ABC News (Australia)
ABC News, also known as ABC News and Current Affairs, is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The service covers both local and world affairs, broadcasting both nationally as ABC News, and across the Asia-Pacific under the ABC Australia title.
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 Australia TV Channel, 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, podcasts, and in addition, all of the ABC News television programs available via the video-on-demand platform, ABC iview. 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 4 April 2022.
History
ABC News, from its inception in 1932, with ABC radio sourced its news from multiple sources, including cable news from London, its own bureaus in Europe, the Middle East, Greece and the Asia-Pacific, 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 at 7.45 a.m., midday, and 7.00 p.m. Weather forecasts were banned because it was felt that these may assist the enemy.
The 7:45 a.m. bulletin was the only one that did not commence on the hour or the half-hour. It was placed at this timeslot as initially the ABC sourced its news from newspapers in a deal which required that news would not be broadcast earlier, to ensure newspapers sales were not effected. This bulletin continued at this time on ABC Local Radio stations until 19 September 2020, before being cancelled to save costs.
Notices 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.
The ABC launched its first independent news bulletin on 1 June 1947 after years of negotiations with the Australian Government.
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.
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. 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.
In November 2014, a cut of 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.
In late 2015 Gaven Morris was appointed Director of the News Division.
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. 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.
The Director's role changed its name to Director, News, Analysis & Investigations in 2017–2018, and as of 2021 Morris was still in the role. 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.
Justin Stevens was appointed director of the division of ABC News, Analysis and Investigations on 31 March 2022.
Media executive and producer Kimberly Lynton "Kim" Williams AM was appointed chair of ABC News on 7 March 2024, with the term expected to conclude on 6 March 2029.
Functions
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., the ABC News website includes ABC Sport, ABC Health, ABC Science, ABC Arts & Culture, ABC Fact Check, ABC Environment and news in other languages.Theme music
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 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" 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 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.
That theme, by Wall and Ansell, was remixed from the original multi-track studio recording and re-introduced to news bulletins on 19 August 2024, which was tweaked on 28 July 2025 with less prominent morse code beeps and a fuller orchestral sound.
Television
History
On 4 March 1985, the ABC refreshed its structure and look, when the 7 o'clock news and the following current affairs program were combined to form The National, and moved to 6:30pm until 8 December 1985. After The National was deemed unsuccessful, On 9 December 1985, the news was refreshed again with a new set, graphics, and theme.In 1998, the set was updated, a new opener featuring a light blue globe and the ABC logo was introduced, and the theme remained the same but was tweaked. The graphics also changed to match the new look.
On Australia Day 2005, a new look was introduced. The new look made use of an orange and blue globe motif. At the same time the set and graphics received a major overhaul to fit in with this look. This package was used until 21 July 2010, a day before the launch of ABC News.
In January 2010, the ABC announced that a dedicated 24-hour digital television news channel, named ABC News 24 would be launched during the year. The new channel commenced preliminary broadcasting with a promo loop in early July 2010, with the ABC re-numbering ABC HD channel 20 to logical channel number 24. The channel was officially launched as ABC News 24 at 7:30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time on 22 July 2010, and simulcast its first hour of transmission on ABC1.
With the launch of ABC News on 22 July 2010, all 7pm bulletins across Australia had a graphics overhaul to match the look of the new channel. The blue/orange globe style opener was replaced with a series of sliding panels, featuring images specific to each state. New sets were built in each capital city studio to match the ABC News 24 set and graphics were changed to match.