Managing your ABC
by Rebecca Gill
Ever
since UniSA journalism graduate Sandra Winter-Dewhirst stepped into the
ABC’s Collinswood headquarters, she has continued to move up the ranks from
producer to program director and to her current role as state director. But
she still remembers a time when, like many young hopefuls, she got knocked
back from cadetships.
"My first degree was a Bachelor of Arts from Adelaide Uni. After graduating, I applied for a few cadetships, but wasn’t successful," she said.
Instead of losing heart, Winter-Dewhirst decided to hone her skills and to specialise. She enrolled in UniSA’s journalism program, and embarked on work experience stints at several media outlets. By the time she had completed the degree, she was already working in paid employment in the industry. Her first full-time job was in radio, as a producer on 5DN (now Cruise FM). In 1989 she joined the ABC, as producer of the Afternoon Program on ABC Statewide Radio in South Australia.
Now at the helm of ABC’s diverse media conglomerate in SA, Winter-Dewhirst has to be across every aspect of a major enterprise. It’s a challenge she relishes.
"It’s a very diverse job – encompassing television, other radio networks, news, current affairs – it’s a large spread. Coming from radio, I had to learn a lot about how other areas of the ABC operated."
While Winter-Dewhirst has rarely had the official title of "journalist", she has put her journalistic skills to good use.
"A producer is a journalist. You look at story selection, hunt down good talent, write scripts, put people to air and interview them."
Working in a publicly funded organisation in a time of significant change, Winter-Dewhirst says a large part of her job is influencing the various divisions of the ABC to co-operate and make the most of the opportunities a new digital era offers.
She was presented with her first challenge at the national public broadcaster in February 2003 while fresh in the directorial role – the axing of one of the ABC’s longest-standing programs, Behind the News (BtN).
"It had been on the ABC for more than 30 years. The loss of BtN received a lot of negative publicity, and it was a challenge to manage staff so that we didn’t have industrial action. Essentially it was how to get the best out of what was not a great situation. We had to advocate for getting other products into the branch as well as use the opportunity to develop our staff by offering them other experiences. We got BtN back though, which is fantastic."
Winter-Dewhirst also keeps an eye on and supports the critically important work that goes on behind the scenes, such as production resources and technical services.
Recently her responsibilities were extended further, with her appointment as State and Territory Directors’ Representative.
And now that she is the one wielding the hiring power, Winter-Dewhirst has some advice to fledgling journos.
"Listen, watch and read as much as possible, especially for the organisation you are targeting. Watch their range of products, know and understand their values. Get a hold of the ABC charter and editorial policies from the website.
"What I look for in a journalist is broad general knowledge. They need to be curious about the world and know a lot about the world. They also need to be a storyteller. Skill level is important, but so is attitude. They should want to be lifelong learners," she said.
Winter-Dewhirst says that media staff of the future will work across all platforms, so their methods of news gathering and presenting will need to be adaptable and flexible.
"The content will be one thing, and then the delivery mechanism will be another. News will be sent out visually on mobile phones, or through the internet, podcasting, video casting, or could still be in the format of ‘old’ media like radio, newspapers and magazines."
As far as presenting hard news, she believes that relevance is imperative.
"There is a limit to how long you can interview a politician without a story becoming dry. You need to make an emotional connection in the story. Make sure that news is relevant to the audience, that it will resonate and be interesting. You have to find a way to touch people in some way."