Tuesday’s Federal Budget contains cuts of $1.4m p.a., funding that currently keeps community radio stations broadcasting on digital radio in five capital cities, including here in Melbourne. If we don’t get those funds reinstated, community radio will get left behind as radio moves away from analogue (FM in our case) broadcasting to a digital future. Like analogue television, all AM and FM radio will eventually be switched off. Already one in four PBS listeners tune in on digital radios. PBS and our community radio colleagues simply must have a future on digital radio if we are to survive.
Our peak body, the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, believes we have a real chance of getting this decision reversed because we know we have strong supporters in the key battleground seats this federal election. They’ll be running a national campaign to get the attention of Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten, and many thousands of names on this petition will make our political leaders sit up and listen.
Add your voice to the campaign to Keep the Community in Your Radio by signing the petition: http://www.keepcommunityradio.org.au/
