SBS Radio is launching a revised schedule from Monday November 20 focusing on delivering programs and services tailored to the needs of Australia’s changing and diverse communities.
The review process involved extensive community consultation in conjunction with the 2016 Census data which determined the revised language services.
As part of the 68 language programs and services provided by SBS Radio, seven new communities will be catered for, including six high-needs languages and one large language supporting new communities who need news and information in their language as they navigate life in a new country.
The new languages are: Telugu, Karen, Tibetan, Hakha Chin, Rohingya, Mongolian and Kirundi (Rundi). All content in the new languages will be available on digital platforms with audio podcasts accessible via the SBS website and SBS Radio app to meet the needs of those audiences.
Mandi Wicks, SBS director of audio and language content, said: “SBS Radio is the world’s most linguistically diverse broadcaster and while many communities are passionate about live radio, they are also engaging with our in-language digital services via their smartphones and tablets. With increased content available online and via the SBS Radio app, our revised services will continue to deliver on our charter obligations and ensure that we remain relevant for today’s Australia.”
More content will be available online and via the SBS Radio app for the growing language communities who speak Punjabi, Tamil, French, Urdu, Indonesian, Sinhalese, Nepali, Persian, Japanese, Thai, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, Dari, Russian, Portuguese, Assyrian and Samoan.