ABC star Patricia Karvelas announces big move: 'I'm excited and privileged to take on the role'

Patricia Karvelas has landed the plum gig of hosting ABC's embattled panel discussion program Q+A.

Karvelas made the announcement to her 161,000 followers on social media platform X on Monday.

The announcement comes following the resignation of Stan Grant in July with the program struggling to draw in viewers and calls growing for the show to be canned.

'Q+A is the town hall,' Karvelas said.

'It's the only program bringing together a range of guests to debate the big issues where ordinary people – not journalists or insiders – can come along and ask questions of powerful people.'

'I thrive on big and difficult conversations and I'm excited and privileged to take on the role of host of this iconic ABC program in 2024.'

Karvelas said she was committed to evolving the show to meet the changing needs of the audience. 

'A show like Q+A should constantly be evolving to meet the needs of Australians and that's what I'm committed to doing.

'RN Breakfast is the agenda-setting long-form audio interview program that brings me so much joy. I'm delighted to combine my love of radio and TV at the ABC.'

ABC news director Justin Stevens said the program would benefit from having a host of the calibre of Karvelas.

'Patricia's an exceptional communicator with a rare ability to cut through complex issues and make them clear,' he said.

'She's an independent thinker who brings ethical and intellectual rigour to her journalism.'

Q+A, which has been running since 2008, has been struggling to draw in viewers this year.

A highly contentious and well-publicised episode in November, hosted by Karvelas, and featuring fiery debate about the fighting between Israel and Hamas, drew only 209,000 viewers nationally.  

Just 59,000 Sydney viewers tuned in with Melbourne supplying 81,000 and all the other capital cities having 25,000 or less. 

The prestigious Radio National Breakfast program hosted by Karvelas has also been struggling in the ratings.

Recent surveys showed that since the departure of the program's 17-year mainstay Fran Kelly in 2021 listenership has plunged by a third. 

National cumulative listenership (different people reached at least once by a radio station during a time period) across the five major cities has fallen from 372,000 listeners in Kelly’s last survey, to 247,000, a drop of 33.6 per cent.

The programs audience share has also dropped below five per cent in all capitals with it ranging between 4.3 per cent in Sydney to just 0.9 per cent in Perth.

Grant's sensational departure as Q+A host in July, where he accused the ABC of not being supportive enough of him in the face of torrents of vile racial abuse, was followed shortly after by the show's longtime executive producer Erin Vincent.

She posted on her Instagram account that 'after 14 years at the ABC the time has come for something new'.

Q+A returns on Monday 19 February 2024.