Airdate: The Pacific

ABC has announced The Pacific, a 30-minute pan-Pacific news program will be broadcast to Pacific audiences every Thursday from today.

Designed and created specifically for Pacific audiences, it is dedicated to covering the stories that matter in the region.

Hosted by ABC presenter Tahlea Aualiitia, The Pacific will be produced in Melbourne and draw on a network of journalists with deep regional expertise including local presenters Evan Wasuka and Johnson Raela and correspondents Lice Movono in Suva, Fiji and Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

“The Pacific will offer a new way to stay in touch with everything happening in our region which is rich in culture, people and stories,” Tahlea said. “I’m so proud to be hosting this program and to be working with a great team of passionate, respected journalists who are experts in Pacific storytelling.”

The Pacific will be shared with the ABC’s broadcast partners across the region and available in Australia via the ABC NEWS Channel and iview.

ABC Managing Director David Anderson said: “We are excited to see The Pacific launch. It is an innovative addition to the ABC’s content offering for Pacific audiences and an important investment in our regional journalism capabilities which will add additional Pacific newsgathering resources to our existing international network.”

According to Claire M. Gorman, ABC Head International Services: “The Pacific is the first of many exciting developments in the pipeline. We believe it is more important than ever before for Australians and Pacific audiences to have access to independent, trusted information about our region. As we grow our audiences in the Indo-Pacific, expect more fantastic ABC content and programming.”

According to Managing Editor Asia Pacific Matt O’Sullivan, “The key aim is to have Pacific voices telling Pacific stories. New team members will enhance the work of the long-standing Pacific team, bringing their extensive local knowledge and content. Meanwhile, new technology, such as mobile journalism kits, is making it easier and faster to tell the stories of the Pacific.”

In 2022, the Australian Federal Government confirmed $32 million dollars in funding over four years for the ABC under its Indo-Pacific Broadcasting Strategy (IPBS). The funds will be used by ABC International Services for increased content for Indo-Pacific digital and linear audiences, an expanded FM footprint for ABC Radio Australia and enhanced media and training activities across the Indo-Pacific.

The journalists and presenters working on The Pacific will contribute stories to the ABC’s other internationally broadcast programs like Pacific Beat on ABC Radio Australia and The World on ABC Australia in addition to the ABC’s domestic broadcast network and digital NEWS channels.

International: The Pacific will premiere on ABC Australia, on Thursday 6 April at 7:00 PM AEST, 5:00PM in Singapore, 7:00 PM in Papua New Guinea, 8:00 PM in Solomon Islands and 9:00 PM in Fiji, with new episodes airing weekly.

Preview is here.

9.30pm AEST Thursday 6 April on ABC iview and ABC News and weekly on ABC TV, starting from Friday 7 April at 10:30am AEST.