Margaret Simons - Going Digital

How Australia's public broadcaster reinvented itself for the digital age

Today, the ABC offers things that were unimaginable twenty years ago: twenty-four-hour news coverage, an entire app of kids' content, countless podcasts and on-demand TV shows. Before smartphones, broadband and Bluey, all this would have sounded impossible. Going Digital tells the tumultuous story of how the ABC transformed itself for the digital age, revealing the key players and controversial decisions along the way.

These were the years of The Chaser and Q+A, endless political interference, and heated debates about what a public broadcaster should be. The ABC's transformation has been remarkable – but unanswered questions remain. Has broader coverage come at the expense of depth? Have politicians learnt anything from their attempts to intervene? Who really pulls the strings in our public broadcasters?

Drawing on candid interviews with key players and Simons's deep understanding of Australian media, Going Digital is a gripping, behind-the-scenes look at one of our most beloved public institutions.

Margaret Simons is an award-winning journalist and the author of thirteen books, including biographies of Penny Wong, Tanya Plibersek and Malcolm Fraser; the latter won the Book of the Year and the Douglas Stewart Prize at the 2011 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. She won the 2015 Walkley Award for Social Equity Journalism and has been honoured with several Quill Awards for Journalistic Excellence. Her forthcoming book is Going Digital: The Transformation of the ABC.

Tony Jones is one of Australia’s most respected journalists, best known as the long-time host of ABC’s Q&A. With more than three decades covering global conflicts, political upheaval and landmark investigations, he has won multiple Walkley Awards and international honours.