ABC News (TV channel)

ABC News
Launched 22 July 2010
Network ABC Television
Owned by Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Picture format 576i (SDTV) 16:9
Audience share 1.9% nationally (2016 ratings year, [1])
Slogan Know the story
Country Australia
Language English
Broadcast area Nationally
Headquarters Ultimo, New South Wales
Formerly called ABC News 24 (2010–17)
Replaced ABC HD (HD channel space; 2008–10, relaunched on 6 Dec 2016)
Sister channel(s) ABC
ABC HD
ABC2
ABC Kids
ABC Me
Website abc.net.au/news/newschannel
Availability
Terrestrial
ABN Sydney (DVB-T) 544 @ 12 (226.5 MHz)[2]
ABV Melbourne (DVB-T) 560 @ 12 (226.5 MHz)
ABQ Brisbane (DVB-T) 576 @ 12 (226.5 MHz)
ABS Adelaide (DVB-T) 592 @ 12 (226.5 MHz)
ABW Perth/Mandurah (DVB-T) 736 @ 12 (226.5 MHz)
ABT Hobart (DVB-T) 624 @ 8 (191.5 MHz)
ABD Darwin (DVB-T) 640 @ 30 (543.5 MHz)
Freeview ABC (virtual) 24
Satellite
Foxtel (virtual) 642
VAST (virtual) 24
Cable
Foxtel/Optus (virtual) 642
Streaming media
ABC iview ABC iview live stream
abc.net.au ABC News live stream (Australia Only)
YouTube Watch Live (Australia only)

ABC News (also referred to as the ABC News channel) is an Australian 24-hour news channel launched and owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.[3][4][5] The channel replaced the former ABC High Definition simulcast of ABC TV and commenced broadcasting as ABC News 24 at 7:30 pm (AEST) 5:30 pm (AWST) on Thursday, 22 July 2010.[6][7]

The majority of the channel's content is produced from the ABC Ultimo Centre in Sydney, which the public can view being presented from an atrium looking into the news presentation studio. ABC News' early morning programme, News Breakfast and the evening programme The World is produced at the ABC Southbank Centre in Melbourne (weekdays).

Due to the rebroadcast of ABC HD on 6 December 2016, ABC News reduced to standard definition.[8]

History

The ABC announced in January 2010 that it planned to launch a 24-hour news channel.[3] The logo of ABC News 24 was revealed by Freeview in their new promotion on Tuesday 22 June.[9] The official promotional reel for the channel was launched on digital channel 24 between 6 and 8 July.[10]

Speculation about a launch date for the channel took place in the weeks prior to the official announcement. The Daily Telegraph claimed in early July that the channel would be delayed due to technical issues at the ABC's new playout facility, MediaHub, in south west Sydney while other outlets reported that the channel was on track to begin in mid-July.[11]

The ABC announced on 13 July 2010 that the channel would have its first live broadcast on 22 July.[6][7]

In November 2016, the ABC announced that ABC News 24 and ABC NewsRadio would be rebranded under a unified ABC News brand.[12] The relaunch occurred on 10 April 2017.[13][14]

Reception

Since the commencement of regular broadcasting, the reaction to the new news channel has been mixed. A particular concern has been the pressure placed upon the budget and operations of both the news division of the ABC, as well as the broadcaster as a whole, owing to the decision to launch the channel without additional Government funding, as was the case with the recent launch of the children's channel ABC3 (now named ABC ME).

In Senate Estimates hearings in February 2012 the broadcaster confirmed a $2.5 million shortfall in the budget for its news and current affairs division and imposed a 1.5% cut in newsroom budgets, though denies the link to the channel, instead pointing to recent major news events in the past year such as the Christchurch earthquakes and flooding in Queensland and Victoria.[15] However, Independent Senator Nick Xenophon has blamed the reported $20 million annual cost of the network for cutbacks in ABC TV sports coverage of the SANFL.[16]

However, the network has seen success with high viewership compared to competitor Sky News Australia, with reach exceeding 2 million viewers weekly, tripling that of Sky News.[17]

The channel's highest primetime viewership share was 9.5% during 2016 Federal election coverage on 2 July 2016.[18]

Programming

ABC News presented by Juanita Phillips

The ABC News channel's output consists of a mix of live bulletins, timeshifted repeats of existing ABC News and Current Affairs output, coverage of the Federal Parliament's Question Time, documentaries and factual and arts programming.[19] These draw upon the ABC's own resources and those of its partner broadcasters, the BBC, TVNZ, PBS, NHK, and Al Jazeera English.

Live rolling news coverage on the channel is presented on weekdays by Joe O'Brien (mornings), Ros Childs (midday), Kumi Taguchi (afternoons). Specialist and feature programming includes a daily business programme covering the Asia-Pacific region, a topical debate programme entitled The Drum presented by Steve Cannane or Julia Baird and an international bulletin with Beverley O'Connor entitled The World presented from ABC Melbourne Studio.[19]

Existing shows ABC News Breakfast and ABC News at Noon are broadcast live on the ABC News channel at the same time as on ABC TV in AEST/AEDT time zones; viewers in the AWST and ACST time zones can choose to watch these programs either live (on the ABC News channel) or on delay in their local time (on ABC TV). In addition, The Business is shown in an earlier timeslot than currently scheduled on ABC TV.

On 30 September 2010, the ABC announced the first new programme to be shown on the channel titled Capital Hill. The political programme, originally hosted by Chris Uhlmann airs Fridays at 5:30 pm AEST/AEDT and takes a look at the week's political events and news, as well as feature interviews with the key players of politics. It is now broadcast every weekday at 1:00 pm AEST/AEDT and is hosted by Greg Jennett.

The World presented by Scott Bevan

Overnight the ABC News channel uses "satellite" programming, mainly from BBC World News which mostly uses the main BBC News bulletins, as well as sometimes using shows such as Impact (TV programme) with Yalda Hakim, Outside Source with Ros Atkins and Global with Matthew Amroliwala. These BBC World News broadcasts come live into the ABC News channel before being broadcast around Australia. About two hours of two Al Jazeera Newshour bulletins are also broadcast.[19]

Repeated from ABC TV

Criticism

Along with other rolling news channels, the ABC News channel has been criticised for launching into rolling news coverage for "breaking news" where little new information supports such coverage, and just repeating limited information and footage about an event.[20] Conversely, the ABC News channel has also been criticised for not turning to rolling coverage.[21][22]

ABC News online

The ABC News channel can be streamed online at the ABC's website and on YouTube.[23] However, the news stream on both sites is not available outside of Australia,[24] and unlike other programming on iView it is not currently offered as unmetered content by any internet service providers. The ABC News channel stream is available in medium and high bandwidth varieties on the iView site.

News presenters

ABC News 24 logo (22 July 2010 - 9 April 2017)

News

Other

Former presenters

International bureaus

Overseas correspondents

References

  1. ↑ http://www.oztam.com.au/documents/2016/OzTAM-20161225-D2MetTTVShrCons.pdf
  2. ↑ http://www.freetv.com.au/media/Engineering/Australian_Digital_Terrestrial_Television_Broadcasting_Service_Information_Register_-_Issue_4_-_January_2011.pdf
  3. 1 2 "ABC to launch 24-hour news channel". ABC News Online. 21 January 2010. Archived from the original on 27 June 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  4. ↑ Danny (5 April 2010). "abc-news-24 "New ABC news channel to be called "ABC News 24"". The Tube. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  5. ↑ Knox, David (21 January 2010). "ABC announces 24/7 News channel". TV Tonight. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  6. 1 2 "ABC to launch 24hr news channel next week". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 July 2010. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  7. 1 2 "ABC News 24 will launch on Thursday 22 July". The Spy Report. Media Spy. 13 July 2010. Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  8. ↑ "ABC is changing to HD". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  9. ↑ "ABC News 24 logo revealed". The Spy Report. Media Spy. 29 June 2010. Archived from the original on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  10. ↑ "ABC News 24 hype reel unveiled". mUmbrella. 8 July 2010. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  11. ↑ "Exclusive: ABC News 24 will launch this month". The Spy Report. Media Spy. 4 July 2010. Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  12. ↑ Lallo, Michael (2 November 2016). "ABC in 2017: Diversity a focus, but which popular shows aren't returning?". Brisbane Times. Brisbane. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  13. ↑ "New Look - ABC News". ABC News. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  14. ↑ "New-look ABC News ditches News 24". TV Tonight. 8 April 2017.
  15. ↑ Meade, Amanda (13 February 2012). "Aunty admits its news unit is $2.5m in the red". The Australian. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  16. ↑ Reece Homfray; Miles Kemp (23 February 2012). "ABC-24 costly for the SANFL". Adelaide Now. The Adelaide Advertiser. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  17. ↑ "News 24 not hurting main bulletin: ABC". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  18. ↑ Knox, David (4 July 2016). "ABC, TEN lift in buoyant ratings week". TV Tonight. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 Blundell, Graeme (3 July 2010). "24-hour party people". The Australian. p. 27. Archived from the original on 12 August 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  20. ↑ SIMONS, MARGARET SIMONS. "How ABC News 24 lost pace with news from Japan". www.crikey.com.au. Retrieved 18 January 2015. All news channels, including the ABC, played the same pictures, and the same interviews, over and over again.
  21. ↑ Canning, Simon (16 December 2010). "ABC news missed the boat via reruns". www.theaustralian.com.au. The Australian. Retrieved 18 January 2015. THE ABC's news channel, ABC24, has been slammed by critics for failing to recognise the scale of the Christmas Island asylum-seeker tragedy.
  22. ↑ SIMONS, MARGARET (15 Aug 2011). "ABC News 24 runs on the smell of an oily rag". www.crikey.com.au. Crikey. Retrieved 18 January 2015. And other critics (including me) have complained that the channel is too slow to switch to breaking news.
  23. ↑ "abc news 24". ABC NEWS. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 22 Jul 2010.
  24. ↑ "abc news 24 FAQ". ABC NEWS 24 FAQ. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 22 Jul 2010.

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