ABC News (Australia)

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.

After General Douglas MacArthur set up his headquarters in Australia, he wielded enormous power, including on matters of censorship.

[6] This bulletin continued at this time on ABC Local Radio stations until 19 September 2020, before being cancelled to save costs.

[15] In November 2014, a cut of A$254 million to funding over the following five years meant that the ABC would have to shed about 10% of its total staff, around 400 people.

In 2018 it was estimated that online ABC news and current affairs reached about 4.8 million users in Australia each month.

[27] The news theme used from the first days of ABC television from November 1956 to 1985 was "Majestic Fanfare", composed by Charles Williams.

Each bulletin opened with a clip from the top story of the day, with the title "ABC News" superimposed over the footage.

A reworking of "Majestic Fanfare" (essentially the original orchestration up one tone) was arranged by Richard Mills and recorded in 1988 by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

[citation needed] 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.

[clarification needed] The theme for ABC News changed on Australia Day (26 January) 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.

[28] 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.

[29] On 4 March 1985, the ABC refreshed its structure and look, when the 7 o'clock news and the following current affairs program (at that time, Nationwide) were combined to form The National, and moved to 6:30 pm until 8 December 1985.

[citation needed] 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.

[35] The channel was officially launched as ABC News 24 at 7:30 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time on 22 July 2010, and simulcast its first hour of transmission on ABC1.

[36] With the launch of ABC News on 22 July 2010, all 7 pm 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.

The ABC's Ultimo studios produces the 8:30 pm weeknight update presented by Joe O'Brien.

A separate edition of the bulletin is produced for Western Australia two to three hours after the original broadcast, as the time delay was deemed too long to remain up-to-date.

Ultimo Centre – the current head office of the service [ 32 ]
An ABC News broadcast trailer at the Australian War Memorial