Radio Australia
Type | Radio network |
---|---|
Country | Australia |
Availability | International |
Owner | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
Launch date | 20 December 1939 |
Official website | radioaustralia |
Language | English, Pidgin, French |
ABC Radio Australia, also known as Radio Australia, is the international
.Radio Australia broadcasts on FM transmitters in seven countries across the Pacific Islands, to the Indo-Pacific region via satellite, and to the rest of world via online streaming.[1]
History
Programme Delivery
Radio Australia had a considerable range of broadcasts to the Asian region in the 1970s and 1980s,[
In 1993, the ABC launched its
In January 2017 the ABC terminated its last
In December 2019, ABC Radio Australia celebrated 80 years of international radio broadcasting.
Transmission facilities
In almost 80 years of terrestrial service, Radio Australia has utilised a wide range of transmission facilities for delivery of its programmes to target areas, both from within Australia and from established international broadcasting sites overseas.
Shepparton, Vic (1941–2017)
In 1941, following consultation between the
Carnarvon, WA (1976–1996)
In the 70's, test transmissions began from the 250 kW transmitter early in December 1975 and official test broadcasts began a couple of weeks later on December 20, 1975, the second transmitter was the 100 kW Harris and this unit began test broadcasts on February 15 in 1976, third transmitter, rated at 300 kW and designated as VLM, was taken into regular service on May 6, 1984, and the station was finally closed on 31 July 1996.
Cox Peninsula, Darwin, NT (1966–1997)
A new transmitting facility was installed by the
Bald Hills, Brisbane, Qld (1973–1976)
In 1941, the PMGD acquired a site and then established transmission facilities at Bald Hills, then to the north of Brisbane, now a suburb of Brisbane. The site was principally intended for the AM national broadcasting services 4QG and 4QR, but also for ABC HF Inland Service to serve remote northwest Queensland. From late 1973 to 1976 the site relayed the Radio Australia Papua New Guinea service on 11880 kHz.On the Air
Brandon, Qld (1989–2015)
The high power ABC AM station, 4QN Townsville, had been operating from a site at Brandon, south of Townsville since the early 1950s.On the Air In 1988, three STC 10 kW transmitters were relocated from the Lyndhurst site which had recently closed. Also relocated from Lyndhurst was a rotatable log periodic antenna, locked in direction towards Papua New Guinea. Scheduled transmissions commenced 7 May 1989 on 6020 kHz. A second phase of implementation commenced shortly thereafter with the installation of two TCI curtain arrays, one beamed towards PNG and the other towards the Coral Sea and beyond (Solomon Islands and Vanuatu). Portion of the antenna was salvaged from the cyclone damaged Cox Peninsula facility.
Shepparton, Vic – Amateur Radio (2020)
On 14–15 March 2020 the Shepparton and District Amateur Radio Club organised a special event station VI3RA, with amateur radio operators connecting their equipment to the disused antenna arrays at the Shepparton site in order to communicate with amateur radio operators worldwide.
Target areas
Radio Australia's short-wave signal was primarily aimed at the
Radio Australia could also be heard on
Radio Australia programs are also available via the Internet. These services are streamed from machines hosted by Akamai Technologies in Steinsel, Luxembourg ensuring good network connectivity for listeners in Europe.[citation needed]
Domestic Asia Pacific program
Asia Pacific was a regional news and current affairs program broadcast from Tuesday to Saturday at 12.05am and repeated at 5am on Radio National, for a domestic audience, from around or before 2009.[13] It was created by Radio Australia, Asia Pacific was first launched in April 1998, and it runs until August 2014 after sixteen years on air.[14] Schedule changes by ABC Radio Australia in 2013 saw the show lose its domestic radio audience.[citation needed]
Programming
Radio Australia's English language programs consist of material produced by ABC Radio Australia, and also other ABC radio networks such as
's SBS Gagana Samoan program.On the Record
on 4 July 2023, Radio Australia launched its new weekly music show, On The Record, hosted by Samoan-Australian music journalist, broadcaster, and content producer Sosefina Fuamoli. It features well-known artists from around the Pacific region, such as Tiana Khasi, Sprigga Mek, and Joji Malani, and is broadcast to Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Samoa.
Controversies
Indonesian killings in 1965–1966
Radio Australia has been implicated in the Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66 for its propaganda broadcasts that contributed to the anti-Communist hysteria in Indonesia.[20][21] At the time Radio Australia was the most popular foreign radio station in Indonesia and had a high signal strength.[22][21][23] It was popular with students as it was the only station in Indonesia to play rock music.[22] The Indonesian National Armed Forces gave Radio Australia daily briefings on what it should report and what phrases should be used.[24] The station was instructed to report manipulations of the truth as if they were facts.[21]
The
The Australian ambassador, Mick Shann, encouraged Radio Australia to report manipulations and misconstructions of the truth in line with requests from the Indonesian Army, and told the station to not compromise the Army's position.[20] He said Radio Australia's broadcasts were "excellent propaganda and of assistance to the anti-PKI forces"[21] and "we must be a bit dishonest for a while."[20][26]
Richard Woolcott explained his guidance to the radio station by saying "Radio Australia should, by careful selection of its news items, not do anything which would be helpful to the PKI and should highlight reports tending to discredit the PKI and show its involvement in the losing cause of the 30th September movement."[23][26][25]
The propaganda encouraged militias and civilians to participate in the slaughter, and justifying the killings through the demonisation of the victims.[20]
Other international ABC services
ABC's Asia Pacific television network, as of 2021[update] known as ABC Australia, has been broadcasting to the region since 1993.[5]
The ABC has increased its
ABC Pacific is the ABC's new digital home for the best Pacific Islands content from across the ABC website since 2022.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "How can I listen to ABC Radio Australia?". ABC Pacific. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ISBN 1-876351-07-1, p. 6
- ^
- ISBN 0-85296-920-1, p. 169
- ^ a b c d e f Vincent, Michael; Walsh, Michael (16 December 2019). "Australia Calling: A look at 80 years of Radio Australia and ABC international broadcasting". ABC News. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Stephanie Zillman (28 February 2017). "ABC boss Michelle Guthrie grilled in Senate Estimates over axing shortwave radio service". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ Xenephon leads calls for ABC to reinstate shortwave radio
- ^ ABC short-wave broadcasting to the Pacific
- ^ Wood, 2000: 170
- ^ "Pacifique sans frontières". ABC Radio Australia. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
- ^ "CBC Radio Overnight". CBC Radio Canada. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ Gassin, Timothy (10 July 2012). "Radio Australia returns to Fiji". Media Spy. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "Latest programs". ABC Radio National. Asia Pacific. Archived from the original on 5 December 2009.
- ^ "About us". Radio Australia. (From "About us" tab on the Asia Pacific page.). Archived from the original on 1 December 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b "ABC Radio Australia launches new music show On The Record". About the ABC. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "AU Review turns ten years old, rebrands". Foldback Media NT. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ Cochran, Tyne (9 November 2020). "A Week in the Life Of... Sosefina Fuamoli". Music Industry Inside Out. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Home". Sosefina Fuamoli. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Sose Fuamoli". ABC. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Millott, Marlene (30 September 2015). "Australia's Role in the 1965-66 Communist Massacres in Indonesia". Australian Institute of International Affairs. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d Millott, Marlene. "Accomplice to atrocity?". Inside Indonesia. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ S2CID 153555254. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ ISSN 2291-1847. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- S2CID 157578677. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ a b Henry, Adam Hughes (2014). "The role of propaganda during the Indonesian massacres". ISAA Review. 13 (1): 85–105. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-979-22-9872-7.
Further reading
- Hodge, Errol (20 March 1992). "Radio Australia in the Second World War". Australian Journal of International Affairs. 46 (1): 93–108. ISSN 1035-7718.
- Kafcaloudes, Phil (2022). Australia Calling. The ABC Radio Australia Story. Tas Food Books. ISBN 9780646852430.
External links
- Official website(in English, Chinese, Burmese, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Khmer, and French)