ABC News 24 launch: July 22
ABC News 24 will launch Thursday July 22nd at 7:30pm, in a deadly head to head battle with the penultimate MasterChef elimination.
- Published by David Knox
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ABC News 24 will launch Thursday July 22nd at 7:30pm with ABC News 24 Launch – ABC News Special.
The first program will be a simulcast with ABC1, but will go head to head with the last MasterChef elimination before its final on Sunday 25th.
ABC News 24’s first hour will bring an examination of national and international news with stories from Australian regions and cities; reports from Asia, Europe and the US; and analysis of the political, social and economic trends that will impact this election year and beyond. ABC correspondents preparing for the launch night special include Political Editor, Chris Uhlmann; Foreign Correspondents, Kim Landers and Phil Williams; Regional Affairs Reporter, Paul Lockyer; and from Asia, Stephen O’Donnell and Sally Sara.
To ready the new channel, ABC had to build its Media Hub and move existing channels to the new playout centre, build the new Chester Wilmot studio on the ground floor of Ultimo, install new digital equipment and recruit and train production teams.
ABC Managing Director Mark Scott told staff in an email: “It is not every day that the ABC creates a new channel. In preparing to launch big ventures like this, you often feel you could do with more time. But we are keen to get on air and provide what I am sure will be outstanding coverage of the 2010 Federal Election campaign on News 24.
“A 24/7 news channel is a significant challenge and doubtlessly we will face intense scrutiny from our competitors, but we are looking to make a strong start and to get better every day.”
ABC News 24 will be available on digital Channel 24 and is an HD service. Viewers will need an HD-compatible settop box or an HD-compatible digital television in order to access the service.
HD Foxtel viewers will find ABC News 24 on Channel 202; Austar viewers on Channel 24.
ABC News 24 will also be streamed live at abc.net.au/news, on iView at abc.net.au/iview.
The ABC has previously indicated the 24 hr News Channel would be simulcast around the country, overriding timezones for viewers outside of AEST.
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46 Responses
Boring.
ABC News 24 on a Foxtel HD channel is an epic fail and will surely be changed in the period ahead as customers complain. I don’t subscribe to the HD channels and have the standard Foxtel box so won’t get this channel on Foxtel. Fortunately I’ve bought a HD set top box for free to air but sticking it on ch 202 is a massive mistake that will change…mark my words!
so all the people who were to cheap to buy a hd set top box and only got the sd version, this is where you’ve gone wrong
SKY News all the way for me thanks!
A clear waste of an HD channel, thanks to stupid multi-channelling rules.
Will the ABC2 Breakfast show move to the news channel then?
Why is Juanita Phillips not in the pic?
I am really looking forward to news and information 24/7 from our ABC’s newsforce – it is a brilliant day for public broadcasting and democracy. I get so sick of Rupert Murdoch masquerading as some sort of protector of access to information and freedom of expression. Not everything is for sale, or has a price.
I do hope that they will broadcast some programmes produced by other broadcasters, such as the BBC and TVNZ. If everything if ABC material that will mean that there will inevitably be much boring repeated rolling news and continuous repeats of a limited number of ABC news and current affairs programmes. Drawing upon other broadcasters’ content would provide a more interesting service, provide a wider range of perspectives, and, importantly, be cheaper.
WA people – it will be live in WA. So too in SA/NT
@Master: the first schedule for the channel should be available at the ABC website this weekend.
Total waste of an HD channel.. Well “HD” ABC and SBS style… Put that crap on ABC 3 or 4… Considering nearly all material is SD upconverted…
ok, will be interesting to see how it goes. Will certainly give Sky News a run for its money.
Still, I would have thought they’d have launched on 24 July -given the date would be 24/7 = 24/7 news channel, but oh well, when you’re ready to launch why wait?
Still with the cliche group shot when you know most are knifing each other after the camera goes click
“It is not every day that the ABC creates a new channel.”
Except when they launched ABC for Kids and Fly in 2001, ABC2 in 2005,ABC3 last December and ABC News next week.
Can’t wait for the 22nd – they must still be ironing out the lingering technical issues as you would assume they would have moved heaven and earth to be on air in time for the impending election announcement.
Also great to see they’ll be broadcasting live across the country, a two hour delay on a 24/7 news channel in this day and age would have been unacceptable.
pity they didn’t go for a launch date of 24/7
This is fantasic news! We’ve been waiting, there’ll be some f*ckups from MediaHub, there’ll be some rubbish on there to begin with, but boy oh boy this is a great day for Australian TV news and current affairs.
Is ABC HD on channel 24 at the moment?
So this channel is 720p HD ? , the promos look like they are in SD ?
You would think that Foxtel/Austar would also offer the channel in SD – as I’m sure there will be an SD version on the satellite.
Looking forward to it.
Oh and that’s excellent…errr…news….
Does this mean that viewers here in WA will be watching it from 17:30 (5:30) local since it’s supposedly simulcast across the nation?
How does that work for people in WA, with the simulcast and time zones not a barrier?
Anyone know the schedule for the channel?
Can you see it on foxtel if you dont have HDpackage like me?