Behind the News
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Children's news and educational television |
| Founded | June 5, 1968 |
| Headquarters | Adelaide , Australia |
| Products | News program tailored for children |
| Website | www |
Behind the News (BTN) is an Australian news program tailored for children, broadcast by the ABC. Aimed primarily at viewers aged 10 to 13, BTN functions as a valuable educational resource extensively utilized in Australian classrooms to assist students in understanding contemporary issues and societal topics.
The program comprises three key formats: Classroom, a weekly flagship edition that investigates a range of news stories for its main audience; Newsbreak, a concise daily five-minute segment that updates young Australians on recent developments; and High, an exclusively digital series offering more in-depth coverage on topics relevant to secondary school students.
History
The inaugural episode of Behind the News was broadcast on 5 June 1968, initially under the title Current Affairs, before adopting the Behind the News name within its first year. This premiere episode was unearthed during the celebration of the show’s 45th anniversary, which was at that time thought to have commenced in 1969.
ABC ceased airing Behind the News at the close of 2003 due to funding disagreements with the Australian Government but resumed production and broadcasting in 2005. During this interruption, a comparable program titled ttn (The Total News) was introduced by Network Ten in 2003 but was discontinued in 2008.
In 2008, coinciding with the launch of ABC’s streaming service ABC iview, Behind the News was incorporated into the platform’s offerings.
The 45th anniversary of BTN was celebrated in June 2014 with a compilation video showcasing decades of hosts and theme music. Subsequently, on 21 July 2014, the show transitioned to ABC3, aligning with ABC's reorganization of its educational content.
On 2 May 2016, BTN underwent a relaunch featuring refreshed visual design and a new studio shared with ABC3 News, moving away from previous greenscreen setups. This update was previewed on 1 May 2016 through BTN Newsbreak, which represented a rebranding of ABC3 News.
Towards the end of 2021, BTN Newsbreak announced an impending redesign that was implemented in 2022.
Additionally, in 2022, BTN launched BTN High, a series created specifically for high school audiences, with its first episodes released in January 2023.
Presenters and reporters
Amelia Moseley currently hosts Behind the News, with Sarah Larsen serving as producer.
The present roster of reporters comprises Jack Evans, Matthew Holbrook, Leela Varghese, Nathaniel Kelly, Cale Matthews, Charlotte Batty, Natasha Thiele, Amal Wehbe, Alexander Aarao-Ward, Michelle Wakim, Joseph Baronio, Olivia Mason, Nicholas Maher, Ella Germein, Josh Langman, Justina Ward, Lyeba Khan, Thomas Midena, Wren Gillett, Kushi Venkatesh, and Saskia Mortarotti.
Past contributors include Ruby Cornish, Carl Smith, Erin Scott, Ben Nielsen, Evelyn Manfield, Martin Dougan, and Emma Davis.
See also
External links
Notes
- Articles with short description
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming
- ABC News and Current Affairs
- Australian children's television series
- Black-and-white Australian television shows
- Australian television news shows
- Children's news shows
- 1968 Australian television series debuts
- 2003 Australian television series endings
- 2005 Australian television series debuts
- 2015 Australian television series debuts
- 1970s Australian television series
- 1980s Australian television series
- 1990s Australian television series
- 2000s Australian television series
- 2020s Australian television series
- Australian English-language television shows
- Television shows set in Adelaide
- Australian television series revived after cancellation