SBS Radio
The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Radio is the multilingual voice of Australia. It broadcasts in 74 languages including Maltese - more than any other broadcaster in the world.
The Story
SBS Radio started in Sydney and Melbourne in 1975 as two AM stations, 2EA in Sydney and 3EA in Melbourne, transmitting important information about government services. Today, SBS Radio is a bridge linking to the 3.1+ million Australians who speak a language other than English. SBS was founded on the belief that all Australians, regardless of geography, age, cultural background or language skills should have access to high quality, independent, culturally-relevant Australian media.
Language Programs
With diverse cultural and community views, SBS Radio broadcasts 24 hours a day; 74 language programs are broadcast each week.
SBS broadcasts on analogue networks to all capital cities and regional centres of Australia, and on a digital network to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. As well as the analogue services, SBS broadcasts on 9 digital radio channels, providing a simulcast and time shift of SBS Radio's analogue services, plus the BBC World Service in English and in-language streams.
Each hour a different language program is broadcast on SBS Radio. Larger communities have several hours per week, while some smaller groups broadcast just one hour a week. The number of broadcasting hours is determined by many factors, including the size of the language community, its proficiency in English, and its proportion of new arrivals.
SBS Radio programs include news and current affairs, sports coverage, interviews, talkback, documentaries, drama and music as well as information about settlement, employment, health and education services.
SBS Radio is indispensable in meeting the settlement, information and communication needs of Australians of non-English-speaking backgrounds. It provides cross-cultural links and information lifelines to Australia's diverse cultural groups, assisting their adjustment to Australian life and their full participation in it, while helping maintain their cultural identity.
SBS Radio is accessible on analogue radio, digital radio, SBS Online or SBS Digital TV.