Review of local content requirements for regional commercial radio Final report March 2011
Introduction
The availability of local content on regional commercial radio stations helps to ensure Australians living in regional areas have access to program material reflecting the culture and diversity of their communities. The Government is committed to maintaining the levels of local content available to people living in regional Australia. It also recognises the importance of achieving a balance between regional commercial radio licensees providing local content and the ongoing viability of the industry.
The objects of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (the Act) include promoting the availability to audiences of television and radio programs about matters of local significance1 and encouraging commercial broadcasters to provide appropriate coverage of matters of local significance2. In relation to regional commercial radio, the Act requires licensees in regional licence areas3 to provide minimum levels of local content and, in certain circumstances, to broadcast minimum levels of local news and information, maintain a local presence and comply with additional reporting and recordkeeping obligations. This report uses the collective term ‘localism provisions’ to describe these requirements.
Under section 61CT of the Act, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy must cause to be conducted, at least once every three years, a review of the operation of the localism provisions and whether they should be amended.
The review was conducted by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (the Department) with input from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA). The review included public consultation with the release of a discussion paper on 5 March 2010 and an invitation to make submissions that was published in several metropolitan and 93 regional newspapers. Submissions received are published on the Department’s website. The Terms of Reference for the review are at page 17.
In general, radio industry submissions provided information about licensees’ experiences with the operation of the provisions and proposals for change. A number of non-industry submissions provided information about the ongoing importance of local content.
While the localism provisions include a wide range of requirements that were considered as part of the review, this report focuses on areas most commonly identified during the consultation process.
[1] Broadcasting Services Act 1992 s. 3(1)(ea).
[2] Broadcasting Services Act 1992 s. 3(1)(g).
[3] Regional licence area means a licence area that is not a metropolitan licence area. The metropolitan licence areas are those that include the General Post Office in the five mainland state capitals (plus the Western Sydney licence area).
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