145/07
Thursday 13 September 2007
Safeguarding local radio content in regional Australia
The Minister for Communications Information Technology and the Arts, Senator the Hon Helen Coonan, today announced that the local content obligation for regional radio will be set at three hours a day, with a lower level obligation for small, remote, racing and section 40 radio broadcasters.
“The Coalition Government is committed to protecting local media content in regional Australia,” Senator Coonan said.
“Our 2006 media reform package detailed a number of significant measures to protect local content in regional Australia, including safeguards to ensure that regional commercial radio licensees broadcast a minimum level of material of local significance from 1 January 2008.
“Following these reforms, in October last year I directed ACMA to investigate whether the requirement for local content, currently set at 4.5 hours per day, was appropriate, taking into account the level of local content currently broadcast on regional radio.
“ACMA’s Local Content Levels Investigation Report found that a requirement of 4.5 hours each day for all regional radio broadcasters would materially increase, rather than maintain, levels of local content on regional radio.”
Senator Coonan said in some circumstances the requirement for 4.5 hours could place unsustainable financial impositions on some operators and, in the longer term, could lead to an overall loss of locally relevant services.
“Although some of my Parliamentary colleagues were of the view that a 4-hour local content level would reflect the level of local content currently provided by the majority of regional radio operators, the report established that a 3-hour quota was most appropriate.
“In response to these findings, I will table a Ministerial declaration setting the required level of local content for regional radio broadcasters at three hours each day,” Senator Coonan said.
“To lift the burden on broadcasters in smaller markets and broadcasters operating with licences issued under section 40 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, I will set a daily requirement of 30 minutes. In recognition of my intention to move legislative amendments to exempt remote and racing radio broadcasters entirely from compliance with the licence condition as soon as practicable next year, I will for the interim set their daily requirement at five minutes.
“ACMA will monitor adherence to this licence condition, and I expect that all radio licensees in regional areas will work within its spirit and continue to service their markets in an informative, entertaining and locally relevant manner. I would acknowledge that many licensees are already providing local content well above these levels, and I would hope that those higher levels are also able to be maintained.” Senator Coonan said.
In its report ACMA has also indicated that a broad definition of ‘material of local significance’ is appropriate. ACMA will now move to finalise that definition and give effect to the local content obligation through a licence condition to take effect from 1 January 2008.
“To allow the radio industry to meet its obligations, I will be seeking the Governor-General’s agreement to put in place regulations that extend the daytime hours in which the quota must be broadcast from 5am to 8pm, rather than the current hours of 6am to 6pm.
“ACMA’s report also proposed further changes to aid licensees in complying with the requirements, including amendments to allow compliance to be spread across 5 days in the week (rather than business days) and a six-week non-compliance period each year.
“I am also considering ACMA’s investigation into the definition of ‘trigger events’, and will look at the need for legislative amendments in this area.”
A copy of the Local Content Levels Investigation Report will be made available on ACMA’s website www.acma.gov.au.
Media Contact: Katherine Meier 0417 441 141