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BY RadioToday Network June 25, 2026
What's New March 12, 2026
ABC confirms local newsrooms to remain fully operational over Easter
Reporter
The ABC has confirmed that its local newsrooms will remain fully operational over the Easter break.
It follows reports the national broadcaster planned to “close down” its local TV and radio newsrooms over the four day holiday period in April as a cost-saving measure.
An internal memo, seen by RadioToday, details a “revision” to the Easter radio news schedule that departs from the normal practice. It advises news editors to “unpick” their forward rosters to give staff time off due to the recent “relentless news agenda.”
In the past, ABC Radio has carried national bulletins on Good Friday, but resumed local bulletins from its capital city newsrooms during locally produced programming times on Saturday, Easter Sunday and Monday. The memo details how those bulletins in Eastern and Central states will be national this year. Western Australia will retain its local state bulletiins due to the time zone difference. Programs on capital city and regional stations will broadcast to their normal weekend public holiday schedule.
An ABC spokesperson said: “Planning for the ABC’s Easter weekend coverage is taking place at the moment. We expect to do two national 7pm [television] news bulletins over the Easter long weekend and national radio news bulletins, in line with what we’ve done previously over Easter and Christmas periods. Local newsrooms remain fully operational.”
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BY Sarah Patterson June 25, 2026
Hi Sarah,
the original reporting is correct and I posted emails on the TVBB website. Nothing in that statement contridicts my reporting – local news bulletins and services will NOT be local over Easter, they are replaced with a national news on both TV and radio. There will be one reporter in each local newsroom. Your understanding of the statement from the ABC isn;t quite right.
Many thanks, Rob McKnight
@RobMcKnight, your sensationalistic headline and essential hot-taking with “unthinkable” “shut down” and “close down” is what Sarah is rightly tempering.
Your reporting is fundamentally correct (ABC reverting to national bulletins over Easter) but it is also buried under your sensationalism and attempts at attention-seeking punditry.
From my observation commercial radio does the same thing – mostly national bulletins over long weekends such as Easter. Just sayin’.