The first pan-Pacific quantative research commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has revealed strong figures for the ABC’s international radio and online broadcasting arm – Radio Australia.
“The survey results indicate that Radio Australia is gaining support in the Pacific, and positioned as the market leader for international broadcasters. These figures show how we have re-invented ourselves by broadcasting in target centres through our 24 hour FM transmission, as opposed to 5 years ago, where we only broadcast into the Pacific via shortwave transmission,” remarked Radio Australia’s CEO Hanh Tran.
Comprehensive and detailed results were gathered measuring audience response to brand awareness, listening frequency, favourite programs, listenership in the last day and listenership in the last week, means of accessing media and more.
The survey figures shown below indicate audiences in each location that have listened to an ABC Radio Australia program in the last 7 days:
- PNG (Port Moresby & Lae) 27.3%
- Fiji (Suva & Nadi) 22.8%
- Vanuatu (Port Vila and Santo) 58.2%
- Solomon Islands (Honiara) 56.9%
- Samoa (Apia) 22.7%
Conducted by Fijian based group, Tebbutt Research, the assessment was commissioned across 5 Pacific nation capitals and major urban centres to measure the local weekly audience listenership of ABC’s Radio Australia. Surveyed locations included Port Moresby and Lae in Papua New Guinea, Honiara in Solomon Islands, Port Vila and Santo in Vanuatu, Suva and Nadi in Fiji and Apia in Samoa.
“Radio is a mature medium in the Pacific with numerous local services based in each region, making the range of choice for local audiences diverse. Establishing distinctive content in this important neighbouring marketplace has been a priority for us and something we have worked hard over the past 5 years at achieving,” stated John Westland, Manager of Radio Australia’s Partnerships.
Local audiences in each urban centre have the ability to connect to the ABC’s international radio service through locally leased 24 hour FM transmissions, rebroadcasts on local radio stations or shortwave radio.
Radio Australia continues to broadcast via shortwave but now also broadcasts via 11 FM transmitters in major urban centres throughout the Pacific, with an expected 3 more transmitters to be included in the Northern Pacific by the end of the year.
Radio Australia’s Pacific FM network: PNG - Port Moresby 101.9FM & Lae 102.1FM; Solomon Islands - Honiara 107FM; Vanuatu - Port Vila & Santo 103FM; Fiji - Suva & Nadi 92.6FM; Samoa - Apia 102FM; Tonga - Nuku’alofa 103FM, Kiribati - Tarawa 90FM; Cook Islands - Rarotonga 93FM
Radio Australia’s Asian FM network: Cambodia - Phnom Penh & Siem Reap 101.5FM; East Timor - Dili 1016.5FM; Laos - Vientiane 96FM
(Source: ABC Radio National)
on Feb 23rd, 2009 at 14:19
Says it all doesn’t it? The smaller the coverage on a decent reception platform the better the quality and listenability, this is the argument UK radio stations were using R.Luxembourg, the quality and reception of MW1440 was dreadful in trying to serve millions of listeners across Europe,even with the 1200kW power. Decent long distance reception just isn’t possible with SW as it varies day to day and time of day with propagation etc.
on Feb 23rd, 2009 at 18:06
On a little island, one FM transmitter may do the trick, but otherwise range is likely to be extremely limited to the base city, depending on HAAT and ERP, of course, figures which are not public nor easily obtainable. Yet, with a few SW transmitters, an entire continent or ocean may be covered from one end to the other — and not subject to the whims of local politicians, either. Yet this FMania grows on and on amongst international broadcasters. I seem to recall that some foreign FM relays were recently banned in Fiji, where they have a rather autocratic regime (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
on Feb 24th, 2009 at 06:50
Re:Glenn Hauser
You\’re so right Glen. FM is all well and good if a station wants to cover a few cities in times of peace, basically when international stations are least needed.
The problem is when a country is at war or politically unstable or even when the country being broadcast to falls out with the country doing the broadcasting. In those cases the FM transmitters are switched off/destroyed.
I have a feeling all these international stations who are switching their listeners over to FM will regret it in the long run. Not only can FM be switched off but they are creating a generation of listeners that don\’t own or know how to operate a short wave radio. If things go wrong these listeners will then be without a reliable news source.
on Feb 24th, 2009 at 18:08
I agree completely with the preceding two comments. FM coverage in a very small country with a stable political environment will certainly have more impact than shortwave. But a large part of the developing world lack one or both of these pre-requisites, and the headlong rush by the major international broadcasters to dump shortwave in favor of FM alternatives are a symptom of their myopic view of the regions they are serving, no doubt enhanced by the need to slash operational costs. When a government gets replaced by one more hostile to having foreign radio stations operating on it\’s soil and pulls the plug, all of the tears that will be shed by the big chiefs of the major broadcasters will be of the crocodile variety.
on Feb 24th, 2009 at 18:59
So now they get more listeners by airing 24/7 from twelve FM transmitters … compared to how much shortwave broadcasting?