What's New
BY Sarah Patterson March 24, 2024
What's New October 24, 2018
ABC Classic FM rebrands as ‘ABC Classic’ with new events and lineup changes
ABC Classic FM and its digital services will now come under the umbrella of ‘ABC Classic’ in 2019.
Next year will see Australia’s only national classic music network launch a slate of programs, performances and major events that will bring more of the world’s best music to audiences across the country.
ABC Classic will encompass radio, online, the ABC listen app and even album releases under the ABC label.
Building on the success of the Classic 100, there’ll be more major events in 2019.
“ABC Classic will be the No. 1 radio and digital destination for every classical music lover in Australia,” said ABC head of music & creative development Chris Scaddan.
“It represents our continued commitment to celebrating and nurturing classical music and the Australian music industry, which traces back to the orchestral music played in the ABC’s first broadcast in 1932.
“In 2018, ABC Classic FM is on course to reach more Australians than in any year since 2009, delivering high-quality and distinctive content to more listeners across the country.
“In 2019, ABC Classic will build on that success by bringing together all of the ABC’s classical music activity under one banner, delivering the world’s best music to dedicated music lovers and new audiences, wherever and however they listen to, watch or read about classical music.”
The 2019 lineup will see one of ABC’s longest-serving presenters Christopher Lawrence retire, while Ed Ayers returns to host Weekend Breakfast.
A new Saturday AFternoon show will be hosted by Alice Keith.
The 2019 lineup will also feature:
- Mairi Nicolson presenting Sunday Opera, a weekly broadcast of a full opera from a world-leading opera house. Her Saturday program The Opera Show will extend to two hours
- Sunday Recital, hosted by Genevieve Lang, will feature the premieres of ABC Classic’s new series of studio recordings
- For The God Who Sings will move to the earlier Sunday timeslot of 10pm
- Classic Flow, the podcast series bringing together classical music and yoga, will return for another year.
For the full announcement, list of events and lineup changes head here.
BUT, will we still be subject to constant pleas to text or phone in? To tell the presenters what we’re doing, or when we first heard this piece of music, or whether we went to Music Camp? I want to listen to music, with some well-informed commentary about the music. I don’t want a chat show, and I don’t care if Heather is waiting for her Mum, or Trevor is walking the dog. If i want that kind of stuff, I can trawl FaceBook. PLEASE, let us have music.
Alice Keath, That theme is not only used for the Eurovision Song Contest. It is used by the European Broadcasting organization to “announce” their programmes are being broadcast all over the EU and sometimes the world – e.g. The New Years Concert, from Vienna.
Classic FM has become intolerable. There are some good presenters and some dreadful ones. I agree with Anne regarding the incessant requests for listeners to text the station. I also don’t want to be told who the presenter is every ten minutes.
Supposedly professional musicians employed as announcers, while professional announcers have been axed.
Keys To Music was a great loss. I rarely listened, but it was quality radio.
Used to listen in the car. Not anymore, thanks to Spotify.