Page 21 - IB JAN 2017

The Region
ABC ditches short wave radio

“It’s clear that no thought was given to broadcasting is astounding, at a time
the link between disaster communications when New Caledonia is moving to a refer-
and this service, or even the fact that FM is endum on its political status in 2018 – es-
largely unreliable in bad weather and only pecially as French state broadcasters and
available in urban areas”, she said. “It’s the local newspaper in Noumea are hostile
a slap in the face for the millions who’ve to Kanak perspectives on the country’s
connected to Australia and to regional future and present Melanesian neighbours
news through this service, because they as poor, corrupt and crisis-prone.
are unlikely to be the ones targeted in the Many Pacific media organisations relay
new digital content offerings being touted news and features from RA and Radio
by ABC.” New Zealand International, providing a
As part of the current restructure, it is crucial window to the world that local
proposed – without a timeline – to create media can’t hope to match. There are
New focus .... Michelle Guthrie a “Senior Producer Pacific” position to many excellent Pacific journalists working
Photo: Supplied manage and schedule RA services and for private and government broadcasters
rather than FM. the Pacific and Tok-Pisin service. Another across the region, but budgets are tight
Across the Pacific, many people now “Content Maker” position will be created and resources for regional and global
have access to digital phones and there is “with a focus on telling Pacific stories to coverage hard to come by – so RA and
steady growth of internet access in capital audiences in that region.” RNZI provide important news services for
cities and towns. But the focus on digital But new posts like this can’t really ad- Pacific audiences.
services ignores the realities facing many dress the drain of expertise that occurred In recent years, there has been a steady
poorer rural communities. Power supply since the first round of cuts to RA in 2014, bleed of talent from the ABC’s overseas
is an ongoing concern, bandwidth is too when the Abbott government abruptly broadcasting, which affects audiences in
narrow to use radio streaming, while daily cancelled the ABC’s ten-year contract for Australia as well as the islands. The ABC’s
access to the Internet is very expensive. Australia Network TV (a television service domestic service has long relied on the
FM radio can be affected by bad weather that cross-subsidised news programing expertise of former RA correspondents like
conditions – yet rural communities often through radio and social media). Sean Dorney and Campbell Cooney, who
rely on radio for information before and In 2014, there were already significant both left in 2014. The loss of even more
after cyclones, which can knock down FM cuts to RA’s foreign language services, experienced staff from ABC International
and phone transmitters (For example, the including Tok Pisin and French into the will mean that the woeful coverage of the
Fiji government’s post-disaster assess- Pacific. Following cuts to staffing, the RA Pacific islands in the Australian media is
ment after Cyclone Winston reported: French, Khmer, Vietnamese and Burmese further weakened.
“Transmission towers in Koro, Vanua programs were all reduced to single- RA’s long-time business reporter Jemi-
Balavu, Taveuni and parts of western Viti person operations. ma Garrett was made redundant in 2016,
Levu were partly or totally destroyed, and Now all four language services are be- and the flagship Pacific Beat program
transmission equipment in all four divi- ing completely closed. ABC International – which is re-broadcast by many Pacific
sions was affected, resulting in a tempo- ended these three Asian language services radio stations – has seen significant bud-
rary loss of cellular, fixed-line, radio and in December. The French-language pro- get cuts. Clement Paligaru left the ABC last
TV services.”) gramming for the Pacific, re-broadcast on month after many years of service, as a
As a back-up, shortwave radio broad- partner stations in Noumea and Papeete, presenter and producer with RA’s Pacific
cast from Australia can complement will not be extended from February. A Beat program, through Australia Network
disaster responses till local services are strategic review of ABC International ser- TV and most recently as Head Radio at
restored in rural communities that are vices says the decision to close the foreign ABC International.
already information-poor. language services “will fund reinvestment Australian journalists often lack the
across the network.” travel budgets and management support
Loss of services to get out and talk to people across the
The ABC’s latest decisions have been Pacific expertise region. Few Aussie reporters turn up for
widely criticised in the region. The ABC’s reporting of the region is not the annual Forum and MSG summits. It’s
American Samoa’s Monica Miller, Chair perfect, of course, and it’s not unknown a strategic problem when key institutions
of the Pacific Freedom Forum, noted: for Pacific journalists to criticise the errors – media, universities, non-government
“There seems to be no logic or connection and cultural bias that are part and parcel of organisations and government depart-
with realities facing Pacific listeners and an under resourced organisation. But the ments – fail to allocate the resources
audiences across the region who will be loss of shortwave broadcasting is part of needed to engage with a dynamic and
effectively be cut off from news, informa- a broader pattern that damages Australian complex region.
tion, and lifesaving information during broadcasting to the islands region. q Disclosure: The author worked for RA’s
disasters.” The loss of RA’s French-language Pacific Beat program in 2002-05.

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