| Radio |
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| SBS Radio
The world's most linguistically diverse radio network, broadcasting in 68 languages. Overview SBS Radio is the multilingual voice of Australia. It broadcasts in 68 languages - more than any other broadcaster in the world - and each week transmits more than 650 hours of programming, including news - local, national and international - and a mixture of current affairs, interviews, community information, sport and music. SBS Radio is a powerful tool in meeting the settlement, information and communication needs of Australians of non-English speaking backgrounds. It provides cross-cultural links and information lifelines to Australia's diverse cultural groups, allowing them to adjust and participate fully in Australian life and maintain their cultural identities as well. Beginnings It began in 1975 with the establishment of two radio stations - 2EA in Sydney and 3EA in Melbourne - broadcasting in seven and eight languages respectively. Envisaged as a three-month experimental service to explain Australia's new healthcare system, SBS Radio was formally established three years later and quickly grew into a national service to meet the needs of Australia's diverse cultural communities. From its early days when it broadcast 42 hours of programs in eight languages each week, SBS Radio today broadcasts 650 hours of programming in 68 languages each week. SBS Radio's five-signal service is broadcast on a network of 14 transmitters. Sydney and Melbourne are each serviced by an FM and an AM station and SBS's national signal is heard in every State capital city and several regional centres. Independent audience surveys of Australia's largest language groups show that for the majority, SBS Radio is their main source of news and information. It also is their primary source of information about government and community services. Languages Each hour, a different language program is heard. Programs are based on language not ethnicity, and some programs, such as Arabic and Spanish, reach people from different countries of origin. The major language programs - Arabic, Greek, Italian, Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese - are broadcast twice daily, seven days a week, while some smaller language groups broadcast only one hour a week. The time each language group is allocated is determined by the size of the community and other factors, including proficiency in English, and the proportion of new arrivals. Programs SBS Radio broadcasters present to their listeners the widest possible range of program content - news and current affairs, sport, interviews, talk-back, documentaries, drama and music. More than 13,500 hours of individual programs are produced each year. Every day, 36 unique news bulletins are produced and each weekday (at 6.30am and at 5pm) the English language news and current affairs program, World View, provides a multicultural perspective to national and international events. Its companion program, Nightwatch, provides a Saturday (midnight to 1am) review of the week’s events. Alchemy, SBS Radio's alternative music, news and views program, broadcasts to young Australians each night between 11pm and midnight, and up to 1am on Fridays. Online SBS Radio Online provides audio streaming in 68 languages, making it the most extensive multilingual Internet audio service in the world. Text and audio segments cover current affairs and cultural and community issues. News reports and national and international current affairs features from the World View program are also available online. |
