ABC expands The Drum to take on commercial rivals
The ABC is shaking up its prime-time programming, with an expanded one-hour panel show, The Drum, going to air nightly on the primary channel from 6pm.
The move puts The Drum in direct competition with Ten’s panel program The Project (which begins at 6:30pm), and Nine and Seven’s news bulletins.
The ‘old’ logo for The Drum
The Drum previously screened at 5:30pm for 30 minutes.
“In a new expanded one-hour format join Ellen Fanning as she hosts the liveliest, smartest conversation on the most topical events of the day,” the ABC’s website says.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the revamp of The Drum is not a euphemism for dumbing down the discussions or inviting more hyperbolic shouting between panellists.
The revamped show kicks off on the ABC on 4 February.
Thank goodness.
As the post-Hockey funding cuts have bitten the ABC hard, it’s good to see that Aunty is backing this (slightly higher than) middle-brow look at news and news issues.
A grown-ups’ version of the Behind The News from our school days.
Ellen Fanning and Julia Baird are great reflective listeners and very good discussion drivers. Hats off, too, to Adam Spencer for holding the fort with the refreshing Summer DRUM over the aptly-termed “silly season”
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No doubt there’s a market for those who exist in a state of perpetual anger and self-entitlement, and The Drum is their go-to program. But endless panels of rent-seekers swooping down upon any token conservative like the Leftwaffe, isn’t what most would call informative entertainment.
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Mike, with this type of lucid, pithy writing, you’re in danger of getting a highly paid copy writing job – when you return from re-education camp.
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I would love a grown-ups’ version of Behind The News. This isn’t it. This is Q&A without the extremely narrow agenda.
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Nice that The Drum will have a new desk and backdrop. If the standard were to improve it would need a more equal gender balance and diversity of opinion, as it claims it aims for in the ABC’s own editorial policy.
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I have always watched “The Drum” but the hour long format is far too long, especially at the time it is telecast. It is right in the middle of the evening meal. I lose interest in the long windedness of the interviews and answers. The 1/2hour format covered the subjects successfully. I will give it a few more days but I do not see myself continuing to watch it.
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The problem with The Drum, is it is not representative of Aus demographics or of Aus opinion. It is too upper middle class and directed by the interests of younger white women.
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I never watch ABC political shows. Tonight I watched 15 mins of The Drum , biased rubbish . More people have died from climate change policy than climate change. Climate change is a Hobgoblin and I’m not afraid of Hobgoblins that only the government , or world government can save us from. China’s annual increase in CO2 (plant food ) is twice our total out put . Its the biggest hoax in history.
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