Kim Dalton has announced that he intends to leave as the ABC’s Director of Television in mid-February 2013, on completing seven years in the role. As Director, Dalton has overseen the transformation of ABC Television, creating new services, quality programming and different ways for the audience to engage with the ABC.
Dalton led the ABC team that has delivered programming such as The Slap, Paper Giants, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Rake and Jack Irish. Dalton supported the establishment of ABC News 24 by the ABC News division and championed the creation of Q&A, an experiment in democracy that has encouraged Australians to participate in the conversation about important issues facing the nation. His commitment to factual programmes has seen the ABC develop a fine slate of documentary film-making on the ABC each year. In 2012 alone, programmes like Sporting Nation, Great Southern Land and Dumb, Drunk and Racist, won critical and popular acclaim.
“Kim has driven ABC television to create more compelling Australian content and deliver it to more Australians in more ways. His advocacy was very important in putting together a coalition of support behind our successful funding bids,” said Mark Scott, ABC Managing Director.
Dalton has also led a push by ABC TV into Asia. As Chair of the recent Asian Animation Summit he has steered the initiative to establish an annual regional financing and co-production event. The drama series Serangoon Road starring Don Hany and Joan Chen is being co-produced with HBO Asia. Hoopla!, a 52 part pre-school programme is being co-produced with China’s CCTV and is the largest CCTV co-production to date outside of Asia.
Dalton’s industry leadership has been acknowledge though his chairmanship of Freeview and his continued advocacy of reforms to strengthen television and the independent production sector that creates so much content. For the ABC, his work has also seen strong partnerships with organisations like the Australia Council and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.
