ABC Radio National Breakfast gets new faces, new time as Sally Sara named Patricia Karvelas’ successor

The ABC’s flagship political radio program Radio National Breakfast is getting a major overhaul in 2025, with a new time slot and a “formidable team” of reporters shuffling in to replace outgoing host Patricia Karvelas and revive slumping ratings.

Karvelas, who replaced long-term RN Breakfast host Fran Kelly in early 2022, revealed she would leave the program to “lean into a new cross-platform role” after 10 years at RN.

The regarded political journalist will take on a new role covering national politics with the broadcaster, including a new role as anchor of the ABC’s News channel’s Afternoon Briefing, and hosting a new politics podcast Politics Now. She will also continue to host Q&A and The Party Room podcast and write for the ABC.

On Friday, the ABC announced Karvelas’ replacement would be award-winning foreign correspondent Sally Sara.

Sara, a two-time Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year, will lead a team of reporters to deliver RN Breakfast at a new starting time of 5.30 am, instead of 6 am.

In a statement, Sara said she “can’t wait” to get into the RN Breakfast studio and was “extremely grateful for the opportunity” to join the program.

The ABC said Sara brings “extensive experience” in audio journalism — and is the current presenter of The World Today — to the role. She has reported from more than 40 countries as an ABC foreign correspondent — including Africa, Iraq, India and Afghanistan — and has worked for Landline and Foreign Correspondent.

Karvelas gave her successor the tick of approval, herself, describing Sara as “one of the ABC’s most experienced journalists and beloved foreign correspondents”.

“I’m so happy for the Radio National listeners who will not only receive first-class news and analysis every day but also benefit from Sally’s deep international experience at this time of great global upheaval,” she said.

RN Breakfast will also welcome ABC political correspondent Melissa Clarke, business correspondent Peter Ryan, and Luke Siddham Dundon to the half-hour earlier broadcast in 2025.

ABC news director Justin Stevens said the new lineup is a “formidable team” that will bring great expertise and insights to the program and “be part of setting the national agenda every day”.

The changes model RN Breakfast on BBC Radio 4’s Today program, per the wishes of ABC chairman Kim Williams — who has spoken about his aspirations for RN to have the same influence of that UK program.

It also follows grim radio ratings for RN Breakfast, which has seen audience numbers halve since 2021.

In this month’s radio ratings survey, RN Breakfast had a 2 per cent share in Sydney and 2.2 per cent in Melbourne. That same survey in 2021 recorded an audience share of 4.6 per cent in Sydney and 4.5 per cent in Melbourne.

The total audience in the cities had dropped from 147,000 to 62,000 in Melbourne and from 140,000 to 70,000 in Sydney.

Mr Williams has reportedly expressed a desire for RN to reach 17 per cent of the Australian public weekly, as Radio 4 does, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The ABC has been reviewing its Radio National offering, including reassessing its programming schedule and considering replacing its tagline — “big thinker” — and mission statement. He has also urged staff to refer to it as Radio National rather than “RN”.