticized the raid, calling it “an attempt to intimidate journalists for doing their jobs” and called for greater protection for whistleblowers and public interest journalism.
He was later forced to again defend the broadcaster's journalism after a Four Corners investigation revealed allegations of sexual discrimination and inappropriate behavior by then-attorney-general Christian Porter.
discharge…
Following the Hamas terrorist attack in southern Israel in October last year and the subsequent Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, Anderson found himself under the microscope regarding the ABC's journalism and its approach to covering the conflict.
ABC members of the Guild of Journalists, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, passed a vote of no confidence in its leadership in January after Antoinette Lattouf was sacked in the middle of a five-day presenting stint at ABC Radio Sydney, alleging that ABC management had failed to protect the ABC's independence from external pressure.
The next day, ABC's board of directors approved a unanimous vote of confidence in Mr. Anderson's leadership.
In May, Anderson used an appearance before the Senate Estimates Committee to defend ABC journalist Laura Tingle over comments she made at the Sydney Book Festival about opposition leader Peter Dutton.
In an email sent to the ABC's parliamentary office on Thursday, Ms Tingle – speaking in her capacity as a staff member, not a board member – said she wanted to record her gratitude to Mr Anderson for providing stability to ABC in the period that followed. Name it.
He also acknowledged “the enormous cost to someone who has often had to act as a human shield or punching bag for national radio.”
Speaking to Ross Childs, Anderson said that, in addition to the occasions when he was called upon to defend ABC journalism, he was particularly proud of the broadcaster's expansion into regional and rural Australia, as well as some of the entertainment programs that started or continued. its time.
“(It's) the joy that Bluey brings to people, when we tell stories through other mediums, whether it's comedy or local radio… it's hard to pick something that I can say I'm extremely proud of,” he said.
