Blogotariat

As longstanding readers will know, I was one of the founders of Troppo along with Nicholas Gruen and several others including Mark Bahnisch and Don Arthur. The latter two moved on to other things (Don was a research at the Federal Parliamentary Library last time I heard, a role that prevents him from publishing material except on the most anodyne topics).

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 following opinion piece was written by Gareth Hutchens and published in the ABC on Sunday 31st March, 2024. It is reproduced here with permission. This piece of writing was part of a 3-part series, awarded the 2024 E.J. Craigie Writing Award.