The heartless way ABC boss found out her hit show was being axed after 13 years on air

The executive producer of The Drum reportedly discovered her show was dumped by the ABC while she was on leave for breast cancer treatment.

Annie White is said to have gone through a difficult time when she was told her entire unit would be disbanded Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The national broadcaster announced last week that the program will not be broadcast next year, after it ran for 13 years and the final episode aired last Friday.

Some staff reportedly only found out three days before the end of the season after a work email was sent last Tuesday.

Ms Baird shared a series of behind-the-scenes photos on Tuesday in tribute to ABC staff

The Drum co-host Julia Baird shared a series of behind-the-scenes photos on the same day, paying tribute to the “talented, hard-working team.”

'The last evening of the Drum, Friday December 15th. We laughed, we cried, we raced to the finish line. I've been playing 'The Final Countdown' loudly all day,” she wrote.

'What struck me most at the end of the day, as we stood drinking crazy glasses of champagne, was that the people on this team had so much heart – in the way they cared about their work, our panelists, our guests. '

Ms Baird also paid tribute to Ms White as she reflected on The Drum's 13-year legacy.

“We've had conversations that you rarely have anywhere else, because prioritizing lived experience inherently transforms the debate,” she wrote for the ABC.

“Led by ABC News program director Annie White, who is fiercely and sincerely committed to diversity, The Drum gave a platform to hundreds of people who had never been on television before, and now do so with ease.”

The final episode of The Drum aired on Friday evening and featured panellists Adam Liaw, Catherine Liddle, Toby Ralph and Amy Remeikis.

Ny Breaking Australia has contacted the ABC for comment.

In an email to staff last week, ABC News director Justin Stevens described the decision as “difficult” and noted it would lead to job losses.

The move is part of a broader restructuring initiative that includes disbanding a programming team at ABC News Channel and eliminating one executive position.

Mr Stevens expressed his gratitude to 'The Drum' for its role in discovering new talent through its various panellists.

However, he acknowledged that the show had seen a “relatively small and declining” viewership in recent years.

ABC News director Justin Stevens described the decision to ax The Drum as 'difficult'

Despite the programme's axing, co-hosts Julia Baird, Ellen Fanning and Dan Bourchier will continue in new roles at the ABC.

The program first aired in 2010 with the launch of ABC's 24-hour news channel, but was moved to the main channel in 2014 and given a longer format and a 5.30pm slot.

The show then underwent another renewal in 2019 after it was moved to the 6:00 PM slot and extended to an hour immediately prior to the 7:00 PM evening news bulletin.

Mr. Stevens said the cancellation was not a comment on the show's quality or performance, but rather a hard decision the network had to make about resources.

He said the change will allow other programs to be tested in the lead-up to the evening news, with the programming window crucial for attracting ratings throughout the rest of the evening.

The show's retirement is part of sweeping changes at the network highlighted earlier this year as it anticipates a shift to a digital-first broadcaster by 2028.

Other changes include replacing the state's 7pm Sunday news bulletins with a national version, the layoff of up to 120 employees and a reduced number of ABC executives involved in independent productions.

The digital teams will be expanded and a dedicated Climate and Environment team will also be created.