The updates have hurt audiences for several shows and podcasts, according to two people with knowledge of the situation who are not authorised to speak publicly.

An ABC spokesperson said the rebuilt app was designed to create a seamless and personalised experience for digital audiences.

“The new app is faster and has improved accessibility, curated genre content and is more personalised based on individual preferences and listening habits,” she said. “The development of features and enhancements for ABC listen is ongoing and being prioritised based on audience usage.”

The spokesperson said the episode-sharing function is currently being rolled out on iOS services, with Android to follow shortly.

Swan has been approached for comment.

Swan is one of the ABC’s highest-profile presenters and a name closely associated with the Radio National brand. He first joined the broadcaster in 1982. Alongside Tegan Taylor, Swan hosts The Health Report, which airs at 9am on Saturdays, and is repeated three times throughout the week. The popular What’s That Rash podcast is also part of the show – it was Australia’s 79th most popular podcast in the July rankings from aggregator Triton.

Radio National is under review, with Rosendorff assessing how it sells itself and its programming schedule. It is also establishing a new mission statement to replace the “think bigger” tagline.

Staff have also been directed to refer to the station by its full name, Radio National, instead of “RN”.

New ABC chair Kim Williams has publicly stressed the importance of Radio National, telling staff in a briefing in July he intends to establish it as the heartland of the broadcaster, emulating the impact of the BBC’s Radio 4.

The ABC listen app had 452,000 listeners a week on average across 2022-23, according to its latest annual report, down 1 per cent on the year prior.

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