View source for ABC Local Radio

{{Short description|Australian radio network}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name        = ABC Local Radio
| logo        = 
| caption     = 
| area        = [[Australia]] – [[AM broadcasting|AM]]/[[FM broadcasting|FM]], [[Digital radio in Australia|DAB+]], [[DVB-T]] Ch-25 & [https://radio.abc.net.au/help/streams Listen Live]
| frequency   = Variable
| format      = Talk
| owner       = [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]
| website     = [https://www.abc.net.au/local/ abc.net.au/local/]
| city        =
| airdate     =
| coordinates = 
}}
'''ABC Local Radio''' is a network of publicly owned [[radio station]]s in [[Australia]], operated by the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]].

ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites. Its programming consists of news, current affairs, talkback, entertainment, sport, music and local affairs.  They are usually reckoned as the flagship ABC radio stations in their areas.

Depending on the time of day and the day of the week, programming can either be purely local (typically on weekday mornings), broadcast from the [[States and territories of Australia|state or territory]] [[capital city]] ABC station, or simulcast across all ABC Local Radio services across the country (typically overnight, public holidays, in the summer months and on weekends).

==History==
Originally, Local Radio was known internally as ABC Radio 1 in metropolitan regions and ABC Radio 3 in regional areas. Radio 1 was a largely local format while Radio 3 was more networked and included content from the national programme, Radio 2.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

In the 1980s, [[Radio National]] emerged from Radio 2, and Radio 3 dropped its Radio 2 content, with Radio 1 becoming ABC Metropolitan Radio and Radio 3 becoming ABC Regional Radio. The Regional Radio stations provided local programming in ''Breakfast'' and ''Drive'', but networked common content for most of their broadcasting hours. Some different, local market formats emerged, including the Darwin Metro [[8DDD]] on FM105.7<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070929012646/http://cullenmedia.com.au/images/Kaz8DDD.pdf Radio 8DDD poster]</ref> and Gold Coast Regional, ABC Coast FM ([[4SCR]]), 91.7. Up until the mid-1990s, the majority of the local radio stations identified on-air by [[frequency]] and [[callsign]]. In the 1990s, a different convention was used, generally as ''ABC Radio (region)'' or ''(region) FM''.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

In 2000, these two almost identical networks merged as ABC Local Radio. From this point all ABC Local Radio stations ceased to identify themselves according to their callsigns or other existing names, and instead use the format ''(frequency) ABC (region)'', or ''ABC (region)'' where there are multiple frequencies broadcasting the same service. However, as the callsigns were used continuously for up to seventy years and are much shorter than the new names, many long-term listeners still use these callsigns to refer to ABC Local Radio stations.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

In January 2017, ABC Local Radio rebranded with a new logo, dropping the frequency number of each local radio station as part of the network's multiplatform philosophy.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/abc-radio-gets-round-launching-new-logo|title=ABC Radio gets round to launching new logo {{!}} radioinfo.com.au|website=www.radioinfo.com.au|access-date=2017-01-10}}</ref> 

In April 2019, ABC Local Radio began a rollout of branding updates for its 44 regional bureaux, ten regional stations dropping call signs from their names and two undergoing a significant name change to better identify their local region.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://radioinfo.com.au/news/abc-continues-rebranding|title=ABC continues rebranding | website=www.radioinfo.com.au| access-date=2019-04-09}}</ref>

==Stations==
[[File:ABC Riverina 2008.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[ABC Riverina]] studios in [[Wagga Wagga]]]]
{{Main|List of ABC radio stations#Local Radio}}
There are sixty ABC Local Radio stations across 53 regions, including 52 regional stations and 8 metropolitan stations. The metropolitan stations are:
*[[ABC Radio Sydney]] (2BL)
*[[ABC Radio Melbourne]] (3LO)
*[[ABC Radio Brisbane]] (4QR)
*[[ABC Radio Adelaide]] (5AN)
*[[ABC Radio Perth]] (6WF)
*[[ABC Radio Hobart]] (7ZR)
*[[ABC Radio Canberra]] (2CN)
*[[ABC Radio Darwin]] (8DDD)

The regional stations are:
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[999 ABC Broken Hill|ABC Broken Hill]] (2NB)
*[[ABC Central Coast]] (2BL)
*[[ABC Central West]] (2CR)
*[[ABC Coffs Coast]] (2MMR)
*[[ABC Illawarra]] (2ILA)
*[[ABC Mid North Coast]] (2KP)
*[[ABC New England North West]] (2NU)
*[[ABC Newcastle]] (2NC)
*[[ABC North Coast]] (2NNR)
*[[ABC Riverina]] (2RVR)
*[[ABC South East NSW]] (2BA)
*[[ABC Upper Hunter]] (2UH)
*[[ABC Western Plains]] (2WPR)
*[[ABC Ballarat]] (3CRR)
*[[ABC Central Victoria]] (3ABCRR)
*[[ABC Gippsland]] (3GLR)
*[[ABC Goulburn Murray]] (3MRR)
*[[ABC Mildura Swan Hill]] (3MIL)
*[[ABC Shepparton]] (3GVR)
*[[ABC South West Victoria]] (3WL)
*[[ABC Western Victoria|ABC Wimmera]] (3WV)
*[[ABC Northern Tasmania]] (7NT)
*[[ABC Capricornia]] (4RK)
*[[ABC Gold Coast]] (4ABCRR)
*[[ABC Far North]] (4QCC)
*[[ABC North Queensland]] (4QN)
*[[ABC North West Queensland]] (4ISA)
*[[ABC Southern Queensland]] (4QS)
*[[90.3 ABC Sunshine Coast|ABC Sunshine Coast]] (4SCR)
*[[ABC Tropical North]] (4QAA)
*[[ABC Western Queensland]] (4QL)
*[[ABC Wide Bay]] (4QB)
*[[ABC North and West SA]] (5CK)
*[[ABC Riverland]] (5MV)
*[[ABC South East SA]] (5MG)
*[[ABC West Coast SA|ABC Eyre Peninsula]] (5LN)
*[[ABC Goldfields]] (6ED, 6GF)
*[[ABC Great Southern]] (6WA)
*[[ABC Kimberley]] (6BE)
*[[ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt]] (6GN)
*[[ABC North West WA|ABC Pilbara]] (6KP)
*[[ABC South Coast]] (6AL)
*[[ABC South West WA]] (6BS)
*[[ABC Alice Springs]] (8AL)
*[[ABC Katherine]] (8ABCRR)
{{div col end}}
Digital stations: 
*[[ABC Country]]
*[[ABC Radio Grandstand|ABC Sport]]

==Programming==
The metropolitan and regional stations originate most of their own programming.

Until 2015, the regional stations usually simulcast one of the metropolitan stations when they were not airing local programming. Usually, they simulcast their state's capital city station; an exception was [[999 ABC Broken Hill]], which simulcasts 891 ABC Adelaide because Broken Hill is on Central Time.  In 2015, the ABC formed a Regional Division to again split its regional stations from the metropolitan counterparts.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://about.abc.net.au/press-releases/abc-investment-in-regional-radio-streaming/|title=ABC investment in regional radio streaming|website=About the ABC}}</ref>  1233 ABC Newcastle (2NC) was transferred from the metropolitan network to the new regional division <ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-abc-cuts-400-jobs-will-go-and-heres-where-the-axe-will-fall-2014-11| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128221443/http://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-abc-cuts-400-jobs-will-go-and-heres-where-the-axe-will-fall-2014-11| url-status=dead| archive-date=28 November 2014|title=The ABC Cuts: 400 Jobs Will Go - And Here's Where The Axe Will Fall|first=Simon|last=Thomsen|date=24 November 2014|website=Business Insider Australia}}</ref> and 14 of the regional network's member stations began streaming.

In October 2015 a slight restructure of programs was announced. From 2016, ''Morning'' programs will be folded into longer ''Breakfast'' programs, followed by a new one-hour program, ''Local Life''. There would be a loss of four local radio news bulletins; instead, headlines would replace two afternoon full news bulletins.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-30/abc-regional-director-hoses-down-controversy-over-programming-c/6897996|title=ABC Regional director Fiona Reynolds hoses down controversy over programming changes|date=30 October 2015|website= ABC News }}</ref>

There are local news websites for each station.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/local/|title=Find your local ABC|website=www.abc.net.au}}</ref>

Some programmes are aired first on [[ABC Radio National]], then on the Local Radio network. For example,
''Speaking Out'', hosted by [[Larissa Behrendt]], broadcasts ({{as of|lc=yes|2020|9}}) on Radio National on Fridays at 8pm and on Local Radio on Sundays at 9pm.<ref>{{cite web | title=Speaking Out, with Larissa Behrendts | website=ABC Radio | url=https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/speakingout/ | access-date=14 September 2020}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Radio National]]
* [[Radio Australia]]
* [[Timeline of Australian radio]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.abc.net.au/local/ ABC Local Radio]
* [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]

{{ABC Local Radio}}
{{ABC Radio and Regional Content}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:ABC Local Radio}}
[[Category:ABC Local Radio]]
[[Category:Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio]]
[[Category:Australian radio networks]]