2003 - 04 Annual Report - Sbs

25News and World ViewEvery language program begins with a news bulletin.Covering local, national, and international events, thesebulletins are compiled from a number of sources: theprogram’s own staff; the National Radio Newsroom ofSBS, with offices in Sydney and Melbourne and severalState-based correspondents; internationally sourced newsagencies, radio stations and freelance correspondents;and a diverse range of local media sources accessed bythe producers of the individual language programs.The National News Room produces a continually updatedcore bulletin of Australian and international news as wellas background features that can be accessed 24-hoursa day by each language program. During the year itproduced more than 23,000 news stories and an averageof 100 features each month.Invariably, some of the stories reported by variouslanguage programs have relevance beyond a specificcommunity and the SBS National Radio Newsroomhas acted to bring these issues to the wider Australianaudience. This year, the newsroom initiated a systemdesigned to identify these original SBS stories and tomake them more widely available, either through sharingexclusive reports with other media organisations orproviding them with an English translation of a soughtafter interview.AustralianNews HighlightsWith close associations to their communities, the 68language programs reported extensively on the myriadissues that interested or affected their listeners and thegeneral community, often in very different ways. Forinstance, in covering Pauline Hanson’s release, theUkrainian language program produced a current affairssegment; the Filipino language program investigated herprison conditions; the Polish language group interviewedethnic Polish radio in Brisbane to gauge the local mediareaction; and the Serbian language program ran atalkback program about the controversial politician.Other issues that resonated through specific languagecommunities included: the Cantonese program’sexamination of firebomb attacks on three Chineserestaurants in Perth; the Punjabi program’s explorationof the repercussions of job outsourcing to India; and theTurkish language program’s interview with an allegedpeople smuggler living in Sydney.Racial and religious discrimination relating back toSeptember 11, including the burning of a mosquein Melbourne, was explored by SBS Radio’s Arabiclanguage program. It also gave extensive coverage tothe continuing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and theaftermath of the Bali and Spain terror attacks.The hour-long English language World View programconcentrates on multicultural issues. Its weekdaybroadcasts include: news bulletins and news featuresprepared by the Radio Newsroom and its own journalists;regular correspondents’ reports from 12 countries; dailycurrent affairs reports and bi-weekly sports features andreports, as well as weekly movie reviews and occasionalcomedy segments.World View’s line up of diverse features varies day by dayand includes current affairs background reports, issuesof cultural identity, personal histories and perspectives,sports and cultural events. During the year, World Viewproduced more than 1,450 stories, reports and features,460 of which were richly textured audio features thatranged in duration from eight to 26 minutes.Talkback segments on topical issues have become aregular and popular feature in most SBS Radio programs.The Mandarin, Spanish and German language programshave long used it to engage directly with audiences.During the year it was introduced to listeners of theCantonese, Bosnian, Kannada and Punjabi-speakingcommunities. The Mandarin group also incorporated itsexisting e-mail newsletter onto its website and providedonline video content.