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7.30 is an Australian nightly television current affairs program which broadcasts on ABC TV and ABC News at 7:30 p.m. on Monday to Thursday nights, hosted by Sarah Ferguson. From 1986 to 2011 it was called The 7.30 Report; in 2011 it was rebranded as 7.30 and Stateline was folded into the revamped program.[1]

History

The 7.30 Report

The 7.30 Report began on 28 January 1986, screening Tuesday to Friday evenings.[citation needed] The program extended to Mondays the following year.[citation needed]

Until the end of 1995[2] the program had separate editions for each state and territory, presented by Alan Carpenter, Mary Delahunty, Quentin Dempster, Trisha Goddard,[3] Sarah Henderson, Jane Singleton,[4] Genevieve Hussey, John Jost, Leigh McClusky, Kelly Nestor, and Andrew Olle.

Kerry O’Brien took over as the presenter of the national program on 4 December 1995,[2] with Maxine McKew serving as the main relief presenter until 2006. O’Brien announced in 2010 that he would be leaving at the end of the year.[5] He presented his final edition of the program on 9 December 2010.[6]

In February 1996, the Friday episode of the show was replaced with Stateline, a similar show with a separate edition for each state and territory.

The program usually comprised several pre-recorded items and live interviews, focusing on issues of national or global significance. The program traditionally featured interviews with politicians.[citation needed]

Former reporters included political editor Heather Ewart,[7] Deborah Cornwall, Greg Hoy, Mark Willacy, Michael Brissenden, Murray McLaughlin, Mary Gearin, Mike Sexton, John Taylor, Peter McCutcheon, Paul Lockyer, Lisa Whitehead, Natasha Johnson, David Mark, Genevieve Hussey, Mark Bannerman, Tracy Bowden, Matt Peacock, Andy Park, Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Dylan Welch, Louise Milligan, Madeleine Morris, Conor Duffy, Monique Schafter, Alex Mann, Michael Atkin, and political editor Sabra Lane.[citation needed] Paul Lyneham also hosted The 7.30 Report for several years.[8]

Until 2010, satirists John Clarke and Bryan Dawe presented a (usually) weekly mock interview covering a topical issue.[9] Dawe played the interviewer, while Clarke played a prominent public figure but, unusually for satire, he deliberately made no attempt to imitate the appearance, voice, or mannerisms of the person he portrayed. When portraying Julia Gillard he placed a flower pot behind him to give the impression of him being a woman. These interviews were a continuation of the pair’s work for A Current Affair, beginning in 1989, for which they won a number of awards.[citation needed]

2011 changes

The ABC announced in December 2010 that the program would return in 2011 in a new form, under the name 7.30.[1] The revamped program was first presented by Leigh Sales from Sydney. Chris Uhlmann was 7.30′s first political editor and Canberra presenter.

The ABC also announced that Stateline would be folded into the 7.30 program. The change saw 7.30 extended to five nights a week, although Friday editions continued to be presented locally and focus on state affairs.[1]

The program first aired on 7 March 2011.[citation needed]

In 2012, Uhlmann was appointed as 7.30 political editor, therefore stepping down as host. Uhlmann remained as political editor until 2013, when he announced that he would be working on a documentary about the Rudd and Gillard governments for the ABC.[citation needed] Sabra Lane replaced him as political editor, until she left to host the ABC morning radio current affairs program, AM.[10]

In 2015, Jo Puccini was appointed executive producer of the program.[11]

In December 2016, the ABC announced that Andrew Probyn would replace Sabra Lane as political editor.[12] In August 2017, Probyn moved to a new role as the ABC’s political editor replacing Chris Uhlmann who left the broadcaster for the Nine Network.

In February 2018, Laura Tingle was appointed as political editor, replacing Probyn.[13]

In 2014, Sarah Ferguson hosted the show whilst Leigh Sales was on maternity leave.[14] She received critical acclaim for her hard-hitting interview style from many Australian media outlets.[15]

In 2018, Justin Stevens was appointed executive producer.[citation needed]

In February 2022, Sales announced that she would be stepping down as host, after almost 12 years in the role. She finished hosting the program in June, after the federal election, but continued to work for the ABC.[16]

In April 2022, ABC announced that Sarah Ferguson would return from her role as special correspondent in Washington, D.C. to succeed Sales as the host of 7.30 from July 2022.[17]

Joel Tozer was announced as the new executive producer of the program in June 2022, taking over from Justin Stevens, who was appointed director of news for the network.[18]

In May 2025, ABC announced that Laura Tingle would be departing 7.30 after six years to take on a new role as global affairs editor.[19][20] Tingle was replaced by Jacob Greber, former chief digital political correspondent at the ABC.[21][22]

Description

7.30 is a half-hour current affairs television program that follows the evening news on ABC TV. It is the flagship for the network, with The Sydney Morning Herald saying “7.30 remains arguably [the ABC’s] most impactful daily program. It is regularly the broadcaster’s most watched on any given night.”[23]

Hosts

Presenter Tenure
Kerry O’Brien 1995–2010
Leigh Sales 2011–2022
Chris Uhlmann 2011–2012
Sarah Ferguson 2022–present

David Speers is currently a fill-in presenter.[citation needed]

Political editor

Presenter Tenure
Chris Uhlmann 2012–2013
Sabra Lane 2013–2016
Andrew Probyn 2016–2017
Laura Tingle 2018–2025
Jacob Greber 2025–present

State editions

On 28 November 2014, Quentin Dempster announced the final episode of the state editions would be the following week (5 December 2014), corresponding with his departure from the public broadcaster.

The state editions of 7.30 were broadcast on ABC at 7:30 p.m., with eight separate state and territory specific editions. Each local version of 7.30 was also broadcast nationally on ABC News over the weekend.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Washbrook, Cyril (3 December 2010). “Sales and Uhlmann will front revamped 7.30”. The Spy Report. Media Spy. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  2. ^ a b Kingston, Margo (4 December 1995). “Operation O’Brien – The plan to rescue The 7.30 Report”. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 8.
  3. ^ “‘7.30 Report’ reprieve”. The Canberra Times. 28 November 1987. Retrieved 14 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ “Singleton to leave 7.30 Report”. The Canberra Times. 30 October 1987. Retrieved 14 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ “Kerry O’Brien to leave 7.30 Report”. The Spy Report. Media Spy. 24 September 2010. Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
  6. ^ Washbrook, Cyril (9 December 2010). “Kerry O’Brien signs off from The 7.30 Report”. The Spy Report. Media Spy. Archived from the original on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  7. ^ “Ewart joins 7.30 Report”. The Canberra Times. 24 January 1994. Retrieved 14 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ “Papers of Paul Lyneham”. 1999.
  9. ^ Woodley, Brian (28 January 2000). “Duo put twist in The 7.30 Report’s tail”. The Australian. p. 3.
  10. ^ Lallo, Michael (26 October 2016). “Sabra Lane quits 7.30 to host the ABC’s flagship radio show, AM”. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  11. ^ Aston, Joe (18 March 2015). “Jo Puccini appointed new EP of 7:30”. Financial Review. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  12. ^ “Andrew Probyn joins ABC News”. About the ABC. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  13. ^ Carmody, Broede (12 February 2018). “Laura Tingle named chief political correspondent for ABC’s 7.30 program”. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  14. ^ “Sarah Ferguson to host 7.30 when Leigh Sales takes leave”. The Australian. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  15. ^ Mathieson, Craig (30 May 2014). “Why Sarah Ferguson won’t be easily forgotten as ABC’s 7.30 presenter”. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  16. ^ “Leigh Sales announces she is stepping down as presenter of 7.30”. ABC News. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  17. ^ Knox, David (29 April 2022). “Sarah Ferguson to host 7:30”. TV Tonight. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  18. ^ Down, Rhiannon (30 May 2022). “ABC nabs Nine star producer Joel Tozer in revamp”. The Australian.
  19. ^ “7.30’s Laura Tingle to become ABC’s new Global Affairs Editor”. ABC News. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  20. ^ Jaspan, Calum (7 May 2025). “Laura Tingle to leave 7.30 for global ABC role”. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  21. ^ “ABC News names Jacob Greber as 7.30 Political Editor”. About the ABC. 12 June 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  22. ^ “Jacob Greber to replace Laura Tingle as 7.30 political editor, ABC announces”. ABC News. 12 June 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  23. ^ “Front-runner emerges to replace Laura Tingle on ABC’s 7.30”. The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.