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Note: Written by Ken Inglis, assisted by Jan Brazier.
Issue Details: First known date: 1983... 1983 This Is the ABC : The Australian Broadcasting Commission, 1932-1983
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'As the bells in the tower of Sydney's General Post Office chimed eight o'clock on the evening of Friday 1 July 1932, the peals were picked up by a microphone and carried to every State of the Federation. 'This is the Australian Broadcasting Commission,' said the announcer, Conrad Charlton.

'So begins K.S. Inglis's compelling history of the first fifty years of the ABC. In a sparkling tour de force Inglis shows us the ABC's triumphs and failures, its great medley of personalities and the effects it has had on Australian public life. Based on the Commission's own archives, on newspapers and journals, on a rich assortment of interviews and on the author's own listening and viewing, this is a social history of the highest order.' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Melbourne University Press , 1983 .
      image of person or book cover 6975144138066704819.png
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: x, 521p., [32]p. of platesp.
      Description: illus., ports
      Note/s:
      • Published 1 January 1983
      ISBN: 0522842585
    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Black Inc. , 2006 .
      Extent: 525p., [30]p. of platesp.
      Edition info: 2nd ed.
      Description: illus., ports
      ISBN: 1863951814, 9781863951814

Works about this Work

John Thompson, the Poet as Broadcaster Peter Kirkpatrick , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , vol. 11 no. 2 2011;
'John Thompson (1907-1968) was once an influential figure in Australian literature, not only as a poet but also as a broadcaster and editor, but is now generally overlooked if not forgotten. This essay re-evaluates Thompson's career along with his poetry through his experience as a radio producer, examining his changing sense of the radiophonic possibilities of verse. It pays particular attention to the ABC's flagship poetry programme, Quality Street, which Thompson created and which lasted a remarkable twenty-seven years (1946-1973). Given that there have been conflicts from the ABC's inception between its twin roles as public educator and publicly-funded entertainer, the longevity of Quality Street suggests that Thompson managed to strike a workable balance within the broad spectrum of the 'middlebrow', which is a key term throughout. The essay concludes by considering the wider implications of this.' (Author's abstract)
[Review Essay] This Is the ABC: The Australian Broadcasting Commission 1932‐1983 Ged Martin , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: Reviews in Australian Studies , vol. 2 no. 2 2007;

— Review of This Is the ABC : The Australian Broadcasting Commission, 1932-1983 Ken Inglis , 1983 single work criticism ; Whose ABC? : The Australian Broadcasting Corporation 1983-2006 Ken Inglis , 2006 single work criticism
Aunty Resilient Liz Jacka , 2006 single work review
— Appears in: Overland , Summer no. 185 2006; (p. 79-81)

— Review of This Is the ABC : The Australian Broadcasting Commission, 1932-1983 Ken Inglis , 1983 single work criticism ; Whose ABC? : The Australian Broadcasting Corporation 1983-2006 Ken Inglis , 2006 single work criticism
The ABC of Controversy Morag Fraser , 2006 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , September no. 284 2006; (p. 6-8)

— Review of This Is the ABC : The Australian Broadcasting Commission, 1932-1983 Ken Inglis , 1983 single work criticism ; Whose ABC? : The Australian Broadcasting Corporation 1983-2006 Ken Inglis , 2006 single work criticism
Details about 'Auntie' Russell Henderson , 1983 single work review
— Appears in: Hemisphere , November-December vol. 28 no. 3 1983; (p. 158-159)

— Review of This Is the ABC : The Australian Broadcasting Commission, 1932-1983 Ken Inglis , 1983 single work criticism
The ABC of Controversy Morag Fraser , 2006 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , September no. 284 2006; (p. 6-8)

— Review of This Is the ABC : The Australian Broadcasting Commission, 1932-1983 Ken Inglis , 1983 single work criticism ; Whose ABC? : The Australian Broadcasting Corporation 1983-2006 Ken Inglis , 2006 single work criticism
Aunty Resilient Liz Jacka , 2006 single work review
— Appears in: Overland , Summer no. 185 2006; (p. 79-81)

— Review of This Is the ABC : The Australian Broadcasting Commission, 1932-1983 Ken Inglis , 1983 single work criticism ; Whose ABC? : The Australian Broadcasting Corporation 1983-2006 Ken Inglis , 2006 single work criticism
Details about 'Auntie' Russell Henderson , 1983 single work review
— Appears in: Hemisphere , November-December vol. 28 no. 3 1983; (p. 158-159)

— Review of This Is the ABC : The Australian Broadcasting Commission, 1932-1983 Ken Inglis , 1983 single work criticism
[Review Essay] This Is the ABC: The Australian Broadcasting Commission 1932‐1983 Ged Martin , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: Reviews in Australian Studies , vol. 2 no. 2 2007;

— Review of This Is the ABC : The Australian Broadcasting Commission, 1932-1983 Ken Inglis , 1983 single work criticism ; Whose ABC? : The Australian Broadcasting Corporation 1983-2006 Ken Inglis , 2006 single work criticism
John Thompson, the Poet as Broadcaster Peter Kirkpatrick , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , vol. 11 no. 2 2011;
'John Thompson (1907-1968) was once an influential figure in Australian literature, not only as a poet but also as a broadcaster and editor, but is now generally overlooked if not forgotten. This essay re-evaluates Thompson's career along with his poetry through his experience as a radio producer, examining his changing sense of the radiophonic possibilities of verse. It pays particular attention to the ABC's flagship poetry programme, Quality Street, which Thompson created and which lasted a remarkable twenty-seven years (1946-1973). Given that there have been conflicts from the ABC's inception between its twin roles as public educator and publicly-funded entertainer, the longevity of Quality Street suggests that Thompson managed to strike a workable balance within the broad spectrum of the 'middlebrow', which is a key term throughout. The essay concludes by considering the wider implications of this.' (Author's abstract)
Last amended 10 Feb 2017 10:32:04
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