SBS Radio Consultation 2012

Final Selection Criteria – Analogue (AM/FM) Radio

Large Languages Criteria: population of approximately 20,000 or greater.

High Needs Languages Criteria:

Threshold requirement - population must be greater than 1,000
English language proficiency (weight = 40%)
Recentness of arrival (weight = 30%)
Ageing (weight = 15%)
Household resources and unemployment (weight = 15%)

SBS may also include a sizeable ethnic community if its needs are significant but not adequately captured in the Large Language or High Needs Selection Criteria. Factors which SBS may take into account include:

Discrimination/Vilification: where a group is subject to frequent discrimination or vilification in Australia based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin.
Immediate need: a significant increase in the population of a language group through Australia’s Humanitarian Program.

Why does SBS need to review its radio services?

The last significant change of SBS's analogue radio service was conducted in 1994 (minor changes in 2003). Since that time, changes in Australia's migrant intake has meant that the relative size of languages spoken in the country has changed and new languages are being spoken in the community. More

With limited resources, SBS will focus its analogue radio channels to service Large and High Needs Language Audiences. SBS expects to service approximately 10 language audience groups that rank highest according to the high needs index.

A revised radio schedule will ensure that SBS continues to deliver on its obligations as set out in the SBS Charter.

A public consultation was conducted between 2-30 April 2012 to seek feedback on the proposed Selection Criteria which SBS would use to review and update languages broadcast on a new analogue radio schedule.

SBS received almost 1,200 responses to the public consultation. After consideration of all feedback, the final Selection Criteria, which has been endorsed by the SBS Board, is shown above.

How did SBS decide the final Selection Criteria?

During the consultation period, SBS sought feedback from the public on the proposed Selection Criteria, outlined below: More

Proposed Selection Criteria – Analogue (AM/FM) Radio

SBS Radio Consultation 2012 was about getting public feedback on the proposed Selection Criteria that would determine large and high needs languages on the new SBS Radio schedule. The proposed Selection Criteria are detailed below.

Large Languages Criteria: population greater than 20,000^*
High Needs Languages Criteria:
1. Threshold requirement - population must be greater than 1,000^*
2. English language proficiency (weight = 40%)
3. Recentness of arrival (weight = 30%)
4. Household resources and unemployment (weight = 20%)
5. Ageing (weight = 10%)
* Population size based on 2020 SBS projections.

SBS received 1,193 responses. Feedback from SBS Radio listeners made up 73% of all responses and community representatives 21%. Each individual or group that submitted feedback was responded to individually by 31 May 2012.

Feedback was received from 83 language groups.

The top three languages in terms of feedback made up one in five (21%) of all feedback received.

A significant number of respondents (44%) wrote in general support for the continuation of their language service without specifically addressing the Selection Criteria.

SBS received requests to provide services for language groups currently not on the analogue radio schedule including: Afrikaans, Azeri, Chaldean, African French, Irish, Kirundi, Swahili, Malayalam, Marathi, Pashto, Pidgin, Swiss German, Romany, Scottish Gaelic, Sindhi, Telugu and Torres Strait Creole.

The final Selection Criteria will be applied to all language groups including those not currently on the SBS analogue radio schedule.

SBS received minimal feedback in relation to 20,000 speakers in a community as the minimum for a language to be included under the Large Language Selection Criteria and SBS believes there is general acceptance of this figure.

In relation to the High Needs Selection Criteria, Ageing received the most feedback:

6% of all respondents said Ageing was an important criterion, without specifically requesting a change in weighting.
2% of all respondents suggested a change in weighting for a High Needs Selection Criteria. A majority of this feedback suggested an increase in the Ageing weighting.

9% of feedback contained suggestions for an additional/new Selection Criteria. These were more difficult to quantify:

Consideration of Australia's national interest;
Consideration of persecution in home country;
Consideration of the number of people learning a particular language; and
Consideration of providing services for language groups arriving in Australia under the Humanitarian program.

Changes between the proposed Selection Criteria and final the Selection Criteria

The final Selection Criteria contains four changes to the criteria proposed during the Public Consultation. These changes are: More

Making the 20,000 threshold 'approximate' to give SBS the flexibility to include languages close to the threshold.
SBS will use actual 2011 Census data for languages spoken in Australia instead of 2020 projections. SBS intends to conduct another radio schedule review prior to 2020, therefore negating the need to project the number of people speaking languages other than English to 2020.
Increasing the Ageing weighting to 15% (previously 10%), reducing Household Resources and Unemployment to 15% (previously 20%).
Adding a clause to take into account factors which are harder to quantify:
1. SBS may also include a sizeable ethnic community if its needs are significant but not adequately captured in the Large Language or High Needs Selection Criteria. Factors which SBS may take into account include:
  1. Discrimination/Vilification: where a group is subject to frequent discrimination or vilification in Australia based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin; and
  2. Immediate need: a significant increase in the population of a language group through Australia's Humanitarian Program.

Timeline

2012

2013

Date

13 June
June – August
September - October
By November

By June

Activity

Final Selection Criteria released
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 Census data progressively released
Analysis of Census data in conjunction with Selection Criteria
New analogue and digital radio schedule finalised

Implement new SBS Radio schedule

The Selection Criteria is now finalised after taking into account almost 1,200 responses from the public consultation. The consultation is now closed. If you have any questions on the final Selection Criteria please click here.

Glossary:

Analogue radio: is the main way radio is delivered in Australia using AM and FM frequencies.

Digital radio: is newer technology to deliver radio services and was launched in Australia in 2009. To receive digital radio services, listeners must have access to a digital radio (DAB+). All SBS Radio services are currently broadcast on analogue, on digital and online. The AM and FM services can also be heard on digital television.

Selection Criteria: sets out the basis for choosing one option over another.

Radio schedule: is the timetable setting out the days and times a particular radio program broadcasts.