Also known as BtN Country of origin Australia | Opening theme Theme Song Original language(s) English | |
Genre Children's Education, Current Affairs Presented by Nathan Bazley
Sarah Larsen
Tash Thiele | ||
Behind the News (more commonly known as BtN) is a long-running news program broadcast on Australia's ABC TV made in Adelaide and aimed at school-aged children (8–13 years of age). BtN is aimed at upper primary and lower secondary students with the goal of helping them understand current issues and events in their world.
Contents
Behind the News explores major news events using the language, music and popular culture of young people. The program explains the concepts that underpin the issues and events, while also providing background information that puts current affairs into context. Behind the News also covers kids' issues often overlooked by mainstream news, and makes use of online resources including streaming video of BtN stories, study materials for teachers and additional information and activities for students. BtN explains news items in a fun, simplistic way that is easy to understand.
Many schools allow students watch BtN on a regular basis in the hope that it will give them an insight into politics, current affairs, sport and various other topics.
History
In 2004 Behind the News was temporarily axed due to Government budget cuts but returned to air in 2005. While BtN was the first and original program of this nature, a similar program on Network Ten, ttn (the total news), debuted in the year BtN did not air. ttn itself was axed at the end of 2008.
In June 2014, BtN celebrated its 45th birthday (based on years of production, discounting 2004), producing a short spliced clip of several decades' worth of presenters and theme songs. On 21 July 2014, BtN moved to digital channel ABC3 as part of the ABC's educational programming move.
On 2 May 2016, BTN relaunched with new graphics and a new look, also switching from using greenscreen to using the same set used on ABC3 News. The new graphics and new look were teased on 1 May 2016's BTN Newsbreak, a rebrand of ABC3 News.
BtN Newsbreak
BtN Newsbreak (Previously known as ABC3 News & News On 3) is a program broadcast on ABC3 since launch, and in its current form, May 2016. They are produced by and feature the same team as Behind the News.