Beccy Cole will wrap up hosting the ABC‘s Saturday Night Country program at the end of the month.

Beccy took over SNC in 2021 from Felicity Urquhart, with both women established country music artists themselves. During Beccy’s tenure she’s interviewed some of the industry’s biggest names including recent highlights, Shania Twain and Chris Stapleton.

As a passionate advocate for Australian artists via a portable studio setup, she’s been able to also introduce hundreds of artists while on the road and backstage at festivals and gigs. The show went national in 2024.

Beccy said:

“After 5 years of loving every minute of hosting Saturday Night Country, I feel it’s time to make room for a new voice.  I have enjoyed presenting the program during the great country music boom and I am musically richer for all the artists I have discovered and immersed myself in during my time at ABC Country.  I’ll miss sharing new gems and old favourites with our treasured listeners and, of course, the great yarns I had with Country superstars across the globe. I am so grateful for my time at ABC and Saturday Night Country and the fabulous team I’ve worked with.”

There will be a replacement announced in due course. There are copious country options on the DAB+ dial, but with the recent copyright stoush between the PPCA and commercial radio, one of the casualties could be specialist country music programs, for example the The Country Music Countdown that runs through various Nine Radio stations and affiliates, where the talk station has no requirement to play music at all.

Of note too is that triple j this year have launched a country music program, Country Club hosted by Outback Tom (Tom Forrest), from 6-7pm Saturdays. Perhaps Tom might take up Sunday evenings too.

Beccy’s final show will be February 28 with Saturday Night Country airing from 9pm–12am AEDT every Saturday on ABC Country, ABC Local Radio around the country and on ABC listen.