Brendon Agpasa Submission to: Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications Inquiry into Media diversity in Australia 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 (Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin, Perth) 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 Digital Radio Mondiale 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 Australians 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 transmitters can easily be converted to Digital Radio Mondiale in future. In markets where ABC carries all four national networks (Classic, News on Radio, RN, Triple J) plus Local Radio, that gives them potentially 15 digital stations. Currently the ABC broadcasts six—Country, Grandstand, Jazz, Kids Listen, Double J 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 Gippsland 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 new 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 transmitter 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 radio broadcasting 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 National, 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 Wagga Wagga, 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 Radio Network and Fairfax Radio Network merger is approved with 2CH Sydney and 4LM Mount Isa 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, Sky Sports Radio and Niche Radio on block 9A and ARN, Nova, Radio Maria, Nine Radio, 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 television 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 10 Shake extends into Southern NSW/ACT, Griffith/MIA, Northern NSW, Gold Coast, Regional QLD, Regional VIC, Mildura/Sunraysia, Tasmania, Mount Gambier/Riverland, Regional WA, Darwin, Spencer Gulf/Broken Hill and Remote Central/Eastern Australia, along with 7flix extends into Tasmania, Spencer Gulf/Broken Hill, Darwin, Remote Central/Eastern Australia, Regional WA, Mount Gambier/Riverland, and Griffith/MIA, 9Life extends into Griffith/MIA, Mildura/Sunraysia, Mount Gambier/Riverland, Regional WA and Remote Central and Eastern Australia and 9Rush 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, Nine Network is the highest rating TV network in Australia are placed in number 1, ahead of Seven Network ranks number 2, Network 10 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 free-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 playout 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 channel 44 to receive community TV stations extends into regional Victoria, Tasmania, regional SA and regional WA as a statewide versions of C31, C44 and WTV.