The Drum

The Drum is an Australian nightly television current affairs and news analysis program hosted by Julia Baird, Ellen Fanning, and Dan Bourchier. The program airs in the primetime slot of 6:00 pm weekdays on ABC TV and is aired later on the ABC News Channel at 9:00 pm AEDT. The program is broadcast nationally across Australia, live from the ABC's headquarters in Sydney, with a special "week in review" episode broadcast on Saturday evening. It is also streamed live on iview, and broadcast in over 40 countries across the Asia/Pacific region on the ABC's international channel, ABC Australia. The program brings together a panel of prominent experts and high-profile opinion-leaders to discuss the key issues gripping or confounding Australia. History The program premiered in 2010 with the launch of the ABC's 24-hour news channel. In May 2014, The Drum moved from the ABC News Channel to the ABC's primary channel with a new look, new timeslot of 5:30 pm, and a new 30-minute format.