ABC Audio Studios to commission new digital content for emerging audiences

As the ABC progresses its Investing in Audiences strategy announced in March, part of the implementation includes the creation of ABC Audio Studios, run from Brisbane.

 It aims to consolidate ABC Radio’s long form Radio Features team with the podcast content group into a combined team, focused on new digital audio content targeting key audience gaps and continuing to lead ABC Radio’s world class broadcast offer
        
ABC Audio Studios and Radio National will share one commissioning process for new podcasts, and develop content in a flexible and collaborative way, but each will retain their own genre focus. ABC Audio Studios will focus on comedy, families, lifestyle, features and creative audio and development of new podcast formats; ABC RN will focus on science and health, arts and culture, religion and ethics, factual, journalism and topical. 
 
The Studios are the realization of a long-held strategy within ABC Radio – to house a centre of audio content excellence that supports all radio platforms and acts as production-house hub of genre expertise for the rest of the ABC and for 3rd parties. 
 
Kellie Riordan, Presentation & Content Coordinator, Content & Digital at ABC Radio, based in Brisbane will head up The Audio Studios .

The Studios will commission content designed specifically for emerging audiences.

Two EP roles in the Studios which will specifically address “existing audience genre gaps”,  one for Comedy and one for Parenting & Families. 

Tom Wright, currently in Content and Digital, will move into the studios as EP of Comedy, another EP will be announced soon. ·      
 
The RN Features team, headed by Jesse Cox as Acting Editor, will move into the Studios and report to Kellie, but retain a strong dotted line to RN. The team will still produce Earshot for both podcasting and the RN linear schedule and the podcasts This Is About and The Real Thing.
 
Features will continue to provide content for RN, and within the Studios it will “optimise the digital long tail of this content for the coming ABC Listen app and other platforms”. 
       
ABC Audio Studios will also include the team producing and presenting Conversations into the Studios to provide advice, expertise, and an example of best practice in audio production and distribution. 
 
The Studios, through the RN Production Unit in the Features team, will work on longer form profile documentaries, assist with feature content for pan-ABC Radio events, and produce one-off specials for linear broadcast on significant anniversaries.

It will also provide support and consultancy for existing podcast output across Radio and for other divisions such as News and Regional.
 

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