ABC boss breaks his silence over the shock axing of veteran host Sarah McDonald – as he also takes a swipe at another beloved radio icon

ABC boss Kim Williams has defended the decision to dump popular radio presenter Sarah McDonald before lashing out at former presenter Phillip Adams and presenter Antoinette Lattouf.

Mr Williams, who succeeded Ita Buttrose as chairman of the national broadcaster in March, said he fully supported axing McDonald as morning presenter of ABC Radio Sydney as ABC looks to revive its radio division under audio director Ben Latimer.

“Changes in the media are part of life,” he told the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday. “They are part of the programming fabric of all organizations.”

ABC employees were shocked by the measure when it was announced last Thursday, alongside a series of sweeping changes at the taxpayer-funded service, and greeted the news with boos at their Sydney headquarters.

McDonald – who joined the ABC as a cadet and worked at the broadcaster for more than 30 years – announced her departure live on air last week.

However, Mr Williams was adamant. McDonald, who is well-liked and highly regarded throughout the industry, has not been fired; it was only because her job had been given to someone else.

“It is incorrect to say that Sarah McDonald has been fired,” he said.

‘Her role has not been renewed. Conceptually they are different.

‘Similarly, management has determined that it wants to take that service in a different direction.

‘That decision is a management decision and I fully support our management in making relevant decisions about the direction and content of the services that the ABC provides.

“So yes, I support that decision.

‘I do support the idea of ​​refreshment in the various services that the ABC offers.’

The ABC has reportedly been inundated with complaints since McDonald revealed she had been live on air during her show on Thursday morning.

“Well, here’s the news from me in terms of disappointment,” she told her listeners.

‘Next year I will no longer be on the radio with you, the ABC has decided not to renew my contract here at Mornings.

‘I am proud of what I have done. The viewing figures have increased.’

McDonald announced the widespread news live to her listeners on Thursday morning

Mr Williams acknowledged the internal and external resistance to the decision and said it was impossible for the broadcaster to evolve without making difficult decisions.

“The public reaction would basically say that you can never change anything unless the person affected by the change fully agrees with that change,” he said.

“And I think that’s a very impractical view of the world in a media work environment.”

He made the same distinction when it came to Lattouff, who was fired by the ABC midway through a week of informal radio presentations last December.

Lattouf is suing the ABC in federal court, claiming the broadcaster breached her employee agreement by dismissing her “without due basis and without due process.”

However, Mr Williams insists she has not been fired either.

“Affairs involving Ms. Latouff are of course currently the subject of legal discussions, and we have remained impeccably silent on the matter, unlike Ms. Latouff and her representatives, who have apparently been keen to share regularly with the media. he said.

“In that regard… we will continue to strive for a respectful, constructive resolution between the ABC and Ms Latouff.

‘But I have to correct you: Mrs Latouff has not been fired.

Antoinette Lattouf is suing the ABC for unlawful dismissal, but Kim Williams insists she was never fired

“She had a five-day contract and… the contract was terminated at the end of the third day.

“So it affected the last two days of that contract, which were obviously paid.

‘I keep getting the message that she has been ‘fired’.

“I don’t know where that leaves us? She wasn’t fired.’

The media director’s claim is at odds with a Fair Work Commission decision, which found in June that Lattouf had indeed been dismissed, rejecting the argument that she was not dismissed because she was paid for the full five days.

Mr Williams also sought out Adams, who stepped down as host of ABC Radio National’s Late Night Live program in June after an incredible 33-year reign.

The outspoken media veteran, who once hired Mr Williams when he headed the Australian Film Commission, has widely criticized Mr Williams’ appointment as ABC chairman.

He told The Guardian’s Amanda Meade after his retirement that he was “not a big fan of Kim Williams.”

Phillips Adams was an outspoken critic of ABC chairman Kim Williams’ appointment

‘Kim and I have a lot of history. “I’m not happy he got the big job,” he said.

“Although Kim would not have been my first, second or third recommendation, I wish him the best of luck in his attempt to save the joint. It’s in pretty terrible shape.”

Asked about claims that Adams had actually ‘backed’ him to apply as director of the ABC at the age of 28, Mr Williams laughed before saying: ‘What an interesting question!’

“Philip Adams has never supported me for the role of chief executive of the ABC. This is part of the ongoing fiction that is Philip Adams,” he said.

‘I certainly applied for the position of general manager of the ABC when I was thirty.

‘And as a result of the application, at the age of 30, I was appointed by Philip Adams and then by the Philip Adams board as chief executive of the Australian Film Commission.’

Kim Williams claims he has no interest in taking on the role of ABC director

He said he no longer harbored any ambition to take on the role and was not interested in succeeding incumbent David Anderson, who announced his resignation in August and will step down once a replacement is found.

“I am not and would not accept to be a candidate for chief executive of the ABC now because I don’t think it would pass the pub test,” Williams said.

‘I have a very well-formed view of the difference between governance responsibility, which involves setting policies and priorities, and advocacy, I might add, compared to execution on a day-to-day operational basis by the people charged with running the place .

‘I do not seek to move from the role of strategic prioritization and advocacy at board level to the operational role.’