ABC is launching a new digital website to showcase Pacific Islands content from across the ABC.
ABC Pacific aims to help audiences more easily find Pacific radio stories, news articles, and videos from ABC Radio Australia, ABC Australia, and ABC News.
News report
The ABC has launched the ABC Pacific digital platform to meet the needs of growing digital audiences across the Pacific.
ABC Pacific will be a home for digital content relevant to our Pacific audiences and will be available to Australian and international audiences at abc.net.au/pacific and on Facebook and Twitter. The content will be produced by teams from across the ABC, including ABC Radio Australia and ABC Australia,
ABC Pacific will join ABC Radio Australia in delivering news, information and entertainment to the Pacific region as part of the ABC’s ongoing commitment to serving our Pacific audiences.
ABC Head International Services Claire Gorman said: “This is an exciting development for the ABC, which has long been a champion of Pacific storytelling and talent. This new one stop digital brand will further strengthen the reach and discoverability of the ABC’s Pacific content within our news, entertainment and educational offering.”
The ABC first launched international broadcasting services in 1939 and currently offers radio and television services to international audiences in the Indo-Pacific via ABC Radio Australia and ABC Australia and digital content via web an social channels.
ABC Radio Australia’s programming includes Pacific-focused news and current affairs programs Pacific Beat, Pacific Review, Wantok, and much-loved sports, cultural and music programs including Can You Be More Pacific, Sistas Let’s Talk and Island Music. In 2021, ABC Australia launched That Pacific Sports Show which has become a popular addition to its weekly offering. ABC NEWS also operates an Asia Pacific Newsroom with its content available via abc.net.au/news to digital audiences internationally.
ABC Pacific will target tech-savvy, English-speaking urban residents of Pacific nations, expatriate Australians living in the Pacific, as well as Pacific diaspora populations in Australia and is a response to the increase in smart device penetration across the Pacific region.
ABC Pacific will replace ABC Radio Australia’s existing homepage and social media accounts. Content currently hosted on the ABC Radio Australia webpages will now be found on ABC Pacific.
About ABC International Services
ABC International Services manages the ABC’s international television, radio and digital platforms and international development activities. Its mission is enshrined in the ABC Charter: to encourage awareness of Australia and an international understanding of Australian attitudes on world affairs; and to enable Australian travellers and expats to stay up to date with issues in Australia, and with Australian attitudes on world affairs across a variety of broadcast and digital services.
7.30 has been shown on ABC Australia and its predecessor at late nights, so this is a timeslot promotion. It will be interesting to see if the show will continue to air live in the region when daylight savings begin in some Australian states in early October.
ABC Australia audiences can look forward to a new season of The Pacific from Thursday 4 April as it returns with Pacific-focused stories in news, sports and events.
How to watch:
- The Pacific will premiere on ABC Australia on Thursday 4 April at 5:30pm Papua New Guinea (PNG) time, 6:30pm in Solomon Islands, 7:30pm in Fiji, 8:30pm in Tonga and 8:30pm in Samoa and 6:30pm AEDT.
- New episodes will air weekly on Thursday at 6:30pm PNG and AEST time.
- Stream or catch up on demand via ABC Pacific or ABC Pacific Facebook.
Weekly news program The Pacific is returning to ABC Australia, with hosts Johnson Raela and Alice Lolohea connecting audiences with the latest in news, politics, sports, culture and entertainment in the Pacific.
The Pacific delivers extensive on-the-ground coverage from a trusted network of reporters: Marian Kupu in Tonga, Lice Movono in Fiji, Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong in Solomon Islands, Belinda Kora in Papua New Guinea, Adel Fruean in Samoa, Vonia Vieira in Timor-Leste and stories from Vanuatu filed from the newsroom of our trusted partners Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation (VBTC).
In anticipation of the new season, Raela said: “In the short time the show has been on air it’s heartening seeing the positive responses from audiences across the Pacific. This reassures us that we are on the right track, but also motivates us to keep pushing boundaries in our content making and storytelling for our audience and you will see that this year.”
Lolohea said: “Our talented team of regional correspondents add the extra spark to our show. We visited some of them recently in Solomon Islands, Samoa and Tonga to gather content for this year and we look forward to telling more diverse stories from all parts of our great Blue Pacific continent.”
ABC Head International Claire M. Gorman added: “We’re thrilled to have The Pacific returning for 2024. The team has continued to produce a high-calibre program that is committed to delivering trusted reporting of Pacific-focused stories from the region to audiences across the Pacific and Australia.”
The Pacific is an ABC flagship program under the expansion of the ABC’s international services in the Asia-Pacific region following funding from the Australian Federal Government.
Program Details:
The new season of The Pacific will premiere on ABC Australia, Thursday 4 April at 5:30pm in Papua New Guinea, 6:30pm in Solomon Islands, 7:30pm in Fiji, 8:30pm in Tonga and 8:30pm in Samoa and 6:30pm AEDT, with new episodes airing weekly from 6:30pm PNG and AEST time.
See the full program schedule for ABC Australia on the ABC Pacific website.
Research conducted last year across six key Pacific markets confirms that overall the Australian Broadcasting Corporation is performing strongly among Pacific audiences, a significant achievement given a decline in audiences for traditional media. An important finding is that trust in the ABC across the Pacific is equal to trust levels in Australia, at nearly 80%.
In 2023 the ABC repeated its 2021 survey in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. The aim of the ongoing research is to ensure that the ABC’s investments in the Pacific are effective and that its content and services are meeting audience needs. The survey was conducted by an independent research agency with expertise in the region and in accordance with international standards.
The research looked at usage patterns relating to ABC Australia, ABC Radio Australia, ABC digital and social media channels, broader media consumption, and attitudes to ABC programs and Australia more generally. The findings, building on 2021 benchmarks, are robust and informative.
Between 36% and 70% of those surveyed had listened to, watched or used ABC online in the prior three months. Respondents widely agreed that the ABC was educational, interesting and a trusted source of news and information. The ABC is highly regarded, especially for ABC news and current affairs and for targeted local-interest programming, while interest in Australian people and content is positive, high and growing.
Read the full article by Claire M. Gorman, ABC International Head, in the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s newsletter, The Strategist, here.
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The ABC’s dynamic network of Pacific-based correspondents, known as the Pacific Local Journalism Network (PLJN), continues to expand as it celebrates its second-year anniversary.
The network, funded through the Indo-Pacific Broadcasting Strategy, consists of seven in-country journalists across the region and is driving enhanced ABC newsgathering capabilities and reporting in the Pacific and reinforcing the ABC’s leading position in the region as a trusted voice of independent news.
The team, which consists of Lice Movono (Fiji), Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong (Solomon Islands), Marian Kupu (Tonga), Belinda Kora (Papua New Guinea) Adel Fruean (Samoa) Vonia Vieira (Timor-Leste) and Lillyrose WelWel (Vanuatu), recently visited ABC’s Ultimo and Southbank offices, and met with the Managing Director and a range of ABC International and NEWS teams. They co-hosted ABC Australia’s The Pacific and ABC Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat, both recorded in Melbourne, and made an appearance on News Breakfast.
Some of the team also featured in a Lowy Institute event in Sydney, enthralling the large crowd with insights into their lives as Pacific Islanders and the pressures that come with being independent journalists working in the region.
The PLJN occupies a unique position at the ABC with its audience sitting across both international and domestic channels. Having reporters living in local communities across the region has enabled the ABC to share insights and tell Pacific stories with nuance and care which in turn has led to excellent audience outcomes.
The PLJN files daily to the ABC’s international channels, including for ABC Radio Australia’s flagship news and current affairs program Pacific Beat and ABC Pacific’s social accounts. The team also files long-form multi-platform content for ABC Australia’s The Pacific which was launched in 2023, also with Indo-Pacific Broadcasting Strategy funding, and has revolutionised the way Pacific stories are told.
For ABC News’ domestic network, the PLJN act as trusted foreign correspondents, filing multi-platform stories across the ABC, with stories appearing in programs such as 7.30, AM, RN, the 7pm bulletins. In 2024, the network also filed hundreds of digital stories, with average page views of 118,000, representing significant growth for Pacific-focused storytelling.
All reporters are video journalists using Mojo kits (mobile phone-enabled camera equipment) to file video stories and social media content which also enable them to broadcast live on ABC News Channel where they frequently provide updates and live crosses.
