According to the updated schedule, Waleed Aly will host mornings Monday to Wednesday. Justin Smith will host mornings on Thursday and Friday.
For Perth this week:
Early Mornings - Ivo da Silva
Breakfast - Clint Wheeldon
Mornings - Geraldine Mellet
Conversation Hour - Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski
Afternoons - Amber Cunningham
Drive - Andrew Collins
Australia Wide (6.30pm-7pm) - Sinead Mangan
Jess Ong from ABC Darwin is hosting National Afternoons from today until this Friday for online and DAB+ listeners, while the Ashes cricket is on analogue radio. Looks like she is presenting from Sydney as she has mentioned the text number 0467 922 702, which is the text number for ABC 702 Sydney.
ABC Melbourne schedule this week
Breakfast - Warwick Long (5.30am - 9am, AM from 8am to 8.30am)
Mornings - Waleed Aly (9am - 12pm)
Afternoons - Jess Ong
Drive - Mary Gearin
Evenings - Geraldine Mellet
Nightlife - Nic Healey
In Perth, Jess Ong’s show will air at 9.05am local time (12.05pm AEDT, so 25 minute head start before the rest of Australia joins in), while Geraldine Mellet’s show will broadcast from 3.30pm local time, before Nightlife at 7pm.
Now if only they could offer Gearin the afternoon slot in 2026, and dispense with Duclos…..
Some schedule updates:
Schedules show Boxing Day test airing on Friday with nothing else, suggesting there is may be no other programs on-air on Digital or Streams.
Kia Handley is looking after Friday’s Weekend Evenings program.
Mel Bampton is covering Nightlife on Fri, Sat and Sunday.
Zach Mander is hosting Saturday Breakfast in Brisbane this week.
Take 5 hosted by Zan Rowe is also being broadcast on Saturday evening (likely audio version of the TV show).
Or they have fixed it.
Sabra Lane has left AM - today was her final day.
She will be back in a new role next year.
The ABC journalist Sabra Lane has signed off as the host of flagship radio current affairs program AM after more than eight years in the role.
In her final broadcast as host a few moments ago on ABC Radio National, Lane said it was “time to turn off the early morning alarm”.
“Today’s program is my last hosting AM. I’m taking a long break over summer and I’ll be back next year in a different role.”
Lane took over as the host of AM in January 2017 and leaves a year shy of the program’s 60th anniversary.
ABC Media Release:
Sabra Lane has this morning let listeners know she will be moving on from presenting current affairs flagship AM after an outstanding nine years in the role.
Sabra has been covering federal politics in Canberra since 2008 and joined AM in 2017. Since 2021 she has been based in Hobart. Her other ABC roles have included being Chief Political Correspondent for 7.30 and for Radio Current Affairs.
AM is appointment listening for anyone interested in the news and political events of the day, setting the agenda with the latest stories and interviews with the newsmakers.
For almost a decade Sabra has taken audiences through what they needed to know, calmly, authoritatively and with humanity.
Sabra Lane: “When I was approached to anchor AM it was a dream come true. I was asked to commit to presenting the program for two electoral cycles, preferably three, and I’ve done three. This has been my ninth year hosting the program, but my body is saying “enough”.
“Dear listener, thank you for sharing your mornings with me, I’ve kept you in the forefront of my mind while framing questions, in interviewing political leaders and in trying to explain this crazy world we live in.
“To the politicians and leaders who’ve not wanted to front up, but still have, thank you. It is essential in a healthy democracy for you to appear, explain your decisions and be accountable. I wish that you’d abandon the political messaging and flowery language. Please, be honest, clear and accountable – that’s what the public wants.
“Please be kind. In a world of instant judgement, give people the benefit of the doubt. Kindness costs nothing. And broaden your horizons, not everything in the world is bad.
“There are often examples of goodness, inspiration, hope and people trying to fix the challenges confronting us. I have tried valiantly to reflect that.”
Sabra will take extended leave before returning to a new role with the ABC.
The new AM presenter will be announced in due course.
I’ve never really understood his appeal without Dom (and even then, it’s not my thing). He pops up on my TikTok FYP occasionally and I’ll give him a chance, but he comes off like a try-hard Jimmy Rees.
This is pure laziness. They pulled the same stunt during an election a few years ago and it was galling to listen to—endless “if we look at this graph” and “as this clearly shows.” TV and radio are different mediums and need to be treated accordingly.
I think it is more likely to be episodes or highlights from the Double J show
Is Zach Mander any realation to Tim Mander Ex NRL Referee and Current QLD MP
Thanks
It’s his son
The Hobart gang here to farewell me from AM; ❤️ pic.twitter.com/8Yu3jHHfYj
— Sabra Lane (@SabraLane) December 23, 2025
According to ABC Melbourne’s online schedule, next Monday (December 29) Todd McKenney will host National Afternoons and Jess McGuire will host Evenings.
In Perth, Todd McKenney will be heard from 9.05am local time while Jess McGuire will be on air from 3.30pm local time.
EDIT:
Dave O’Neil hosted Saturday mornings (December 27) in Melbourne.
UPDATE 29/12:
Justin Smith hosting drive across Victoria this week.
Due to the early end to the Boxing Day Ashes test, Corbin Middlemas is broadcasting a special program live from the MCG morning. First at 10am is a repeat episode of Conversations with Richard Fidler, then after the 11am news it’s a replay of Leigh Sales’ interview with Shane Warne, and last night’s episode of ABC Cricket Podcast with Corbin and Ed Cowan.
Queensland this week (w/o Dec 29):
Regional Breakfast (also Early Morning Country) - Jeremy Jones (Rockhampton)
Brisbane Breakfast - Spencer Howson
Regional Drive - David Iliffe (Toowoomba)
Brisbane Drive - Mel Bampton
There appears to be no World Today or PM on-air this week.
Also Drive programs starting at 2pm and finishing at 5.30pm in order to align with the AEDT live schedule.
Jess Maguire for NYE across the state! Jess is a top presenter, great for the regionals and metro.
No wonder you find ‘he comes off like a try-hard Jimmy Rees’, Tim appears a pale imitation of Billy Graham. (Has ties to Scripture Union).
Lehmo will host Melbourne breakfast from next Monday (January 5), Warwick Long revealed on air this morning.
UPDATE: Melbourne for the week of 5/1
Breakfast: Lehmo
Mornings: Waleed Aly
Afternoons: Todd McKenney
Statewide Drive: Justin Smith
Evenings: Jess McGuire
Queensland this week (05/01):
Brisbane Breakfast - Spencer Howson (Mon/Tues), Tom Forbes (Wed/Thu/Fri)
Regional Breakfast - Jeremy Jones (Rockhampton) (except Gold Coast - Tom Forbes)
Regional Drive - David Iliffe (Toowoomba)
Brisbane Drive - Mel Bampton
Bern Young (Gold Coast) has been hosting Weekend Nightlife this past weekend, and continues for the next few weeks.
And Saturday Breakfast this past weekend was QLD statewide with Zach Mander from 5am until 8am and Dom Fay from 8am until 11am.
ABC Melbourne already in crisis mode at 6am as we stare down a day of fires.
Latest traffic advice: Do not travel unless absolutely necessary.
The ABC Local Radio hosts are like flight attendants. The vast majority of the time, it’s a hospitality job.
But if something does go wrong? You very quickly find out what their real job is.
