7:30 Report revamp for 2011?

Source: Wikipedia

Recently it was announced that Kerry O'Brien, long-time host of the excellent ABC current affairs program The 7:30 Report, was planning on stepping down as host of the show as of the end of 2010. While this is indeed a very sad moment for those of us who have been enthralled for many a year with his incisive interviews, the fact is it is more than likely just reflective of the inevitable change that occurs in anything, no matter how wonderful, after so many years. In this particular case, we were very lucky to have someone of Kerry's calibre as the host of The 7:30 Report for 15 years, and I know I for one will sorely miss his evening contributions. So long as he stays on board for the ABC Election evening programs, then it won't be a total loss to this nation.

Attention is now, of course, turning towards what needs to be done in 2011 to keep The 7:30 Report format alive - as this article from The Australian demonstrates - and it would appear that in some respects the ABC might just be as clueless as the rest of us. While I can understand the desire not to give away advance plans for 2011 right now, the fact is that I seriously hope the ABC are examining this issue with the gravitas it deserves. Under Kerry's stewardship, The 7:30 Report has become a national icon, an institution, and they will need to do something awesome to ensure the same quality delivery of content can continue in a post-O'Brien world. This is more than just finding a new host for the show within the ranks of the ABC News staff, this is about finding someone who has the level of passion and dedication that Kerry brought to the role.

The linked article from above does give me some cause for hope, as it would appear that the ABC do indeed seem serious about keeping things fresh as they move into 2011. The fact that they are even considering a "from the ground up" re-think of their 7:30pm weekday timeslot is a good idea, especially as it'll help whoever steps into the breach avoid the obvious comparisons to what went before, as well as those "It used to be better under Kerry..." comments. I'd definitely be sad to see the Friday evening Stateline program vanish, although I do understand why the ABC are feeling the pinch, particularly since launching the ABC News 24 channel in July. I just hope they keep things as they are, but fiddle around with the format of The 7:30 Report to give it a bit of a break from the Kerry Era. I think that will ultimately be their best move. I cannot see them going back to a completely state-based current affairs program, although I can see them branching the new program out, and making it feel more at home in a post-ABC News 24 world. Heck, it wouldn't surprise me if the new show ended up using their stock News 24 set to help save costs.

Either way, come December it will be a sad day when Kerry O'Brien finally does decidce to step down from his hosting duties on The 7:30 Report. His contributions to the intelligent discussion within this nation over the last 15 years have been invaluable, and he will be missed. I also vainly hope that whatever the ABC decides to do, they don't turn the show into yet another ACA or Today Tonight in 2011! 'Cause that would be bad...