Patricia Karvelas is leaving Radio National Breakfast after three years at the microphone, but will continue to host Q&A and present politics on the ABC’s television news channel.
Guardian Australia understands the change in the key role of RN Breakfast host is the first step in a refresh of Radio National which ABC chair Kim Williams has singled out as a priority for the public broadcaster.
Karvelas has been working for the ABC since 2014 and has hosted RN Drive and The Party Room podcast as well as Breakfast and the Monday night talkshow.
The former journalist for The Australian replaced Fran Kelly, who left the Breakfast program after 17 years on the agenda-setting news show in 2021.
The ABC said on Wednesday Karvelas would next year take on a key role talking about politics on the ABC News channel.
“After a decade it’s time to change it up and I’m ready to lean into a new cross-platform role,” Karvelas said.
“I want to thank the ABC for the opportunities it has provided me through my decade here. It continues to be the most important public institution in the country in my view and I want to help build its connections with voters across the country.
“I’ll miss the Radio National audience enormously. There’s something magical about waking up when the country is asleep to bring the big news and conversations to the country.
The ABC’s director of news, Justin Stevens, said Karvelas is a talented presenter and formidable political journalist and would be given an expanded cross-platform role.
“In 2025 we want her to play a bigger role across our platforms to cover politics for our audience,” he said. “We’re excited to see her have a broader audience across audio, TV and digital for ABC News.”
A former political reporter for the Murdoch broadsheet, Karvelas has claimed she has been repeatedly targeted by News Corp for her ratings performance.
In turn she has accused News Corp of publishing hit pieces against her because of an “ideological obsession with the ABC”.
“Another Murdoch hit piece against me,” she said on social media in December.
“It’s now so common I can set my alarm to it. There are so many important stories in this country but that’s not their business model.”
The ratings for Radio National are down across the board, and ABC management is conducting a review.
The ABC’s head of audio content, Ben Latimer, has said the growth at Radio National is in podcasts rather than live radio.
“What we are seeing with RN is less appointment-driven linear listening, with the exception of Breakfast with Patricia Karvelas,” he told trade publication Mediaweek. “There is a huge appetite for RN specialist content in the podcasts arena.”
