Aunty's 'nightmare' new boss generating goodwill

ON the face of it, Mark Scott could easily be seen as the ABC's worst nightmare. He is an American-born, Harvard-educated, evangelical Christian who has worshipped at the Christian City mega-church in Sydney's north, with a 5000-strong congregation.

ON the face of it, Mark Scott could easily be seen as the ABC's worst nightmare. He is an American-born, Harvard-educated, evangelical Christian who has worshipped at the Christian City mega-church in Sydney's north, with a 5000-strong congregation.

Although he does not identify as a conservative, he has worked for Liberal politicians and, before he put up his hand to become the ABC's managing director a year ago this month, Mr Scott had no broadcast experience. He had come fresh from the newspaper publisher Fairfax, a company that was then - and is now - reeling from sliding circulation, staff cuts and strikes.

Given this background, it is perhaps understandable that some ABC staff were wary - no, freaked - by Mr Scott's appointment. But, as revealed in interviews with The Weekend Australian and The Weekend Australian Magazine today, Mr Scott, 43, appears to be generating goodwill, even as he talks about a more commercial future for the beloved, commercial-free Aunty.

Mr Scott talks openly about his Christian faith, which he has nurtured and questioned since he was a boy. "Most Sundays, we would go to church," he said. "I think that anyone who is raised in a home where there is some religion does reach a point where they say, what do I think about my faith?"

He decided to embrace it, and joined a Christian youth group and now works for grassroots Christian organisations, including Wesley Mission.

Until last year, Mr Scott's wife, Briony Scott, was head of the senior school at Oxford Falls Grammar, across the freeway from the Christian City Church. She is now principal of Roseville College, an Anglican school for girls in Sydney's north.

Mr Scott describes his wife as "feminine and feminist", with the emphasis on the "ist". The couple have three daughters, aged 16, 15 and 11.

Mr Scott said it was an honour to be the only male in the house. "I embarrass them enough, I think." He joked that he had firearms buried in the backyard, for the when the girls are older.

Mr Scott spoke about his sometimes rough road at Fairfax, saying "as far as some people were concerned, there was no way I was going to ever get over those holes in my (journalistic) experience".

While it's clear Mr Scott was making mistakes and learning on the job, some Fairfax managers were impressed by him.

Peter Graham, who is now chief operating officer at the University of NSW, worked closely with Scott at Fairfax between 1999 and 2005, just as he was moving into management. They bonded, in part, because both are Christian.

"In terms of his skills, he obviously had a huge capacity for more senior roles. He's very intelligent, no doubt about that, but also emotionally intelligent. That's his main strength."

Mr Graham said Mr Scott had his weaknesses. "First, he follows the Manly Rugby League Club ... Second, for such a tall fellow, he has a terrible tennis serve."