Australia ends major shortwave broadcasts

Radio Australia will turn off its shortwave service to the Pacific and Papua New Guinea on January 31, in favour of more localised FM radio outlets and internet streaming. The independent international media organisation is part of the government-funded public Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

The ABC International shortwave services will be replaced by a more robust FM transmitter network and an expanded content. While shortwave has served audiences well for many decades, it was now nearly a century old serving a very limited audience.

At the same time, the ABC will end its shortwave service to the Northern Territory for basically the same reason. ABC's domestic shortwave service has stations at Roe Creek (Alice Springs), Katherine and Tennant Creek, with all three able to be received in parts of the Kimberley Region.
The ABC said the move is to dispense with outdated technology and expand digital offerings. The majority of the Northern Territory audience currently access ABC services via AM and FM and all ABC radio and digital radio services on the Australian Government funded a free-to-air Viewer Access Satellite Television (VAST) service.

The ABC, working alongside SBS, is planning to extend its digital radio services in Darwin and Hobart, and to make permanent its current digital radio trial in Canberra. Extending DAB+ to eight capital cities will ensure ABC digital radio reaches an additional 700,000 people, increasing the overall reach of the public broadcaster to 60% of the Australian population.

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