ABC News (Australia)
ABC News, also known as ABC News and Current Affairs and overseas as ABC Australia, is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Broadcasting within Australia and the rest of the world, the service covers both local and world affairs.
This article is about the news division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. For the American news organisation, see ABC News. For the broadcast channels from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, see ABC News (Australian TV channel) and ABC NewsRadio.Company type
Division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
1 June 1947
ABC Ultimo Centre
700 Harris Street,
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Australia, Worldwide[a]
- Justin Stevens
(Director News, Analysis & Investigations)
Television, radio, online
The division of the organisation ABC News, Analysis and Investigations is responsible for all news-gathering and coverage across the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's various television, radio, and online platforms. Some of the services included under the auspices of the division are its 24-hour news channel ABC News (formerly ABC News 24), the long-running radio news programs, AM, The World Today, and PM; ABC NewsRadio, a 24-hour continuous news radio channel; and radio news bulletins and programs on ABC Local Radio, ABC Radio National, ABC Classic FM, and Triple J.
ABC News Online has an extensive online presence which includes many written news reports and videos available via ABC Online, an ABC News mobile app (ABC Listen), podcasts, and in addition, all of the ABC news television programs available via the video-on-demand platform, ABC iview. As of 2021, the ABC News website includes ABC Sport, ABC Health, ABC Science, ABC Arts & Culture, ABC Fact Check, ABC Environment, and news in other languages.
Justin Stevens was appointed director of the division on 31 March 2022.
History[edit]
ABC News, from its inception in 1932, with ABC radio sourced its news from multiple sources, including cable news from London,[2] its own bureaus in Europe, the Middle East, Greece and the Asia-Pacific,[3] and in a fashion similar to commercial radio stations from local newspapers around Australia.
Censorship was rife during the war, particularly after the U.S. entered the conflict on 7 December 1941. After General Douglas MacArthur set up his headquarters in Australia, he wielded enormous power, including on matters of censorship. Inter alia, he declared that every Australian radio station would only broadcast three news bulletins per day and that these would be simultaneous on all stations (ABC and commercial) at 7.45 a.m., midday, and 7.00 p.m.[4] Weather forecasts were banned because it was felt that these may assist the enemy.[5]
The 7:45 a.m. bulletin was the only one that did not commence on the hour or the half-hour. Incredibly, this 7.45 bulletin continued to be heard on ABC Local Radio stations until as late as 19 September 2020. Therefore, it would not be unreasonable to suggest that the effects of war-time censorship were still felt in Australia until 2020.[6][7][8]
Notices[9] were issued banning radio stations from broadcasting some major wartime events, but as the federal government did not have the same power over the printed press as it did over the radio, newspapers usually reported events that radio was not permitted to mention.[5][10]
The ABC launched its first independent news bulletin on 1 June 1947 after years of negotiations with the Australian Government.[11]
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983 mandates that the ABC "shall develop and maintain an independent service for the broadcasting of news and information" both within Australia on a daily basis, and also to countries outside Australia.[12]
The name of the division and director responsible has changed over the years. In 2004 it was the News and Current Affairs Division when John Cameron took over as Director from Max Uechtritz as Director.[13][14] The financial year 2008–2009 saw a lot of changes, both in the way that television content was produced as well as an "expansion of international news programming and continuous news across platforms, new programs and a range of appointments to senior positions". Kate Torney became director of the News Division in April 2009.[15]
In November 2014, a cut of A$254 million to funding over the following five years meant that the ABC would have to shed about 10% of its total staff, around 400 people. There were several programming changes, with regional and local programming losing out to national programs, and the Adelaide TV production studio had to close apart from the news and current affairs section.[16][17]
In late 2015[18] Gaven Morris was appointed Director of the News Division.[19]
The ABC announced in November 2016 that their 24-hour television news channel ABC News 24 and ABC NewsRadio would be rebranded under the ABC News division with an updated logo, commencing on 10 April 2017.[20] The ABC announced on that day that ABC News 24 and ABC NewsRadio were both called ABC NEWS, with a new logo and visual branding. They would be distinguished by context or by descriptors, such as "the ABC News channel" for TV and "ABC News on radio" for radio. Social media accounts would be merged.[21]
The Director's role changed its name to Director, News, Analysis & Investigations in 2017–2018,[22] and as of June 2021 Morris was still in the role.[23][24] During the 2017 to 2018 financial year, the ABC launched "Regional Connecting Communities" program, which provided funding for increased jobs in the regions, as well as more resources for local news, weather and live reporting.[22]
Justin Stevens was appointed director of the division of ABC News, Analysis and Investigations on 31 March 2022.[25]
Functions[edit]
The division is responsible for all news-gathering and production of news output for ABC television, the ABC network of radio stations, and for its online services. In 2018 it was estimated that online ABC news and current affairs reached about 4.8 million users in Australia each month.[22] As of 2021, the ABC News website includes ABC Sport, ABC Health, ABC Science, ABC Arts & Culture, ABC Fact Check, ABC Environment and news in other languages.[26]
Theme music[edit]
The news theme used from the first days of ABC television from November 1956 to 1985 was "Majestic Fanfare", composed by Charles Williams. From 1956 until the early 1980s the version used was the abridged version performed by the Queen's Hall Light Orchestra, from a recording made in 1943. Each bulletin opened with a clip from the top story of the day, with the title "ABC News" superimposed over the footage. Later, this on-screen approach was replaced by a generic graphic title sequence. In 1982, to celebrate the ABC's 50th anniversary, a new version of the theme was commissioned, which incorporated both orchestral and new electronic elements.
With the exception of a period in the mid-1980s, during which a synthesised theme ("Best Endeavours", written by Alan Hawkshaw, which was the theme for Channel 4 News in the UK) was used for around a year, this was used on radio until August 1988, and on television until early 1985. A reworking of "Majestic Fanfare" (essentially the original orchestration up one tone) was arranged by Richard Mills and recorded in 1988 by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
From 1985, a theme composed by Tony Ansell and Peter Wall was used for 20 years, even after the 1998 brand refresh. In 2010, it was sampled and remixed by the group Pendulum and this revised work went on to be placed #11 on the Triple J Hottest 100 chart on Australia Day 2011.
The theme for ABC News changed on Australia Day (26 January) 2005, to a piece written by Martin Armiger and John Gray, and for a couple of years it bore a resemblance to the original Peter Wall / Tony Ansell work in the opening signature notes. Wall challenged the ABC and was successful in reaching an agreement. The opening notes were removed and the work was re-arranged in 2010. The theme music from the 2005–2010 era was remixed by Armiger, giving it a more upbeat, synthesised feel.
On 1 July 2022, ABC News used the 1985–2005 theme during the ABC's 90th Anniversary.[27]