PM (radio program)

PM

Company type	Radio program
Industry	Broadcasting, News, Current affairs
Founded	July 7, 1969 (1969-07-07)
Headquarters	Australia
Area served	Australia
Key people	Samantha Donovan (host as of 2025)
Products	Radio current affairs program
Parent	Australian Broadcasting Corporation

PM stands as one of the premier current affairs radio broadcasts produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and ranks among the nation’s longest-standing programs, having debuted on 7 July 1969. It serves as the counterpart to AM.

As of 2025, Samantha Donovan hosts the show, which airs on both Radio National and ABC Local Radio.

History and timeslots

The inception of PM occurred on 7 July 1969, initially broadcast on ABC Radio 1 and Radio 3 (currently known as ABC Local Radio), coming two years after the launch of AM. Both program titles were conceived by ABC general manager Talbot Duckmanton.

Initially scheduled on weekdays at 6:10 pm following the 6:00 pm news bulletin, it quickly established itself as a favored afternoon current affairs program. Subsequently, an earlier edition at 5:10 pm was introduced on ABC Radio 2 (now ABC Radio National). The original duration was 20 minutes, which expanded to 50 minutes in 1987. In 2018, the format was shortened to 25 minutes to mirror that of AM.

Description

PM complements AM along with other ABC News and Current Affairs radio offerings, such as The World Today and Correspondents Report.

By 2025, Samantha Donovan regularly presents the broadcast.

Listeners can access ABC’s streaming services and podcasts for on-demand playback following the live transmission.

Past presenters

The program’s original anchors were Lawrence Bryant and John Highfield, who alternated hosting duties. Later presenters featured Iain Finlay, Paul Murphy (1983–1993), Monica Attard, Ellen Fanning, alongside reporters like Ray Martin, Bob Carr, Kate Baillieu, and Maxine McKew.

From 1997 until 2017, Mark Colvin served as the principal host. He was succeeded in December 2017 by Linda Mottram, with David Lipson taking over after July 2019.

Musical signature themes

The initial theme from 1967, titled "Crossbeat," was a 30-second electronic composition created by David Cain of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. During the 1980s, Tony Ansell developed new signature tunes for both AM and PM, utilizing synthesizer brass sounds to forge a cohesive auditory brand. These themes remained in use until January 2017.