Radio dish
Dishes from the Australia Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder are seen at Murchison, Western Australia October 5, 2012. In the remote Australian outback, scientists have launched the world's fastest radio telescope which will exponentially increase astronomers' ability to survey the universe, mapping black holes and shedding new light on the origins of galaxies. Reuters/Rebekah Kebede

The ABC has cut down its regional “Mornings” programs from the 2016 schedule, leaving Coalition MPs disappointed. The radio channel has also shuffled some if its local news broadcasts by changing the time slots for regional programs.

The ABC said that the “Breakfast” programs will replace the “Mornings” schedule along with new-feature-based broadcast, tentatively titled “Local Life,” which will be broadcast between 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The regional radio stations of Tasmania, Newcastle and Western Australia, however, will not be affected from the change in schedule.

Federal member for Page Kevin Hogan condemned the ABC radio for cutting down the famous morning program. He claimed that the ABC management is only interested in competing with the city media outlets. “Local ABC Radio, on the other hand, is often the only news outlet in regional areas – and this is where they see fit to cut. It shows complete lack of commitment to regional areas which given they are publicly funded is not accepted,” the member added, the Northern Star quoted.

Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss also criticised the ABC radio on Thursday and said that if the management feels that changing the schedule will offer better services to the regional areas then why don’t they do the same for the Sydney-based audiences. “I think the ABC has lost its way,” he added.

ABC Radio’s regional director Fiona Reynolds said that removing “Mornings” from the slot will allow breakfast programs to run for a longer time. She claimed that the change in schedule is completely based on fulfilling audience’s expectations. “Content gathered from our staff on the road will be fed into the extended Breakfast program and on digital platforms so it can be shared across regions and nationally,” she told ABC staff, Sunshine Coast Daily reported.

The federal government rejected the ABC’s budget by $250 million in 2014, leading to the closure of the Bush Telegraph program along with some regional hubs. However, scscthe ABC managed to create 50 new jobs in its new regional division.

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