AM (EBC Radio 1)

AM, frequently referred to as the AM programme, is a long running Euroish morning news and current affairs programme. It is broadcast seven days a week on EBC Radio 1, on weekdays from 6.00am to 9.00am, Saturdays from 7.00am to 10.00am and Sundays from 8.00am to 11.00am. It is preceded on weekdays by The Day Ahead and followed by Up on The Hour.

AM primarily focuses on lengthy, in-depth interviews with newsmakers and politicians, along with informative weather reports, sports news, business and city news, a review of the front pages and the insides of major newspapers and topical magazines and reportage of cultural events and the arts.

History
AM was launched on Radio National at 7.00am on the morning of Monday 31st October 1955. The programme was initally broadcast for only one hour, launched in a much softer format than the hard, provocative format it has developed, and was more oriented towards lifestyle, culture and sports rather than politics and business, originally billed as "your morning friend to discuss topical aspects of life". AM also initally incorporated light music within the programme. Throughout much of it's first decade, Brian Holland was the programme's main presenter. Holland was a popular presenter at the time, due to his relaxed and urbane style of broadcasting.

By the late 1960's, the light music had been dropped, and AM was on air for two hours per morning by this point, ending at 9.00am. 1965 also saw the introduction of a second presenter for AM, joining Holland and replacing him on days of absence. Initally, this was Peter MacGregor, with Susan Sywell as the backup third presenter. As Radio National became Radio 1 in 1970, there was a major overhaul in the network's schedule, which controversially meant that AM would be revamped as a more serious hard news programme broadcast twice a morning for half an hour at 7.00am and 8.00am, with the 7.30am and 8.30am slots replaced with a new light-hearted lifestyle and culture show, Up to The Hour.

Holland left AM in 1970 to present the new programme, with MacGregor - who had a more serious and firm attitude, placed as permanent primary presenter, alongside Sywell, who managed to bring a lighter human touch to the stories. Whilst MacGregor and Sywell's more serious format for AM and to a lesser extent Up to The Hour with Holland were well-liked by listeners, the new schedule was disliked and ridiculed both by listeners and the media, in many cases within the EBC itself, who had cold feet over the idea a flagship hard news programme was being given only an hour, with a frivolous light magazine wedged inbetween.

So it was the case than at the start of 1972, AM reverted to a two-hour programme helmed by MacGregor and Sywell whilst Up to The Hour was moved to follow the programme at 9.00am, renamed to Up on The Hour, becoming a single hour-long programme in the process. The double-headed format lasted until 1978, when new programme editor Rod Timpson felt the programme should represent national politics and opinion more frequently, rather than a clear Euro City bias, to become a balanced, national focused programme. Sywell was axed from the programme and presentation was split between MacGregor and a secondary host presenting from Belton, Thomas Mosey, a team that quickly became established with their on-air humour becoming very popular and influential. Sywell presented the new programme The Day Ahead which went to air at 6.00am.