Mr Ian Robert Carroll

THE ABC has arguably been one of the Australian media organisations at the forefront of the digital revolution and much of its success was due to Ian Carroll.

Carroll was also the man behind some of its most respected flagship programs, particularly Lateline.

His death from pancreatic cancer came on top of news of the deaths of ABC journalist Paul Lockyer, pilot Gary Ticehurst and cameraman John Bean in a helicopter crash near Lake Eyre on August 18, dealing the media group a double blow.

Mr Carroll was the ABC's director of innovation since the division was established in 2007 and, before that, chief executive of ABC International's Australia Network.

He also helped set up two channels for ABC Digital Television and led many successful news and current affairs programs for both the ABC and commercial networks, including the 7.30 Report as well as Lateline.

A tireless driver of digital media, he was the force behind the development of ABC's iView and apps for the iPhone and iPad, as well as overhauling the organisation's websites.

Mr Carroll had a career spanning three decades and was described recently by ABC managing director Mark Scott as ``a brave industry pioneer''.

ABC journalist, executive producer and manager Murray Travis has also paid tribute, saying Mr Carroll would have wanted to be remembered for his work.

``Somebody who didn't take for granted success, was always looking for a way to do things better,'' Mr Travis said. ``Every organisation needs people like that, and every part of every organisation needs people like that.''

He said Mr Carroll was a man of great tenacity who was always searching for better ways to do things.

He rated The National, even though it was dubbed the ``ill-fated National'', as his great work because it was the program which really changed the way TV news, in particular, was produced.

``Before then TV news was very much a sort of second-hand product of radio news and you know you'd have a camera and go out and shoot something and a voice-over will come from across the other side of town from a radio reporter who might have been there,'' Mr Travis said.

``And it was during The National that we established dedicated television reporters and it was also during The National that we established very good graphics, a whole different look of the program and we put together news and current affairs in the same package, which was quite revolutionary.''

Lateline, too, was revolutionary. At the time it first aired everyone wondered who was going to watch a hard-hitting current affairs and news program at 10.30pm. It proved a slow burn, but eventually built up a respectable audience and has become a must-see for political junkies.

Mr Carroll's interest in programs such as Lateline was no accident. He had harboured a deep interest in politics since his days as a student involved in anti-Vietnam War activism at the-then fairly new Monash University.

He enrolled in its department of political science and initially found work at The Age newspaper in Melbourne.

That time coincided with the rise of Bob Hawke's political career and Melbourne was, back then, also the epicentre of the Australian union movement.

After the failure of The National, Mr Carroll moved to Channel 9 but returned to the ABC where his knack of not just leading, but innovating, was given free rein.

Modern election coverage was largely a Carroll innovation because he felt existing coverage was tired and boring. He hired election commentator Antony Green, back then an obscure data analyst, recognising his sheer brilliance. Green is, of course, now an election night institution on ``Aunty''.

Mr Carroll also revamped Four Corners, using guest reporters, and consolidated the ABC's overseas TV network.

Mr Carroll was diagnosed with cancer a year ago, but true to form continued to work until a fortnight before his death.

He died surrounded by family and friends, including his wife ABC journalist Geraldine Doogue.

He is survived by Doogue, whom he met in 1981 on his first day as executive producer of Nationwide in Sydney (she was the show's new host from Perth), and their son Sam.

He is also survived by his first wife Jillian and their children Michael and Genevieve, and stepdaughter Eliza Blue.