Saturday Night Country
| Company type | Radio program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting, Music |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Adelaide , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Beccy Cole (current host), John Nutting (founder and original host), Felicity Urquhart (former host), Catherine Britt (interim host), Amber Lawrence (temporary host) |
| Parent | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
Saturday Night Country is an Australian weekly radio program dedicated to country music, produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It is broadcast every Saturday evening starting at 9:05 pm (AET). The show is currently hosted by country artist Beccy Cole.
History
The show was originally presented by John Nutting when it launched in 1993 from ABC North Queensland in Townsville, Queensland. Nutting created the program to address concerns that ABC's content was too focused on urban areas, introducing a two-hour national country music broadcast from the regional station 4QN in Townsville. Although initially placed in a late Saturday time slot with limited audience reach, the program rapidly gained popularity and eventually extended to a four-hour format.
From March 2010 through December 2020, Felicity Urquhart served as the host, taking over from Nutting. During Urquhart’s temporary leave between 2013 and 2015, Catherine Britt acted as the interim presenter.
Saturday Night Country is available on regional ABC Local Radio and the digital outlet ABC Country. Starting 3 February 2024, the first hour will also be broadcast on ABC Local stations located in state capital cities. Additionally, the program can be streamed through its official website.
Prior to January 2017, the show aired on ABC’s metropolitan AM stations in capital cities but was replaced by a Saturday edition of Nightlife. Despite this change, listeners in major urban markets can still access the full program via ABC Country on DAB digital radio and online services. As of 3 February 2024, the initial hour resumed broadcasting on ABC’s metropolitan AM and DAB platforms.
After hosting more than 500 episodes and delivering over 2,000 hours of content, Felicity Urquhart ended her role as presenter on 26 December 2020.
Current host
In January 2021, Beccy Cole was named as the new host, making her debut on 13 February 2021 with guest Adam Harvey. Cole broadcasts from ABC’s Collinswood studios in Adelaide. Originally a three-hour show, the program was shortened to two hours starting 10 February 2024 and now airs Saturdays at 10:05 pm. On 3 February 2024, the start time was moved earlier to 9:05 pm Australian South-Eastern Time to better accommodate audiences in central, western, and northern regions.
Following a break between December 2021 and January 2022, the live broadcast resumed in February without Cole; during this period, Amber Lawrence filled in as temporary host until Cole returned on 30 April 2022.