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Lament for the 7.45am ABC News

Four years ago today, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation abolished its 15-minute 7.45am news bulletin.

The 7.45 bulletin was first broadcast in December 1939, at the outset of the Second World War. I have been unable to find the exact date.

Citing cost factors and a declining audience, the ABC announced in 2020 that the 7.45 bulletin would be abolished, 80 years after it began.

The final broadcasts took place around the nation on Sunday, September 20, 2020. Five versions of the bulletin from the ABC’s Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth stations can be played below.

The final 7.45am editions of the ABC National Radio News were broadcast on Sunday, September 20, 2020.

MELBOURNE BULLETIN:

SYDNEY BULLETIN:

ADELAIDE BULLETIN:

BRISBANE BULLETIN:

PERTH BULLETIN – the last ever 7.45 bulletin:

Whilst ABC management and others will defend the abolition of the 7.45 bulletin, it remains a significant loss for devotees of serious news. A ten-minute bulletin at 7.00am is now the longest bulletin broadcast by the ABC. A five-minute hourly bulletin prevails across the nation. Depth, breadth and detail have all suffered.

The hourly bulletin has also meant that the 8.00am edition of the current affairs program AM has been cut to 25 minutes. Whereas The World Today was once broadcast at 12.10pm for 50 minutes, it now also runs for just 25 minutes. PM, once broadcast for 50 minutes, is now 30 minutes on both Radio National and Local Radio.

The loss of depth can also be detected on ABC television. The ABC abolished Lateline some years ago. Local political news was often made, distilled and analysed on this program and its international coverage was broad and deep. For nearly three decades, it was must-watch viewing.

I’m not one to savage the ABC. It still provides much of value, especially on Radio National, but much has been lost. Funding cuts and the loss of experienced broadcasters of substance has resulted in the emergence of a tabloid tinge. Cheap and fatuous programs such as QandA are no substitute.

At a personal level, I grew up with the 7.45 bulletin. As a boy living on the land in north-western Victoria, the sound of the Majestic Fanfare theme music was my guide to whether I was running late for school. Prior to the arrival of television in country areas in the mid-1960s, radio provided news, programming for children – yes, I was an Argonaut – and entertainment. I regard the ABC’s influence on my education as more significant than most of my teachers.

The 7.45 bulletin was a staple part of my news diet for half a century. At home or in the car heading to work, the news and AM were always on. Now that I’m not working, I set my alarm for 6.55am, and spend an hour with the 10-minute 7.00am bulletin, AM and RN Breakfast. It’s not bad, but it’s not the same: too rushed, too brief, too light, much of the world ignored.

Don’t yearn for the past. Things change. History teaches us that nothing lasts forever. For me, a sentimental attachment to the analogue age will always be there, but that’s all it is.

Nevertheless, four years on from the abolition of the 7.45am bulletin, it is more apparent than ever that something serious and worthwhile has been lost.

FAREWELL TRIBUTES TO THE 7.45am BULLETIN:
Each of these tributes originally featured in the complete bulletins above.

MELBOURNE:

SYDNEY:

ADELAIDE:

BRISBANE:

PERTH:

BONUS AUDIO

This is the 7.45am ABC News bulletin broadcast on ANZAC Day, Thursday, April 25, 2019. For this bulletin, the theme music reverted to one of the earliest versions of the Majestic Fanfare

BONUS AUDIO: 2004, 2007 and 2010 ELECTIONS

This is the 7.45am ABC News bulletin broadcast on Sunday, October 10, 2004. It reports the re-election of John Howard and the Liberal-Nationals coalition to a fourth term.

This is the 7.45am ABC News bulletin broadcast on Sunday, November 25, 2007. It reports the election of Kevin Rudd and the ALP at the federal election held the previous day.

This is the 7.45am ABC News bulletin broadcast on Saturday, August 21, 2010. It reports on the federal election being held that day.

AustralianPolitics.com
Malcolm Farnsworth
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