Therése Denny, Kay Kinane, Catherine King and Joyce Belfrage all wanted to create a legacy. They came to the ABC determined to reshape their worlds, to challenge themselves and their audiences. They did not leave their missions behind when they left the ABC and continued to engage with broadcasting after they made their farewells. Their respect for radio and television was sustained, even though their successes were tempered by compromise and confrontation.

As the 1960s progressed Kay Kinane had reached the heights of the ABC production hierarchy and had consolidated her reputation as an exemplary, world-class broadcaster. As an ABC elder, Kay not only continued to produce content as well as advise on policy and practice, she worked to improve conditions for staff as an elected member of the Senior Officer's Association. She challenged management on staff rights and workplace relations and grappled with internal power struggles between senior production staff. Kay also consulted regularly with ABC commissioners and provided reports and recommendations to the Australian government on behalf of the organization. She had come a long way since being asked to ‘go and make the tea’.

In 1976, while Director of Young People's Programmes, Kay saw her beloved Education division being devalued and undermined and did not want to stay around for the coup de grace. Kay was increasingly disheartened by the ABC's approach to educational broadcasting and was worried by management's escalating focus on ratings and viewing figures. ‘Minority’ content that catered to specialized audiences was considered less important than higher-rating shows. Kay sadly remembered making one unsuccessful, last-ditch effort to save a radio series of dramatised book-reading segments. The project was cancelled despite the fact that it had successfully improved the literacy of young audiences. Controller of Television John Cameron rejected Kay's appeals and argued that – regardless of the fact ABC Commissioners endorsed her views – he was going to cut large proportions of children's programming. Apparently, Cameron did not believe that it had a relevant place in the modern ABC. Kay described one conversation from the time just prior to her resignation: