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Brendon Agpasa Submission to: Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications Inquiry into Media diversity in

December 2020

Introduction

Brendon Agpasa welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the Inquiry by the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications into Media diversity in Australia.

Media diversity supports analogue and digital radio rollout

Digital radio uses the DAB+ standard and is available in all capital cities (, , , , , , Darwin, ) and regional centres such as Mandurah, Australia uses the AAC+ codec provided with upgraded DAB+ standard.

The ABC, SBS, commercial radio stations, and community radio stations in each market provide many of their services and a few digital-only services on the digital platform.

Despite the ABC and SBS services extends into regional Australia on a separate multiplex (both on 9C, 206.352 MHz) providing the same services as in 8 capital cities, the was exported to Australia, becoming the first digital radio technology in metropolitan, regional and remote Australia to have DRM simulcasts AM and FM services, when AM and FM services accept the DAB+ and DRM signals.

According to this, the content licences of 63 ABC Radio stations, 7 SBS Radio stations, 261 commercial radio stations, 450+ community radio services, 2610+ narrowcast radio services and 80+ narrowband radio services would be increased as expands to be simulcasts in digital formats on both DAB+ and Digital Radio Mondiale services across all the licences in most regions.

The Federal Government in funding to help commercial, community, narrowcast and narrowband broadcasters with the costs of beginning digital broadcasts.

Last year in 2019, over 3.8 million listeners tune in to DAB+ radio in Australia.

ACMA has adopted a set of principles for planning the rollout of digital radio services to regional areas, it will be enable them to match the extending coverage of all existing analogue radio services expands to digital radio in all areas over the next few years where was the complex technical planning process of digital spectrum.

Vision Australia Radio provides a vital community service for who are blind, low vision or have a print disability to support digital radio rollout but thanks to Peter Khalil MP to keep community radio service on air, plus RPH Australia stations can continue to deliver its essential services.

The DRM digital standard can carry up to 3 digital radio programs along with data services on a single radio frequency, once the AM and FM can easily be converted to Digital Radio Mondiale in future. In markets where ABC carries all four national networks (Classic, on Radio, RN, ) plus Local Radio, that gives them potentially 15 digital stations. Currently the ABC broadcasts six—Country, Grandstand, , Kids Listen, and Triple J Unearthed—plus the five simulcasts.

If DRM was adopted, increasing the rollout of NewsRadio and expanding digital radio could be rolled into one for the ABC.

Throughout June 2020, Reception reports to your listening for ABC Radio in Melbourne on 621AM (RN), 774AM (ABC Local Radio), 1026AM (ABC News on Radio), 105.9FM (ABC Classic), 107.5FM (Triple J) and DAB+ digital radio, plus your listening for our ABC stations on 95.1FM (ABC News on Radio), 96.7FM (Triple J), 100.7FM (ABC Local Radio), and 101.5FM (ABC Classic), for more information about the ABC transmitters broadcasting from Melbourne and Latrobe Valley to enjoy your listening on ABC Radio networks.

During July 2020, you can hear Vision Christian Radio on 1611AM from Western Melbourne, that encourages and inspires you in your relationship with God.

Tenterfield’s Ten FM is most listened to streamed live on the web, it broadcasts the automated music mix, syndicated shows, and local live shows based in regional NSW.

DRM from Broadcaster to Listener had digitising is much more than gear or even more content, everything from evaluation, planning, implementation and communication to all the radio listening.

Recently, the radio survey in Melbourne is 3AW tops number one spot, but ABC Radio Melbourne ranks number 2 and Gold 104.3 also ranks number 3 on Survey #7 during October 2020, as well as Gold 80's at number 1, Smooth Relax on number 2 and Double J on number 3 on the Digital Radio survey #7 2020.

In addition, our AM and FM transmitters had expanded to DAB+ and DRM licences so we would be very pleased to have a new digital transmitters of analogue radio services.

In past history, had timeline includes TUNE FM launches as Australia’s first university radio station in 1970, the first community licences had launched is 5UV Adelaide and 2MBS Sydney in 1972, Ethnic radio stations 2EA in Sydney and 3EA in Melbourne (Ethnic Australia) were launched in 1975, SBS was formed to take over 2EA and 3EA in 1977, 2JJ Sydney and 3ZZ Melbourne launched in 1975, ABC-FM and Melbourne’s 3MP begins broadcasting in 1976, the first commercial FM radio stations was launched in 5 capital cities from 1980, in 1981 2JJ moves to the FM band and becomes 2JJJ-FM, 7RPH Hobart became the first RPH station in 1982, Stereo AM radio transmission is launched in 1984, in 1985 when Radio 2 becoming , Radio 1 becoming ABC Metropolitan Radio and Radio 3 becoming ABC Regional Radio, in 1989 the Triple J youth network is launched, 2VM in Moree became the first A.M. regional station to be granted a supplementary F.M. licence in 1990, ABC launched it's Parliamentary broadcast network in 1990, ABC News Radio was launched in August 1994, in July 1994 2WZD began broadcasting on 93.1 MHz as FM93 in , Australia had 107 AM and 150 FM commercial stations, plus 14 AM and 328 FM community stations in 2004, in 2009 Digital radio transmissions were launched in 5 capital cities, in 2010 the digital radio trials commenced in Canberra and Darwin, in 2014 Triple J re-launches digital-only station Double J, in 2015 Macquarie and Fairfax Radio Network merger is approved with 2CH Sydney and 4LM to be sold and in 2019 ABC Local Radio has begun a rollout of branding updated for its 44 regional bureaux.

There’s visualise the radio stations on DAB+ multiplexes in Sydney to get ABC and SBS on block 9C, SCA, Community, BOG, SEN, and Niche Radio on block 9A and ARN, , Radio Maria, , Community and SCA on block 9B, once the ACMA to make a digital radio channel plan for the Gold Coast area can be rolled out in the future.

For your continuing interest in digital radio broadcasting, the digital radio rollout across Australia, then we would be happy to assist you. Media diversity supports digital TV rollout

Digital uses the DVB-T standards and is available in all capital cities and regional and remote centres, the phase out of analogue PAL transmissions was completed by December 2013.

Across the year of 2020/21, multi-channels such as extends into Southern NSW/ACT, Griffith/MIA, Northern NSW, Gold Coast, Regional QLD, Regional VIC, /Sunraysia, , Mount Gambier/, Regional WA, Darwin, Spencer Gulf/ and Remote Central/Eastern Australia, along with extends into Tasmania, Spencer Gulf/Broken Hill, Darwin, Remote Central/Eastern Australia, Regional WA, Mount Gambier/Riverland, and Griffith/MIA, extends into Griffith/MIA, Mildura/Sunraysia, Mount Gambier/Riverland, Regional WA and Remote Central and Eastern Australia and extends into Southern NSW/ACT, Northern NSW/Gold Coast, Griffith/MIA, Regional QLD, Regional VIC, Mildura/Sunraysia, Spencer Gulf/Broken Hill, Mount Gambier/Riverland, Tasmania, Regional WA, and Remote Central and Eastern Australia.

In July 2021, to reflect regional TV stations is affiliation agreements in under negotiations to get WIN was affiliated with 10 in Southern NSW, Northern NSW, Griffith, Regional QLD, Regional VIC, Mildura, Tasmania, Mount Gambier and Riverland and Regional and Remote WA has been renewed for next 5 to 10 years alongside SCA is affiliated with Nine in Southern NSW, Regional VIC, and Regional QLD, WIN’s Nine Griffith and Nine SA (Mount Gambier, Riverland), and digital joint-venture stations in Mildura, Tasmania and Regional WA was affiliated with Nine would be renewed for next 5 to 10 years later.

As of 2019, is the highest rating TV network in Australia are placed in number 1, ahead of ranks number 2, ranks number 3, ABC at number 4 and SBS at number 5.

For Broadcaster controls had broadcaster studios, studio to transmitter links, main transmitters, new gap fillers, translators, self help relay transmitters, satellite feeds, satellite uplinks and satellite downlinks to make room for upgraded Digital TV broadcasting capabilities to fed via satellite services.

Digital TV brought a range of enhancements such as datacasting, multi-view services, HD services and additional content would be transitioned to combined -to-air and pay TV services once the retransmits free-to-air channels. Regional TV stations have relay of direct feeds from 5 capital cities.

The regional TV stations send their news programs for VAST Regional News service to a centre in Sydney, NSW, as well as sports coverage is delivered via an encrypted signals on satellite feeds.

The Morrison Government will provide community TV stations C31 Melbourne, C44 Adelaide and WTV Perth will make decision to assist them in finalising the transition of free-to-air TV to digital delivery of their services by July 2021, once the digital to receive community TV stations extends into regional , Tasmania, regional SA and regional WA as a statewide versions of C31, C44 and WTV.

A number of shows from Perth’s and West TV will also moved to C31 Melbourne and C44 Adelaide across nationally, as well as shows from TVS Sydney and 31 Brisbane will also moved to C31 Melbourne and C44 Adelaide since today.

After many years, Mount Gambier community TV trial runs for past 3 years to broadcast Bushvision after 18 months of trial licence as of 2007, for had Bushvision Mount Gambier plans to go national once the old community TV station moves to ’s Aurora and community stations.

Media diversity supports pay TV rollout

The ABC Television and SBS Television channels is used in retransmission on various subscription TV platforms such as Foxtel, , TV, TransACT and for many years.

Fetch TV to negotiated with more improvements to come in new channels will be delivered in both SD and HD, that includes CCTV-4, Zee TV, , Zee Cinema, Wion TV, ERT World, RTPi, TV5Monde, various foreign language channels, , Antenna Pacific (Greek), EWTN and many more. Fetch TV also plans to get live sports content has been sub-licensed to Fetch TV by sports broadcasting contracts such as Olympic Games, AFL Footy Direct, Southeast Asian Games and many more.

Foxtel plans to negotiated with delivers the new channels such as Optus Sports channels showing the English to the services is now only to Optus TV customers, NHK World Premium, , TV5Monde, CNN’s HLN TV, Federal Parliament’s Parliamentary TV, Plus , Colors (Hindi), Star Gold Hindi, ABS-CBN’s , ’s CNA and more.

Working alongside Foxtel and Fetch TV, the TV channel will be delivered via satellite feed to Australian viewers, coupled with other channels such as Deutsche Welle German, Deutsche Welle English, TV5Monde, CGTN News, RT (Russia Today), , Channel NewsAsia, Instal-Life Christian TV channels, Catholic channel EWTN, few channels in Mandarin, Vietnamese, Korean, and , France 24 French, Discovery’s DMAX, KBS World, Viewer Access Satellite TV (VAST) free to air channels, and a lot of many more from your favourite channels.

You can see pay TV providers had worked with it’s supply and install quality satellite reception systems to receive religious and ethnic TV transmissions from any satellite with an Australian footprint could be delivered via DTH transmissions of satellite and cable services.

Over the years, the FOXTEL programming becomes available to TransACT cable customers in Canberra, while FOXTEL () and AUSTAR (, Mildura) is provided to Neighbourhood Cable customers in regional Victoria.

The TransACT and Neighbourhood Cable channels will be expanded to Fetch TV since 2012, marking the history of pay TV services across Canberra, Ballarat, Geelong and Mildura.

Additionally, Adult Entertainment features adult R-Rated movies for their erotic and sexual content, pay per view channel provides an exciting action-packed live events covering wrestling, boxing and music concerts, plus foreign language channels offering you a great range of news, sports and movies in various languages, and Video on Demand content which shows movies, sports, docos and TV shows.

We have the range of subscription TV channels covers Entertainment, Drama, Lifestyle, Religious, , Movies, Sport, News, Documentary, Kids & Family, Music and Specialty content.

Once the negotiations between Foxtel, Fetch TV and other services provide the few new channels will be expanded as improved to join the Content Supply Agreements, it will continue to provide the free-to-air channels of ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine and 10 was retransmitted via pay TV platforms.

Free-to-air TV and pay TV services relays news aired by overseas broadcasters on World News including ABC, HLN(CNN), PBS and Bloomberg (US), BBC (UK), ZDF and ARD (), F2 (France), TVE (Spain), RUSSIA (Russia), TRT (), (Qatar), NDTV (), CCTV, Shanghai RTS and TVB (), KBS (South Korea), ABS-CBN (), METRO (), VTV (Vietnam), ABC (Australia), (Brazil), CNA (), NHK (Japan) and more.

Live streaming channels of free-to-air broadcasters and the range of streaming subscription services will be expanded to pay TV providers, including 10 Play’s Watch LIVE, and more.

See the interactive services in Attachment 1 for some examples.

Media diversity supports Australian Radio and TV relayed into rest of around

ABC broadcasts to audiences across the Pacific and , these two broadcast streams of and Multi-language services are delivered via satellite and a network of local FM stations as well as internet.

ABC Radio Australia produces daily program in Tok Pisin (Wantok), kids show Pacific Playtime, Island Music, Pacific Beat (produced by ABC News), and Pacific Mornings. Our language services now involve significant collaboration with SBS. The network broadcasts a mix programs across the day, including AM, PM, The World Today, ABC Sport’s Grandstand and ABC News on radio, as well as a selection of programs from ABC Radio National and ABC Local Radio.

ABC Australia TV is transmitted via satellite feed to rebroadcast arrangements in over 44 countries across Asia and the Pacific, the 24-hour channel, coupled with content blocks on local broadcasters in 40 countries across the Indo-Pacific.

We are planning to live streams of ABC TV channels (ABC TV, ABC , ABC Kids, ABC Me) and ABC News channel internationally as a streaming service for ABC iview content across Australia, the Pacific and Asia to be known as ABC Australia iview.

ABC Australia TV delivers a diverse range of Australian content, including news and current affairs, sport, drama, comedy, reality, kids, documentary, arts, education, English Language learning, and entertainment, as well as big events such as Sydney’s NYE fireworks and more.

PacificAusTV provides a free access to a selection of Australian TV titles in the new initiative, including a range of Australian TV content.

The ABC Australia TV and PacificAusTV providing some great Australian programming to their local audiences across the Indo-Pacific, the satellite feeds that come from IS19 and IS18 will be delivered via satellite downlinks, which was links to sent via ABC studios in Melbourne’s Southbank, Free TV Australia offices in Sydney’s Mosman and MediaHub playout centre in Sydney’s Ingleburn.

The suppliers had transmission of content to Asia Pacific audiences includes satellite radio and TV broadcasts will be sent via direct transmissions to Asia Pacific uses who have satellite receivers, coupled with satellite and cable links to indirect transmissions.

For example, Australian TV programs are syndicated to Asia Pacific region that includes ABC News and Current Affairs programs, , A Current Affair, Today Show, Forensic Investigators, Outback Truckers, Grand Designs Australia, Unreal Estate, , Masterchef Australia, The Block, My Kitchen Rules, Zumbo’s Just Desserts, Study English English Bites, English, Rage, ABC KIDS programs, , Classic Tales, Hairy Legs, Don’t Blame the Koalas, A gURLs wURLd, The Block, LEGO Masters, Glitch, Pine Gap, Howzat, Paper Giants, Water , Stingers, , AFL, NRL, Catalyst, Russell Coight’s , McLeod’s Daughters, Getaway and more.

In Papua New Guinea, Macquarie radio (2GB, 4BC, 3AW, 6PR, 2UE, 4BH, 3EE 1278, 6GT Magic DAB+) provides NRL broadcasts across the region.

Also, EMTV in Papua New Guinea broadcasts the range of Channel 9 programs for many years, in 2016- 17, EMTV PNG aired Channel 7’s Sunrise and The Morning Show programs aired live as relayed into viewers, However this will be relay of ABC Australia TV channel was shown on EMTV PNG as an overnight transmission since 2006.

The ABC Australia TV, PacificAusTV and audio streams of ABC Radio Australia will be delivered via satellite fed to digital TV services across the regions of Pacific and Asia.

Find me for all viewers to request ABC Australia and PacificAusTV on these partnerships including TVNZ (), TV (Fiji One, Channel 2), EMTV Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong Cable TV (Hong Kong), Kristal (), StarHub TV Singapore, TV Singapore, SkyCable Philippines, Digital TV Philippines, Kalibo Cable TV Philippines, VTV Vietnam, Indovision Indonesia, Indonesia, Mediacorp TV (Singapore), TTV , Satsol TV Solomon Islands, VBTC Vanuatu, Kiri One Kiribati, NHK Japan, and many more.

ABC Radio Australia via satellite will be reinvested in extended digital radio rollout internationally.

Get ABC International in Attachment 2 for some examples. Media diversity supports TV transmission facilities and production resources

The Digital Terrestrial and Satellite TV rooms, TV monitors, set-top-boxes, new technologies to invest in digital systems (Digital TV, HD broadcast, tapeless technology, digital archiving, ingestion work station, post-production, edit suites), programs are stored in tapes, discs and reels, the libraries uses a collections of few tapes, Broadcast Telecoms operation section, program booths section, upgraded antenna towers have digital TV uses the old analogue signals would be converted to digital formats.

The multi-purpose studios of TV broadcasters and NEP Australia uses spare capacities in facilities and crews for productions for clients.

The minicam covered the sporting events such as V8 Supercars, F1 Australian Grand Prix and MotoGP, field crews had a drama shoots for internationally successfully shows and Home and Away.

Outside broadcast facilities and crew provided the host coverage of live events, as well as news and sports.

Our broadcast partners provided studios, facilities and crew for television programs such as Home and Away was shot at Channel 7 studios in Eveleigh, The Masked Singer Australia is filmed at Docklands Studios Melbourne, Spicks and Specks specials is also filmed at ABC studios in Melbourne’s Southbnak and more, significantly contributing to the profit returns to broadcast partners through resource hire activities. ABC Studios and Media Production provided facilities and crew in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth for the production of ABC programs such as . TV Studios of RMIT University was live links to C31 studios in Melbourne, marking the community TV history, with shows like Newsline, 1700, Taking Fishing, NEMBC AFL Football Show and more.

The tapes are a mixture of program master tapes, also complete Log Tapes, and more from Tape Library areas across our services.

The local stations had digital TV transmissions are prepared at the station and then taken to the transmitters at various locations, on large hard drives for playback by a computer systems based at the transmitters while the digital automation systems was based on playout facilities.

Various metropolitan and regional TV stations transmits this signals via satellite to transmission facilities and is responsible for handling playout and live to air production facilities.

Media diversity supports other external services

Recently, (AAP) newswire had it’s sale to be completed as finalised, they will have a drawn resources of news and sport content across radio, TV, online news and in print through AAP newswire.

It followed an announcement from Buzzfeed that it would shut down its Australian news operations in May 2020, along with Network 10’s news site was closed once the expansion of 10 daily features articles, recipes, and videos through news, entertainment, lifestyle, views and TV shows will also transfer to our brands and 10 Play including full episodes of bulletins, , The Project, The Sunday Project and RPM, as well as 10 Play trending.

After few months, News Corp would ceased printing more than 100 regional and suburban newspapers, shifting them online and altogether, costing hundreds of jobs in June 2020.

The Senior newspaper provides the latest senior news stories in each state across the month, while Star Observer offers latest gay and lesbian news coupled with Gay Scene guide features entertainment reports.

Peter Khalil MP has been working alongside Paul Fletcher MP to show your support about media diversity, Content rules need to be extended to streaming companies like and maintained on commercial TV, coupled with Australian screen production sector to explore the sub-quotas for Australian drama, comedy, children's and documentary content for many years, when Labor is committed to supporting Australian stories being created by Australian screen industry.

For all media outlets, the news coverage of bushfires, COVID-19 and recently, US election has highlighted the achievements of breaking news coverage on radio, TV and in print.

Broadcast Services Act 1992 that shows amendments which sought for all radio broadcasters to transmit digital radio in regional and remote areas plus digital community radio in sub- metropolitan areas by 1 May 2021, and all TV broadcasters to transmit all digital multi-channels of Seven, Nine and 10 extends into all regional and remote areas by 1 March 2021.

Member for Lismore, Janelle Saffin MP will also be worked with funding to help Tenterfield radio stations to go digital radio in the future expansion.

In reference to my wanting a “monopoly” on Commercial, Community and Open Narrowcast TV, nothing can be further from the truth! I want to see the airwaves opened up much as possible. Nowhere have I suggested that I wanted any of my proposed stations to be a “monopoly”.

Streaming news service Ticker, online news bulletin 6 News Australia, new streaming business service ausbiz, VideBus’ MELfeed.video, Spacequake Sports, Sunday mass from Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide and Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, lifestyle content from Adventure Bound-Elise & Josh Tait, The Feel Good Family, Let's Go Mum! and Trip In A Van, recipes for Greg's Kitchen, JOY TV's Kerrie & Dolly, Joshua Daniel’s The Lord’s Challenge, religious program Philippines and more had most watched here on the online video platforms such as YouTube, together with same as streaming TV platforms on any devices.

The newspapers for Nine Publishing, News Corp, other newspapers, Geelong Community News, Australian Regional Media, and Australian Community Media had explore the latest news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle and more content had proposed in digital versions of print newspapers had expands to all them.

As a major funding initiative, the Digital Radio coverage for radio broadcasters is currently being expanded in metropolitan, regional and remote centres with populations of 700,000 and above when the new DAB+ and DRM transmission services will be installed to deliver a potential increase in population coverage up to 100% by summer season in December 2023 until February 2024.

Look out for covers of The Senior newspaper and Star Observer magazine in Attachment 3 for some examples.

Conclusion

The Federal Government wants to see a lot of research into digital radio, digital TV and supporting media diversity, according to Sarah Hanson-Young.

Before taking the report, I would like to acknowledge the process of support media diversity to receive rolled outs of digital radio and TV services once the completion of Digital Radio rollout for cost of $3.5 billion dollars and ABC’s international media services had the cost of $2.4 million dollars in the Federal Budget 2020-21. Now that the usual timeframes for process of digital radio and TV rollouts in support media diversity through collaboration between Paul Fletcher MP and the Treasury ministers.

We like to thank them for support media diversity on behalf of ACMA, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, ABC, SBS, Commercial Radio Australia, CBAA, ANRA, DRM Project Office, Seven Network, Nine Network, Network 10, regional TV stations, Australian Subscription TV and Radio Association (ASTRA) and many more to provide media diversity for that many years of few decades. Paul Fletcher MP and our partners declined to comments on your submission.

Thank you. Attachment 1

Pay TV’s interactive services

Attachment 2

ABC International

Attachment 3

Covers of The Senior newspaper and Star Observer magazine