On July 1, 1932, radio announcer Conrad Charlton sat alongside then-prime minister Joseph Lyons and announced:
"This is the Australian Broadcasting Commission".
Since those early days, the ABC has educated, entertained, and informed all Australians, firstly on radio, followed by a television service introduced in 1956, and more recently via digital and social media platforms.
Today, the ABC is the home of Australian conversations, culture, and stories.
It is the most trusted media brand in the country and reaches more than two-thirds of the population each week.
For the past 90 years, the ABC has been part of the fabric of Australian life.
Throughout 2022 we will celebrate this milestone with all Australians through a series of commissioned programs that not only look back but also look to the future.
These 90th moments will come from every part of the ABC and celebrate the connections we have with Australians through all our program genres and services including news, drama, comedy, music, sport, arts, children's, science, education, Indigenous, as well as our regional and international services.
The ABC's 90th celebrations have already kicked off with ABC90 campaigns running on all platforms.
Coming up early in the year are themed episodes and featured segments of Back Roads and Landline; an ABC90 celebration as part of our Mardi Gras coverage; the launch of 90 Concerts in 90 Days on ABC Classic; and keep an eye out for our RetroFocus series on abc.net.au which dives into the ABC archives to uncover some of the nation's most interesting stories from the past.
Mid-year, the ABC will mark its birthday with a live national event featuring famous faces from the past and present, along with some of Australia's most iconic performers.
The two-hour ABC 90 Celebrate! event premieres on Thursday, June 30 at 8pm on ABC iview and ABC TV, hosted by Zan Rowe, Tony Armstrong and Craig Reucassel.
Then, on July 1 from 11am, Richard Fidler will host Tuned-In: 90 Years of ABC Radio, a one-hour special featuring favourite voices and memorable moments on a trip through the years of ABC Radio.
The radio special will include rare archival audio and presenters past and present.
To listen, tune in:
- To your local ABC Radio or ABC RN on Friday, July 1 from 11am-noon
- ABC News Radio on Friday, July 1 from 9-10pm
- Listen back via the ABC listen app.
If you have a story about the ABC you would like to share, visit Your ABC Story to make a contribution and read other people's memories.
ABC iview has a special ABC 90: Connecting Australia collection featuring some of our most iconic shows, and from 7am on June 28 will launch ABC 90: Nostalgic TV Shows featuring classic and recent TV shows and specials first seen on the ABC.
To keep up-to-date with our 90th anniversary program visit abc.net.au for more information.