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Radio National
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ABC Radio National is an Australia-wide radio network broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation with programs including news and current affairs, arts, music, society, science, drama and comedy. Some programs are mirrored on Radio Australia, Australia's shortwave service.
The radio programs from many of the stations are available for real-time streaming over the Internet, or for downloading as MP3 podcast files. Some programs also have transcripts available on the .
o National as it is known today has a long history.
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Encyclopedia
ABC Radio National is an Australia-wide radio network broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation with programs including news and current affairs, arts, music, society, science, drama and comedy. Some programs are mirrored on Radio Australia, Australia's shortwave service.
The radio programs from many of the stations are available for real-time streaming over the Internet, or for downloading as MP3 podcast files. Some programs also have transcripts available on the .
History
Radio National as it is known today has a long history. RN's Sydney station 2FC first broadcast on 5 December 1923, the ABC taking over all existing "A" Class stations in 1932. 2FC stood for Farmer and Company, the original owner of the station before the ABC took it over. The Melbourne station, 3AR, began on 26 January 1924, followed soon after by 5CL Adelaide (20 November 1924), 7ZL Hobart (17 December 1924), 4QG Brisbane (27 July 1925 - "QG" stood for Queensland Government), 6WN Perth (5 October 1938), 2CY Canberra (23 December 1938) and 2NA Newcastle (20 December 1943).
From 1947 until mid 1980s, "Radio 2" (as it became known) was broadcast to the major metropolitan centres with additional reception in adjacent areas. It contained most of the ABC's national programming. It began to take on a more serious tone in the 1970s. Peter Timm, an art critic, notes ABC Radio National is "virtually the only non-print media forum for art in this country."
In 1985 ABC renamed Radio 2 to Radio National. Since 1990, all RN stations have had the same callsign format - *RN, where * is the appropriate number for the state or territory.
Recent changes
In 2008 controversial programming cuts again raised the issue of political interference in the public broadcaster and it's executive structure.
In response to programming changes that were announced at the same time as the review from Parliament, presenter Stephen Crittenden delivered an epitaph for the relevance of the religion department and journalistic rigour at the ABC. Stephen Crittenden has now been taken off-air for what has been referred to, perhaps erroneously, as an outburst.
While management appeared to have responsed to the challenge from Crittenden publicly, they effectively said nothing
Controversy
ABC's Religion Report presenter Stephen Crittenden was taken off air in October 2008 for delivering a speech critical of the commercial direction of programming that the public broadcaster had been taking. During the Howard government (1996 - 2007), many in the staff and listening community felt that ABC board was heavily politicised by the right-wing government. Currently, parliamentary inquiries into the executive structure of the ABC (as well as interest in this specific incident) are underway, and may include the reinstatement of a staff-elected board member.
The controversial speech was given on Wednesday, 15 October, 2008, at the start of The Religion Report at 8.30 a.m. Here is the content of that speech as delivered by Stephen Crittenden:
Welcome to the program.
[Short musical interlude.]
This week, the new line-up of Radio National programs for 2009 was announced. The Religion Report has been decommissioned, along with The Law Report - I'm sorry, The Media Report, The Sports Factor, The Ark, Perspective, In Conversation, and Street Stories, and Radio Eye.
These programs are all going in order to make room for, quote, "more interdisciplinary work on the network", and the 8.30 time-slot is being remodelled to give it, quote, "more consumer focus". The decision to axe one of this network's most distinctive and important programs has been approved by the Director of ABC Radio, Sue Howard, and it will condemn Radio National to even greater irrelevance.
The ABC specialist units have been under attack for years, but the decapitation of the flagship program of the Religion Department effectively spells the death of religion at the ABC.
That such a decision has been taken in an era when religion vies with economics as a determinant of everything that's going on in the world almost beggars belief; but you have to remember that just a couple of years ago they axed the Environment Program.
The ABC Religion Report has always been fearless, and I don't have to tell you that it has put many powerful noses out of joint. This is a signal to the churches that the ABC has decided to vacate the field.
If you care about this program and what it represents, I suggest that you might consider writing to the ABC board or the managing director, Mark Scott.
And now, as they say, it's on with the show...
[The program itself follows.]
This speech was excised from the ABC's podcast of the program, and the subsequent comment by Paul Collins on Crikey reiterated Crittendons fears
Programs
The times shown relate to Radio National's schedules in the eastern states of Australia
News
- AM, The World Today, PM: in-depth news and analysis (Mondays - Fridays at, respectively, 7.10, 12.00, and 17.00)
- Asia Pacific: current regional affairs in the Asia Pacific region, mirrored on Radio Australia (Tuesdays - Saturdays at 1.00 and 5.00)
News and analysis
- Counterpoint hosted by Michael Duffy with views from libertarian perspectives (Mondays 16.00, Tuesdays 21.00, Wednesdays 02.00)
- Breakfast: news, current affairs and popular culture discussions, interviews and reports hosted by Fran Kelly (Mondays - Fridays, 6.00 to 8.30)
- Bush Telegraph is an hour of country news and interviews from 11-12am.
- Background Briefing is an agenda-setting current affairs radio documentary program (Tuesdays 19.10, Wednesdays 04.00, Sundays 9.10)
- The National Interest features in depth analysis of national issues of interest (Mondays 2.00, Sundays 12.00), hosted by Peter Mares and formerly by Terry Lane
- The Reports (broadcast on Mondays to Fridays at 8.30 and 20.00, and the following morning at 1.30): The Health Report (Monday), The Law Report (Tuesday), The Religion Report (Wednesday), The Media Report (Thursday), and The Sports Factor (Friday, 8.30 and 19.00)
- Life Matters, hosted by Richard Aedy and including the Talkback Classroom segment, talks with the main people behind Australia's social policies – from workplace reform to education, health, family relationships, and social change (Mondays to Fridays at 9.00 and 2100)
- Late Night Live, hosted by Phillip Adams and broadcast on Mondays to Thursdays at 22.00
Talkback
- Australia Talks: Mondays to Fridays 18.00 – 19.00, Tuesdays to Saturdays at 03.00)
Arts and music
- Artworks: What's happening now in new music, art and culture in Australia and around the world (Sundays; 10.00, Tuesday 15.00)
- Airplay: radio plays (Fridays 21.00, Sundays 15.00)
- Poetica: poetry featured and produced for radio (Thursdays 21.00, Saturdays 15.00)
- Music Deli: live music performances (Tuesdays 2.00, Fridays 20.00, Sundays 16.00)
- The Music Show: latest developments in music, featured music and interviews with performers/composers (Saturdays 10.00 and 20.00)
- Sound Quality: latest new music in the genre of electronica and others (Fridays 23.20 to Saturdays 1.00)
- The Daily Planet / The Weekend Planet: music from all around the world (Mondays to Fridays 14.20 and 16.00, Mondays to Thursdays 2320, Saturdays and Sundays 22.00)
- Radio Eye: Radio National's flagship documentary programme (Wednesdays 13.00, Saturdays 14.00)
- : an audio – Dub mixing the best of RN programming (Sundays 20.35 & 00.05 & Fridays 21:35)
- Exhibit A: a weekly discussion of arts issues, hosted by Julie Copeland, which is also downloadable from the ABC website.
- The Book Show: discussion of everything relating to the written word, presented by Ramona Koval (10.00 - 11.00 Monday - Friday, 19.00 Sunday)
Religion
Radio National's religion unit provides reporting and analysis on religious and ethical issues for Australia. Following its ABC charter obligations, this unit forms a key part of the ABC's , and is unique in providing the independent analysis of a public broadcaster.
- : historians and authors about curious moments in religious history
- : a radio documentary series exploring connections between religion and life
- : religious current affairs (Wednesdays 0830 and 20.05)
- : "a musical journey through the world of belief"
- : an adventure into religion and spirituality, exploring contemporary values and beliefs (Mondays 21.00, Fridays 4.00, Sundays 18.00)
Society
- presented by Natasha Mitchell, investigates the mental universe, the mind, brain and behaviour (Saturdays 13.00, Mondays 13.00). There is also an All in the Mind blog.
- Big Ideas deals with concepts of global importance.
- The Philosopher's Zone: your guide through the strange thickets of logic, metaphysics and ethics. (Saturdays 13:35, Mondays 13:35)
Science
- The Science Show: recent developments in the field of science, presented by Robyn Williams (Mondays 19.10, Tuesdays 04.00, Saturdays 12.10)
- All in the Mind: lateral explorations of the mind, brain and human behaviour presented by Natasha Mitchell (Saturdays 13.00, Mondays 13.00).
- In Conversation: Personal interviews with scientific thinkers presented by Robyn Williams (Thursdays 19.40)
- Ockham's Razor: a weekly opinion piece presented by Robyn Williams (Sundays 8.45)
See also
External links
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