The alert that keeps you alarmed.

To view Chaser News Alerts online, click here to visit the ABC site.

Or you can download them from the Comedy section on your 3 mobile phone. Charges may apply, see information posted on the 3 service for details


The ABC sacked all staff in the News and Current Affairs Department today after announcing it would outsource its entire news service to the team from The Chaser. The ABC has commissioned the team behind the Logie winning comedy series CNNNN and The Chaser Decides to produce weekly 4 minute “Chaser News Alerts”, commencing on 22 September.

Departing Director of ABC TV Sandra Levy refused to interrupt normal ABC broadcasting to take the announcement live.

Chaser News Alerts will replace The 7:30 Report, Four Corners, Mediawatch, Foreign Correspondent and Lateline and will be broadcast on ABC2 and ABC Online. The Insiders will continue, however, as The Chaser team doesn’t work weekends.

The Alerts will feature Andrew Hansen, Chas Licciardello, Dominic Knight and Julian Morrow, with cameo appearances from Senator Bill Heffernan, Dannii Minogue and Princess Diana (via psychic).

“I hate thinking of things to say for press releases,” said The Chaser’s Julian Morrow. “Can’t you just make something up?”

“Chaser News Alerts is an exciting new media venture that will give people a sharp, weekly dose of The Chaser’s defamatory take on current affairs,” he added.

Since it was founded as a newspaper in 1999, The Chaser has been consistently been rated Australia’s second funniest current affairs team after Today Tonight. The Chaser is now a satirical media empire which rivals Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation in all fields except power, influence, popularity and profitability.

Although the team has recycled material in most media including TV, radio, online and books, this is the team’s first foray into online and mobile broadcasting.