ABC Local Radio

Originally, Local Radio was known internally as ABC Radio 1 in metropolitan regions and ABC Radio 3 in regional areas. Radio 1 was a largely local format while Radio 3 was more networked and included content from the national programme, Radio 2.

In the 1980s, Radio National emerged from Radio 2 and Radio 3 dropped its Radio 2 content with Radio 1 becoming ABC Metropolitan Radio and Radio 3 becoming ABC Regional Radio. The Regional Radio stations provided local programming in breakfast and drive but networked common content for most of their broadcasting hours. Some different, local market formats emerged, including the Darwin Metro 8DDD, FM105.7 and Gold Coast Regional, ABC Coast FM (4SCR), 91.7. Up until the mid-1990s, the majority of the local radio stations identified on-air by frequency and callsign. In the 1990s, a different convention was used, generally as ABC Radio (region) or (region) FM.

In 2000, these two almost identical networks merged as ABC Local Radio. From this point all ABC Local Radio stations ceased to identify themselves according to their callsigns or other existing names, and instead use the format (frequency) ABC (region), or ABC (region) where there are multiple frequencies broadcasting the same service. However, as the callsigns were used continuously for up to seventy years and are much shorter than the new names, many long-term listeners still use these callsigns to refer to ABC Local Radio stations.

In January 2017, ABC Local Radio rebranded with a new logo. The new round logo reflects the dropping of the frequency number of each local radio station as part of the network's multiplatform philosophy.[1] All stations now use the format ABC Radio with the region.

In April 2019, ABC Local Radio has begun a rollout of branding updates for its 44 regional bureaux. The roll out of being updated branding, ten regional stations are dropping call signs from their names and two stations are undergoing a significant name change to better identify their local region.[2]

ABC Riverina studios in Wagga Wagga

There are sixty ABC Local Radio stations across 53 regions, including 52 regional stations and 8 metropolitan stations. The metropolitan stations are:

• ABC Radio Sydney (2BL)
• ABC Radio Melbourne (3LO)
• ABC Radio Brisbane (4QR)
• ABC Radio Adelaide (5AN)
• ABC Radio Perth (6WF)
• ABC Radio Hobart (7ZR)
• ABC Radio Canberra (2CN)
• ABC Radio Darwin (8DDD)

The regional stations are:

Digital stations:

• ABC Country
• ABC Grandstand

The metropolitan and regional stations originate most of their own programming.

Until 2015, the regional stations usually simulcast one of the metropolitan stations when they were not airing local programming. Usually, they simulcast their state's capital city station; an exception was 999 ABC Broken Hill, which simulcasts 891 ABC Adelaide because Broken Hill is on Central Time. In 2015, the ABC formed a Regional Division to again split its regional stations from the metropolitan counterparts.[3] 1233 ABC Newcastle (2NC) was transferred from the metropolitan network to the new regional division [4] and 14 of the regional network's member stations began streaming.

It was announced from 2016 that the regional Local Radio stations would broadcast live each weekday and Saturday morning in a restructure of services,[5] as well as a local Country Hour program at midday and afternoon drive time. During the mid-afternoon and evening, the regional stations will act as satellites of the nearest metropolitan station, usually the capital city station.

Despite the loss of 100 websites from the ABC, the regional network introduced local news websites for its 48 stations containing a mix of news and lifestyle content for regional audiences.[6]

Some programmes are aired first on ABC Radio National, and then at a later time on the Local Radio network, for example Speaking Out, hosted by Larissa Behrendt, which as of September 2020 broadcasts on Radio National on Fridays at 8pm and on Local Radio on Sundays at 9pm.[7]

• Radio National
• Radio Australia
• Timeline of Australian radio

• ABC Local Radio
• Australian Broadcasting Corporation