Rage (TV program)

rage
	File:Rage (Australian TV series) logo.svg Logo used since 2020
Company type	Television program
Industry	Music television
Founded	April 17, 1987; 39 years ago
Founder	Mark FitzGerald
Headquarters	Australia
Area served	Australia, Asia-Pacific
Products	Music video show
Website	www.abc.net.au/rage/

Rage (stylised as rage) is an Australian music video show airing overnight on ABC TV during Friday and Saturday nights, as well as Saturday mornings. Since its launch on 17 April 1987, and following the conclusion of programs like Soul Train and Video Hits, it holds the distinction of being the longest-running music television series worldwide still in production as of 2025.

The program usually broadcasts from 11:00pm to 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays. It carries an MA15+ rating until 5:00am, after which it switches to a PG rating until 11:00am on Saturdays and 7:00am on Sundays.

Format

Developed by executive producer Mark FitzGerald in early 1987, the show was initially proposed under the title rage 'til you puke but was shortened to rage for approval by the ABC board. It premiered around the same time as MTV Australia and shortly after Video Hits. The first five music videos broadcast included songs by the Lime Spiders, Beastie Boys, The Kinks, Big Audio Dynamite, and Genesis.

The program’s alternative music orientation was shaped by programmers Stephanie Lewis (1987–1995) and Narelle Gee (1995–2008). Prior to 1989, Rage frequently devoted airtime to entire discographies of artists. Starting that year, Saturday night specials began featuring comprehensive artist retrospectives presented in chronological order, beginning with Madonna on 6 May 1989. Later specials showcased acts such as Midnight Oil, INXS, Paul Kelly, along with genre-focused segments including heavy metal and country music.

In January 1990, FitzGerald, Lewis, and musician Damien Lovelock introduced guest programmers. Primarily Australian or international touring musicians select videos for these episodes; non-musical guests such as ABC presenter Andrew Denton and political figures have also contributed. After featuring guest selections, episodes often include full or nearly complete video collections from the guest artist.

Since 1995, Friday evenings have predominantly highlighted new music releases spanning multiple genres, except for tribute episodes following the passing of notable musicians. The program operates without a host except during guest programmer segments; videos are played back-to-back without commentary, interrupted only briefly by branding clips or the rage logo accompanied by a voice saying "rage!". Occasionally, a text crawl announces upcoming Specials and Guest Programmers.

At the start of each video, titles appear simply after the rage logo. Traditionally free from overlays or watermarks, since June 2010 a watermark has been added to comply with ABC network guidelines.

Early Saturday morning broadcasts often emphasize emerging artists. Between 1988 and 1995, Rage featured the Australian Top 50 charts and ran a Friday morning "new releases" segment until mid-2006.

Saturday night programming without guest programmers typically presents themed blocks centered on specific artists or events such as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or NAIDOC Week. Since 2004, January has been designated "Retro Month," showcasing classic music shows like Countdown, Rock Arena, and Recovery, with this event shifting to February starting in 2021.

Beginning November 2015, themed 'vault' episodes featuring archival footage have aired on Monday nights on ABC; these were moved to Sunday nights in March 2023. Themes cover particular artists, genres, record labels, directors, or years of release.

Due to episodes spanning late night through early morning hours, producers categorize shows by their starting date (Friday or Saturday), consistent with Australian television guide standards where broadcast days run from 6:00am to 6:00am.

Top Fifty and Broadcasts on Other ABC Television Channels

Prior to 2006, Rage featured a weekly Top Fifty countdown derived from the ARIA singles chart during the early hours of weekends. Between 1990 and 1994, this segment showcased the Top 60 rankings. In instances where a music video was either unavailable or deemed inappropriate, a placeholder screen displaying chart information was shown instead. Videos aired before 6:00am were presented without censorship; however, after this time, content adhered to G-rating standards in compliance with Australian classification regulations. Certain clips, notably from the United States, were either restricted or replaced with edited versions. Since 2005, Rage has adopted a PG classification for broadcasts after 6:00am.

The program has occasionally censored videos that violated ABC editorial policies, such as obscuring Adidas branding in 1991 and removing a Bratz Rock Angelz clip in 2005 due to its promotional nature. Nonetheless, censorship practices have relaxed since the 2000s—for example, the unedited airing of Crazy Frog's "Axel F" was permitted.

Beginning in 2005, the Top Fifty countdown was also shown on the digital channel ABC2 and has been broadcast across Asia via Australia Plus and its predecessors since the early 2000s. This exposure helped cultivate a dedicated following in the Asia-Pacific for emerging pop music releases.

The final Top Fifty show aired on 22–23 July 2006. It was subsequently replaced by guest programmer showcases on Saturdays and a blend of new and classic tracks on Sundays. This modification resulted from ARIA entering a commercial agreement with a telecommunications firm, which conflicted with ABC’s non-commercial broadcasting principles and sparked viewer disapproval.

During 2008–2009, Rage presented various music clips on ABC2 Saturday afternoons. In 2011, rage on 3 featured top video selections voted for by the ABC3 audience. From 2012 onwards, shorter overnight editions appeared during weekdays. Starting in July 2014, regular hour-long episodes were scheduled on ABC3 as the final program of the day.

Since March 2015, the segment titled "The Chart" has counted down twenty popular ARIA Singles Chart videos each Saturday morning from 6:00am to 8:00am on ABC and Sunday nights at 9:30pm on ABC3.

Guest Programmers

On Saturday evenings, numerous bands and artists have taken on the role of guest programmers for Rage, curating selections of favorite music videos while discussing influential works appreciated by their fan base. These sessions are highly coveted opportunities. Some introductions were once accessible via the Rage YouTube channel but were removed in 2023 alongside pre-2019 website video content.

Tex Perkins and Bernard Fanning hold the record for most guest appearances, each featuring five times. Frequently selected videos include Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart, The Saints' (I'm) Stranded, Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer, and Aphex Twin's Windowlicker.

Simulcast

From New Year's Eve in 1992 until 2003, Triple J simulcasted Rage between 1:00am and 6:00am. This arrangement ended when Triple J introduced its own dance program titled The Club. The advent of stereo televisions and digital broadcasting reduced the benefits of simulcasting due to difficulties in maintaining synchronization.

Theme songs, opening/closing sequences and interstitials

The opening theme incorporates samples from Iggy Pop's extended version of "Real Wild Child", featuring reversed vocal tracks and visuals drawn from Pop's music video alongside Johnny O'Keefe's 1959 performance of "Shout". The closing credits utilize a lengthened remix of "Speed Your Love to Me" by Simple Minds, blending elements taken from their video productions.

At times, a Tony Levin remix of King Crimson's "Sleepless" is used as an alternative theme. A third variation, also derived from "Real Wild Child", is played during guest programmer intervals on Saturdays, excluding the morning hits or new release segments.

In recent years, the Top Fifty segment has opened with a theme sampled from "She Said" by Brisbane-based band Lavish, which also substitutes for any missing clips.

During their guest appearance, TISM humorously characterized the traditional theme as monotonously stimulating.

Yearly specials

Up until 2009, year-end programming featured a Best of videos night and a weekend dedicated to Guest Programmers’ selections. The year 2009 saw the introduction of rage 50, a countdown of the top 50 clips determined by viewer votes.

On New Year's Eve 1999, Rage took an unusual break to accommodate ABC’s Millennium coverage but resumed broadcasting at midnight. A special New Year's Eve edition aired in 2006, spotlighting party-themed songs.

From its inception through 2007, the Top Fifty time slot highlighted the previous year's most popular songs but was discontinued thereafter.

Annually following its late January broadcast, Rage airs music videos featured in the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown over two consecutive nights.

In late 2007, the satirical troupe The Chaser presented a New Year's Eve special titled "The Chaser's War on Rage". The program’s annual New Year's Eve special continues to be broadcast on ABC after the main schedule.

For its Silver Jubilee celebration in 2012, guest host Tex Perkins showcased notable bands and artists from past episodes.

Tenth Anniversary special

A special commemorating ten years aired on 19 April 1997, presenting selected clips from each year alongside footage from Guest Programmers; this was rebroadcast later that same year.

Twentieth Anniversary special

April 2007 marked two decades of Rage with a series of Saturday night programs focusing on different eras of the show. Each week featured “immortal” influential clips introduced by Guest Programmers, complemented by archival material and celebrity endorsements. Distinctive themes and graphics accompanied each broadcast week:

Week 1 (7 April): Hosted by Tex Perkins, showcasing clips from 1987–1991
Week 2 (14 April): Original Executive Producer Mark Fitzgerald reflected on the show's beginnings; clips from 1992–1996
Week 3 (21 April): Series Producer Narelle Gee discussed production insights; clips from 1997–2001
Week 4 (28 April): Featured the launch of a new website; clips from 2002–2006; included celebrity endorsements

Thirtieth Anniversary special

In April 2017, Rage's thirtieth anniversary was celebrated with a week-long series of programs including two documentaries examining its cultural impact and segments featuring guest programmers. These documentaries highlighted Australian music history through the extensive archives maintained by Rage.

Real Wild Child book

Published in October 2010 by ABC Books/HarperCollins Australia and written by Narelle Gee, Real Wild Child: An Insider's Tales from the Rage Couch provides behind-the-scenes perspectives on Rage along with stories shared by guest programmers. The book delves into encounters with prominent musical acts on Australia's iconic couch.

Australian Rolling Stone commended the book for its witty anecdotes and insightful observations of rock stars during filming sessions.

CD and DVD releases

Rage has released two double-disc compilation albums featuring popular tracks chosen by guest programmers.

Multiple music video DVDs have been issued under titles such as "The Chosen Ones", "Rage Gets Animated", "Most Chosen", "Rage in Love", "Retro Rage", "The Epic 90s", "Rage Adults Only", and "Rage Let's Dance". Some editions combine CDs with DVDs. A three-disc compilation was produced to mark the show's thirtieth anniversary in 2017.

Critical reception

In 2016, Junkee ranked Rage at number 35 among Australia's greatest television programs, acknowledging it as a lasting icon for music enthusiasts due to its enduring format over many years.

By 2019, TV Week placed it at number 97 in its list of top Australian TV shows, highlighting its continued appeal to music fans despite competing programs losing prominence.

External links