How does the ABC connect with a younger audience that shuns broadcast television and radio and is conditioned to consume their content on demand and on their smartphones? The answer is podcasts.

Back in February, the ABC debuted The Signal, a daily news and current affairs podcast. The short, sharp show comes in at about 10 to 15 minutes an episode, and while the influence of The New York Times' The Daily podcast is obvious, The Signal has developed its own distinct voice.

"The conversational tone was key and the American podcasts like The Daily are great at it. But we didn't want to emulate the American style," explains executive producer Cathy Bell. "Young Australian audiences are very sophisticated. They listen to a lot of stuff and they won't be patronised or manipulated. So it was really important to have young Australians telling the stories they wanted to tell, in their way."

Telling those stories are journalists Ange Lavoipierre, Stephen Smiley and Chris Dengate with a rotating team of contributors along for the ride. Lavoipierre is thrilled by the opportunity.

"To have the chance to build something from scratch in an organisation like the ABC is a pretty rare thing. We've been able to steer the tone, the values, the stories, and just generally make something that we love.