Produced by Schwartz Publishing, which is the company behind

The Saturday Paper, The Monthly and Quarterly Essay, plus the prolific Black Inc publishing house, 7am gives listeners a daily dose of in-depth discussion behind the biggest stories of the day.

At under 20 minutes, the episodes are ideal as a way to top up information gathered via other media sources. The podcasts feature writers and analysts from other Schwartz publications, including Paul Bongiorno, Mike Seccombe and Martin McKenzie-Murray.

Other guests have included Australian Republican Movement Chair Craig Foster.

Polly Hemming from the Australia Institute is a recent contributor in a program on climate change.

As with all Schwartz stablemates, 7am is not afraid to shy away from social-justice implications from stories, and has been vociferous in its condemnation of Liberal Leader Peter Dutton’s language in the early days of the Voice debate.

A recent podcast goes beyond the rather glib treatment of the housing crisis in other media.

Not confined to Australian news, the podcast has also covered topics as diverse as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the coronation of Charles III and the stubbornness of Republican support for Donald Trump.

Readers looking for a fast look at the news, without the usual commentary from News Corp and, increasingly, the ABC and Nine, should set their alarms for 7am.