SBS is conducting public consultation on the criteria proposed for its Radio Services Review with intention to help guide language programming.
Running until 11 December, audiences, communities and stakeholders will have the chance to offer input on the audio and language content; a process expected to receive broad community feedback.
SBS has committed to reviewing and updating its radio schedule every five years and is currently supporting up to 74 languages.
The selection criteria is due to be finalised in March 2017, with the new schedule to launch before the end of 2017. Said criteria are going to be used with the 2016 census data to be released next year to determine which languages are provided by SBS Radio Services.
Content manager Mark Cummins says programming must evolve to ensure SBS reflects the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse communities across the country.
“Because SBS is often the gateway for many of the new communities to engage with Australian society, it has to be reflective and at the forefront of communicating with those communities. And particularly if it wants to communicate with young people, who constitute, really, the largest proportion of new arrivals, as in young under-30, under-40, you have to be utilising digital platforms as well,” he said.
Emphasising SBS’ role as a well-recognised vehicle to help with integration, Cumming argued that reaching a broader audience, including younger listeners, is pivotal in helping the broader community move into the Australian society while at the same time preserving cultural identities.
SBS will run both English and translated recorded notifications to inform audiences of the SBS Radio Services Review and the public-consultation process.
Feedback can be left via sbs.com.au/consultation