The ABC announced this week its three HF shortwave radio transmitters at
Katherine, Tennant Creek and Roe Creek (Alice Springs), would be switched off on
January 31, 2017.
ABC Radio will continue to broadcast on FM and AM
bands, via the viewer access satellite television (VAST) service, streaming
online and via the mobile phone application.
Mark Crocombe from the
Thamarrurr Rangers, in the remote community of Wadeye, said the rangers spent
days and sometimes weeks at a time away in the bush and out on sea patrols.
He said the group relied on the ABC's shortwave radio for weather
reports and emergency information.
"Otherwise you have to call back to
the base on the HF radio to ask people [there], but then you can't listen to the
report yourself, you are relying on someone else's second-hand report," Mr
Crocombe said.
Mr Crocombe said on previous bush trips he had received
warnings of cyclones via the ABC's shortwave service, without which he would not
have had any notice.
"Sure, it is expensive to keep the shortwave radio
service going, but during cyclones, for the bush camps and people on boats, that
is their only way of getting the weather reports," he said.
"It could be
life threatening, if you are out and you don't know a cyclone is coming."
Mr Crocombe said the VAST service did not work during cloudy weather,
especially during monsoons and cyclones.
"The VAST satellite dish is
fixed to your house, we are working in the field, and when we are on the boats
we are not in mobile phone range, so applications and VAST do not work in the
bush," he said.
In response to Mr Crocombe's concerns, a spokesperson
for the ABC said "In emergencies, the ABC works very hard to ensure that its
services remain available through a range of FM broadcasts and re-broadcast
arrangements in the NT.
"Cyclone activity is usually coastal in nature,
in which case users are covered by FM, Maritime distress frequencies, and the
ABC's close working relationship with northern Indigenous broadcasters —
particularly in times of emergency broadcasting," the statement read.
"The BOM provides forecasts and warnings in HF on the hour, every hour.
The Emergency Flying Doctor service also broadcasts in HF."
Cattleman's
Association says ABC decision ignores people in the bush
The national
broadcaster said in a statement on Tuesday the move was in line with its
"commitment to dispense with outdated technology and to expand its digital
content offerings."
But the announcement was met with anger by the
Northern Territory Cattleman's Association.
President Tom Stockwell, who
lives on Sunday Creek Station with no access to AM or FM radio or mobile phone
coverage, said the ABC's decision to focus on digital transmission ignored
people in the bush.
"It affects a big area of Australia and it affects
those people that are remote from other forms of communication that rely on
radio network," he said.
"The ABC argument that it's a 100-year-old
technology doesn't stack up. Electricity is 100-years-old — is the ABC going to
get rid of electricity as well?
"Anybody who's remote and away from a
satellite dish won't get local radio, won't get emergency radio, won't get
emergency messages and they're going to use the money to put in another digital
platform for crying out loud.
"It's just the most selfish, ridiculous
decision I've ever heard," Mr Stockwell said.
Head of ABC Radio strategy
Jeremy Millar defended the broadcaster's decision while admitting he was unsure
about the size of the shortwave audience in the Northern Territory.
"[It
is] very hard to identify audiences in remote areas that are specifically hinged
on these services.
"Our estimates are that they are fairly low given the
VAST service is available across the Northern Territory," Mr Miller said.
"The downside is that VAST is a technology which is best working in a
stationary environment, at home, a business or a place of work and not
necessarily mobile.
"But a number of communities have a landed service
which means they receive VAST off the satellite and then can rebroadcast their
programs on a low-powered FM in their market.
"That landed VAST service
has certainly plugged a lot of gaps in terms of geographic coverage."
Mr
Millar would not reveal how much the ABC would save by ending the service.
More information on the cessation of the ABC's shortwave service can be
found on the website.