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Australian Broadcasting Company
The Australian Broadcasting Company was a short-lived Australian commercial broadcasting company set up by Benjamin Fuller and Frank Albert. Founded in Melbourne in 1924 with a capital of £A 100,000 by a consortium of entertainment interests, notably Farmer & Company, J. C. Williamson's and J. & N. Tait to found and operate commercial radio broadcasting stations. Other major shareholders, perhaps later entrants, were Union Theatres Limited, B. & J. Fuller and J. Albert & Son. Directors were Stuart Doyle, Frank Albert and Sir Benjamin Fuller.
When the ABC was established in 1923, they adopted the 'sealed set' scheme as its source of income (see main article). 1,400 "sealed" receivers were sold, each fixed to receive one of four radio stations, before the system was abandoned, at least partly due to the ease with which it could be circumvented.
In 1924 a new system was introduced, where radio stations were divided into two categories, class A and class B, Each drawing funding in different ways.
In 1929 the company won the contract to supply radio programmes for broadcast on the "A-class" transmitters contracted to the Federal Government's National Broadcasting Service. The Royal Commission of 1927 had recommended full nationalisation in the style of the BBC, but the conservative government of the time chose this out-sourced approach instead. As each of the "A-class" licences expired during 1929 and 1930, the Commonwealth acquired and then maintained the station's transmitters and studios through the Postmaster-General's Department, while the programming was supplied by the Australian Broadcasting Company.
The ABC was originally funded through Licence fees which enabled radio programming. Listeners had to purchase a licence to be able to listen to the radio broadcast. From the 1920s to the 1970s, the earnings from these licences were used to finance the production of radio and television services.
Class A stations were funded by licence fees paid by listeners, as well as by limited advertising. In 1929, the Australian Government acquired all class A stations, which were henceforth operated by the Postmaster-General's Department. There were originally eight class A stations and most of the time, they aired talks, plays, and music, either broadcast live from the studio or another place connected to a station by telephone lines ("Outside Broadcasts"). The ABC would broadcast 'stunts' to influence the purchasing of licences, which financially benefited the A class stations and equipment shareholders would sell.
Of all the stations broadcast by the ABC, station 3LO was the most profitable. Located in Melbourne, Victoria, 3LO was both an A-class and B-class radio station. Licence revenues for the station were immediately returned to the broadcasters after the government removed deductions and fulfilled royalty payments to the AWA. In 1928, a senior colleague working for 3LO estimated that the station was making an annual profit of around AUD 90,000 - in comparison to its initial investment of AUD 11,500. According to Inglis, not all stations did nearly as well as 3LO. 6WF located in Perth wasn't doing well in 1926. The station was aimed at country people, but the farming families who would hear its programs didn't resonate with its content. This meant that not many in the WA audience held radio licences. In 1928, the Post Master General's office had to rescue 6WF by buying its land, renting its premises, and paying staff to keep working. 6WF was the first radio station managed by the Government, due to its lack of succession.
In 1927, a Royal Commission was instituted by the Federal Government due to audience dissatisfaction. The outcome was that the Australian Broadcasting Company would provide radio content under the new National Broadcasting Service (NBS).
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Australian Broadcasting Company
The Australian Broadcasting Company was a short-lived Australian commercial broadcasting company set up by Benjamin Fuller and Frank Albert. Founded in Melbourne in 1924 with a capital of £A 100,000 by a consortium of entertainment interests, notably Farmer & Company, J. C. Williamson's and J. & N. Tait to found and operate commercial radio broadcasting stations. Other major shareholders, perhaps later entrants, were Union Theatres Limited, B. & J. Fuller and J. Albert & Son. Directors were Stuart Doyle, Frank Albert and Sir Benjamin Fuller.
When the ABC was established in 1923, they adopted the 'sealed set' scheme as its source of income (see main article). 1,400 "sealed" receivers were sold, each fixed to receive one of four radio stations, before the system was abandoned, at least partly due to the ease with which it could be circumvented.
In 1924 a new system was introduced, where radio stations were divided into two categories, class A and class B, Each drawing funding in different ways.
In 1929 the company won the contract to supply radio programmes for broadcast on the "A-class" transmitters contracted to the Federal Government's National Broadcasting Service. The Royal Commission of 1927 had recommended full nationalisation in the style of the BBC, but the conservative government of the time chose this out-sourced approach instead. As each of the "A-class" licences expired during 1929 and 1930, the Commonwealth acquired and then maintained the station's transmitters and studios through the Postmaster-General's Department, while the programming was supplied by the Australian Broadcasting Company.
The ABC was originally funded through Licence fees which enabled radio programming. Listeners had to purchase a licence to be able to listen to the radio broadcast. From the 1920s to the 1970s, the earnings from these licences were used to finance the production of radio and television services.
Class A stations were funded by licence fees paid by listeners, as well as by limited advertising. In 1929, the Australian Government acquired all class A stations, which were henceforth operated by the Postmaster-General's Department. There were originally eight class A stations and most of the time, they aired talks, plays, and music, either broadcast live from the studio or another place connected to a station by telephone lines ("Outside Broadcasts"). The ABC would broadcast 'stunts' to influence the purchasing of licences, which financially benefited the A class stations and equipment shareholders would sell.
Of all the stations broadcast by the ABC, station 3LO was the most profitable. Located in Melbourne, Victoria, 3LO was both an A-class and B-class radio station. Licence revenues for the station were immediately returned to the broadcasters after the government removed deductions and fulfilled royalty payments to the AWA. In 1928, a senior colleague working for 3LO estimated that the station was making an annual profit of around AUD 90,000 - in comparison to its initial investment of AUD 11,500. According to Inglis, not all stations did nearly as well as 3LO. 6WF located in Perth wasn't doing well in 1926. The station was aimed at country people, but the farming families who would hear its programs didn't resonate with its content. This meant that not many in the WA audience held radio licences. In 1928, the Post Master General's office had to rescue 6WF by buying its land, renting its premises, and paying staff to keep working. 6WF was the first radio station managed by the Government, due to its lack of succession.
In 1927, a Royal Commission was instituted by the Federal Government due to audience dissatisfaction. The outcome was that the Australian Broadcasting Company would provide radio content under the new National Broadcasting Service (NBS).