Aunty's News For 24 Hours
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday June 28, 1994
The ABC has been given the go-ahead for a new 24-hour radio news service, which will be broadcast when the ABC was not broadcasting Parliament.
The Minister for Communications, Mr Lee, announced yesterday that the Government had agreed to the ABC using the "downtime" on the parliamentary broadcasting transmitters.
Parliamentary broadcasts would take pre-eminence, but the extra time could be used for a news service which could be heard in major capital cities, Mr Lee said.
But Mr Lee said the new network would not receive any additional funding and would need to be paid for within the ABC's existing resources.
The ABC's acting managing director, Mr Paddy Conroy, said yesterday the new service would be Australia's most comprehensive and authoritative international and national radio news service.
It would consist of a continuous flow of news and information including finance, sport and weather. "The service will be provided from within the ABC's existing resources, taking advantage of the latest in technology, including the ABC's D-cart digital audio system and the computer system which links all newsrooms," Mr Conroy said.
There is apprehension within the ABc about whether the new network will affect funding for the ABC's other three other radio services: regional radio, Radio National and Triple J.
The ABC is now using the standby transmitters to broadcast Parliament, but it is due to move onto an AM frequency. It is expected to take 2UW's frequency of 1107 in Sydney.
© 1994 Sydney Morning Herald