Chris Oliver-Taylor departs: more change to come?

Chris Oliver-Taylor departs: more change to come?

The ABC’s Head of Content, Chris Oliver-Taylor has announced that he will resign from the ABC on 28 February.


Chris Oliver-Taylor
Photo: ABC


The ABC Head Screen Content, Jennifer Collins, will lead the Content division until further notice. 

As The Guardian reported, Oliver-Taylor’s tenure was marred by the fallout from his decision to sack Sydney radio presenter Antoinette Lattouf three days into her five day contract. The trial between the ABC and Lattouf will start in the federal court on Monday 3 February.

Taylor’s role at the ABC was downgraded following Kim Williams’ decision to create the ABC Audio division in late 2024, reversing the ABC’s strategy to make a “significant transition” towards digital transmission and reduce resources in AM radio stations by 2028. ABC Friends strongly supported Williams’ move.

Williams has also criticised aspects of the ABC’s content, including the lack of serious documentaries, “less distinctive” drama and ABC news that sometimes has a “tabloid sensibility”.

“If the ABC is not commissioning content that is distinctive and definitionally different and ambitious for Australian audiences and for Australia, it’s not doing its job properly,” he said in a conversation with Screen Producers Australia in November.

“If you’re receiving direct investment from government, you’d better make sure that there is real purpose behind it.”

The ABC will discontinue the Chief Content Officer role, opening the way for the incoming Managing Director, Hugh Marks, to initiate a restructure.

According to the ABC, Taylor achieved significant increases in ABC viewer numbers and commissioned a suite of new programs, many of which will be shown in 2025.

The big disappointment for many ABC Friends was that he didn’t produce a worthy successor to The Drum.

We wait with bated breath and to see what comes next.