Radio group Macquarie Media has announced the launch of its first-ever national program to focus on news and current affairs.

Macquarie Weekly is broadcasting live each Sunday on 2GB Sydney (from 7pm to 9pm), 3AW Melbourne (from 7pm to 9pm), 4BC Brisbane (from 6pm to 8pm) and 6PR Perth (from 4pm to 6pm).

It takes a look at the news of the week through the eyes and ears of the presenters, journalists and listeners of Macquarie Radio.

This includes the stories and issues driven by some of Macquarie’s broadcasters such as Alan Jones, Ray Hadley, Ross Stevenson, John Burns, Neil Mitchell, Steve Mills, and Basil Zempilas.

Macquarie Weekly is hosted by Justin Smith (pictured above), who also speaks with the people making the news and takes coast-to-coast talkback.

“It’s very exciting. This is a truly national program, and every listener – and every radio station – has an equal stake,” Smith said.

“It’s wonderful to take talkback from someone on one side of the country and broadcast it to the other side, and to demonstrate the enormous breadth of content and opinion across the Macquarie Media network.”

Macquarie Media CEO Adam Lang said: “Macquarie Weekly is something new; our first national news talk program.

“Our presenters right around the country are the best at identifying a good story, and this program will now allow us to tell those stories to a national audience.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re listening in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne – this program focuses on issues and topics that transcend state borders.”