AM (ABC Radio)
Encyclopedia
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's flagship current-affairs radio program, is one of Australia's longest-running productions. Its tagline is Ensure you are informed.
History and timeslots
AM was created in 1967 for what were then ABC Radio 1 and Radio 3 (now ABC Local RadioABC Local Radio
ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites...
). Aired every morning at 8 am (after the 7.45 am news bulletin), it soon became Australia's most-popular morning radio current-affairs program.
Two years later, ABC Radio's evening current-affairs program, PM
PM (ABC Radio)
PM is one of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's flagship current-affairs radio programs, and is one of Australia's longest-running productions. It is the sister program to AM...
was created as a companion program. It is now the ABC's flagship evening current affairs program.
AM was later introduced to ABC Radio 2 (now Radio National
Radio National
ABC Radio National is an Australia-wide non-commercial radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Radio National broadcasts national programming in areas that include news and current affairs, the arts, social issues, science, drama and comedy...
) with a new early edition at 7.05 am after the 7 am news. In recent times, the 7 am news was lengthened from the standard 5-minute duration to 10 minutes, meaning that Radio National's edition of AM had to be truncated to 20 minutes in length. As a result of this, the early edition carries one or two fewer stories than the full half-hour-long 8 am edition, still broadcast on ABC Local Radio.
The Radio National edition of AM is broadcast during Radio National's Breakfast
Radio National Breakfast
Radio National Breakfast is a national early morning news programme in Australia. The programme is broadcast live in the eastern states on the ABC Radio National network. It can also be listened to online...
program, which is presented by journalist Fran Kelly.
AM is also broadcast on Saturday mornings at the same time on Radio National, 7.10 am, as Saturday AM. Like its weekday counterpart, Saturday AM is also presented at 8 am on Local Radio and 10 am for Local Radio in Western Australia. AM is not broadcast on Sundays as the Correspondents' Report program is broadcast at that time.
The programme is compiled every morning at 5 am for its early bulletin at 6.05 am. It is presented live four times a day - 6.05 am, 7.10 am and 8 am for the East Coast of Australia and 10 am AEST for broadcast in Western Australia (where local standard time is 8 am).
The 6.05 am edition, known as Early Edition AM, is a 10-minute program broadcast on Local Radio networks after the 6 am news. Like the Radio National edition of AM, the early edition features fewer stories than the complete edition at 8 am and features three reports at most.
The Local Radio edition of AM is broadcast during Local Radio's Breakfast in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
program, along with Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's Tom & Alex in the studio as a part of the youth network.
Transcripts, streaming and podcasting
The ABC's streamingStreaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
links and MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
podcasts have allowed people to access and listen to the latest AM programme for 24 hours after it was first broadcast as streaming Windows Media
Windows Media
Windows Media is a multimedia framework for media creation and distribution for Microsoft Windows. It consists of a software development kit with several application programming interfaces and a number of prebuilt technologies, and is the replacement of NetShow technologies.The Windows Media SDK...
or Real Audio. In addition to this streaming capability, MP3 podcasts are available of both the full programme and selected individual reports.
MP3s and streams of reports dating back one or two years are also available. Transcripts of reports dating from June 1999, too, are available online.
Comperes
AM is compered by journalist and former ABC NewsABC News (Australia)
ABC News is a national news service produced by the News and Current Affairs division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation - the division is responsible for all newsgathering and production of news output for ABC television, radio and online services...
anchor Tony Eastley
Tony Eastley
-Journalism career:Eastley began his journalism career in the 1970s with The Examiner newspaper in Launceston, Tasmania before joining the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1979.With ABC-TV he spent stints in Singapore and Hong Kong as a foreign correspondent....
on weekdays.
Saturday AM is compered by journalist and former ABC correspondent Elizabeth Jackson.
Musical signature themes
The original 1967 signature was "Crossbeat", a 30-second electronic music piece sourced from the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, composed and realised by David Cain
David Cain (composer)
David Cain was a composer and technician for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. He was educated at Imperial College London, where he earned a degree in mathematics. In 1963, he joined the BBC as a studio manager, specialising in radio drama...
of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
BBC Radiophonic Workshop
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop, one of the sound effects units of the BBC, was created in 1958 to produce effects and new music for radio, and was closed in March 1998, although much of its traditional work had already been outsourced by 1995. It was based in the BBC's Maida Vale Studios in Delaware...
. The current themes for both AM and PM are two of the most recognisable in Australia. The two themes, composed by Tony Ansell (who composed many themes for the ABC News and Current Affairs Department
ABC News and Current Affairs
ABC News and Current Affairs is the name of the division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that controls content classified as news, public affairs and business and finance....
in the 1980s), were based on a similar theme and performed in a similar manner on a synthesiser using a brass-type patch. The similarity between the themes represents a significant link between the sister programmes.