ABC Radio unveils content and presenter line-up for 2017, with Kim Williams to present RN program
ABC Radio has unveiled its content and presenter line-up for next year, with former News Corp CEO, Kim Williams, to present a show on ABC’s Radio National.
Michael Mason, ABC director – radio, said: “We want to deliver radio that is relevant, respected and valued by the Australian population. In a media environment that continues to undergo rapid change, our goal is to reach at last one in two Australians across all platforms and services.
“We want to tune up our broadcast networks and we want to attract larger-scale digital audiences. The changes we’re outlining today will deliver an improved platform offering for audiences.”
Williams’ show, ‘What Keeps Me Awake?’, will focus on high-profile Australians discussing what they believe are the issues, ideas and concerns of the day.
Other new Radio National content next year includes: ‘The Edge’, a science and health content initiative led by journalist Natasha Mitchell; ‘Arts Weekly’, a weekly conversation podcast offering a digest of the best arts coverage, hosted by Cassie McCullagh; and an ongoing commission for 2016’s successful podcast pilot ‘The Real Thing’.
New shows also include a weekly program from ABC Radio’s religious unit, with the working title ‘God Forbid’, which will look at issues of the week from a religious and ethical perspective in a panel format presented by James Carlton.
ABC Radio is set to create a new Indigenous unit, housed within the RN network, but assisting and contributing across all platforms in ABC Radio, to be led by ABC producer and presenter Lorena Allam.
RN’s creative audio and features and documentaries units will merge in an effort to create a single team “with a sustainable and flexible structure”.
The change affects three roles, with ABC consulting with the affected members.
Next year will see ABC’s RN focus on its key specialist strengths, including the provision of specialist content and expertise to other parts of ABC Radio and the wider ABC, and will move away from music programming.
This will see shows ‘The Inside Sleeve’, ‘The Live Set’, ‘The Daily Planet’, and ‘The Rhythm Divine’ not return to RN.
RN’s flagship ‘The Music’ show will remain.
While RN will focus on spoken content, Double J will increase its capacity around live music recording with the channel’s 2017 music content offering including a daily ‘The Beat Eclectic’ program, the arrival of world music show ‘Fat Planet’, a new live music show, and ‘The Funhouse’ moving to a more prominent time slot.
ABC Local Radio will look to reinforce its ability to connect with local communities with its 2017 content and presenter line-up.
‘Nightlife’ will move to a seven-day format hosted by Phillip Clark on Monday to Thursday, with Sarah Macdonald hosting Friday to Sunday; however this means ‘Sunday Nights’ with John Cleary will no longer air.
And in ABC Radio’s capital city line-ups, 702 ABC Sydney welcomes news broadcaster Chris Bath to its NSW/ACT statewide ‘Evenings’ show while current statewide ‘Evenings’ host Christine Anu will move to present a new national ‘Evenings’ show on Friday and Saturday.
At 105.7 ABC Darwin, Mikaela Simpson and Maree Yoelu join the ‘Weekends’ presenting team.
ABC Classic FM will also see changes next year, with Margaret Throsby, host of ‘Midday Interview’, saying goodbye to weekdays and hello to weekends – presenting a new program on Saturday mornings.
In 2017, ‘Weekday Afternoons’ will being at 12:00pm and be presented by Mairi Nicholson while Australian soprano Greta Bradman will join the weekend line-up and Damien Beaumont will move to present ‘Evenings’ from Monday to Thursday each week with Russell Torrence taking over the reins on Friday and Saturday evenings.
ABC Classic FM’s current midnight to dawn selection ‘Overnights’ will be replaced in 2017 by ‘Night Music’, and ‘Weekend Afternoons’ with Julian Day will now begin at 12:00pm and broadcast up to two concerts each day.
Kim Williams gets a radio show! Let’s call it “Networking for Kim” or “Move over Philip”. So much fun. Will he interview Chris Mitchell? A series of shows on “The Amusing Pamela W”? Can’t wait.
User ID not verified.
The axing of Sunday Nights with John Cleary is a major blow to anyone concerned with ethics. It deals with crucial topics such as the treatment of refugees and prison reform through the lens of compassion. John Cleary and Noel Debien are the most learned, entertaining and engaging broadcasters in Australia in my view. Shame on you Michelle Guthrie you sure are making a mess of our beloved Aunty.
User ID not verified.
wonderful news ! Both Country music and Sunday night religious pontificating elitist academics going. Many people believe this show includes ethics and morals but it has shown me why people stay away from religion with it’s biased and patronising attitude to anyone who dares to disagree with its views. You have been listening to what your audience wants.
Maybe next – less sport. Oh well, I can dream.And compulsive adherence to “news” every hour.Congrats to Philip Clark as new nightlife host.
Pam
User ID not verified.
Why do new CEOs think they can improve things when we listen because we love RN just the way it is.
The loss of programs and broadcasters is always a heartbreak until we get used to and love the new format and then the next CEO changes it all over again. The loss of science program Catalyst on television is a tragedy. How will those who have a casual interest in science or don’t listen to RN learn about the new sciences now?
Why fix it when it ain’t broke?
User ID not verified.
Radio National has been relevant and topical forever- and many of us like it the way it is
I agree, why fix it when it ain’t broke? Change for the sake of change and throwing out all current, past presenters and journalists is churlish and unwarranted – you certainly do “your own thing”, without referring to the vast audience that has liked the ABC as it is – you have mucked up television, not satisfied with that, you have to take apart ABC Radio as well – I just wish NewsCorp butted out of the ABC altogether
User ID not verified.
Cannot believe you are stating for the ABC to stay relevant. John Cleary’s Sunday night program is relevant, interesting, thought provoking. I always look forward to The Sunday night program. Well you have lost me!
Bernadette
User ID not verified.
Oh woe oh woe. I spend my time working on my property and listening to RN Afternoons and the Inside Sleeve. The best 3 hours of radio on the Radio and you stuffed it. Why oh Why tamper with programming that works. Australian music will suffer and without afternoons i would not have known Chuck Berry is now 90 with a new album. John
User ID not verified.
So were you forced, or pushed, into giving the News Corp chap a gig on RN? And what’s the rationale for removing all the excellent music shows bar The Music Show from the network? RN is fantastic radio, intelligent, thought-provoking and wide-ranging in its subject matter. Please don’t mess with it to satisfy the extremist, bigoted, right-wing and intolerant element in the government that is so determined to dumb us all down and keep us in ignorance.
User ID not verified.
Why give Switzer from the Institute of Paid Advocacy more air time. There are other genuine conservatives around.
User ID not verified.
i agree – what is to become of our ABC/ – it will pall into insignificance with no one listening to dribble!
User ID not verified.
We want Green not Switzer.
User ID not verified.
The lame excuse for ABC cutting the BEST music shows on radio in the world ,The Inside sleeve and The daily Planet along with other great music shows, is to say they want to reach more people and more digital audience .
BULLS….
The digital audience will come along in the next few decades you just have to wait for time and generations to pass.
Has for turning RN in to another talking radio station we don’t need .
Music touch’s many people in many ways much more the some Plonker’s telling us their views ( which we can get if we want from all the other garbage radio stations.
If these changes go through I will stop listening and recommending RN .
WHEN THE MUSIC STOPS
WE STOP LISTENING.
LISTEN TO WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE TELLING YOU AND PUT THESE MUSIC PROGRAMS BACK ON AIR.
IT AIN’T OUR ABC THATS FOR SURE………………………………
User ID not verified.
I am amazed or should I say angry that you should even consider axing the John Cleary sunday night programme, perhaps the most informative and unbiased presentation of current affairs.in Australia today. I hope you are deluged with complaints re this matter and as top Office of our beloved ABC you will realize your programming mistake and reinstate John and his top rating Team forthwith.
User ID not verified.
I totally agree. It was bad enough when they chose football instead on some nights!!!
User ID not verified.
Again I agree !! So am I to be stuck with Saturday Country While you slash JOHN CLEARY
User ID not verified.
To all those above who rue any diminution of music content on RN (sorry folks, you’ll have to look up words like “rue” and “diminution” in a dictionary if you have one) all I can say is twirl your radio dial. There you will find squillions of radio stations devoted entirely to every type of music imaginable. However the number of Aussie radio stations devoted to the spoken word, by that I mean the INTELLIGENT spoken word, I can pretty much count on one hand. Despite its shortcomings one of those is RN..
User ID not verified.
I,’m not religious, but have looked forward to Sundays and John Cleary. Also, one of the comments seemed to suggest that Jonathon Green might be going from RN. I have only recently discovered RN now I’m concerned that so much I have come to about it is going.
User ID not verified.
The Inside Sleeve could have easily transitioned to Double J, given it fits it’s format pretty well.
User ID not verified.
No ‘Inside Sleeve’, no more ‘The Planet’, and no ‘Pocket Docs’ – the insanity of the ‘bean counters’ in axing these vital and culturally relevant shows, is such a kick in the face to rational sense and a tight fisted breach of the ABC’s charter. Essential to the Oz music industry and festival circuit – and offering the best radio documentary forms on air, these programs have been the life line of many of us who live in regional Australia. Why is Aunty being killed? Shameful!
User ID not verified.
Giving Tom Switzer more time on Sunday mornings is not increasing diversity! Let him replace Amanda! Unbelievable. He is so biased- I can’t read his SMH opinion pieces- so one-eyed.
User ID not verified.
Devastated at the loss of Michael McKenzies wit and intellect
User ID not verified.
I don’t mind Tom Switzer,but Jonathan Green was,”The bees knees”:-(
User ID not verified.