2003 - 04 Annual Report - Sbs

47The new partnership with Broadcast Australia hasstreamlined the rollout process, ensuring the fasterdelivery of the SBS digital services.Analogue TransmissionAdditional government funding has been provided toextend SBS coverage to areas of populations between5,000 and 10,000. During the year, a further 20 servicesbegan full-time transmission, bringing to 231 the totalnumber of SBS analogue television transmitters.The seven transmission services previously provided byBroadcast Engineering Services are now provided byBroadcast Australia. The new partnership with BroadcastAustralia has allowed SBS to improve its nationalcoverage target, thereby improving long-term networkavailability for SBS analogue television.Self-Help TransmittersThe Self-Help Subsidy Scheme, funded by the FederalGovernment and administered by SBS, provides eligiblecommunity groups or local government instrumentalitieswith 50% of their start-up capital costs for transmitterinstallations. Two booklets, Self-Help Guide and Self-Help Subsidy Guidelines are available from SBS NetworkOperations; and PDF and HTML versions of thesedocuments are available on the SBS website.Similarly, the Black Spot Program assists localcommunities to install their own transmitters in locationswith poor reception. Of the sites identified for self-helpfunding, 234 have been licensed to commence SBSservices with many already on-air. The network of selfhelptransmitters is likely to increase to almost 400 bymid-2005.Satellite ServicesSBS continues to provide direct-to-home analoguetelevision and radio services through the Optus C1satellite. Optus B3 and B1 satellites are used for thedistribution of four digital multiplexes to regional andremote transmitter sites, providing the full suite of SBSmultichannels across Australia. One SBS service is alsoavailable to viewers of the Austar pay TV service, andthree SBS digital TV channels and two radio channels areavailable to Foxtel digital satellite subscribers.The PanAmSat service for Western Australia has ceasedto operate, but viewers have switched to the Optus C1satellite without difficulty.Radio TransmissionSBS Radio transmitted its programs to all state capitalcities and some major regional centres via the followingmeans:• 13 terrestrial radio transmitters that deliver SBS Radiounder the Transmission Service Agreement withBroadcast Australia.• SBS also entered into a new ‘partnering’ arrangementwith Broadcast Australia which streamlined networkmanagement issues and improved the overall SBSRadio network availability.• The five-signal network includes AM and FM servicesin Sydney and Melbourne and the national signal forall other state and territory capital cities and someregional centres.• Three self-help transmitters owned and operatedby local communities in Young, Wagga Wagga andBathurst provide local transmission of the nationalsignal.• Two SBS Radio channels (Sydney AM and FM) arealso available wherever the SBS multichannel digitalsuite operates.These same SBS Radio services are now also availablevia re-transmission on the Foxtel digital satellitesubscription service.