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Special Broadcasting Service Corporation (SBS) Reports 1999-2000
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SBS Charter SBS was established as an independent statutory authority on 1 January 1978 under the Broadcasting Act 1942. The Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991 (Cwlth) came into effect on 23 December 1991 and established SBS as a Corporation.
Section 6 of the Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991 gives SBS a Charter setting out the functions and duties the Parliament requires of SBS as a public broadcaster. These are:
1. The principal function of the SBS is to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians, and, in doing so, reflect Australia’s multicultural society.
2. The SBS, in performing its principal function, must:
a contribute to meeting the communications needs of Australia’s multicultural
society, including ethnic, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; and
b increase awareness of the contribution of a diversity of cultures to the continuing
development of Australian society; and
c promote understanding and acceptance of the cultural, linguistic and ethnic
diversity of the Australian people; and
d contribute to the retention and continuing development of language and other cultural skills; and
e as far as practicable, inform, educate and entertain Australians in their preferred
languages; and
f make use of Australia’s diverse creative resources; and
g contribute to the overall diversity of Australian television and radio services,
particularly taking into account the contribution of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the community broadcasting sector; and
h contribute to extending the range of Australian television and radio services, and
reflect the changing nature of Australian society, by presenting many points of view and using innovative forms of expression.
SBS - Enabling Legislation
SBS was established as an independent statutory authority on 1 January 1978 under the
Broadcasting Act 1942. T h e Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991 (Cwlth) came into
effect on 23 Decem ber 1991 and established SBS as a corporation. T h e M inister responsible
is the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts,
Senator T h e Honourable Richard Alston.
report of operations 1999 - 2000
SBS Vision Statement
SBS: Uniting and enriching our society by creatively communicating
the values, the voices and the visions of multicultural Australia
and the contemporary world.
SBS The Voice and the Vision of Multicultural Australia
SBS is a national multicultural and multilingual broadcaster unique in the world. SBS Television, which broadcasts in more than 60 languages, reaches a potential audience of about 18 million Australians. SBS Radio is the world’s most linguistically diverse radio network, broadcasting in 68 languages to a potential audience of more than 2.5 million.
The radio network began in 1975 with two fledgling radio stations - 2EA in Sydney and SEA in Melbourne - broadcasting four hours a day in seven and eight languages respectively. It was a three-month experiment in multilingual broadcasting confined to Australia’s two largest cities. SBS Radio today broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on AM and FM frequencies in Sydney and Melbourne and is heard Australia-wide on a national signal that reaches all capital cities and many regional centres.
SBS Television began in 1980 and it too started first in Sydney and Melbourne. Gradually other cities as well as regional and rural centres joined the network and it is now viewed by more than six million Australians each week. More than half of all programs are in languages other than English. These programs are made accessible to all Australians through the use of English language subtitles. With more than 400 international and local program sources, SBS Television draws upon the largest range of source material of any television network in the world.
In 1999-2000, SBS Radio celebrates its 25'1 ’ anniversary. Fifteen of those original volunteer broadcasters are still with SBS. Ten of them joined 2EA in Sydney on 9 June 1975 on the first dav of broadcasts, and the other five were among the first broadcasters when 3EA went to air in Melbourne on 23 June 1975. This year’s Annual Report pays tribute to these broadcasting pioneers.
Contents Report of Operations 1999-2000 Freedom O f Information 57
Special Broadcasting Service Access and Equity 57-58
Enabling Legislation Inside Front Cover Community Advisory Com mittee 58-59
SBS Charter Inside Front Cover SBS Radio and TV Youth Orchestra 59
Vision Statem ent 1 Governm ent and Corp. Relations 59-61
Chairm an’s L etter to the M inister 4 International 61
Financial Summary 5 Industry Participation 62
Board of Directors 6-9
Organisation Chart 10 4. Our Position In The Marketplace
Performance Report 1999-2000 11-21 TV Advertising and Sponsorship 63
Radio M arketing 63
1. Our Audiences SBS M erchandising 64
Television Program M arketing 64-66
Ratings and Reach 22 SBS Arts and Cultural Sponsorships 67-68
Viewing By Ethnicity 22 SBS and Pay TV 68
Audience Opinions 23
Reception Extensions 23 5 .Technology and Resources
Audience Surveys 24-25 New Transmission Arrangements 69-70
Radio Digital 71-73
Reach 26 Capital Planning 73-74
Audience Surveys 26 Com puting and Information Services 74
Audience Feedback 26
Youth Audiences 26-27 6. Leading, Managing and Developing The
Organisation
2. Our Programs
Finance 75-78
Human Resources 79-81
Television
Corporate Services
SBS Productions 28
51
News and Current Affairs 32-35
Appendix
Sport 35
1. SBS Act - Compliance with Sect. 73 117
Indigenous Programs 35-37
2. Financial and Staffing Resources Summary Acquired Programs 37 118
Programming Highlights 37-39 â 3. Television Services 119
Special Programs 39-41 4. SBS TV - Languages Broadcast 121
SBS Independent 42-44 5. SBS TV Programs by Category 122
Awards 44 6. SBS TV Program Classification 122
Radio 7. SBS Independent 123
General Programs 44-45 8. Radio Services 127
Special Programs 45-46 9. Radio Schedules 127
News and Current Affairs 46-50 10. SBS Radio - Language Broadcast 130
Awards 50 11. SBS TV Sponsors 131
N ew Media 51 12. SBS TV Advertisers 132
Internet Services 51 13. SBS Radio M arketing Clients 133
N ew O nline C ontent 52-53 14. SBS Com munity Advisory
Com m ittee 134
3. Building Relationships W ith Our Community 15. SBS Awards 138
Consultations 54 16. E E C Statistical Analysis 138
Radioathons 54-55 17. Brief History of SBS 138
Radio Outside Broadcasting 56
Codes of Practice 56 Index 143
Audience Feedback 56-57 3
c h a ir m a n ’s Letter to the Minister
Senator, the Honorable Richard Alston, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
Dear Minister,
In accordance with the requirements of section nine and schedule one of the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997 and section 73 of the Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991, and on behalf of the SBS Board, I am pleased to present the SBS Annual Report for 1999-2000.
The following sections of this Report demonstrate SBS’s performance against the SBS Corporate Plan, elaborate on the Television, Radio and New Media programming we have provided and the reaction of our audiences. We also report on the steps we have taken to interact with Government, community and stakeholders and the manner in which we have organised our human, financial
and technical resources, including new transmission arrangements.
In accordance with the requirements of the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Order 1998, SBS reports there were no relevant judicial decisions and reviews by outside bodies or any ministerial directions under the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997.
The corporation completed its first accrual budget under the Government’s new accounting framework. The transition went smoothly, although there remain considerable training and resource issues associated with its further implementation into cost centre and project-level budgets.
SBS continued to manage staff issues under the umbrella of the three-year Certified Agreement which was established in December 1999. A performance management program for all staff was introduced during the year. The resources to implement a program of this magnitude are considerable and priority has been given to ensure that all appraisals are completed in a timely fashion.
To prepare staff for the significant technical and production changes inherent in the move to digital technology, SBS conducted extensive and on-going training courses.
During the year, SBS’s operations were reviewed through a number of internal audits.
The program was productive and highlighted areas requiring improvement in performance and compliance. SBS managers were responsive to the audits’ findings and remain committed to improvement.
SBS participated in several external reviews, including three reviews of the Corporation’s strategies and funding requests for the implementation of digital technologies, and several audits conducted by the Australian National Audit Office.
On 16 December 1999, Sir Nicholas Shehadie completed his term as Chairman of SBS after almost 19 years. When he was appointed Chairman in 1981, SBS Radio was six years old and SBS Television had just begun. Sir Nicholas presided over the formative years of SBS and helped shape it into what it is today.
I began my Chairmanship 17 December 1999. Also in December, the appointment of non executive director. Peter Carroll was extended for a further three years until 12 January 2002.
Yours sincerely,
Carla Zampatti, Chairman
Financial Summary
Operating Revenue
Expenditure by Classification
Expenditure by Classification 1 9 9 8 -9 9 ,1 9 9 9 -2 0 0 0
$ Employees
80000_____________________________
Suppliers Depreciation Interest
1 1 E 1
” £CO
E
â JH_________ â M
5
b o a r d of Directors
December 1999 for five years. Ms Zampatti is Executive Chairman of the Carla Zampatti Group and
holds directorships with Westfield Holdings Limited, Me Donald’s Australia Limited, and British American Tobacco Australasia Limited. She is
also a Member of the Australian Graduate School of Management, Board of Management, and the Australian Graduate School
of Management, Advisory Council. Ms Zampatti is a Trustee of the Sydney Theatre Company
Foundation Trust, and a Member of the Textiles, Clothing and Footwear Advisory Panel.
Appointed 31 August 1998 for three years. Mr Roach is Chairman of Fujitsu Australia, having been CEO for 10 years and Chairman and CEO for three years. He is also an advisor to the global parent company, Fujitsu Limited of Japan. He is chairman or a member of a number of government bodies including Chairman of the Council for Multicultural Australia. He is also President of the Asian- Oceanian Computing Industry Organisation and Chairman of the Australia-
India Business Council.
Other appointments include Director of NRMA Building Society and Adjunct Professor at the Australia-
Asia Management Centre at the Australian National University.
Nyra Bensimon -
Q Non-executive director
Appointed 15 April 1999 for three years. Ms Bensimon is Partner and Director of Shiels Jewellers and Grahams Jewellers in South Australia. She is a
prominent member of the Women’s International Zionist Organisation and actively involved in fundraising activities. Ms Bensimon maintains a strong association with the South Australian Migration Museum.
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Peter Carroll -Non-executive director
First appointed 20 December 1996 for three years and re-appointed for a further three-year term in
December 1999. Mr Carroll is a graduate of Sydney and NSW universities and of the Central School of Speech
and Drama in London. He was Head of Voice and Speech at the National Institute of Dramatic Art
from 1970-73 and then began an extensive performing career as a company member of Sydney’s Nimrod Theatre.
He has worked in film and television and with all State and commercial theatre
managements. He is President of the NSW Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.
November 1997 for three years. Dr Galla is Director, Australian Centre for
Cultural Diversity Research and Development at the University of Canberra. In 1996-97, he was Visiting Professor, Faculty of Arts, University of South Africa.
His research, teaching and community service expertise are in the arts, community
development and heritage fields. He was one of the principal international advisers on restructuring the
National Parks system and the National Arts, Museums and Arts sectors in South Africa during 1994-1999. A
member of the Chief Minister’s Multicultural Consultative Council (ACT), Dr Galla is the President of
the Asia Pacific Executive Board and Chair of the Cross Cultural Taskforce of International Council of Museums, Paris.
Ted Gregory -Non-executive director
Appointed 15 April 1999 for four years. Mr Gregory is Managing Director of AAV Australia, Pty Ltd, an electronic communications, production
and manufacturing company serving the film, television and advertising industries. He is a Board member of
Interact Events Pty Ltd, a Victorian Government- owned company responsible
for staging the region’s largest Multi Media Festival, and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Cinema Papers.
Martine Pop -Non-executive director
Appointed 15 April 1999 for three years. Ms Pop is a law graduate and post graduate of Paris Pantheon University (France). She has extensive risk management, corporate management experience in the Australian banking sector as an executive of a regional bank and later as a risk management/corporate governance consultant with one of the big five. She holds a number of non-executive director positions on the board of Statutory Authorities.
November 1997 for three years. Dr Trang Thomas is currently Professor of Psychology at RMIT
University. She was formerly full-time chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission and former
Director of the Centre of Applied Social Research. Current appointments include Member of the National Council for the Centenary of Federation, Council for Multicultural Australia, National Health and Medical Research Council and the Victorian Casino and Gaming Authority; Member of the advisory boards of the
International Conflict Resolution Centre and the Australian Heritage Foundation.
Nigel Milan -
Managing Director
Appointed 2 February 1998 for five years. Mr Milan has a long association with broadcasting - public and commercial - and marketing.
He was formerly Chief Executive of Australian Radio Network Ltd, one of Australia’s largest commercial radio networks, and before that Chief Executive of Radio New Zealand. Mr Milan was previously Chief Executive of the Nine Network’s Radio Division and Deputy General Manager of the Macquarie Network. He is a director of the Fred Hollows Foundation and a member of the Advisory Board of the Walkley Awards.
New Chairman
On 17 December 1999, Sir Nicholas Shehadie completed his term as Chairman of SBS after deciding not to seek re-appointment to the post he had held since
1 July 1981. At his last Board meeting, 16 December 1999, Sir Nicholas thanked all current and previous Board members for their loyal support over the years and said he was extremely proud of his association with SBS. His replacement, Ms Carla Zampatti, assumed her five-year appointment as Chairman of SBS the following day.
Board Re-appointm ent
Board member, Peter Carroll, was re appointed for a further three years, until 12 January 2002, after completing his first term on 20 December 1999.
Board Attendances - July 1999 to June 2000
The SBS Board met 11 times during the year. Attendance is shown for the number of meeting available during the membership of each Board member.
Present:
Sir Nicholas Shehadie (Completed his term December 1999) Ms Carla Zampatti (First Board meeting in February 2000) Nyra Bensimon Mr Peter Carroll
Dr Amareswar Galla Mr Ted Gregory Ms Martine Pop Mr Neville Roach
Professor Trang Thomas Mr Nigel Milan
5 of 6 meetings
5 of 5 meetings
11 of 11 meetings 10 of 11 meetings 10 of 11 meetings 10 of 11 meetings
10 of 11 meetings 9 of 11 meetings 10 of 11 meetings 11 of 11 meetings
s b s organisation chart 2000
Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
Senator The Hon Richard Alston
Board of Directors
Community Advisory Committee
Chairman:
Carla Zampatti
Directors: Nyra Bensimon, P eter Carroll, Amareswar Galla, Ted Gregory, M artine Pop, Neville Roach, Trang Thomas
Managing Director
Corporate Counsel Lesley Power
Manager Corporate Communications Keith Dalton
I Nigel Milan
Peter Cavanagh Tuong Quang Luu Will Berryman Maureen Crowe Pat Quirke-Parry Chris Sharp
Network National Editor Manager Manager Human Director Media Policy Adviser
Programmer Diane Wilhnan ! Computing Resources Marketing John Goozee
i Rod Webb Manager Resources & Information 1 Helen Mavne Graham Butler Policy Adviser
Director News and Training Services 1 Manager Corporate j Merchandising Geoff Abbott
& Current Affairs David Ingram i Alex Surplice Services Services Manager
Programs Chief Engineer Editorial Content | David Mapstone 1 1 Vanessa Power
Ϊ Phil Martin Yuan Chan Manager Director 1 Program Sales
General Manager Publicity & Media | Anne Markey j Communications i Supervisor
SBS Independent Liaison Manager Business & Planning I Penny Nemcansky
I Bridget Ikin : Simone () Brien Development 1 David Sootliill
Manager Television r Manager Manager I Manager Finance
Engineering Community 1 Paul Vincent Jon Torpy
I ling Slick Relations Creative Director t Manager
Manager Language | Raymond Moti jί Michelle French | Transmission Sydney Production | Services
Tina Centre Manager ί Hugh Janies
1 Koutsogiannis Peter Wall
Manager Program Managers
Operations j Robert Minshull
? Tonv Aslanidis 1 Efthymios Kallos Manager . Melbourne
Presentation Production Centre
& Design i Manager
'··' John Staliel Mike Zafiropoulos
Manager Local Program Managers Production : Ayinir Cagli
$ Craig Collie Wang Yi
Manager Program Marketing Purchasing ! Manager, Sydney
1 Jenny .Vilen ; Kate Hannaford
Manager Publicity Marketing Michael Field Manager, S u b s id ia ry
Manager Sport | Melbourne Multilingual Subscriber Television Ltd
1 Les Murray
X ivienne Kost ACN 061 014 480
Manager Subtitling 1 Gilbert Sant Chairman:
Manager Television Carla Zampatti
Resources | Î111 Burke Directors:
Audience Research Nigel Milan, Quang Luu, Maureen Crowe
Consultant 1 Ken Sievers Secretary:
David Mapstonc
REPORT 1999 -2 000
This 1999-2000 Performance Report assesses performance against five achievement goals under the Corporation’s current Corporate Plan 1999-2002
OUR AUDIENCES
Task: Increasing the audience reach and the frequency of viewing and listening to SBS.
SUCCESS INDICATORS
TELEV1S0N RADIO
Nielson surveys show: Standard industry audience measurement
- SBS's national weekly reach was surveys did not provide figures relevant to 6.178 million people in 1999 SBS Radio, but Quadrant Research surveys (up 6.1% from 1998) conducted for SBS (see below) provided
Its weekly reach in the five major cities quantitative data on audiences for was 4.459 million (up 6.1% from 1998) individual language programs.
- A marginal increase in younger demographics (13-24 year olds)
TELEVISION most languages
Newspoll findings confirmed the high value - High satisfaction rate across languages placed on SBS by Australians: (80-90%)
- 71% of people surveyed valued SBS - Difficult to gauge listenership patterns - 86% agreed it was important SBS be over time
available to provide an alternative to - Surveys suggest need to further
commercial stations publicize programs and timeslots
- 78% agreed it was important that SBS Highlights included:
be available as an alternative to ABC - 77% of all Turkish speakers had listened
television to SBS Radio in the past seven days
- 94% of Ukranian respondents had
RADIO listened to SBS Radio at some time
Quadrant Research surveys conducted in 11 - 96% of Vietnamese speakers said SBS
additional languages found: Radio provides useful information to help
- Significant penetration achieved across settle in Australia
- 90% of Khmer speakers said SBS Radio helped them retain their original
language An additional survey was commissioned in June 2000 to assess awareness of SBS
Radio, listening in six major groups under threat from competition, and Internet
usage.
Outside broadcast units attracted young people.
- Correspondence in support of extending possible most callers receive a follow-up SBS Radio to regional Australia call once the problem is identified.
increased following visits of SBS Radio's - The SBS Television analogue extension outside broadcast units to various program generated much audience localities. interest with many callers seeking
- Audience feedback on technical information about when they will have problems was mostly facilitated using access to SBS Television.
SBS's 1800 free call number. Faxed - The Self-help Subsidy Scheme feedback is received and, increasingly, administered by SBS received an E-mail. overwhelming positive response with 16
- New forms are being trialed to successful applicants in its first round.
streamline the feedback process. Most Almost 3,000 self-help booklets were calls receive adequate responses distributed.
immediately, but where this is not
TELEVISION/MARKETING RADIO
- TV advertising and sponsorship revenue - Radio advertising and sponsorship reached an all-time record ($22.026m), revenue also reached an all-time record exceeding revenue target by 14%, and of $1.98m, exceeding revenue target by representing a revenue growth of 27% 22%, and representing a revenue growth on the previous financial year. of 17.5% on the previous financial year.
TELEVISION
- SBS obtained through A.C.Nielsen research a comprehensive demographic
profile of audiences - program by program - across five capital cities and in major regional centres.
RADIO
- Audience profiles for several radio language programs were obtained as a result of Quadrant surveys. Individual broadcaster/journalists generally have close knowledge of the demographics of their communities, supplemented by
audience feedback through talk-back, telephone, letters and the Internet. Radio management hosts regular formal
consultation meetings with different language community representatives.
OUR PROGRAMS
Task: - Offering distinctive and attractive programs in a more crowded and rapidly changing marketplace - Encouraging risk and innovation - Building on SBS’s reputation for quality - Increasing the amount of Australian programming while assessing
the impact on other activities
SUCCESS INDICATORS
2a. The number of industry awards relevant to SBS’s objectives
TELEVISION
The major award was the Global Outstanding Achievement Award presented at the Banff Television Festival in Canada. SBS-produced and commissioned programs
and related activities won more than 40 other national and international awards and nominations. Highlights: Hephzibah won Best Documentary and Original
Schtick, Best Television Documentary at the AFI Awards. Robert Grasso, Toyota World Sport won the Tennis Australia
Award for Best Electronic Media Story for 1999.
RADIO
SBS Radio staff won a number of media awards during the year. Highlights: Shpend
Osmani, Sani Kajtazi and Sally Spalding received the 1999 Austcare Refugee Media Award for coverage of the Kosovo displaced persons. Ms Majida Abboud-Saab was
named 2000 Media Woman of the Year For services to the media by the Australian Arabic Welfare Council. The Khmer Language Program received a Khmer New
Year and Business Award For services to business from the Khmer Community of NSW. Annabel Cotton won the 2000 NSW Law Society Award for Excellence in
Journalism for her story Mandatory Sentencing. Vita Kristovskis and Mark Henderson were finalists in the 2000 New York Festivals Radio Programming for an
exclusive interview with alleged war criminal Konrad Kalejs.
2b. Audience response (phone, E-mail, requests for repeats etc)
TELEVISION and E-mail continued to be positive. There j
Ratings figures from A.C.Nieslen allow was overwhelming audience appreciation of £
1 SBS to track viewing patterns across the the Unfinished Business - Reconciling the schedule. Nation television season.
Audience feedback by both telephone The volume of telephone responses 13
varied from week to week - depending on the programming content - but was never less than in the hundreds. On average, 25 E-mails were received per day about programming, with about 80% positive comments or suggestions.
The number of queries about repeats and sales was such that a new system was introduced to streamline responses.
RADIO Many telephone calls are received by individual broadcasters in the language of the program. These responses were not
logged. Radio management in both Sydney
and Melbourne receive and respond to all correspondence.
TELEVISION RADIO
SBS Publicity generated an estimated The language programs continued to 642,000 column centimetres of coverage in provide forums for the discussion of
newspapers and magazines and 15,860 contentious community developments, minutes of coverage was broadcast on opinions and disputes to inform listeners radio and television stations. objectively and fairly.
The weekend of Corroboree 2000 was In addition to covering domestic a milestone for SBS. SBS Television was debates such as reconciliation and host broadcaster for all the events industrial reform, the language programs organised by the Council for Aboriginal also gave comprehensive coverage to
Reconciliation. regional and international issues. For
SBS Television also made a major example, the head of the Portuguese and contribution to debates about the republic Indonesian language programs were taken referendum, the Pratt/Wallace Care to Dili by UNTAET to report on Jose Australia affair, and the unfolding Ramos-Horta's return to East Timor.
challenges of Australian foreign policy in SBS Radio stories - especially the Asia-Pacific. exclusives such as the interview with
alleged war criminal Konrad Kalejs - are increasingly being used by other media.
SBS's success in winning of the Global Outstanding Achievement Award of the Banff Television Festival received considerable press coverage. The Banff Festival President and CEO, Pat Ferns, commented "...SBS responsibly and effectively reflects Australia's very diverse
and dynamic society".
SBS received wide support from media and stakeholders following suggestions
from the Managing Director of the ABC that SBS would be better placed if it were part of the ABC. For example, the
president of the Ethnic Communities' Council of Western Australia, Mr Ramdas Sankaran commented that "If indeed there is a case for amalgamation, ABC should
become SBS2 and not the other way around." The distinctiveness of SBS
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Television is often commented upon. For example, Ross Warneke TV columnist of The Age, commenting on the summer schedule, wrote: "Trust SBS to drag us out
of our silly-season doldrums... SBS, which has prided itself of delivering a real alternative over summer in recent years, has done it again."
Ian Warden of The Canberra Times commented in August 1999 that "SBS still attracts six times more viewers in prime time than are attracted to pay-television's
most popular channel, Showtime." SBS Radio received extremely positive press coverage during its 25th anniversary year, with a prominent article appearing in virtually every major newspaper in the country. The 12 June 2000 editorial of The
Sydney Morning Herald commented: "It has become a crucial force for social and cultural good in Australia... SBS Radio is a rare example of social engineering that has
worked."
2f.The amount of quality Australian multicultural programming
TELEVISION Treating multiculturalism as an historical and evolving entity was central to the slate of Australian-made programs and
international co-productions broadcast by SBS in 1999-2000. SBS output rose substantially in documentary and drama. These programs were produced in-house, or externally produced by a commercial production company or commissioned by
SBS Independent.
- Total hours of local documentary programs transmitted rose from 29.5 in 1998-1999 to 43.8 in 1999-2000.
- Total hours of first-run local drama transmitted rose from 11.5 in 1998
1999 to 30.5 in 1999-2000.
- Total expenditure on documentaries, drama, short films and features virtually doubled from $7.8m in 1998-99 to
$15.2m in 1999-2000.
Many of the new programs received industry awards and a positive audience response in ratings and feedback.
Innovation has come to be seen as hallmark of SBS programming. Programs such as Going Home and Pizza explored new themes and production styles, while the Unfinished Business - Reconciling the
Nation television season comprehensively exposed past and contemporary indigenous issues and controversies. These and other programs commissioned by SBS Independent presented innovative works from emerging Australian film makers, many of them indigenous.
RADIO SBS Radio programs were all Australian made and reflect Australian multiculturalism.
Following a review of English language programs on SBS Radio, news analysis, cross-cultural and multicultural formats were implemented on the weekday World View program. On-air quality and consistency improved and audience
response was positive.
Outside broadcasts enriched the content of the SBS Radio schedules by allowing broadcaster/journalists from different languages to work together in English and to share experiences with their traditional audiences. For example, at the Corroboree 2000 event at Darling Harbour in Sydney, the Aboriginal broadcaster/journalist was able to cross live into several language programs during the day.
I
s
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BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH AUDIENCES
Task: - Gaining an accurate appreciation of the changing nature of Australia’s cultural communities, including the interests of second- or third-generation Australians from non-English speaking backgrounds. - Being open and responsive - collaborating and communicating in
many ways with the broader community as well as indigenous and non-English speaking communities. - Building a sense of community partnership and involvement with SBS. - Ensuring continued government, audience and stakeholder
recognition of the value, and importance of SBS as a public broadcaster. - Extending the network of our relationship with our community to reach younger people.
SUCCESS INDICATORS
The SBS Triennial Funding budget and the The Government granted $70m to fund Digital Phase 2 submissions were analogue television extension to regional instrumental in securing Government Australia, including many areas that
funding. The outcome in the 2001-2002 have been campaigning for years to receive Budget reflected the Government's SBS.
understanding of SBS's special SBS was unsuccessful in obtaining
requirements. additional funding from the Federal
The provision of additional funds for the Government for closed captioning to meet purchase of overseas programming in the future statutory obligations, and this was new Triennial Funding Agreement was disappointing.
particularly welcome.
SBS Radio forged strong relationships with State and Federal governments, particularly in areas of mutual concern such as immigration and communications.
The SBS Communications and Planning unit and Transmission Services branch developed a reputation for the quality of its
contributions and its professional attitude in dealing with government departments
and agencies during protracted discussions on the new transmission arrangements.
SBS maintained strong relationships with key players in the Government's decision-making process. SBS made carefully structured representations in the
lead-up to Government decisions on triennial funding and legislation for digital television, and received positive attention.
16
3c. Support and involvement by the community - recognition of the value of SBS - practical involvement (interaction with different community, government and educational institutions) - use of SBS services (ratings etc. as described earlier in the Plan).
RADIO
Radio increased its face-to-face involvement with the communities through more outside broadcasts - including visits to regional Australia - as part of its objective to extend the reach of SBS Radio. Outside
broadcasts at high profile events such as Corroboree 2000 added a new dimension to Radio's involvement with the community. Interstate and regional outside broadcast tours regularly included receptions and
other forms of official hospitality and consultation.
The 25th anniversary of SBS Radio provided an excellent opportunity to enhance contacts with stakeholders in direct and positive ways.
Radioathons, to raise money for local and international humanitarian causes, continue to cement relationships with
language communities. Since 1998, more than $3.5m has been raised, with a record $2ni pledged in radioathons in 1999-2000.
Radio maintained close involvement with universities and colleges through various training initiatives, particularly with the University of Wollongong and
Monash University in Victoria.
Radio managers sat on a number of external bodies such as the Australian Museum, the Refugee Council of Australia, the Ethnic Communities' Council of
Victoria and NSW Culture Research Education and Training Enterprise (CREATE).
The SBS Community Advisory Committee began developing a regional consultation pilot project in recognition of the need to increase the direct contact with SBS's audiences in regional Australia.
OUR POSITION IN THE MARKETPLACE
Task: - Protecting and promoting the distinctive SBS brand - Building on loyalty to quality, risk and innovation - Promoting inclusion by making it clear that SBS is relevant to all Australians
- Showcasing public broadcasting and highlighting our independence and our diversity - Making a respected and relevant contribution to contemporary Australia
SUCCESS INDICATORS
4a. SBS-commissioned and other research into - recognition of brand and values - loyalty to brand - position (“what does SBS stand for?”)
->
TELEVISION
Surveys by National Newspoll Research
have shown that SBS is a valued alternative to commercial stations
(86% agree) and the ABC (78%). The figures have increased since the first survey in 1997 (84.6% commercial, 68.2% ABC). This indicated public recognition that SBS maintains a distinct place in Australian broadcasting.
RADIO SBS Radio undertook a major re-branding campaign and utilised the 25th anniversary celebrations and its outside broadcast units to increase its public profile. The campaign featured the positioning statement 'The many voices of one Australia'. Strong and
positive media coverage of SBS Radio in the latter part of the year indicated the
campaign's success.
Quadrant Research independent surveys continued to highlight the public perception of SBS Radio as a producer of quality
programs.
M A R K E T I N G A study by Keig Research in May 2000 provided positive feedback about the reputation of SBS in the marketplace and an understanding of its purpose and role in public broadcasting.
Success in maintaining advertising and sponsorship customers and in acquiring new accounts was achieved in both Radio and Television. This indicated client acceptance of audience research and other data confirming SBS's distinct brand personality.
4b. Web site usage
Content on the SBS web site www.sbs.com.au was considerably expanded and a total revamp was launched
in 1999-2000 following the establishment of the SBS New Media division. The comprehensive soccer Web site www.theworldgame.com.au became one of the most popular sports web sites in
Australia. New sites under development included a major world news web site www.theworldnews.com.au, an international cuisine web site,
www.theworldfeast.com.au and a multicultural youth service. The Going Home site received a strong response, complementing the distinctive and innovative nature of the program.
Audio-on-demand is available on the
SBS Radio web site and by July 2000 included the French, Vietnamese, Maltese and Norwegian languages (with others to follow in the new financial year) as well as the English language current affairs
program, World View.
TECHNOLOGY AND RESOURCES
Task: - Take full advantage of new digital broadcasting technology - Consolidate and improve the impact of SBS commercial operations - 1 se new media in distinctive ways to develop and enhance the
way SBS implements its Charter
SUCCESS INDICATORS
5a. Planning and implementation of digital technology and new media
Digital Phase 2 plans were accepted after a thorough appraisal by Government and procurement processes begun for the supply of major digital components to meet the January 2001 deadline for the
commencement of digital television transmissions.
Digital recording and editing equipment has been introduced throughout the production areas of SBS Radio.
Preparation is well advanced for installation of the digital Integrated Audio Server. DAT or mini-disc technology is used for portable recording. Staff are being trained on digital audio workstations. A
digitally-based video-conference system is being purchased to link Sydney and Melbourne Radio Production Centres.
Since its formation in February 2000, the New Media division has installed a digital Storage Area Network (SAN) capable of holding one terabyte of
information. This will enable SBS to harness all types of digital content worldwide for use in a variety of ways, including administrative information and for creative output.
SBS has installed its own Solaris world wide web server and upgraded its Internet access from 128 kilobytes to 100 megabytes, allowing program makers greater use of international multimedia sources in their program development. SBS began exploring ways of maximising opportunities in datacasting.
5b. High Web site usage
Accesses to the SBS web site have increased substantially with the advent of sites giving comprehensive world news coverage (including transcripts of the SBS W orld News, Dateline, Insight,
W orldW atch); multilingual text and audio
on the SBS Radio site; interactive
feedback on the Going Home site; detailed soccer news on the www.theworldgame.com.au site; and expanded information on many specific program sites as well as a revamped television schedule.
5c. Success of language services business
SBS Language Services, providing multilingual services to external clients, has improved its profitability following the appointment of a new manager and the development of a concise business plan.
Turnover virtually doubled to more than $lm and profit increased from $17,000 in 1998- 99 to an estimated $250,000 in 1999- 2000.
LEADING, MANAGING AND DEVELOPING THE ORGANISATION
Task: - Promoting effective leadership and management - Acquiring, keeping and developing skilled people who are committed to achieving the aims and aspirations of SBS - Ensuring efficient, adaptable and responsive systems and
processes - Promoting a culture of collaboration, loyalty and inclusiveness
SUCCESS INDICATORS
l.The number and quality of collaborative processes within and between divisions and work areas
SBS's divisions collaborated on new media initiatives, policy development, triennial
funding and general management and financial positions. The Language Services unit was used by both Radio and Television. A digital television working party facilitated closer collaboration between television departments. Corroboree 2000 brought together staff from many areas for a highly successful
outcome on SBS Television, Radio and
online.
There was considerable cross-over between Radio and Television on corporate activities including voice-over work, staffing the switchboard and training programs. In Melbourne, the Manager of
SBS Radio Melbourne also represents the Corporation in Victoria.
2. Evidence of pride and commitment in working for SBS 3. Ease of filling jobs with highly skilled people 4. Retaining valuable, committed staff
S
I
SBS is well known for its capacity to attract and retain people and for the pride and commitment of those people. The organisation is in the bottom quartile of companies in staff turnover - both
voluntary and involuntary.
There was considerable enthusiasm among most broadcaster/journalists to work on Radio's outside broadcast units, in addition to normal broadcasting duties.
20
The 25th anniversary celebrations revealed the depth of pride and commitment that staff have for SBS.
The most talented people in SBS
Television - on-screen and off - work for the organisation because of a strong commitment to its values and Charter rather than for high remuneration.
5. Feedback from managers on their level of involvement and support 6. Effective implementation of a performance management system over the life of the Plan.
SBS implemented the SBS Performance Management Program (PIMP) which came into effect with the SBS Certified Agreement in February 1999. In year one, the focus was on training all managers and staff. Training was delivered and
implementation targets met. The numbers of PMP agreements and completed appraisals, however, did not meet expectations.
Most managers accepted the importance of PMP as a tool for necessary
cultural workplace change in the organisation, in particular to effect a shift from time-based to performance-based advancement. Most staff welcome the opportunity for structured communication about work performance.
Radio managers undertook a major strategic planning exercise in May 2000 from which feedback was extremely positive. There was a genuine sense that the organisation was supporting and
involving them in the process of change.
ONE
our audiences
TELEVISION
Ratings and Reach Each week, more than 6.2 million people tuned to SBS Television in 1999, an increase of 300,000 viewers over the previous year.
In the five major cities - Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth - the average weekly reach was 4.459 million viewers, an increase of 6.1% over the previous year. In the five cities, SBS’s audience share was 4.25% compared to 3.67% in 1998.
A C Nielsen surveys in 1999 showed that nationally SBS Television reached 51.3% of all homes in an average week, an increase of 0.8% over the previous year. The Nielsen figures, however, do not include SBS viewers in Darwin and 121 self-help areas where the potential audience exceeds 200,000 people. (See graph 1: Weekly reach of audiences - in service areas)
Viewing by Ethnicity Viewing of SBS Television by ethnic communities remained strong. More than 53.1% of'people born overseas in a non-English speaking country’ reported that they watched SBS Television at least once a week. The weekly SBS viewing patterns of ‘all people’ and ‘people born in Australia or in an overseas English speaking country’ were 35.1% and 32.4% respectively. This was a 2% increase in both categories over the previous year.
Since 1996, SBS has commissioned Quadrant Research to conduct surveys into 36 individual language groups. The collective results for the latest survey showed that 76.7% of the respondents in the 10 language groups surveyed had watched SBS Television in the past week. Of those, 62.8% agreed that they “wouldn’t be without” or “find a lot of value” in SBS Television. (See graph 2: Weekly viewing by ethnicity)
‘My first broadcast remains my most memorable day at SBS/
22 Vivienne Kost - Marketing Manager, Melbourne
Audience Opinions SBS Television operates in markets that contain not only four alternative free-to-air services, but also a wide range of niche program channels delivered by three pay television services. Under these circumstances, SBS Television has commissioned a number of qualitative surveys over the past three years which have
investigated a range of key issues which are relevant to the role of SBS as a public broadcaster with a special purpose charter.
These national Newspoll surveys canvassed the opinions of people 18 years of age and over. T he latest survey, in May 2000, showed that SBS has maintained its
favourable image among its potential audiences, and continues to be seen as a valued alternative to other free-to-air television services. T he survey found:
⢠86.0% agreed that: “It is important that SBS be available to provide an alternative to the commercial stations.” ⢠78.0% agreed that: “It is important that
SBS be available to provide an alternative to ABC Television.”
⢠86.8% agreed that: “SBS has types of programs you would not see on other TV stations." ⢠68.0% agreed that: “SBS has better
coverage of overseas news than other TV stations.” ⢠71.47% agreed that they “find value in SBS”.
(See graph 3: Top Programs)
Reception Extensions About 18 million people now live in areas serviced by SBS Television, but regular Newspoll surveys indicate that over 17% of
homes within existing service areas do not receive viewable SBS broadcasts, either because they live in reception ‘black spots’ or they have not tuned their sets to receive
UHF signals.
Under the Federal Government’s Television Fund, announced in June 1999, the SBS signal is progressively being extended to transmission areas with
populations over 10,000. In 2000-2001 a further 78 new services will be provided. As a result, one million Australians in regional centres will receive SBS Television.
Over the years, many communities unable to receive SBS, have raised funds and established their own re-transmission facilities. In this financial year, 16
applications for Self-Help Subsidies were approved under the Federal Government Self-Help Subsidy Scheme which is administered by SBS. Five are already on air. There are now 121 self-help services
throughout Australia.
In 1963, ten pounds paid for passage on board the ship th at brought
13-year-old Vivienne and her family to Australia from Malta. Vivienne
joined the ABC in 1972 where she stayed for 17 years working in
graphics, sales and archives. Vivienne became a volunteer broadcaster
with 3EA's Maltese language service in 1975, eventually joining SBS
Radio in 1989 as community liaison officer. She became marketing
manager, Melbourne in 1994.
23
1. W eekly reach of audiences - in service areas
Homes Potentials [0 00s] Homes Reach
% [0 00s]
People Reach
% [000s]
Five Cities Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane Adelaide, Perth 4,534 52.3 2,372 35.1 4,459
NSW Regional Northern Rivers, Newcastle, Wollongong, Canberra Orange/Dubbo/Wagga, Tamworth
1,054 49.1 518 32.4 910
Victorian Regional Ballarat, Bendigo, Gippsland. Albury 320 44.4 142 29.8 261
Queensland Regional Toowoomba/Darling Downs, Townsville, Cairns, Maryborough 388 49.2 191 34.8 360
Tasmania Hobart/Southern Tasmania Launceston/Northern Tasmania 174 55.7 97 39.8 188
National Totals >1999 6,470 51.3 3,320 34.5 6,178
>1998 6,292 50.5 3,179 33.7 5,824
>1997 6,527 47.4 3,097 30.5 5,210
Trends >1996 5,765 45.8 2,640 29.0 4,856
>1995 5,326 45.3 2,413 29.2 4,541
>1994 5,250 42.2 2,216 27.5 4,229
* Includes only those areas measured by A.C. Nielsen and does not include SB S viewers in Darwin and 121 self-help services where the potential audience exceeds 200,000.
2. W eekly viewing by ethnicity (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth combined)
Born overseas in a non-English speaking country
Total People
Born in Australia or in an overseas English speaking country
32,4%
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
The above figures were compiled from the regular industry audience reports of A. C. Nielsen
3 . Top program s (n a tio n a l) Based on average per minute audiences
000s
South Park Com edy Series 1,067
Unknown Images: The Vietnam War Special 658
Stone Movie 658
The Day the Earth Was Hit As it H appened 605
Ancient Egypt Docum entary series 597
Meet the Ancestors Docum entary series 575 Gracious Curves Docum entary 545
Hitlers Warriors Docum entary series 527 Turkish Passion Movie 509
The Viking Saga As it H appened 508
FA Cup Final Soccer 506
Decisive Weapons Docum entary series 490 Stone Forever Docum entary 484
Nature of Things: Yellowstone to Yukon Docum entary series 481 The Extinction Files As it H appened 479
Sounds of the Sixties Docum entary series 478 Russia's War: Blood Upon the Snow Docum entary series 468
Egypt’ s Lost City As it H appened 461
Out of Asia As it H appened 452
South Park Discovered Docum entary 448 Eurovision Song Contest Special 445
The Snowy Docum entary series 444
World News - Sunday World News 436
000s
Assault on the Mind: The Battle Against Alzheimers T h e Cutting Edge 428
At Your Service Special 425
Glyn Christian Tastes Royal Thailand Cooking series 422
Endless Harmony: The Beach Boys Story Documentary series 419 Stonehenge (rpt.) As it Happened 419
Fate of the Neanderthal Man Documentary series 412 Girl On a Motor Cycle Cult Movie 411
The Laundrymen T h e Cutting Edge 409
Gourmet Ireland Cooking series 409
The Irish Empire Documentary series 408 Bill Bryson’ s Notes From a Small Island Documentary series 407 English Premier League Soccer 403
Chrissy Documentary 400
Wildfish Fishing series 398
Fdephants or Ivory T h e Cutting Edge 398 Project A {rpt.) Movie 394
Healing America's Youth T h e Cutting Edge 389
Nagasaki: A record of Life and Death As it Happened 385
A Fork in Australia Documentary series 383
4. W eekly reach by age and sex >% ofCategory
[000s] [000s] [000s] [000s]
M en 18-24 ' 238 Women 18-24 163 Children 0/4 147 People 18/39 1,527
Men 25-39 634 Women 25-39 492 Children 5/12 236 People 40+ 2,310
M en 40-54 622 Women 40-54 447 Teens 13/17 239 Men 18+ 2,142
M en 55+ 646 Women 55+ 595 Women 18+ 1,695
RADIO
Reach SBS Radio broadcasts to all major cities across Australia and reaches a potential
national audience of more than 2.5 million people who speak a language other than English in the home. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that 41% of these people reside in NSW, 33% in Victoria, 8.2% in Queensland, 7.1% in Western Australia, 6.6% in South Australia, 1.7% in the ACT, and 0.5% in Tasmania.
Audience Surveys Since 1996, SBS Radio has been progressively surveying its language
audiences to determine listening habits and to elicit feedback on how to improve services.
To date, 38 surveys of 36 language communities have been conducted by the independent Quadrant Research. This year’s surveys were of the Thai, Hungarian, Assyrian, Hindi, Tamil, Sinhalese, Punjabi,
Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati and Kannada language communities. In previous years, the surveys have included the following language communities: Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Arabic (twice), Cantonese (twice), Mandarin,
Khmer, Spanish, Polish, Macedonian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian, Bosnian, Maltese, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, French, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Indonesian and Persian/Farsi.
The Quadrant surveys showed continued high approval rating of SBS Radio broadcasts in almost all languages. Responses to questions on ‘satisfaction’, ‘programming content’ and the ‘professionalism of SBS Radio broadcasters’ regularly scored approval ratings of 80-90% across most languages. While the surveys showed significant
listening to SBS Radio, they also demonstrated the need to publicise SBS Radio services more widely to Australia’s language communities.
In late June 2000 an additional survey was launched to assess the awareness of SBS Radio among the general population as well as among people from non-English speaking backgrounds. The survey will also review the listening habits of people from the country’s six largest community groups - Italian, Greek, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Cantonese/Mandarin.
Audience Feedback In recent years, a new gauge of the value and popularity of SBS Radio programs has
emerged: audience participation. Over the past year, thousands of people have participated in outdoor broadcasts conducted by SBS Radio in every capital city, in every State and Territory, as well as in many country and regional towns. The two Outside
Broadcast units - one based in Sydney and another in Melbourne - have proved immensely popular with listeners and broadcasters alike (see Chapter Three ‘Building Relationships with Our Community').
Radioathons, the other highly successful gauge of audience participation, have become synonymous writh SBS Radio. Over the past three years, SBS Radio has helped raised an estimated $3.5 million for humanitarian causes, both at home and overseas (see Chapter ‘Three Building Relationships with Our Community’).
Youth Audiences TELEVISION
In recent years, SBS Television has gained a considerably higher profile among audiences in the 13-17 years and the 18-24 years demographics, primarily through the introduction of animated series such as South Park and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Early inroads had been made with cutting edge animation programs such as Aeon Flux, The Maxx, and Liquid Television, but it wasn’t until the first series of South Park, in
December 1997, that youth audience numbers increased substantially.
Programs skewed towards younger audiences have been among the most popular on the network, including the SBS production, Pizza, the aforementioned Neon Genesis Evangelion, Strangers With Candy, and Dr Katz. Other programs that appealed to the youth market in the past year include the SBS production, Alchemy, Classic Albums, Rock Family Trees and a number of stand-alone documentaries on artists such as Blur, Iggy Pop, Bob Marley, and Jimi Hendrix.
Among children and people aged up to 24, SBS’s average weekly reach in Australia’s five major cities has increased from 628,000 in 1997 to 880,00 in 1998 -
a 40% jump. In 1999, the youth audience was almost identical - 876,000 - despite the fact that the biggest program drawcard, South Park, included a number of repeats.
(See graph 4: Weekly reach by age and sex)
RADIO
T he SBS Radio project, Training in Radio for Young People (T RY!), continued to train younger broadcasters in program presentation and the
production of program segments for younger listeners. Since it began in 1997, TRY! has trained more than 100 young people from 42 language backgrounds.
In the past year, young broadcasters from Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, Croatian, Indonesian, Japanese, Macedonian, Spanish, Thai, Hungarian, Urdu and Vietnamese backgrounds received
training. Many language programs now contain youth segments, children’s drama, and segments on science and the
environment for younger listeners. Graduates from the TRY! project provided valuable live performances,
broadcasts and recordings from many of the outside broadcasts in Melbourne and Sydney. Young broadcasters trained through the TRY! scheme have been
able to expand their skills on Alchemy, SBS Radio’s youth music program, which continues to build an audience among second-generation Australians through
the common language of English.
Alchemy attended the Adelaide Festival and Womad and recorded a number of items performed by various local and visiting artists. Requests for musical material from young Australians resulted in the receipt of more than 30 CD, minidisc and cassette ‘demos’ and
many of these recordings have been broadcast by Alchemy. Early discussions have been held on building a comprehensive youth site on the SBS web site.
TWO
our programs
TELEVISION In 1999-2000, SBS Television broadcast 6,529 hours of programming, of which 57% were in languages other than English. News and current affairs programming accounted for 42% of total broadcast hours, films 22%, and documentaries and documentary series 13%.
i
s
28
SBS PRO DUCTIONS
SBS Television Production department generated more than 260 hours of programs during the year. The programs reflected a wide spread of subjects, cultural issues and production styles in keeping with SBS’s Charter responsibilities and its reputation for diversity, innovation and quality. Most of the programs were produced in-house, but where necessary or appropriate, some productions or facilities were out-sourced.
C0RR0B0REE 2000
The two-day reconciliation conference and people's march was the biggest logistical exercise ever undertaken by SBS Television.
As host broadcaster, SBS provided live coverage of the May event including the reconciliation ceremony at the Sydney Opera House and a 23-camera coverage of the
Harbour Bridge walk and Darling Harbour concert the following day. The broadcast, hosted by Jana Wendt, Indira Naidoo and Vivian Schenker and involving many
indigenous SBS staff members, was produced through the joint efforts of News, Production and Operations. Footage of the historic event was specially packaged and made available to
other Australian broadcasters and the international media. Comprehensive coverage on the SBS web site, including audio and video, attracted strong interest with 12% of all accesses from the USA.
GOING HOME
Commissioned from major production house, McElroy Television, Going Home is recognised as one of the most innovative programs on Australian television. Scripted, filmed, edited and
broadcast on the same day. Going Home grew out of SBS’s desire to explore new forms of television programming. Set in a nightly inter-urban commuter train over 65 episodes, the program
realistically intertwines the fictional lives of its nine characters with the news and issues of the day. Broadcast each weeknight at 7.30pm, Going Home encourages viewer feedback via the SBS web site, including plot and character
suggestions that are regularly incorporated into subsequent episodes.
PIZZA
T he nine-episode comedy sitcom, Pizza, was an instant hit, becoming the most popular comedy on SBS after the very successful South Park series and the
network’s most successful in-house production. The streetwise, knockabout series was particular popular with
younger audiences. The brainchild of writer/director/actor, Paul Fenech, Pizza was a slice of life seen through the eyes of two pizza delivery boys and the owner
of a pizza business in the wrong end of town.
ALCHEMY
Tapping into the subculture of dance dubs, the popular SBS music program caters to a previously neglected music genre. Presented by Frank Rodi, Nicole
Fossati and Robbie Buck, Alchemy has an edgy visual style that reflects the spirit of electronic and experimental music. In its fourth series. Alchemy went to New York to profile the city’s finest cutting edge artists and clubs. The program’s web site remained extremely active,
reflecting Alchemy’ s continuing popularity among dance and funk followers. The three co-hosts were among the presenters at the 1999 ARIA Awards and Nicole and Robbie performed this role again at the 3D Dance Awards 2000.
A FORK IN ASIA
Following the success of his internationally-focused series, A Fork in the Road, Pria Viswalingam turned his attention to home-country wanderings. A
Fork in Australia took him to Kulin in Western Australia’s wheat belt, Melbourne, Cairns, Broome, Adelaide,
‘My proudest day was when the Greek program in Sydney raised $120,000 for the Thessalica earthquake victims’ Alex Catharios - Head of Greek Language Program, Sydney
Alex was a lieutenant in the Greek Army and a director of the Army radio station in the northern Greek town of Kavala shortly before he migrated to Australia in 1968. While employed as a service engineer with Rank Xerox, he becam e a volunteer broadcaster with 2EA in 1 9 7 5 .Three years later, Alex was chosen to head SBS Radio's Greek Language program in Sydney. His professional highlights include interviews with past Greek
presidents, Karam anlis and Sargetakis, and former Australian Prime Ministers, Whitlam and Fraser.
Canberra, Sydney and Tasmania. He even caught up with some expatriates in London.
EAT CARPET
Now into its l l ,h year, eat carpet remains the vanguard of short and experimental film and video works. It’s the only regular television outlet in the world for such works, eat carpet is recognised for its unique blend of animation, comedy, documentary, fringe arts events and works that defy categorisation. During the year, eat carpet gave awards at Flickerfest in Bondi and the St Kilda Film Festival and seven of its own productions were screened at Expo 2000
Hanover.
FRONT UP
Andrew Urban’s Front Up continues to draw, from people in the streets and malls of Australia, fascinating insights into their lives and their views on almost any subject. In the seventh series of the highly-regarded program, Andrew visited Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, as well as country Victoria and New South Wales.
FUTURE TENSE
SBS was a participant, along with CafE Productions (UK), Discovery Channels International (US), VM Productions (France) and Discovery Canada in the international co-production of a 13-part science magazine series, Future Tense.
SBS contributed segments to the series
which was coordinated by CafE, and retains the right to make an Australian version. The thematic episodes explore critical international issues in science
using contemporary post-production technology. The series will be screened in late 2000.
GLOBAL VILLAGE
'The popular program in the 6pm weekday timeslot continues to build a loyal and appreciative audience. Comprised of mini-documentaries about people and places throughout the world, and linked by Silvio Rivier’s commentary, Global Village has become one of SBS’s most successful early evening programs. During the year, SBS’s Production unit filmed a number of short segments - from Broome in Western Australia to Ingham in
Queensland - for inclusion in the program.
HOTLINE
Electra Manikakis’s audience feedback program settled into its first permanent timeslot this year - 5.50pm Mondays. Hotline, which began in 1990, remains
the only regular viewer feedback program on Australian television. In its tighter five-minute format, Hotline gives viewers the opportunity to air and share their views about SBS programming.
'At SBS you have a sense of doing something important. You are part of the making of a society’ Sophia Catharios - EEO Coordinator, SBS Human Resources
ICAM
The Indigenous Cultural Affairs Magazine (ICAM) remains the only prime-time indigenous affairs program broadcast nationally on Australian
television. It is re-broadcast by Imparja Television in Alice Springs for the benefit of remote indigenous communities. Another 26 episodes were broadcast during the year. Series eight included coverage of the Croc
Eisteddfod, programs about prisons, youth and the Aboriginal rugby league team, a profile of Senator Aden Ridgeway and a film made by the
Irrunytju Community at Wingellina, WA. Series 9 included a two-part progress report on reconciliation, programs about land and hunting rights, profiles of
Evonne Goolagong Cawley and the band, Tiddas, and a special about an indigenous art exhibition in St Petersburg.
;
THE A F I AWARDS
For the second year, SBS broadcast live the annual Australian Film Institute awards. The two-hour November broadcast from Sydney’s Horden
Pavilion reaffirmed SBS’s commitment to quality Australian film making. The presenters included Nicole Kidman, Russel Crowe, Cate Blanchett and John Poison. A live web-cast of the awards
was also carried on the SBS web site with comprehensive background information. Almost one third of all visits to the site were from the USA.
THE BRIDGE
TV Production supplemented the pre purchase of Israeli producer, Nili Tabs documentary about the collapse of a temporary bridge at the 1997 Maccabiah
Games which killed four Australian athletes and injured 60 others. This powerful documentary, which detailed
shoddy construction, official incompetence and personal grief was broadcast several days before an Israeli court handed down its verdict of criminal negligence against those
charged.
THE FOOD LOVERS’ GUIDE TO
AUSTRALIA
The Food Lovers’ Guide to Australia built on the popularity of the first series to produce an even stronger, more confident second series this year. Presented by Maeve O’Meara and Joanna Savill, the program traversed the
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food cultures of Australia, from the Northern Territory to Tasmania, from Western Australia to the eastern seaboard, showcasing the talents of individual chefs and an astonishing array of cuisines, culinary specialities and produce. It was accompanied by a colourful and informative web site of recipes and background details on featured stories.
THE MOVIE SHOW
After 13 years, The Movie Show remains the only in-depth cinema review and analysis program on Australian free-to-air television. Hosts Margaret Pomeranz and
David Stratton continued their lively debates about the merits or otherwise of current cinema releases. Once again the
program visited the Venice and Cannes film festivals and throughout the year secured many exclusive interviews with leading international and Australian actors, producers and directors.
THE SNOWY
One of the showpieces of Australian post-war development was the Snowy Mountains hydroelectricity scheme, important both as visionary engineering and a milestone in the history of multiculturalism in this country.
Drawing extensively on the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectricity Authority’s archives and on personal stories, the two one-hour documentaries attracted a strong audience and confirmed a continuing interest in an historical milestone.
News and Current Affairs The nightly SBS World News at 6.30pm and the World News Tonight at 9.30pm week nights continued to provide Australians with a
unique window to international events. Of all the free- to-air networks, SBS news bulletins give the most comprehensive reportage of world events. This was acknowledged in the
latest Newspoll survey that found 63.3% of people agreed that 'SBS has better coverage of overseas news than other TV stations’.
In 1999, audience figures for the 6.30pm SBS World News bulletin (Monday to Friday) rose 20.1% over the previous year, while audience numbers for the Saturday and Sunday editions were up 9.1%. Audience figures for the mid-evening news bulletin have also increased. Although World News Tonight (at 9.30pm) did not begin until May
1999, its average weekly audience reach during the year was 16.4% higher than the World News at Nine which broadcast during 1998.
Each week, 51.5 hours of international news bulletins in 17 languages are broadcast in the news omnibus program, WorldWatch and many of these bulletins are translated and regularly edited into locally produced reports for the SBS World News and World News Tonight. At the height of the crisis in
East Timor, for example, the WorldWatch telecast of the TVRI bulletins from Jakarta provided an insight into domestic Indonesian coverage and analysis of the unfolding dispute. An SBS news team in East Timor, from July until September, provided on-the- spot coverage, and SBS was in Darwin to report on the departure of Interfet forces to
Dili.
World News travelled to another regional hot-spot, Fiji, within 12 hours of the coup’s announcement and continued to provide satellite-fed reports in the following weeks.
DATELINE
SBS’s long running international current affairs program, Dateline, consolidated its audience in its Wednesday 8.30pm timeslot. Dateline reporters covered events in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the United States and South America during the year. The 38 feature stories covered were:
INSIGHT
SBS’s national current affairs program, Insight, focused its attention on many of the issues confronting multicultural Australia. Insight reported on national and state politics and examined a multitude of issues - ethnic, political, social, ethical, religious and economic - in the 40 episodes broadcast in 1999-2000. The feature stories covered were:
mm MANDATORY SENTENCING BULLYING REPUBLIC FORUM GM CROP TRIALS LARIUM KOSOVAR REFUGEES RECONCILIATION FORUM GENE TECHNOLOGY SMALL SHAREHOLDERS CHILDREN’S RIGHTS FORUM Y2K BUG
MULTICULTURAL WORKERS NATIVE TITLE DIVERSE ELECTION ELITE ATHLETES ATSIC EAST TIMOR MEN'S REFUGE HISTORY’S VALUE HEROIN ADDICTION ARTS IN AUSTRALIA GRANDPARENTS MILK INJECTING ROOMS
MARIJUANA ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS LEGAL AID ABORIGINAL LEADERS
BULLY AT SCHOOL MOBILE PHONES VICTORIAN POLITICS CITY COUNTRY ALLIANCE
HOUSING FECCA URBAN DEVELOPMENT GM
CLOTHING INTERNATIONAL EYES NEW MEDICINE GST FORUM
The divide over law and order in the Northern Territory
The impact of intimidation in the workplace
The issues debated on the eve of the vote
Genetically modified foods grown in Tasmania
Side-effects of a well known anti-malaria drug
The refugees who fled Kosovo return to their homeland
Kempsey discusses how it could happen in their town
The political, social and ethical implications
Small investors stand up for their rights in big companies
A panel debate on what they are and how they are protected
What could happen if Australia is not prepared
The benefits of diversity in business
Western Australia test case on the rights to natural resources
The Chinese community's role in Sydney City Council election
The impact of competition on elite athletes and children
ATSIC's role through the eyes of community leaders
Post-ballot voice of refugees living in Australia
Abused men get their first refuge
The decline of the history lesson in schools
Cabramatta's drug problem and the way to deal with it
The effect of the funding report on the arts community
An appraisal of their role in a changing society
Deregulation of the dairy industry
One church's attempt to tackle the issue head on
A controversy about its value as medicine
How to handle people who seek asylum
The way the system has coped with cuts to Legal Aid funding
A profile of three styles of aboriginal leadership
Schools acting to end bullying
Health issues surrounding mobile phones
Election eve in the State
The Queensland party seen as a successor to One Nation
The impact of the Olympics on low-cost housing in Sydney
A review of the Council's role
Consolidation is the trend, but should it continue?
FoodThe pros and cons of genetically modified food
New push for better conditions for out-workers
The attitudes of overseas media in Australia for the Olympics
The arrival of high-tech medicine and the marketing tactics
A GST-eve discussion on what it w ill be like
3 4
Sport SBS Sport’s flagship program,Toyota World Sports, drew 8.3% more viewers to its nightly coverage of world sports in 1999.
SBS also consolidated its status as Australia’s ‘cycling network’ with its comprehensive reporting of the Tour de France and Jacob’s Creek Tour Down Under.
T he organisers of the Jacob’s Creek event approached SBS to be the host broadcaster for international coverage (SBS highlights
were screened in 52 countries) as well as broadcaster for the national coverage which extended over six days.
'The Tour de France coverage was watched by a 1.7 million Australians and SBS Sport later negotiated a new four-year license agreement for terrestrial coverage of the event until 2003, the centenary of the world’s most important cycling race.
A new venture involving a partnership between SBS and UK-based content provider, Sportal, resulted in the launch in May of a comprehensive soccer web site. With SBS content provided by the Sports
department, theworldgame.com.au has helped insure that SBS retains its leading position as Australia’s premier provider of
soccer news and information services.
Although SBS lost a major soccer fixture, Euro 2000, to a pay TV network, SBS was able to retain its prominent soccer profile due to its coverage of some of the world’s most important annual events - the English Premier League, the European Champions League and the Italian Serie A - as well as the continued broadcast of the long-running
World Soccer program, the On The Ball panel discussion program, and exhaustive news coverage on Toyota World Sports.
The English Premier League weekly program and the FA Cup Final again attracted very good audiences and there was sharp growth in the popularity of the
European Champions League, a series of 17 choice matches screened on Thursday
evenings, culminating in live coverage of the final from Paris in May.
SBS further enhanced its reputation for coverage of a wide spectrum of sports with its broadcast of the Golden League of Athletics, the most important annual event in track and field outside the Olympics. Other under
exposed sports covered by SBS during the year included waterpolo, ice hockey, beach soccer, badminton and figure skating. The
weekly series Sportswoman and Asia Sports continued and there was also event coverage of the Pacific Cup international women’s soccer tournament and the Pacific School
Games.
Indigenous Programs SBS Television broadcasts more programs about indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders than any other network.
Preceding the telecast of Corroboree 2000 and the People’s Walk for Reconciliation, SBS Television broadcast Unfinished Business - Reconciling the Nation, a 10-day season of
indigenous programs including six hours of documentaries and dramas specially commissioned by SBS Independent. The programs included the documentaries: A Cry From the Heart; Stolen Generations; Land of the Little Kings; and The Habits of New Norcia.
Four half-hour dramas were also shown:
Where the Two Rivers Meet; My Mother, My Son; Confessions of a Headhunter; and Dust (see SBS Independent page 44).
ICAM, which began in 1996, remains the only prime-time indigenous affairs program broadcast nationally on Australian television. Nineteen half-hour episodes of
ICAM - 9.5 hours - were transmitted this year (see above). Also during the year, SBS’s national current affairs program, Insight, devoted five programs to indigenous issues.
These included reports on mandatory g
sentencing, reconciliation and native title. j
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More than 40 hours of indigenous programming were broadcast during 1999-2000. These programs (below) included 29 documentaries and one documentary series, 10 dramas and one drama series, three animation and one special.
The vast majority of the 45 indigenous programs broadcast in 1999-2000 were commissioned by SBS Independent. In 1999-2000, SBSI commissioned a further 12 hours of indigenous programs, including:
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SBSI also committed funds to two projects. The first is for the development of four 26-minute monologues, They Call Me Mum, and the second is for two feature films
from indigenous film makers. This Indigenous Features Initiative was originated by SBSI and the National Indigenous Media Association of Australia (NIMAA) through
Indigenous Screen Australia (ISA).
ACQUIRE D PROGRAMS
During the year, SBS Television acquired 2,133 programs from more than 400 international programming sources. These programs from 81 countries, featured 154
languages and 184 cultures.
These programs are made accessible to Australian audiences through the use of subtitles. During the year, 637 hours of English-language subtitling was created by SBS Subtitles. In addition, the unit subtitled
the award-winning Tibetan/Australian film, The Cup, into English and French for the Cannes Film Festival and subsequent worldwide distribution. SBS Subtitling also produced the English version of the
documentary series. Hitler's Children, for international release by Germany’s ZDF network.
Programming Highlights DOCUMENTARIES
In 1999-2000, SBS Television broadcast 428 hours of documentaries, more than any other free-to-air network. These documentaries, both commissioned and
purchased from outside sources, cover a broad range of subjects, including: current affairs; human relationships; science; the arts; religion; sexuality and gender issues; race and racism; culture;
food and health; and ancient and modern history. The majority of these are 30 or 60 minutes in length, although feature- length documentaries also appear in the schedule on occasion.
Highlights of the past year include: McLibel - Two Worlds Collide, about the lengthy libel case fought in the British courts between McDonald’s and two
environmental activists; Football Hooligans, a behind-the-scenes look at organised soccer violence; Elephants or Ivory, on the debate surrounding the
partial lifting of the ban on the trade of ivory; The Child Brides, which looked at the Ethiopian custom of arranging marriages of girls as young as seven and the terrible consequences of this practice; and Is Scientology Above the Law? an analysis of the relationship between the Church of Scientology, its members and the law.
DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Some of SBS Television’s most popular and high rating programs in 1999-2000 were documentary series. During the year, they accounted for 422 hours of broadcast time. Among the most popular were: Meet the Ancestors, a series wherein facial reconstruction techniques are used to recreate images of early Britons from skull fragments; Sounds of the Seventies, which showcased the popular music of that decade through the use of archival material; Hitlers Warriors, which profiled some of the generals behind Hitler’s war machine; Empires - The Greeks, an examination of ancient Greek civilisation; Fat Files, a study of the causes of obesity;
The Dirt Detective, in which comedian Craig Ferguson travelled to various ancient sites in Scotland; The Food Lovers’ Guide to Australia II, the second series of Maeve O’Meara’s and Joanna Savill’s food odyssey around Australia; and Africans in America - America’ s Journey Through
Slavery, which promulgated the theory that the USA would never have acquired the economic power that it has were it not for slavery.
4
FEATURE FILMS
With the broadcast of 1,443 hours of feature films during the year - an average of 18 films per week - SBS Television remains the premier film network among Australia’s free-to-air broadcasters. Movies are presented each
evening Monday to Friday at 10pm, on Saturday nights at 9.30pm, and on Sundays at 10.30pm. Movie matinees are seen most days at 12.30pm and late- night movies are shown most nights of the week
Each night features a different variety of film: the Sunday evening movies are billed as Cinema Classics and are presented by David Stratton; Monday movies are dramas and crime stories aimed at young adults, introduced by
Des Mangan; on Tuesdays, Margaret Pomeranz presents ‘quality’ movies, many of which have had an Australian theatrical release; David Stratton hosts his selection of the world’s best contemporary films in Wednesday’s Movie of the Week; Thursdays see movies from a wide variety of cultures; on Fridays the movies are of general interest to the widest possible audience; and on Saturdays Des Mangan introduces the cinematically weird and wonderful in the Cult Movie slot.
Among the most popular movies of the year were: La Celestina (Spain); The Big Boss (Hong Kong); The Smile (France); A Girl Called Rosemarie (Germany); Stone (Australia); Self Portrait With a Lover (Poland);
Nude for Satan (Italy); and The Flodders trilogy (The Netherlands.)
DRAMA SERIES
Going Home, the 65-episode SBS commissioned program, launched in May, won strong viewer support and
broke new ground in production methods with its same-day shoot and broadcast schedule. Other drama series came from Austria (Inspector Rex), Ireland (Tales From the Poorhouse), Denmark (The Kingdom), and Lebanon (The Storm Rages Twice). In addition, repeat series from Malta (Time Will Tell), Syria (The Silk Market), and Greece (Anastasia, and Dual
Truth) were shown.
COMEDY
One of the most enjoyable ways of sharing cultural diversity is through comedy, and these programs are consistently among the most watched on SBS Television. During the year, some of the most popular comedies were: Pizza, SBS-Television’s own series about tw'O pizza delivery guys; South Park, the highly successful animated series about four eight-year- old boys growing up in Colorado; Goodness Gracious Me, a spoof on cultural and racial stereotypes set among England’s Indian community; Operation Good Guys, a fly-on-the-w'all ‘mockumentary’ series set in a British police station; and Baddiel and Skinner
Unplanned, billed as ‘two men, a sofa, and no script.’
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‘SBS was an experiment and I was happy to be part of that experiment. The response â â â â â was wonderful from the start’ Ivana Serdarevic - Croatian Language Program, Sydney
A R T S P R O G R A M S S E A S O N S
Thirty three operas, grouped into two seasons, aired on SBS Television during the year. These were scheduled in Arts on Saturday (a three-hour block of arts
programs between 12.30 and 3.30pm every Saturday) and, occasionally, on Sunday nights. On many occasions, complementary programs were shown about the operas’ composers, conductors and artists. These seasons were in addition to the regular Masterpiece programs which profiled many leading artists from various disciplines, including the authors Graham Greene, Lawrence
Durrell and Stephen King, the artists Paul Gauguin, Salvador Dali and Marcel Duchamp, the film directors Franco Zeffirelli and Andrzej Wajda, the pianist Sviatoslav Richter, and the violinist Maxim Vengerov. Both Masterpiece and Arts on Saturday are hosted by Nym Kim.
During 1999-2000, SBS Television continued its innovative programming tradition of broadcasting special seasons of programs on a single theme. The
subject - examined through a broad range of feature films, documentaries, short dramas and comedies - is thoroughly dissected and examined from
a variety of perspectives, some serious and some in a lighter vein.
In the past year, four of these seasons were broadcast. They included Fall of the Wall commemorating the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall; Australian films and documentaries broadcast in the week prior to SBS’s live telecast of the Australian Film Institute Awards; Ffor Fake, a week of programs about frauds
and forgers; and Unfinished Business - Reconciling the Nation, a season of programs focusing on issues surrounding reconciliation and the stolen generations which was broadcast to coincide with the
National Declaration of Reconciliation Conference. In addition, between mid- October and the end of the year, 34 programs relating to the end of the
millennium and the Y2K bug were broadcast under the umbrella title Pre Millennium Tension.
Special Programs INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF
OLDER PERSONS
A number of programs were broadcast
In 1973, Ivana arrived in Australia as part of a spouse-assisted scheme and worked as a international telephone operator and then as a doctor's receptionist while also working part-tim e with 2EA. Later, her broadcaster/journalist role with SBS Radio was made a
permanent part-tim e position. A poet and novelist, Ivana says her most memorable day a t SBS Radio was her first broadcast and hearing her voice on radio.
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throughout the year covering an array of topics of interest to, or focusing on, older people. Among these were: the SBS1- produced documentaries A Calcutta Christmas, about the elderly residents of the Tollygunge Home in Calcutta, India; Ports of Destiny, which followed a 76- year-old Australian man on a visit to
Buenos Aires to find his 96-vear-old aunt; The Producers, about the attempt of two elderly Sydney gentlemen to produce a feature film; and Growing Old Disgracefully, on the Ulysses motorcycle gang whose members are all over the age of 50.
In addition, there were many purchased programs of particular interest to older viewers. These included:
Natural Love, in which a number of elderly Brazilians read the erotic poetry of Carlos Drummond de Andrade and reminisced about their love lives; The Life and Times of Life and Times, a
documentary dealing with the effects of aging on the body; the eight-part series The Fourth Season, canvassing the attitudes of people towards older persons in a range of diverse cultures; the two- part documentary series Assault on the Mind - The Battle Against Alzheimer’ s; and
the three-part series The Older the Better, which examined ways in which the aging process can be slowed.
NAIDOC WEEK
Almost 12 hours of programming were scheduled during NAIDOC Week.
These programs appeared throughout the schedule and included the SBSI- produced documentaries Marluku Wirlinyi: The Kangaroo Hunters, and
Walking Through a Minefield, and three- and-a-half hours of programming in Arts on Saturday.
HIROSHIMA DAY
The documentaries Long Shadows: The Lives of A-Bomb Orphans, Loose Nukes, and Nagasaki: A Record of Life and Death, were broadcast to commemorate the
bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
WORLD AIDS DAY
The SBSI documentary Chrissy, a video diary of the final year of life of a young HIV-positive woman, was shown to acknowledge World AIDS Day on
1 December.
UNICEF INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S
DAY OF BROADCASTING
Joining over 100 television stations around the world, SBS Television contributed to the UNICEF International Children’s Day of
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Broadcasting in December by broadcasting the films The Purse Snatcher and Wanted: Grandfather, the SBSI short Taniwha, and the documentary Children
of Cairo.
AU STR ALIA DAY
Australia Day was acknowledged by the transmission of a number of relevant programs: Eternity, about the man who, for 40 years, wrote the word ‘Eternity’ in
beautiful copperplate hand-writing around Sydney and whose work was acknowledged in the Sydney new year's eve fireworks spectacular; Moana - A Moshumentary, an SBSI documentary
about the phenomenon of ‘moshing’ (dancing in a close-knit pack to live rock music); Dead Heat - The Race to Find a Cure fo r Influenza, a look at the ground
breaking research into the ‘flu conducted by two Australian scientists, and a repeat screening of Shifting Sands, SBSI’s collection of six short indigenous
dramas.
IN TER N ATIO N AL WOMEN’ S DAY
The documentaries The Child Brides and The Flying Nun, together with the feature film, The Story ofQiuJu, were shown to acknowledge International Women's Day.
HOLOCAUST DAY
The SBSI documentary, Uncle Chatzkel, and a repeat screening of the classic film, The Gold of Rome, were scheduled to mark Holocaust Day.
ANZAC DAY
The SBSI short drama, Harry’ s War, together with a repeat of SBSI’s documentary, Jack Sue: A Matter of Honour, were broadcast on Anzac Day.
CHINESE NEW YEAR
Chinese New Year was marked by showings of a classic Chinese feature film, Plunder of Peach and Plum, a repeat of the SBSI documentary, Mao’ s New Suit, and the Jackie Chan film, Twin Dragons.
SPECIALS
⢠Corroboree 2000 -9.5 hours over 27-28 May 2000.
⢠The 1999 Australian Film Institute Awards.
⢠The 1999 Ethnic Business Awards.
⢠The 2000 Eurovision Song Contest.
⢠The 2000 Faraday Lecture.
⢠The 2000 Oz Concert.
⢠The 2000 San Remo Festival of Italian Song.
⢠The World Food Media Awards.
‘As a broadcaster, the most important thing is to listen, to be diplomatic, and to act in a way that doesn’t offend listeners.’ Hussam Cheebo - Arabic Language Program, Melbourne
Hussain was a primary school teacher in Lebanon when, in 1975, he migrated to Australia to join his sister. In Melbourne he became a language teacher and volunteer broadcaster with 3EA's Arabic Language service. Hussam has to balance the needs of his audience who come from 15 different ethnic backgrounds.
M arried with two children, he's m ost proud of the radioathon appeals th at helped raise money for earthquake victims in Egypt and Lebanon.
SBS INDEPENDENT This was SBS Independent’s most active year since it was established in 1994. It commissioned 79 hours of programs - 34.5 hours of documentary and 44.5 hours of drama and animation. Over the same period, 48 hours of completed SBS1 projects (documentary, drama and animation) were broadcast by SBS Television.
SBSI continues to maximise its funding by spreading it across a wide production slate, concentrating on lower budget productions, and continuing to encourage the work of innovative and emerging Australian film makers. Many SBSI films and documentaries have been made
in regional Australia, and SBSI places particular emphasis on multicultural themes, involving indigenous film makers and those from non- English speaking backgrounds.
Since 1994, SBSI has received more than 3,700 proposals from all over Australia and has commissioned more than 420 hours of high- quality, distinctive Australian documentary, drama and animation, with every dollar of its Special Production Funding going to the independent Australian production industry.
The SBSI web site was launched online in December. It provides news and current information on proposal guidelines and initiatives to film makers. It also contains a complete and growing catalogue of all the films and documentaries which SBSI has commissioned, thus providing information to prospective buyers, internationally and domestically, about the distinctive work SBSI has supported.
SBSI films and documentaries continue to receive wide acclaim, winning 34 international and national awards during the year, including seven Australian Film Industry awards and five Dendy awards.
In accordance with its strategic principles, SBSI has actively supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander productions, commissioning more than 50 indigenous projects in the past six years. The biggest
project to date was the commissioning of four one-hour documentaries and four half-hour drama programs about indigenous issues which were broadcast in May as part of a special season, Unfinished Business - Reconciling the Nation, in the lead-up to SBS Television’s
extensive coverage of Corroboree 2000.
(See Indigenous Programs page 35-36) This block of programs was the most substantial contribution SBSI has made to one of SBS Television’s ‘theme’ weeks. Most of the films were from indigenous film makers, or a collaboration between white and indigenous film makers, and they focused on indigenous legacy, family, land, and the ‘stolen generations’.
SBSI, with the National Indigenous Media Association of Australia (NIMAA), is also committed to an Indigenous Features Initiative through Indigenous Screen Australia (ISA) to provide funding for two features films by indigenous film makers.
SBSI received a grant from the Centenary of Federation Fund for the production of a series which explores the experiences of second- and third-generation Australians from migrant backgrounds. More than 200 submissions were received and SBSI has fully funded eight documentary and four drama proposals to be broadcast in prime time under the title. Hybrid Life.
SBSI’s seven-part drama series, Bondi Banquet, began its television run in early June, accompanied by the launch of a web site with recipes, additional culinary material, and more information about the cast and crew.
Other SBSI initiatives include the approval of development funds for the production of a low budget feature film, The Meaning of Life, and the commissioning of a 26-minute satirical animated history of the 20th century by Academy Award-winning animator, Bruce Petty.
SBSI continues to increase its co-financing arrangements with all national and State funding bodies. Some of these ventures, such as Space Stories, involve more than one State film body.
SBSI co-financing arrangements with national and state film bodies 1999-2000:
In July-August, SBS Television broadcast the five one-hour episodes of The Irish Empire, an SBSI co-production with RTE and BBC Northern Ireland about the
Irish diaspora. Also screened during the year was Winds of Change, an SBSI co-production
with BBC, RTHK and FFC. The documentary series of three one-hour episodes was shot by film makers in Indonesia, Vietnam and Hong Kong. The
series was also selected in competition at the Banff Television Festival 2000.
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SBSI and S4C Wales are involved in a unique animation co-production. Animated Tales of The World, which brings together 26 of the world’s broadcasters. Each country is required to produce a 13-minute animation pertaining to their country’s indigenous tales and mythology.
Two other ventures are: Pitch ‘N Punt, involving the co-development by SBSI and Channel 4 of two documentaries Honne Pm Home and The Gay Gene; and The Big Pitch, an arrangement between SBSI, ZDF and Screen West for documentary development of two WA projects, Dealing with Dinosaurs and Dealing With the Devil.
Awards Among the awards received by SBS Television in 1999-2000 were the Banff Global Outstanding Achievement Award,
seven Australian Film Institute awards, five Dendy Awards, and the United Nations Association of Australia Media Award. (See Appendix 15).
RADIO General Programs SBS Radio broadcasts in 68 languages - more than any other broadcaster in the world - and each week transmits more than 650 hours of programming, including news - local, national and international - and a mixture of current affairs, interviews, community information, sport and music.
SBS Radio is a powerful tool in meeting the settlement, information and communication needs of Australians of non- English speaking backgrounds. It’s a multilingual national radio network,
broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the AM and FM band in both Sydney and Melbourne as well as on single frequencies to Adelaide and the Adelaide
Hills, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Geelong, Hobart, Newcastle and the Hunter Valley, Perth, Wollongong and Young (NSW).
Beginning at 6am, a different language program is heard every hour. Programs are based on language not ethnicity, and some programs (Arabic and Spanish for example) reach people whose origins are in many
different countries. The major language programs are broadcast twice daily, seven days a week, while some smaller language groups broadcast only one hour a week. How much air time a particular group is allocated is calculated according to the size of the community as well as other factors including proficiency in English, unemployment levels, the number of people aged over 55, and the proportion of new arrivals.
SBS Radio’s broadcaster/journalists present to their listeners the widest possible range of programs - news and current affairs, sport, interviews, talk-back, documentaries, drama and music. More than 15,000 hours of individual programs are produced each year and every day 36 unique news bulletins are
produced.
To do this, the SBS Radio network draws on a range of program sources. Each of the Melbourne and Sydney production centres generate programs for broadcast across Australia. Stories from outside of Sydney and Melbourne are generated by three full-time state correspondents.
All language programs deliver specific community information - often through
Î never left SBS because I want to be â â in touch with the world and the Macedonian community here/ George Businoski - Macedonian Language Program, Sydney
talkback, experts, panel discussions and street vox pops - and occasionally raise contentious community issues in order to inform listeners in an objective and fair
manner. News stories and interviews provide background information, personal experiences and analysis of the events and issues affecting their communities and shaping Australia.
SBS Radio covered all the major national and international events during the year, often with new perspectives and from different angles. For example, while most of the Australian media covered the Republic referendum from the same point of view, SBS Radio took its listeners deep into the debate about what it meant to be Australian in a modern multicultural society and what the Monarchy meant to migrants and their children who came from countries where the
Queen was not head of state. The so-called flood of boat people was examined for its human impact, the national significance of Anzac Day and the Melbourne Cup were explained, and SBS Radio looked beyond the Olympics hyperbole to examine stories such
as a ban on people taking food into Olympic venues, which could have left many visitors unable to eat because of religious or cultural beliefs.
Special Programs During the year, SBS Radio showed continued commitment to two key Charter obligations: assisting migrants to settle in Australia, and providing news and
information to Australians from non-English speaking backgrounds. In every State and capital city, and many regional centres in between, SBS Radio’s two outside broadcast
units brought broadcasters and the public together at scores of public events and festivals (see Chapter three. Building Relationships With Our Community).
In promoting a cohesive, inclusive society, SBS's multilingual radio network is often the principal source of settlement information. Everything from information about social security benefits to medical and educational news is therefore a vital part of every program. For example, a pilot scheme
trialed by the Vietnamese Language program for listeners to receive taxation advice from bi-lingual Australian Taxation Officers in
their own language was so successful it was extended to the Arabic, Cantonese and Spanish language communities. This was invaluable to consumers and small business operators prior to the introduction of the GST.
The Cantonese program provided regular items about English idioms, their meaning and context, while relating them to similar expressions in Cantonese. Similarly,
George arrived by ship from Macedonia in 1972. He'd been in Australia two years earlier as p art of a folk dancing group and liked the country. He established a dance group and was involved in community issues, becoming the migrant health worker for the St George area. For his first 18 m onths at 2EA, George was a volunteer producer. Later he became a broadcaster.
the Vietnamese language program devised, produced and broadcast ‘Learning English’, a series on everyday English words and accents heard in Australian cities and towns. The German program has a long-running segment teaching the German language while incorporating English extensively.
During the year, SBS pioneered a collaborative project to make English language learning more relevant and rewarding. Called the EasyNews project, its aim is to facilitate better understanding of
radio and television news and current affairs for listeners and viewers who come from non-English language backgrounds. The partnership involves SBS, the Adult Migrant Education Services of Victoria and the Multicultural Affairs Unit of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. SBS is contracted to provide news content and to
produce the news segments that are written and recorded at SBS’s Melbourne studios and then published on the Adult Migrant
Education Services’ web site.
SBS Radio also produces the long- running Homereach project. These specialist segments, in more than 20 languages, provide information to housebound people and their carers. During the year, Filipino and Greek were the latest languages to be added to the service and SBS has won the tender for the project to be produced in 14 more languages over a two-year period. Homereach is jointly funded by the State and Commonwealth governments under
their Home and Community Care Program and administered by the NSW Ageing and Disability Department.
NSW's Transcultural Mental Health Centre engaged SBS Radio Marketing to produce a three-part radio series in 15 languages. The series specifically targeted | older people and explored issues such as
1 loneliness and social isolation, detailing how these social issues can impact upon their .a mental health.
Special additional Albanian language programs were included in the schedule during the months when thousands of Kosovo refugees were housed in safe havens in Australia (see News and Current Affairs), and throughout the year a succession of radioathons raised a total of $2,052 million for local community projects and international relief causes (see Chapter 3, Building Relationships With Our Community).
News and Current Affairs Many stories, because of their international or national significance, are newsworthy in anyone’s language, and because SBS Radio’s broadcasters and journalists talk to Australians in 68 languages the year saw some remarkable news scoops.
The Latvian program, for example, gained a world exclusive interview with the alleged Nazi war criminal Konrad Kalejs. Not only was it rapidly translated into English and used in the World View current affairs
program and more than 60 SBS Radio language programs, it also was picked up by national and international media.
During the year, the Portugese and Indonesian language programs became regular sources of breaking news before, during and after the referendum and subsequent Indonesian withdrawal from East Timor.
Time and again, SBS Radio broadcasters’ personal contacts and professional networks provided invaluable intelligence to evolving events as well as unrivalled access to the news makers and those affected. One example was SBS
Radio’s access to Kosovo Albanians in Australia and their families overseas. The first interview with Kosovo Albanian refugees as they arrived in Australia was obtained by SBS’s Albanian language broadcasters.
Due to the exceptional circumstances, the number of Albanian language programs was temporarily extended from two to eight programs a week to provide news and
information to the 4,000 Kosovars in safe havens across Australia. Coverage was supplemented by outside broadcasts from several safe havens. For the community, for those who stayed and for those who returned home, SBS Radio became an essential source for information, interviews and talkback providing an Australian perspective on the
Kosovo tragedy.
T he coup in Fiji provided similar comprehensive and exclusive coverage, including the first interview with an eyewitness to the coup from her office inside
the Fijian parliamentary building. Another hot spot, the Middle East, gave SBS Radio’s Arabic language program the opportunity to bring full coverage and insight to the
casualties and brinkmanship of Middle East negotiations throughout the year.
Domestically, there was extensive coverage of State elections, the introduction of the GST and other tax issues, insurance complexities, banking fees and branch closures, Federal and State budget coverage,
and other business and finance-related matters from a non-English-speaking background perspective.
SBS RADIO NEWS
T he radio newsrooms in Sydney and Melbourne, together with interstate correspondents, provided 525 news and background features to SBS’s 68
language groups for translation and use in their programs. In addition, the newsrooms produced more than 7,000 news stories and 650 interviews in languages other than English. International features produced by SBS Radio news included:
Asia-Pacific
Unrest in the Solomons, Fiji, Timor,
Ambon and West Papua, Korean detente, Vietnam 25 years after the war, Tibet, Chinese human rights, India and Pakistan nuclear tests, human rights in
Burma, muslim guerillas in the Philippines.
Middle East
Israel pulls out of Lebanon, death of Syrian President Assad, Camp David peace talks, Iraqi and Afghani refugees, sanctions on Iraq.
Europe
Latvian war crimes, the Elgin marbles, the war in Kosovo, holocaust compensation for Jews, Croatian
elections. Northern Ireland peace, new Russian president, death of the Serbian war lord Arkan, Euro 2000 soccer, Tour de France.
Africa
The war in Sierra Leone, conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, crisis in Zimbabwe, AIDS in Africa, cricket corruption in South Africa.
Americas
General Pinochet trial, US Presidential race, trans-migration in Brazil.
Indigenous Issues
Corroboree 2000, reconciliation, the stolen generations, mandatory sentencing, the tent embassy, health issues, housing, road safety, art fraud, artist profiles, Cathy Freeman, deaths in custody, the ‘treaty’ issue, returning
body remains from overseas, nationalism, the millennium from an indigenous perspective.
Social Issues
GST, health insurance, parent migrant visas, immigration and population
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planning and policy, genetically modified food, new nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights in Sydney, centenary of Federation, constitutional referendum, industrial relations changes, Australian honours, ASIO and police powers, heroin injecting rooms, Olympics, defence review, Telstra privatisation, salinity, digital broadcasting,
International Events in Australia
International Whaling Commission (Adelaide), Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition, Olympic torch relay, May Day in Australia, drugs in sport conference,
International Deafness conference, International Human Rights Conference (Perth), Australian Tennis Open, Australian FI Grand Prix, numerous Olympic test events.
M ulticultural Events
Crime, justice and policing, youth gangs, lunar new year, age discrimination, bullying, female genital mutilation, culture and the environment, ethnic communities and reconciliation,
FECCA, changing a person’s ‘ethnic’ name to an ‘anglo’ name, Snowy River project reunion, cultural diversity in Australia, crime in Cabramatta in Sydney, illegal immigrants and asylum seekers, Olympic arts festivals, foreign films in Australia, women’s health.
Each weekday (at 6am and at 5pm) the one-hour English language news and current affairs program, World View, provides a multicultural perspective to national and international events.
During the year, World View produced more than 2,080 current affairs reports, features, panel discussions and interviews, including a one-hour documentary on the 25-year history of SBS Radio.
Australian features
Asylum seekers, mandatory sentencing, the citizenship debate, the Kosovo refugees, Nazi war criminals in Australia,
ethnicity and crime, history of West Papua’s annexation, the FECCA conference, CARE hostages in Yugoslavia, reconciliation issues, Victorian election.
International Features
- The Chinese diplomat in WW2 Vienna who saved thousands of Austrian Jews
WORLD VIEW
- UNHCR criticism of Australia’s policy of Kosovo refugee repatriation - Fiji’s coup and its cultural, ethnic, labour, economic, social and
international effects.
- Indonesia’s ethnic and religious violence and separatist movements in Aceh and West Papua - Korea and the possibility of
reunification - Conditions in Australia’s refugee detention centres - The renaissance of jews in Poland and
Germany - Droughts in Africa and the sub continent - The US presidential elections
- The Middle East peace talks
Panel discussions and general features
- The Greta Migrant Camp - Broadcast ethics - English as the world’s dominant language - 50th anniversary of the Geneva
convention - Citizenship: Asian versus Caucasian perspectives - Migration and population limits
- War crimes in East Timor - Indonesian nationalism versus democracy - The media’s role in East Timor - Human rights - Australia’s refugee policy
- Turkish and Arabic languages on the rise in Europe - Sexual abuse and apartheid in South Africa - Australian multieulturalism - Indian prisons - Views of an indigenous doctor - Austria’s emerging right-wing - Mandatory sentencing - Corroboree 2000 and reconciliation - The release of Adolf Eichmann’s
diaries - Escalating Christian-Muslim violence in Nigeria - White farm expropriation in Zimbabwe - Taiwan's election - Worker exploitation in the Marianas - Nazi war criminals in Australia - The Esmerelda and PNG cyanide
spills - Violence against journalists world-wide - Suicide among migrants - The media in South Africa and
Indonesia - The 25rl' anniversary of the fall of Saigon - Extensive coverage of the Fiji coup.
Special segments on women, the elderly,
youth, m igrant and cultural issues
- Halal fast food - Cooking to keep teenagers healthy - Internment impact on Japanese- Americans
- Possible closure of a French consulate
1 As a broadcaster, you’re a guest in people’s
homes or their cars. I’ve learnt not to impose myself and not to be patronising.’ Joe Axiaq - Maltese Language Program, Melbourne
Joasa left Malta in 1974 after finishing his education. He settled in Melbourne where he was employed 1 as an administrative officer with Telecom. At 3EA, he was persuaded to become a broadcaster after â submitting some program scripts. The day of his first broadcast remains his m ost memorable, and his I biggest 'scoop' was his exclusive interview with M alta's visiting opposition leader. I
- The Olympics and indigenous Australians - Danish seniors establish their own supermarket - Child soldiers in Africa - Discussion with indigenous leader -
Lester Bostock - Greek Orthodox Church opposition to cremations - Are children inherently racist?
- The Melbourne nursing homes scandal - International Women's Day - Adelaide’s first Asian-born mayor - Interview with a female aboriginal
Anglican priest.
The arts and cultural stories
- Director David Bransen who staged a play by Christos Tsolkas called Elektra A-D - Neill Duncan of the New Zealand-
based group called the Jews Brothers Band - Maori tattooist Inia Taylor - National Youth Week - Vietnamese-Australian comedian Hung Le - Indigenous artist Ningli Lawford - The Tokyo Shock Boys - Korean violin prodigy Yura Lee - The Anne Frank exhibition - An Aboriginal Culture Gallery in Adelaide - Religious training for the Victoria Police
- Interview with Lookingfor Alibrandi director
SPORT
As befitting its multicultural and multilingual obligations, SBS Radio provided comprehensive sports coverage during the year, ranging from soccer and cricket to table tennis. Coverage of the Australian Tennis Open included 42
interviews in 19 languages as well as news comments from 70 players in 22 languages. The Australian Formula 1 motor racing championship provided SBS programs with 60 interviews in nine languages with drivers and team members from 10 countries.
Commentary of the Euro 2000 soccer championship was provided in French, Italian, Dutch, Turkish and Romanian. Other coverage included the touring Indian cricket team and the table tennis world championships.
Awards Among the awards received by SBS Radio in 1999-2000 were the Austcare Refugee Week Media Award, the NSW Law Society Award for Excellence in Journalism, and the National Youth Media Award.
(See Appendix 15)
‘Radio has given me the opportunity to enrich my life through the experiences of people I m eet/ Florencio Saiz - Head of Spanish Language Program, Melbourne
Internet Services NEW MEDIA SBS New Media division was formed in February 2000 with the amalgamation of the Computer and Information Resources division and the Mulitmedia unit. This followed the completion in October 1999 of a commissioned New Media Business Plan and
a $2 million funding commitment from the Federal Government for the establishment of an SBS New Media division. Priority has been given to providing multilingual audio-on-
demand to the SBS Radio web pages, building multimedia activities and services, and expanding the multicultural content and audience reach of SBS through the world wide web.
T he New Media division was established with two broad aims for content development. These were: to re-develop the main SBS web site in order to represent and complement
programs broadcast on SBS Radio and Television; and to create new multimedia services which are brand extensions of SBS -
original multimedia products based on SBS’s distinctive style and specialist content areas, presented in new and innovative ways.
The SBS web site - www.Nbs.eom.au - features content that directly reflects the Charter of SBS, and supplies information to audiences about media content from SBS's
Radio and Television services, including comprehensive program guides and supplements. Major initiatives included:
TELEVISION NEWS AND
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Journalists use in-house developed software to edit and publish material directly to the web site. At least three different news bulletins are published each day as well as a nightly transcript of the 6:30pm SBS World News. The Insight and Dateline teams are also able to self-
publish their news and current affairs stories online.
RADIO AUDI0-0N-DEM AND
Radio broadcast journalists have been provided with self-publishing tools to place features on the SBS web site. By July 2000, a number of programs had
been launched online and it was hoped that all 68 language programs would be online within six months, providing a
valuable information and entertainment resource for the various language communities. This material is accompanied by text introductions and is
available in high-quality Internet audio.
Florencio migrated to Melbourne in 1969 shortly after his m arriage in London to Guna who had settled in Australia 20 years earlier. While working for the Health Insurance
Commission, Florencio was a volunteer broadcaster at 3EA and later became SBS Radio's first coordinator of the Spanish Language program in Melbourne. He's met and interviewed people from all walks of life and particularly enjoys making radio documentaries.
GOING HOME
Innovative online support for the nightly topical drama Going Home has proved a success. The program encourages television viewers to visit the web site and contribute story ideas and feedback;
information that's been very valuable for both the program’s production and for the development of an online community of viewers. Since its premiere (22 May) until the end of the financial year, there were 11,000 visits to
the Going Home ‘story contribution’ page.
C 0R R 0B 0R E E 2000
New Media joined SBS Radio and Television in covering the two-day Corroboree 2000 event. The Multimedia
unit received audio and video feeds of the broadcasts, which were digitised, edited and placed online with most material being published within 10 minutes of it taking place. Twelve per cent of the audience for this highly successful web production came from overseas, the majority from North America.
BONDI BANQUET
The commissioning of SBSI’s innovative cuisine/drama program, Bondi Banquet, included the rights to recipes and other information. A fully data-based web site was developed to access this
information.
New Online Content SBS New Media is actively developing new interactive services, principally web sites, which will be derived from the content
traditions and strengths of SBS, although much content will be commissioned that is new and exclusive. These services will be capable of being deployed on various distribution platforms including broadband and terrestrial digital TV carriage, as opportunities arise. SBS regards these types of services as ‘Internet satellite’ sites, several of which are already developed or planned.
SBS’s Internet satellites are based on a business model designed to sustain the growth of the content through sponsorship and strategic partnerships. New Media is working closely with the Stenmark Organisation, who sell sponsorship and advertising for SBS Television, to develop a limited number of high-value sponsorships for these Internet services.
Î love bringing information to the â â Macedonian community/ Boris Dobrosavlev - Macedonian Language Program, Sydney
w w w .t h e w o r l d g a m e .c o m .a u
This is the first Internet satellite developed by SBS and is one of the most comprehensive soccer web sites in the world. It was developed with a content partner,
Sportal, a UK-based sports Internet content company. T he site was launched in May and achieved immediate success. At times, during the Euro 2000 soccer tournament, the
site was the second most popular sports web site in Australia. Since its launch, the site was consistently in the top 10 of all web sites in Australia and regularly outperformed the
Olympics web site.
SBS Multimedia staff provided the graphic design, while Sportal developed the back-end, or data transfer tools, of the site - a valuable technology transfer between the
organisations. T he original relationship with Sportal was identified by SBS TV Sport, and content contribution from SBS continues to be led by this department which self-
publishes regular updates to the site.
w w w .t h e w o r l d n e w s .c o m .a u
The World News web site, the second of SBS's Internet satellites, is being developed. In its current format it includes World View audio reports, television news transcripts, and
international news reports transcribed from the WorldWatch program. The completed site will gather comprehensive world news information produced by SBS Television and
Radio and incorporate new information sourced by New Media. It is designed to be a quick tour of news developments worldwide, with added focus on the impact of these events on communities in Australia.
The site features audio and video media and is updated throughout the day. It is planned that news content will be enriched by links to an encyclopaedia of world events and information. Other satellites planned for
development in the new financial year include an international cuisine web site, www.theworldfeast.com.au, and a multicultural youth service.
Boris was a veterinarian technician in Macedonia before migrating to Australia in 1967. His wife and fellow broadcaster, Zaga, and their son arrived six months later. They opened a travel agency in 1973 and two years
later joined 2EA as volunteer broadcasters. The first broadcast coincided with Macedonia National Day and triggered many congratulatory phone calls, "som e were crying and offering their support, it was wonderful".
THREE
building relationships with our community
Consultations During the year there were community consultations at Board and management levels, regular dialogue with the SBS Community Advisory Committee, and frequent community relations activities by program managers and program makers.
Individual SBS Board members met community groups or umbrella organisations in their home States to discuss SBS policies and practices, and the Chairman and Managing Director held many similar consultations. In March, a Board meeting in Perth gave all Board members the opportunity to meet representatives of Western Australia’s many community groups.
During the year, Radio and Television managers and production staff were involved in more than 600 community functions, consultations and seminars with representatives of a variety of language communities. One of the biggest functions, the celebration of the International Year of Older Persons, was organised by SBS in Melbourne. With the support of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care and the City of Melbourne, older listeners to SBS Radio from more than 60 language groups across Australia were brought to Melbourne in acknowledgment of their contribution to multiculturalism and to receive awards. At the other end of the age spectrum, SBS Radio received 3,700 entries from schoolchildren who entered an essay competition on the subject of learning another language.
SBS held a number of special events to celebrate 25 years of broadcasting, including a reception attended by government, political and community leaders at Canberra’s High Court in March, and another reception at Melbourne’s State parliament in June.
Radio Outside Broadcasting SBS Radio’s Outside Broadcast Units, one in Sydney and the other in Melbourne, maintained a busy schedule throughout the year. Teams of broadcasters from both cities presented programs live, or pre-recorded interviews and other segments during the vehicles’ visits to Perth, Adelaide, Darwin, Brisbane, Canberra, the Gold Coast and regional NSW, Victoria and
South Australia.
Coverage by the Sydney-based unit ranged from live broadcasts from the 50'1 ’ anniversary celebrations of the Greta Migrant Camp in the Hunter Valley to the historic Corroboree 2000 celebrations at Darling Harbour in Sydney. The Melbourne-based unit travelled more than 15,700 kilometres during the year, making contact with listeners as far apart as Fremantle and Geelong. Many of the outside broadcasts were at community festivals, in shopping centres and at major public venues where there was maximum contact with listeners and the general public.
Î he major events covered by the SBS outside broadcast units during the year included:
Radioathons In recent years, radioathons have become one of SBS's most successful points of contact with the community. Program time and SBS facilities are set aside to organise these fund-raising campaigns, and broadcaster/journalists and managers assist in taking calls. But a great deal of the success of these ventures relies on hundreds of volunteers from many different language communities who staff specially installed
phone banks at SBS offices in Sydney and Melbourne.
This year was the most successful to date. A total of $2,052 million was pledged by SBS listeners from around Australia. Since 1998, more than $3.5 million has been raised
through SBS radioathons for causes ranging from hospital construction in Australia to relief supplies to overseas victims of natural disasters.
In radioathons held during the year, the Turkish language groups helped raise $1.2 million for earthquake relief while the Greek language programs won pledges of more than $280,000 for earhtquake victims in Athens. The Chinese language programs raised more than $20,000 for relief aid to Taiwan, and the Vietnamese language program helped raise
more than $300,000 for flood victims in Vietnam and an additional $70,000 for Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital.
Codes of Practice In July 1999, SBS published a new' edition of the SBS Codes of Practice following an extensive review in w'hich public input was an important feature. The revisions to the Code are aimed at achieving greater public understanding of SBS’s programming policies and practices.
Audience Feedback SBS encourages audience feedback. To assist viewers and listeners, SBS has published its Service Commitment. First issued in July 1998,
the document was reviewed and a new edition issued during the year. The document contains a short description of SBS services, its commitment to its audiences, including a set of ‘principles of service’, and mechanisms for providing feedback about SBS services.
The Service Commitment draws attention to the SBS Codes of Practice and the process for making a complaint against SBS if the complainant believes the corporation has acted contrary to its Codes of Practice. Alleged breaches not satisfactorily resolved can be investigated by the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA).
In 1999-2000, the ABA investigated eight complaints about SBS programming. The ABA found SBS in breach of its Codes of Practice in twro instances. One for not
providing an adequate response to a complainant, and the other for inappropriate televising of a promotion in a ‘G’ time zone.
The SBS switchboard remained a major source of feedback about programming, as well as a means of providing people with information. Systems are in place to enable
people to comment in languages other than English. Overnight telephone responses to SBS programs continued to be distributed to all SBS programming staff. Comments made on-line were similarly distributed.
SBS Public Relations received 1,441 letters during 1999-2000.
They included: 841 requests for additional information or videos of programs; 209 general comments; 200 compliments; 61 requests for program repeats; 70 complaints; and 60 miscellaneous
comments. The total number of letters was slightly more than the previous year’s (1,290). E-mailed comments reached about 210 a week compared to about 200 per week in
1998-99.
The Television Network Programming branch replied to 265 letters during the year. The vast majority w'ere requests and
compliments. The letters included:
60 requests for repeat transmissions; 41 complaints about program content; 38 requests for the transmission of a program; 26 requests for further information on a
program; 25 compliments on programming; 19 enquiries about the availability of programs; 19 complaints about the content of program promotions; 14 general scheduling enquiries; 12 requests for programs of a particular genre or language; 6 complaints about a change to the movie start times; and 5 general programming complaints.
Hotline, the audience feedback program, which televised viewers’ comments each week, remained the only program of its type on Australian television, highlighting the
importance SBS places on audience responses.
Following the sale of the National Transmission Agency to ntl Australia, SBS is now responsible for all its transmission services, including complaints and enquiries. Audience feedback on technical problems is
mostly facilitated using SBS’s 1800 free call number. This ensures that viewers and listeners throughout Australia can provide
feedback at no cost. Most calls received immediate responses, but when this was not possible callers received a follow-up call once the problem was identified. Facsimile and E- rnail correspondence was also commonplace.
T he SBS analogue extension continues to generate enquiries. The Self-Help Subsidy Scheme administered by SBS received an overwhelming positive response during the
year with 16 successful applicants. All 3,000 copies of the self-help information booklets have been distributed and a second print-run has been ordered.
Freedom of Information There were three valid requests for documents under the Freedom of Information Act. One of the requests was
withdrawn, another was refused access, and
the third was not finalised at the end of the year. The refused request was an application for transcripts of an SBS Radio program. The reason for refusal was that transcripts of the
program were non-existent.
SBS believes that all Australians should have access to its multilingual and multicultural services, and works with the Government
towards achieving this aim.
With $70 million in Federal Government funding, 78 new services will receive SBS Television in the next financial year. These are communities of more than 10,000 people
identified under the Government’s $120 million Television Fund.
Under a separate funding arrangement with the Federal Government, SBS administers a re-transmission subsidy scheme that provides financial assistance to eligible communities to establish self-help radio
and/or television services for SBS programs.
The main objective of the scheme is to assist with the cost of delivering SBS radio and television programs to communities that are not able to receive SBS broadcast
transmissions from a fully publicly funded installation. The scheme is open to applicants who started transmitting after 1 January 2000. SBS also provides reception and technical advice.
To assist prospective self-help communities, SBS issued two booklets, the SBS Self-Help Guide, jointly published by SBS and the ABA, and the SBS Self-Help Re transmission Subsidy Scheme Guidelines.
To ensure that its Access and Equity goals are met, SBS Radio broadcasts cross-cultural news and current affairs programs, and provides community service announcements and information programs. The extensive use of two SBS Radio outside broadcasting units (see above) contributed greatly towards making SBS Radio more accessible to audiences outside of Melbourne and Sydney.
Access and Equity
Over the past three years, the SBS Radio project, Training in Radio for Young People (TRY!) has trained more than 100 people from 42 language backgrounds in radio production techniques, providing them production work on youth programs and the opportunity to supply segments in language
programs.
SBS Television - which this year broadcast 57% of its programs in languages other than English - produces programs which do not reinforce racial stereotyping, and which combat racism or any other form of
discrimination. More than 40 hours of indigenous programming - including 9.5 hours of the SBS-produced indigenous current affairs program, ICAM - were broadcast during the year (see Indigenous Programs page 35-36)
The weekday WorldWatch program provides 23 different news services from 18 countries in 17 languages. The nightly SBS World News and World News Tonight are captioned and English subtitles provide deaf and hearing impaired people with access to many other SBS Television programs.
The SBS Radio web site pages include text in both English and 68 other languages, and audio-on-demand facilities in English, French, Vietnamese, Maltese and Norwegian. In the next year, it is hoped all 68 languages broadcast by SBS Radio will be available online. News segments from the
English-language current affairs program, World Vim are also online.
SBS is an active participant with the other free-to-air networks in the Australian Film Commission-sponsored Women in Television project. Training and mentoring is provided
for women in the industry, particularly those in non-traditional areas.
Community Advisory Committee The Community Advisory Committee, Chaired by Mr Victor Hamit, met twice during the year, instead of the usual three times. There was a meeting on 28 June 1998 and a meeting scheduled for 7 July 2000 -
both just outside the reporting year. (For CAC membership, see appendix 14.) The Committee discussed ways SBS could strengthen its relationships with
people living in regional and remote Australia, noting that in the past, SBS’s consultation activities had mainly been restricted to metropolitan areas. The Committee is expected to make a
recommendation to the Board on this issue during 2000.
At the request of members, previewing of an SBS program was established as a standing agenda item.
The Committee discussed ways that SBS could be involved in highlighting the significance and importance of Australian citizenship. Members requested and received a Report of the Australian Citizenship Council for consideration at its first meeting
in 2000.
The possibility of SBS developing a community arts related initiative was raised by members. The Committee noted the difficulties of securing funding for proposals
that would provide genuine benefits to SBS and the community, recognising that sponsorship opportunities may need to be built into proposals. Three members of the Committee undertook to investigate how this
I
Î like what I do. That's why I've â never left SBS Radio.'
58
Zaga Dobrosavlev - Macedonian Language Program, Sydney
Zaga, with her four-year-son, flew to Australia in 1967 to join her husband who had migrated six months earlier. An accountant and personnel officer in Macedonia, Zaga eventually opened a travel agency with her husband, Boris.
In 1975, the couple volunteered to join 2EA, the forerunner of SBS Radio, and remain the corporation's only husband and wife broadcast team .
initiative could be taken further.
The Committee met Sir Nicholas Shehadie, SBS Chairman (October 1999), Ms Carla Zampatti (SBS Chairman, February 2000), Ms Maureen Crowe, Head of
Resources, Mr Ken Sievers, Audience Research Manager, and Ms Vivian Schenker, Presenter Insight.
The SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra Under the baton of its founding conductor, Matthew Krel, the SBS Radio and Television
Youth Orchestra had one of its busiest years since its formation in 1988.
T he Orchestra travelled to China in July 1999 for a number of concerts including performances in the Beijing Concert Hall, the Australian Embassy, and the prestigious
International Guest House. During September and October, the Orchestra performed in Estonia, Finland and Russia, receiving unanimous praise and a return
invitation from the Conservatoire in St Petersburg. It was one of the Orchestra’s
most successful tours in its 11 year history.
During 1999-2000, the Orchestra performed at the Jenolan Festival, the ‘Highlights of the Opera’ at the Sydney Opera House, and participated in a live
broadcast - linking the Opera House and Shanghai’s Grand Theatre - in February.
The Orchestra marked the 25th anniversary of SBS Radio and the 20th anniversary of SBS Television with a sell-out concert at the Sydney Town Hall in May where it performed the world premiere of Four Reasons, an orchestral piece composed
by Judy Bailey and performed by James Morrison.
Government and Corporate Relations Regular senior-level contact was maintained throughout the year with relevant ministerial offices, the Department of Communications,
Information Technology and the Arts, and the Department of Finance. SBS representatives had high-level contact with government and other corporate bodies,
particularly in relation to major broadcasting policy developments, digital television legislation, a new triennial funding agreement between the Government and
SBS, and the funding arrangements for extensions to the SBS Television analogue transmitter network and for the transition to
digital broadcasting.
SBS made a comprehensive submission to Government in support of its case for a new triennial funding agreement. Other submissions made during the year included:
!
59
THE SBS SUBMISSION TO THE SENATE
LEGISLATION COMMITTEE ON
ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNICATIONS,
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE ARTS
INQUIRY INTO THE BROADCASTING
SERVICES AM ENDMENT (DIGITAL
TELEVISION AND DATACASTING) B ILL 2000
SBS argued that Australian audiences should be offered demonstrably new and innovative services at the outset of digital television broadcasting.
SBS reiterated its preference for a flexible, light-touch, consumer-friendly regulatory approach to digital television, and expressed disappointment at the prevention of national broadcaster multichannelling and
the highly regulatory approach to data casting embodied in the Amendment Bill.
SBS contended that Australian audiences would be better served, and'the take-up of digital services affected more swiftly, if the national broadcasters were able to offer additional channels which, as dictated by their Charters, would be distinct from the services offered on commercial free-to-air and pay television.
SBS also contended that the datacasting provisions in the Bill seemed likely to severely limit the inventiveness of datacasting and its broad audience appeal. SBS expressed its regret that datacasting had been restricted by genre in the Bill, and recommended that datacasting content should not be prohibited from including self- contained segments or from having ‘entertainment value’.
In addition, SBS noted that the datacasting provisions of the Bill would prevent SBS from providing its radio service in a practical, low-cost way to regional and rural Australia. The submission pointed out that SBS Radio, which broadcasts in 68 languages each week, is currently only transmitted to the state and territory capitals plus Newcastle and Wollongong, and that
SBS would like to be able to deliver its radio service into the homes of ah Australians via digital television.
SBS also expressed concerns about the requirement in the Bill that national broadcasters must apply to the ABA for datacasting content licences, and that they be subject to charges for content provision. The national broadcasters, as distinct from the commercial sector, have not hitherto been subject to a licensing regime. SBS argued that it should not be required to apply for a licence to operate datacasting services specifically designed for the public benefit, as part of SBS’s multicultural Charter.
SUBMISSIONS TO DIGITAL TELEVISION
REVIEWS
SBS made follow-up submissions to the Government’s digital television reviews in response to Options Papers published by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. These covered multichannelling for public broadcasters, captioning requirements, HDTV standards and re-transmission rules. By and large, the submissions reinforced positions already put by SBS in the first round of submissions to the digital television reviews. The first round of SBS submissions was summarised in the 1998-99 SBS Annual
Report.
ABA INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF
RIGHTS TO LIVE SPORTING EVENTS ON
FREE TO AIR TELEVISION
In response to an ABA Issues Paper, SBS expressed its belief that if an event or series of events is deemed important enough to be placed on the anti-siphoning list, then the event or series of events should be covered by the new ‘must-offer’ rules. SBS argued that if this did not occur the value of the anti-siphoning list as a public interest mechanism is diminished.
SBS expressed its support for the ‘must- offer’ rules as a key element in ensuring that the public is able to watch major events on free-to-air television. SBS said that it would
use its best endeavours to help make this happen, but SBS may not be able to make use of unused rights when offered by the commercial networks. This could be for
reasons of other program scheduling priorities, production or satellite distribution costs.
SBS noted that appropriate offer times were a critical factor. SBS believes that in most instances, 30 days offer time is far too short a period for SBS to prepare for the
transmission of a major sporting event, particularly if the event is of a relatively extended duration. More realistic offer times would be a minimum 60-day notice in the case of single events (e.g. a single soccer match like the FA Cup final) and a minimum 90-day notice for a series of events
like the World Cup Soccer Tournaments for which coverage preparation is much more complex. SBS argued that, generally
speaking, commercial television networks will have settled their schedules this far in advance, and notices of these durations would add to the chances of SBS being able
to broadcast an event or series of events.
SBS also advocated that some important soccer events, which have proven public support on free-to-air television in Australia when shown live, should be added to the
anti-siphoning list. SBS noted that Australian public support for soccer had grown considerably in the past decade and SBS believes this support should be reflected on
the anti-siphoning list. The recommended events were: each full international soccer match involving the senior Australian representative team, whether played in Australia or overseas; all matches in the
European Football Championships (as in the recent ‘Euro 2000’), which occur every four years; and the finals of the two European
football club championships, the UEFA Cup Final and the UEFA European Champions League Final, which are played every year.
International SBS maintains mutual cooperation agreements with:
- Canal France International (CFI/TV5)
- China Central Television (CCTV)
- Deutsche Welle (DW)
-Tele-Liban (Lebanon)
- Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHIO
- Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)
- Satellite Communications for Learning (SCOLA)
-Turkiye RadyoTelevizyon Kuruma (TRT)
- Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
-Telewizja Polska
SBS was a co-host of the 36th General Assembly of the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union and the associated committee meetings held in Sydney from 28 October to
5 November 1999. This major undertaking, co-ordinated by the ABC, was the result of over two years' planning.
SBS organised the opening ceremony on 3 November 1999 at the Sydney Town Flail. The Governor General, His Excellency the Hon Sir William Deane, AC, KBE opened
proceedings. The ceremony included speeches from Katsuji Ebisawa, President of the ABU and President of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), Brian Johns,
Vice-President of ABU and Managing Director of the ABC, a ‘welcome to the land’ from Allan Madden from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, a digeridoo
and vocal performance from Matthew Doyle, a performance from the SBS Radio and Television Orchestra, and the ABU prize giving.
The SBS Prize for Televison, an initiative of the SBS Community Advisory Committee, was awarded to China Central
Television, People’s Republic of China, for Love Never Fails. The prize, only awarded in 1999, was for a television drama, feature or
documentary which most effectively exhibited understanding of different values, cultures and perspectives. It was received by Ms Zhou Guizhen, Director of Asia, Africa and Latin-American Division. Foreign Affairs
Department, RTPRC.
Industry Participation SBS contributed directly in the developing fields of Digital Radio Broadcasting (DRB/DAB) and Digital Terrestrial
SBS involvement in other industry forums included:
- Broadcasting Industry Technical Advisory Group (BITAG)
- Remote Area Broadcasting Services (RABS)
- Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU)
- European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
- Digital Radio Advisory Committee (DRAG)
- Digital Television Standards Selection Committee
- Australian Communications Information Forum (ACIF)
- Australian Telecommunications Users Group (ATUG)
- WorldDab Forum
- Standards Australia (SA)
- Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations (FACTS)
- Federation of Australian Radio Stations (FARB)
- Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA)
- Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA)
- International Telecommunications Union (ITU-R)
- SMA's Radio communication Consultative Council (RCC)
- National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasting Council (NEMBC)
Television Broadcasting (D 1 ÎÎ’). SBS is a member of Digital Broadcasting Australia (DBA) which was officially launched in May 2000 with the aim of working towards an efficient and effective transition from analogue to digital television. DBA’s membership is made up of free-to-air broadcasters, television manufacturers, suppliers and retailers, and the intention is that DBA will provide a mechanism for a co operative approach across these industry sectors to such issues as digital television consumer information.
FOUR
our position in the marketplace
Television Advertising and Sponsorship Total revenue for Television advertising and sponsorship in 1999-2000 grew by 27% over the previous year. The ratings and revenue impact of South Park, which was such a major contributor in the first half-year, diminished by the second half, although SBS still exceeded budgeted revenues.
1999-2000 was a year in which SBS consolidated revenues from its major advertising customers and forged significant new business relationships. Revenue came from a broad range of advertising categories, but automotive, telecommunications, financial services, travel and tourism and government advertising were the core of SBS’s revenue base. Investments made
three years ago in advertising signal splitting have continued to build more business from State governments and other regionally focused campaigns.
The year also marked a junction where competition for revenue from Pay TV and the Internet began to be felt. In anticipation of this revenue squeeze, SBS invested in media research studies of light television viewers and audiences from non-English speaking backgrounds. Findings from this research have strengthened our advertising sales credentials by giving a factual and realistic perspective to the challenges posed by Pay TV. SBS made this information the subject of a trade advertising campaign targeted to further increase SBS’s profile among key advertising customers.
SBS Television’s commitment to a new program management and sales/traffic system to replace the existing Qantel system has coincided with an accelerated move in the advertising industry towards online trading of media time and space. To capitalise on this, an integrated communications system between SBS, our out-sourced sales force, and our advertising customer
base is underway.
Radio Marketing Combined revenue for SBS Radio advertising and sponsorship in 1999-2000 was $1.98 million which exceeded budget by 22%, and which was 17.5% more than the previous year.
Government information campaigns contributed more than $1.45 million with most of this income due to a GST information series in 20 languages and an information campaign for the Australian Electoral Commission on the republic referendum.
Radio Marketing secured a contract to produce Homereach (the information series for housebound people and their carers) in an additional 14 languages over the next two years. Information packages, in Filipino and Greek, were produced during the year, adding to the 20
other languages in the Homreach series already produced by SBS Radio Marketing. Homereach is jointly funded by the State and Commonwealth Governments under their Home and Community Care Program and administered by the NSW Ageing and
Disability Department.
NSW’s Transcultural Mental Health Centre engaged SBS Radio Marketing to produce a three-part radio series in 15 languages targeted to older people. The series, on loneliness and social isolation and their possible impact on mental health, was broadcast on SBS Radio.
SBS Radio produced election information for the Victorian Electoral Commission on two occasions. These were a 10-language campaign on voter rights and obligations prior to the Victorian state election, and a 12- language campaign in the lead-up to the Victorian council elections.
Among new clients were: The Financial and Consumer Rights Council which targeted three language communities in a bid to increase consumer awareness about lay-by, door-to-door sales, and second-hand car sales; Transurban which ran road safety messages
in six languages; and Preston Market which is developing a campaign promoting ethnic specialities.
The immediacy and effectiveness of SBS Radio was recognised by the Victorian Government when it hurriedly broadcast details about power restrictions in 10 languages.
Revenue from the commercial sector increased, with telecommunication companies remaining the major clients.
1
SBS Merchandising From July to September 1999, SBS Merchandising undertook the telemarketing and fulfilment activities in-house and ran several campaigns including Wildfish series two, The Fifties in America, Food Lovers’ Guide to Australia series one, Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes, SBS World Guide 6'1 ' edition, and Cooking With Kurina.
In October 1999, SBS Merchandising entered into an agreement with Dymocks Bookstores, a retail franchiser of 88 bookstores throughout Australia, for it to promote and sell SBS merchandise. In return, SBS Merchandising agreed to exclusively promote Dymocks as the supplier of SBS merchandise. These products comprise mainly the companion books to documentary and cooking series broadcast on SBS.
From October 1999, SBS Merchandising, with Dymocks, ran 10 successful book promotions, including: Bill Bryson’ s Notes From a Small Island; SBS World Guide 7Î Edition; Africans in America; Ken Horn Travels âwith a Hot Wok; The West: An Illustrated History; Wine Lovers’ Guide to Australia; The Greeks; United Tastes of America; Dorinda Hafner’ s Tastes of Britain; and Mysteries of Lost Empires.
Program Marketing Program Marketing sells SBS programs to the Australian home video market as well as SBS footage and SBS subtitled program versions worldwide.
In April 2000, the Program Marketing Coordinator attended the international television market MIP TV 2000 to promote SBS’s English subtitled and re-narrated versions of programs as well as to promote SBS’s video distribution service and footage sales service.
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The following subtitled program sales were concluded:
Program Marketing’s strong promotion campaign to boost market awareness and sales of SBS’s footage service resulted in sales to the following customers:
Program Marketing also source SBS and some external programs for distribution to international and local broadcasters and the educational video market. The marketing of
these programs is handled by specialist distributors - JC Media for all international sales, and Marcom Projects for Australian educational video sales.
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In 1999-2000, JC Media attended three major international television markets, MIPCOM ’99, MIPTV 2000 and MIPDOC 2000. As a result of these markets and promotion of the documentary catalogue and program mailouts, the following sales were concluded:
A Fork in Australia A Fork in the Road -Hong Kong A Fork in the Road - Series 1-3 A Fork in the Road - Series 1-5 (German Rights) A Fork in the Road - Japan and New Zealand
Brainstorm Food Lovers’ Guide to Australia - Series 1 Tutti - Old Wrinkly and Beautiful
Swiss Television (SSR) Switzerland
Stellar Inflight for Aircalin - New Caledonia
West Media Services Ltd, New Zealand
AB Droits Audiovisuels, France
Stellar Inflight for Aircalin, NewCaledonia
RTSI - Switzerland
A rait Multimedia S.A Spain
ABC TV, Australia
Programs that were added to the educational video catalogue included: Red Chapters; The Celts; Ahheimers - Assault on the Mind; Sound and Fury; Chrissy; Grandfathers; and Revolutions.
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SBS Language Services SBS Language Services expanded its multilingual communications business during the year, increasing gross revenue twofold over 1998-99. Net revenue for the year was $251,855.
Specialising in more than 60 languages, SBS Language Services re-versioned multilingual material for clients in the following fields: advertising, consumer products, government services, health, scientific, educational, technical, computer software and hardware, tourism, programming, film, production houses, telecommunications and corporate communications.
In particular, the services included re versioning videos and television commercials for clients ranging from audio tour guide producers, government organisations and agencies, tourist venues, educational
institutions, financial organisations, hospitals, and community organisations.
Other projects included: corporate video subtitling; translating and typesetting brochures for museums, banks, universities,
advertising agencies and health organisations; re-versioning multimedia presentations, CD Roms and web sites for corporations and government organisations; translating documents and articles for law firms and magazine publishers; interpreting for law firms; and translating and formatting software for computer software and hardware
suppliers.
SBS Arts and Cultural Sponsorships During the year, SBS maintained a sponsorship alliance with the following organisations and festivals, providing on air support through promotional ads.
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
As part of a three-year support program, SBS was the electronic media sponsor for the Museum’s ‘Hitchcock’ exhibition.
MELBOURNE FESTIVAL
In the second year of a three-year support program, SBS was as a supporting sponsor of England’s celebrated all-female acapella group,
Black Voices.
MU SICA VIVA
SBS was a supporter and major electronic media sponsor for the Musica Viva - International series during the year.
THE ANNE FRANK EXHIBITION
In cooperation with the Dutch Consulate, SBS supported the Anne Frank exhibition which was launched in Melbourne in May at the start of a
national tour.
HISTORIC HOUSES TRUST
In partnership with the National Houses Trust, SBS promoted Bamaradbanga (‘to make open’), an indigenous collection of exhibitions, collaborative installations and public events.
CARNIVALE
1999 was the last year in a three-year sponsorship arrangement with Carnivale, the multicultural arts organisation which produces the annual cross-cultural arts festival in Greater Sydney and NSW.
M A R ITIM E MUSEUM - SYDNEY
SBS continued to support the Maritime Museum’s Welcome Wall at Darling Harbour where thousands of ‘settler’ names are etched on a bronze plaque.
CANBERRA NATIONAL MULTICULTURAL
FESTIVAL
Both SBS Radio and SBS Television provided sponsorship support to the 2000 Canberra National Multicultural Festival, comprising more than 100
events and activities.
'As a person, I’ve learnt to respect all people, regardless of nationality, colour, religion or sex/ Ljiljana Spasojevic - Serbian Language Program, Sydney
Born in the Macedonian town of Bitolj, Ljiljana married an Australian citizen in 1974 and the following year volunteered to join the Serbian language program on 2EA. It was "providence" th at brought her to SBS Radio.Twenty-five years on, her enthusiasm remains. "I like the job. It's challenging and full of variety. It brings me into contact with the community and opens the door to the world."
THE A F I AWARDS
SBS Television was a major sponsor of the Australian film industry’s premier awards night with a national telecast and international webcast.
THE SBS ETHNIC BUSINESS AWARDS
SBS, in conjunction with the National Australia Bank, telecast the Ethnic Business Awards which recognises the
success of migrant businesses.
SNOWY MOUNTAINS AUTHORITY
In support of the 50th anniversary of the Snowy Mountain Hydroelectricity Scheme, SBS sponsored and promoted a photographic exhibition, ‘A Vision for Australia’. SBS Radio assisted in the search for original workers and SBS Television produced a comprehensive
documentary on the project and its place in Australia’s multicultural history.
SBS and Pay TV Multilingual Subscriber Television Limited (MSTL), a wholly-owned subsidiary- company of SBS, maintained its 40% shareholding in PAN TV Ltd. The other shareholders are Australian Capital Equity and Australian Provincial Newspapers.
PAN TV produces a multilingual movie channel (the World Movies Channel) which is sold throughout the year to Australian pay TV operators Foxtel, Austar and Optus Vision. PAN TV is performing well against its
business plan and, in line with the plan, paid its first dividend to shareholders in 1999 2000.
MSTL is in the last year of its current corporate plan which identifies three key objectives. These relate to meeting the changing needs of Australian audiences, good resource management, and the need to continue to explore business activities relevant to the MSTL charter. MSTL continues to perform according to its objectives.
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technology and resources
New Transmission Arrangements As a result of the sale of the National Transmission Agency (NTA) to ntl Australia in April 1999, SBS has assumed responsibility for all its radio and transmission services. The services previously provided by the NTA are now provided under contract by ntl Australia. This is a
service contract requiring ntl Australia to meet certain performance obligations, primarily in terms of coverage, technical quality, and service availability to the audience. It also imposes other obligations in regard to the monitoring of SBS’s transmission network performance and reporting to SBS.
The ntl Australia contract is a fixed price contract for a period of five years which is optionally renewable by SBS for three further periods of three years each. The ntl Australia contract is further underpinned by legislation under the National Transmission Network Sale Act, 1998.
The sale of the network was accompanied by the establishment of a Compact with the Government which places an obligation upon SBS to maintain the same level of coverage and service quality to the audience as existed at the time of the sale. In return, the Government has agreed to fund SBS for the cost of the existing analogue services operating at the
time of the sale.
Importantly, the contractual arrangements between SBS and ntl Australia place no obligations upon SBS to use the service of ntl Australia for future analogue or digital transmission services.
RADIO TRANSMISSION
SBS has 14 radio transmitters. Of these,13 are provided and operated by ntl Australia. The other is a self-help service. No further SBS radio services were established in 1999-2000, although there has been increased interest in radio self-help, especially since the commencement of the Self-Help Subsidy Scheme.
TELEVISION TRANSMISSION
Nationwide, SBS now has 249 television transmitters, comprising 120 provided and operated by ntl Australia, 121 services licenced under the Self-Help Broadcasting Reception Scheme (SBRS), and eight awaiting licences. Some Aboriginal broadcasting communities also optionally re-broadcast SBS Television. Extension of SBS Television continued in 1999-2000 with two new services established in Queensland. One is channel
54 at Boyne Island and the other is channel 57 at Redlynch.
SELF-HELP SUBSIDY
In 1999-2000, SBS received $450,000 in government funds to assist self-help groups with up to 50% of the cost of installation of an SBS Radio or Television service. Since the release of the SBS Self Help Re-transmission Subsidy Scheme Guidelines in January, 16 self-help television services have had subsidy applications approved. Five of these services are already on air.
PLANNED NEW SERVICES
Two new services are under construction by ntl Australia at Lilydale and Meander in Tasmania.
SYDNEY TELEVISION IMPROVEMENT
SBS has long sought improved coverage and reliability for its Sydney television service. As part of the sale of the National Transmission Network, the Government has provided SBS with funding in 1999 2000 to undertake this upgrade.
During the year, the project has proceeded through the design, tender and Heads of Agreement stages, and is currently awaiting local government
approval. Subject to local government approval, ntl Australia will provide the improved service from the tower currently shared by channels 7 and 10.
The existing service from the ntl Australia tower at Gore Hill will be used as a standby to improve reliability
ANALOGUE EXTENSION
As a result of the sale of the second portion of Telstra, $120 million was set aside to become the Television Fund. SBS has received $70 million of this to extend SBS Television to all
communities of more than 10,000 people. This project will see 78 new SBS services established in the next 12 months by three different service providers, ntl Australia, Broadcast Engineering Services and Imparja.
DOMESTIC SATELLITE SERVICES
SBS has four digital satellite services, all on national beams, which deliver its programming in the correct local time across Australia, except for television in the Northern Territory. A local time zone delay system installed at the ntl Australia transmitter site in Darwin provides correctly timed SBS programming for our Darwin audience.
The national beam services cover all of Australia, including Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. The satellite technology takes advantage of digital compression to provide a highly reliable
and cost-effective delivery service. The four satellite service time zones are: S.E. Australia, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
SBS’s satellite services share a common delivery technology with the ABC, Telecasters Australia Ltd (TAL), Imparja, Golden West (GWN) and WIN Television. This arrangement provides a
direct to homes (DTH) satellite service
T ve seen in the last 25 years the birth of a new and different Australia. A better Australia, more tolerant and open’ Ken Gavrilovic - Head of Serbian Language Program, Sydney
across Australia which enables satellite viewers to receive both the ABC and SBS as well as two commercial services. This system is referred to as the Remote
Area Broadcasting Service (RABS). It provides an essential service to over 10,000 households, predominantly in remote Australia.
SBS delivers its radio and television programs to a network of more than 200 re-broadcast transmitters across Australia using the Optus satellite service. SBS
provides a duplicate Western Australian satellite service, also on a national beam, delivered through PanAmSat’s PAS2
satellite. This is provided through an arrangement with Telstra.
Digital
1999-2000 following the completion of a number of reviews. The outcome is that SBS has a range of obligations and options for its digital television services. Some of these are summarised below:
⢠to commence digital television in the five metropolitan markets - Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth - by 1 January 2001;
⢠to provide a standard definition (SDTV) simulcast of SBS's analogue television service at all times;
⢠to meet certain minimum levels of high definition (HDTV) television broadcasts, which must also simulcast the analogue service;
⢠to continue to simulcast the existing analogue services until at least the end
DIGITAL TELEVISION (DTTB) of 2008;
In 1998-99 the Government passed legislation for the conversion of analogue terrestrial television services to digital. This legislation was supplemented by further legislation towards the end of
⢠to meet minimum levels of closed captioning for the hearing impaired; ⢠to optionally multichannel, offering one or more new channels providing
additional television services; ⢠to optionally carry SBS Radio services on the digital television channels
thereby extending the reach of these programs; and ⢠to optionally offer datacasting services.
A detailed strategy plan and funding estimates, the Phase 2 digital funding proposal, was submitted to Government late in June 1999. This was considered
by consultants appointed by the Government, which endorsed SBS’s
Ken arrived in Australia in 1966 via Sweden, where he had lived for six years after leaving his native Serbia. His wife, Dr Mirjana and twins, Aleksandar and Danica, migrated with him. Their third child, Dean, was born in Australia. Ken worked with the Commonwealth Bank's Migrant Information Services as an interpreter and translator in four languages. In 1975 he began a twice weekly Serbian language program on 2 EA. Today he broadcasts five times a week. He's remained with SBS because "the challenge is big and the job is never finished".
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strategic approach and initial cost estimates. During the year, SBS called public tenders for:
⢠its transmission services in the five metropolitan markets; ⢠the telecommunication services to distribute its digital television
programming streams from its studio centre at Artarmon to each of the metropolitan transmitter sites; and ⢠the capital equipment required to build
its automated digital playout centre, including encoding, multiplexing and time zone delay facilities.
The primary transmitter services in each of the five metropolitan areas will comprise redundant facilities at diverse sites. This is aimed at achieving close to
100% service availability. The first facility in each capital city is scheduled to commence broadcasting by 1 January 2001 with the redundant facility being commissioned some six months later, subject to reaching agreement on and satisfying local government planning requirements.
Highly diverse facilities have also been acquired for both the playout and the distribution services. The transmitters contract was awarded to ntl Australia Pty Ltd with the distribution tender awarded to Telstra Corporation Ltd.
The transmitter services proposed are fully compliant with the Australian Broadcasting Authority’s Digital Channel Plans for these markets. Most of these
plans were issued by the ABA in July 1999, except for Perth which was issued in February 2000.
A key element in this process was the preparation and approval by the Minister of SBS’s Implementation Plans for the five metropolitan markets. This is a requirement under the legislation. This approval was granted following a further Government review of SBS’s transmitter services purchasing arrangements and strategies, under consultants appointed by the Government.
Further industry spectrum studies have continued during 1999-2000 with the emphasis upon the design of single frequency networks (SFNs) for meeting a range of more difficult coverage requirements especially in areas such as the Central Coast of NSW and the Gold Coast in Queensland.
SBS continues to be heavily involved with the industry in standards setting, common operational practices, receiver performance matters and conformance issues.
DIGITAL RADIO (DRB)
SBS has continued to work with the Government and industry towards the establishment of digital radio broadcasting services, mainly through the Government’s Planning and Steering Committee. Development of the basic planning and policy requirements continued during 1999-2000 although perhaps not as quickly as SBS had expected.
‘Australia allows you to think freely, live openly, and mature gracefully.7 Antoine Said Pullicino - Maltese Language Program, Sydney
Expenditure in 1999-2000 was $2,548 million. In Television, one of the more important changes was the replacement of the sequential analogue tape playout system
used for SBS news broadcasts with a digital server based unit. The new facilities offer a significant improvement in operational and production aspects of news bulletins by
removing major constraints in these areas, both in the preparation and production of each bulletin. This equipment also offers a quantum improvement in the technical performance.
The process of upgrading the edit booths and post-production areas continued with digital conversion of the on-air suite in the Presentation area and upgrading of the edit controllers in all 12 edit booths. Conversion of videotape equipment to DVC-PRO technology continued with the focus this year being more on the higher performance
units. Equipment conversion in the studio areas mainly covered digital still stores and character generators.
Further digital changes were completed in the subtitling and captioning area through the digital conversion of a captioning booth, including an ability to handle widescreen
material.
In Radio, a dual redundant logger system, which records all Radio programs on computer hard disk as they go to air, was installed in the master control room in
Sydney. It records and stores programs for 90 days. In other developments: video conferencing facilities were installed in the Sydney and Melbourne offices; satellite
An Australian holiday in 1965 convinced Maltese-born Antoine to migrate to Australia in 1974. His wife had emigrated from M alta 10 years earlier. Antoine had studied journalism in London, and was co founder and managing director of M alta's daily Il-Hajja newspaper before settling in Sydney where he gained a diploma in credit management. Antoine's service with SBS Radio began as a volunteer broadcaster with 2EA in June 1975. His biggest scoop was his interview with Prime Minister Adami of Malta.
While there is considerable interest in digital radio by SBS and other broadcasters, the slow progress in the roll-out of this technology on a worldwide basis and the lack of low cost
receivers has been of concern.
A subcommittee of the Digital Planning and Steering Committee completed an initial investigation of the spectrum requirements related to the
establishment of DRB. A key output has been the preparation of a draft national channel plan and identification of areas of expected channel congestion. These studies are expected to make further
progress in 2000-01.
Capital Planning 1999-2000 was the second year of SBS’s five year Phase 1 Digital Capital Plan. This plan provides for $22.7 million over five years to
convert SBS’s standard definition television and radio studio equipment from analogue to digital technology.
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phones were installed in the two outside broadcasting units, linking them to the studios in Sydney and Melbourne from anywhere in Australia; and trials were held of a new talk back telephone system for the studios.
As the year ended, the process of selecting a new digital radio production and presentation system for SBS Radio was close to finalisation. A tender committee drawn from across the Radio division oversaw the selection process which included major on site trials of the two front-runners. The new system, which will include broadcasting on the Internet, will bring SBS Radio securely into the digital age.
SBS submitted its Phase 2 Digital Television strategy plan and funding estimates in June 1999. This covers forecast expenditure requirements to convert SBS’s television transmission network, and related studio and distribution systems, from analogue to digital technology. The change from analogue to digital broadcasting is scheduled to take at least eight years and is the largest change to television in Australia in decades. The plan submitted by SBS was subject to an independent review by external consultants. Since then, several major projects have commenced which are necessary for meeting the commissioning date of 1 January 2001 for SBS’s capital city digital television services. Details of the activities undertaken to date are provided elsewhere in this Report.
In Television, the Dubsat system for automated distribution of television commercials to all broadcasters was commissioned at the end of June 2000. This system has been provided and installed free of charge for all commercial broadcasters including SBS. It provides the industry with a more efficient and reliable method of delivering and tracking of television
advertisements. It is expected that this system will be used increasingly for the delivery of television commercials rather than the present tape-based arrangements.
Computing and Information Services Infrastructure changes undertaken during the year by Computing and Information Services (CIS) included the design and installation of a digital Storage Area Network (SAN) capable of holding one terabyte of information. This will allow SBS to harness all types of digital content worldwide for use in a variety of ways, including administrative information as well as creative output.
In response to greater online use, SBS installed its own Solaris world wide web server and upgraded its Internet access from 128 kilobytes to 100 megabytes, allowing program makers greater use of international multimedia sources in their program development.
SBS undertook a very comprehensive program of systems testing and implementation, including the purchase of required hardware and software, to ensure that it was Y2K compliant. A contingency plan was also developed to ensure operations continued uninterrupted from midnight and
into 1 January 2000. As expected, the transition into the new year proceeded incident free.
In preparation for the introduction of the GST, modifications were made to the Oracle Financials Systems and other inventory systems used by SBS.
The upgrade of the Avstar newsroom system was completed for Television in July 1999 and for Radio in November 1999. CIS provided training to journalists and broadcasters so that data can be drawn from Television and Radio newsroom systems and
published on the SBS web site
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leading, managing and developing the organisation
Finance FIN AN C IAL RESULTS FOR THE YEAR
The Corporation finished the 1999-2000 financial year with a surplus of $2,285 million (1.6% of available resources).
1999-2000 saw the introduction of accrual budgeting by the Commonwealth for its agencies including the introduction of a Capital Usage Charge Significant contributors to the 1999-2000 Operating Surplus were the Capital Usage Charge, external program commissioning through SBS Independent and advertising revenue. In respect to SBSI, an excess of operating revenue over program amortisation of $0.800million was shown due to the long lead times experienced between the commissioning and screening of programs. Advertising revenue was $2.6 million above
target.
The Corporation’s total assets increased during the financial year from $92,861 million to $173,883 million. The majority of this increase related to financial assets which increased from $19,672 million to $96,215 million. The bulk of the investment recorded at 30 June 2000 related to funds provided through the part sale of Telstra for the analogue extension
program.
T he level of Equity Capital has increased from $4.8 million to $14.7 million. This increase reflected an $9,999 million equity injection received in 1999-2000. The bulk of this injection was to provide for digital conversion and the Sydney transmission upgrade ($7,899 million).
INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW TAX SYSTEM
A major project undertaken in 1999-2000 was related to the introduction of the new tax system. This involved the development and implementation of a system to deal with GST, amendments to the SBS Financial Management Information System (Oracle Financials), review of existing contracts, and training of staff in new procedures.
With regard to the other major project undertaken during the year - the Year 2000 compliance issue - no problems were encountered. |
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ACCRUAL BUDGETING
The 1999-2000 financial year marked the first year of accrual budgeting in the Commonwealth and it was successfully introduced in SBS. 'Phis involves budgeting as well as reporting on a full
accrual basis, with a focus on outcomes and outputs. A set of accrual based financial statements are prepared and entered into the Department of Finance and Administration AIMS system monthly.
SBS ACCOUNTING MANUAL
SBS’s financial policies and procedures are contained in the SBS Accounting Manual. This manual is widely distributed within SBS to Cost Centre Managers and key staff. A major revision occurred this year to cater for the introduction of the GST.
TR IEN N IAL FUNDING
During 1999-2000, SBS negotiated a new triennial funding arrangement with the Government.
The Corporation's Business Recovery Plan was also reviewed during the year to adjust for the impact of the Y2K effect on its operations.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL SCRUTINY
During the 1999-2000 financial year the Corporation continued with its Corporate Governance policy of reviewing all relevant legislation and ensuring compliance where appropriate.
The audit of the annual financial statements is carried out by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO). The ANAO gave an unqualified opinion on the
1999-2000 financial statements of the Corporation. In addition, in September 1999 the ANAO presented its report on the general performance audit of a range of financial issues associated with the SBS’s conversion of analogue equipment to digital. The audit concluded that SBS digital strategy reflected the minimum
BUSINESS PLAN
SBS’s Business Plan was revised and published in May 2000. This plan reflects the aims of the latest SBS Corporate Plan. Included was the SBS Risk Management Plan which outlines the structured approach adopted by SBS in managing risk and also identifies the 10 most significant risks facing SBS.
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reasonable costs for this phase of conversion to digital broadcasting. It also found that the system to record and track digital conversion expenditure
functioned appropriately.
SBS was also included in a Financial Control Audit on the Management of Contracted Business Support Processes. The audit found that SBS performed above other agencies in terms of its contract management practices. The ANAO recommended further development of policies. These
improvements to policies have since been carried out. SBS also took part in four ANAO bench-marking studies. These were the finance function, public sector travel, fraud control arrangements, and internal audit.
The Internal Audit program was conducted by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu on a contract basis. The company performed audits in accordance with a rolling three-year plan. In all cases, the results were satisfactory with
associated recommendations for improvement to the control environment being brought to management’s attention. The audits conducted in 1999
2000 were: Television Engineering, Radio Engineering, Radio Operations,
Radio Melbourne, Television News and Current Affairs, Television Sport, Publicity, Television Presentation, Credit Cards, Fuel Cards, CabCharge
and Petty Cash, Corporate Services, Assets, Human Resources and Marketing (including Advertising and
Sponsorship).
AUD IT COMMITTEE
The SBS Audit Committee met four times during the year and considered audits conducted by both the Australian National Audit Office and the internal auditors, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. For the first two meetings the Audit Committee consisted of the full Board.
In May 2000 a revised SBS Audit Charter and terms of reference for the Audit and Finance Committee were
adopted.
In addition to reviewing the findings and recommendations of the audits conducted, the Audit Committee approved the internal audit program for
the year and discussed the preparations for the financial statements audit.
The following is a list of Audit Committee attendees, their position within SBS, and the number of meetings they attended:
liste n e r s whom I’ve never met come up and address me as an old friend, as someone whose house I visited only last night.’
Bob Radulovich - Head of Serbian Language Group, Melbourne
Serbian-born, Bob arrived at Melbourne's Essendon airport as an assisted migrant in 1969 intending to return to Paris after two years. It was 20 years before he returned to Europe, but only for a holiday. Bob learnt English fast and became involved with ethnic broadcasting as a law student at Melbourne's Monash University prior to joining 3EA in 1975. Bob has been involved in migrant welfare, and has dabbled in farming, retailing, building, flying aeroplanes and share trading. An ardent supporter of the Essendon Football Club, Bob describes himself as a "proud Australian of Serbian descent".
MAJOR INVESTING AND FINANCING
ACTIVITIES
SBS has borrowings of $39 million which were used to finance the lease and refurbishment of its Artarmon premises. Annual interest on this loan to the value of $4.2 million is paid in quarterly instalments. A sinking fund to partially offset the principal amount has been established, and at 30 June 2000 the
balance in this fund was $14.9 million. The loan will be renegotiated in 2002.
During 1999-2000, SBS received $70 million from the Government’s Television Fund to meet the costs of analogue transmission services to areas of Australia with population over 10,000 that are currently unable to receive SBS television transmissions. Until the contract negotiations are finalised with
the transmission suppliers, SBS has invested these funds in accordance with the investing requirements of the SBS
Act and the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997 (CAC Act).
SBS actively manages its finances. This involves preparation of estimates for appropriation and equity injection funding taking into account movements in the inflation parameter applicable to SBS. SBS also hedges some of its foreign currency liabilities by monitoring foreign exchange movements and liaising with managers as to scheduled payments. Cash holdings are monitored throughout
the year and where funds are not immediately required for operational activities, investments are made.
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IN D E M N ITIE S AND INSURANCE
PREMIUM S FOR OFFICERS
As part of its general insurance protection, SBS has a Directors and Officers Liability Insurance Policy in place.
Human Resources PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
PROGRAM
The SBS Certified Agreement 1999- ZOO 1 includes a Performance Management Program. The comprehensive Performance Management training program for all
employees continued, with most employees having attended their training and developed performance agreements. The first appraisals became
due after 19 February 2000, with staff being given feedback on their performance and the opportunity for performance-linked salary increases.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
SBS aims to provide a high standard of occupational health and safety for all staff. 'Phe SBS Occupational Health and Safety Agreement and Policy, and associated strategies, were the basis for
occupational health and safety activities throughout the year. These activities included building improvements, policy
reviews, training and individual workplace assessments.
There were no accidents or dangerous occurrences that required the giving of notice under s 68 of the Occupational Health & Safety
(Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The three key result areas in the SBS Equal Employment Opportunity Program are recruitment, training and the work environment. Training and
advice were provided in all these key result areas. The SBS guidelines for the prevention of workplace harassment were re-issued and a regular program of training courses was delivered throughout the year. The SBS
Harassment Contact Officer network was supported by the EEO Co-ordinator.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
W ork Experience:
SBS continues to offer a one-week work experience program in Television, Marketing and Sport. The program is well-supported by the relevant areas of
SBS and is popular with Year 10 school students. Occasional placements for university students are offered in Television Production. Television News
‘SBS Radio’s role in the community is very, very important. It’s helped unite the Slovenian community in Australia.’ Mariza Lican - Head of Slovenian Language Group, Sydney
Formerly a teacher in Slovenia before she married her Australian-Slovenian husband and migrated to Australia in 1966, M ariza joined 2EA as a volunteer broadcaster “ because the community chose m e". She's continued teaching the Slovenian language a t Sydney's Bankstown. M ariza recalls a'sco o p 'w h en recording news from Slovenia in 1991, the year of its independence, and hearing bombing in the background. She's never left SBS because "SB S Radio and I have a special friendship".
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and Current Affairs is developing with local universities an internship program for journalism students.
Corporate Induction:
Corporate induction programs were presented in Sydney by senior members from all Divisions to new employees. The full-day program, introduced by the Managing Director, aims to convey the Vision and Charter of SBS as well as familiarising staff with the essential practical information needed when commencing work at SBS. Discussions are conducted by representatives from Programming, Production, Radio, Television Operations, Subtitling, Policy,
and Resources Division.
The one-day Induction Program is followed by half-day sessions on equal employment opportunity and occupational health and safety.
AFC Women in Television Network:
SBS is a member of the Australian Film Commission ‘Women in Television’ network. This network aims to increase opportunities for women’s employment in the television industry, particularly in non-traditional areas such as technical and operational areas. All the free-to-air television networks are members of the project. The majors activities in 1999 2000 were lunchtime networking meetings for women in areas such as Engineering, Television Production and News and Current Affairs.
General Training:
SBS employees attended a range of general training courses covering areas such as computer software; management skills; presentation skills; Code of Conduct; and first aid courses.
Radio Training:
Professional development courses were provided in journalism, broadcasting skills, studio operations, voice presentation skills, publicity and promotion, outside broadcasting, broadcast law, computing, broadcast management, ethics and standards, documentary and feature making and interviewing skills.
SBS is the only Australian broadcaster to have its core training courses nationally accredited to Certificate III and Certificate IV levels through the Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board (VETAB) under the new Australian Qualifications
Framework.
Over a four-month period, more than 200 broadcaster/journalists in Sydney and Melbourne attended two- day courses on the new N T operating system and the Avstar computerised
news software. Training is ongoing in Internet research techniques and digital audio editing in preparation for the installation later in 2000 of the Integrated Audio Server.
Funded by USAid, SBS Radio provided a trainer to spend three weeks in East Timor training a media unit for the Office of the President of the National Council of Timorese
Resistance (CNRT) Xanana Gusmao and designed and installed a specialist computer system to support the unit.
Radio Training continued to provide training expertise to the Australian Ethnic Radio Training Project and to be represented on its supervisory body, the National Ethnic Radio Training Taskforce. Positions within training courses provided by SBS Radio are also offered to broadcasters from community radio stations.
8 0
SBS Radio Training markets its consultancy services to Government departments and agencies, commercial companies, training organisations and
individuals across Australia and ran several fee-for-service courses in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra during the year. Radio Training’s multicultural
Media Management course is now offered as a paying adjunct to Monash University’s Graduate Communications Program and is being marketed through
the Victorian Council for Adult Education (CAE) Business Unit.
Corporate Services Throughout the year, there was continued consultation, planning and negotiation involving the relocation of SBS in Melbourne
to Federation Square. Discussions mostly concerned architectural planning and documentation, and preliminary lease negotiations.
At the Sydney premises, Corporate Service’s principal focus was on providing accommodation for the broadcasting of digital television. This meant the temporary
relocation of some work areas, demolition of others, and the specialised construction of digital broadcast facilities.
The refurbishment of Human Resources, Transmission Services, Sport and TV News and Current Affairs took place, and a series of safety upgrades were completed, including
emergency and evacuation warning systems, and the installation of additional security cameras in the car park and entry points to the building.
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
f i n a n c i a l statements
L ·
Australian National
Audit Office
Independent Audit Report To the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
Scope
I have audited the financial statem ents of the Special Broadcasting Service Corporation
for the year ended 30 June 2000. T h e financial statem ents include the consolidated
financial statem ents of the economic entity comprising the Special Broadcasting Service
Corporation and the entities it controlled at the year’s end or from tim e to time during
the year. T h e statem ents comprise:
⢠Statem ent by Directors
⢠Operating Statem ent
⢠Balance Sheet
⢠Statem ent of Cash Flows
⢠Schedule of Com mitments
⢠Schedule of Contingencies, and
⢠Notes to and forming part of the Financial Statements.
T h e members of the Board are responsible for the preparation and presentation of the
financial statem ents and the information they contain. I have conducted an independent
audit of the financial statem ents in order to express an opinion on them to you.
T h e audit has been conducted in accordance with Australian National Audit Office
Auditing Standards, which incorporate the Australian Auditing Standards, to provide
reasonable assurance as to w hether the financial statem ents are free of material
misstatement. Audit procedures included examination, on a test basis, of evidence
supporting the amounts and other disclosures in the financial statem ents, and the
evaluation of accounting policies and significant accounting estimates. T hese procedures
have been undertaken to form an opinion whether, in all material respects, the financial
statem ents are presented fairly in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards, other
mandatory professional reporting requirem ents and statutory requirements in Australia so
as to present a view which is consistent with my understanding of the Corporation and
the economic entity’s financial position, the results of their operations and
their cash flows.
T h e audit opinion expressed in this report has been formed on the above basis.
A udit Opinion
In my opinion,
(i) the financial statem ents have been prepared in accordance with the Schedule 2 of
the Finance M inister’s Orders
(ii) the financial statem ents give a true and fair view, in accordance with applicable
Accounting Standards, other mandatory professional reporting requirem ents and
Schedule 2 of the Finance M inister’s Orders, of the financial position of the Special
Broadcasting Service Corporation and the economic entity as at 30 June 2000 and
the results of their operations and their cash flows for the year then ended.
Australian National Audit Office
P Hinchey
Senior Director
Delegate of the Auditor-General
12 Septem ber 2000
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
St at ement by Directors
In our opinion, the attached financial statem ents give a true and fair view of
the matters required by Schedule 2 to the Finance M inister’s Orders made
under the Commonwealth Authonties and Companies Act 1997 for the year
ended 30 June 2000.
Signed
Carla Zampatti
Chairman
Signed
Nigel Milan
Managing Director
12 Septem ber 2000 12 Septem ber 2000
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
Operating St at ement fo r the year ended 30 June 2000
Consolidated Corporation
Notes
2000 $’000
1999 $'000
2000 $’000
1999 $'000
Operating revenues
Revenues from government 5(a) 107.586 92,777 107.586 92,777
Sales of goods and services 5(b) 27,143 23,722 26.783 23,363
Interest 5(c) 2,220 1,361 2.191 1,349
Reversals of previous asset write-downs 5(d) 155 - 84 -
N e t foreign exchange gains (non-speculative) l(v), 14(c) - 78 - 78
Other 5(e) 4,519 5,110 3.417 5,110
Total operating revenues 141.623 123,049 140,061 122,677
Operating expenses
Employees 6(a) 51,235 46,374 51,235 46,374
Suppliers 6(d) 71.375 60,376 71,365 60,360
Depreciation and amortisation 6(e) 4,088 4,674 4,088 4,674
W rite-down of assets 6(f) 264 288 264 86
N e t losses from sale of assets 6(g) 29 80 29 80
N e t foreign exchange loss (non-speculative) Hv), 14(c) 25 - 25 -
Interest 7 4,501 4,584 4,501 4,584
Total operating expenses 131,517 116,376 131,507 116,158
Net operating surplus 4 10.106 6,673 8,554 6,519
Equity interests
N e t surplus attributable to the Commonwealth Accumulated surpluses at beginning of reporting period 10.106 24,918
6,673 18,245
8,554 25,665
6,519 19,146
Total available for appropriation Capital use provided for or paid l(u)
35,024 (6.266) 24,918 34,219 (6,266)
25,665
Accumulated surpluses at end of reporting period 28,758 24,918 27.953 25,665
The above statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
Balance Sheet as at 30 June 2000
Consolidated Corporation
2000 1999 2000 1999
Notes $’000 $'000 $’000 $'000
ASSETS Financial assets Cash 8(a) 4,656 10,379 3,592 9,697
Receivables 8(b) 6.477 5,035 9,044 8,702
Investments 8(c) 85,082 4,258 82.769 2,016
Total financial assets 96,215 19,672 95,405 20,415
Non financial assets Land and buildings 9(a),(d),(e) 38.358 39,178 38,358 39,178
Plant and equipm ent 9(b),(d),(e),(f) 21,197 19,622 21,197 19,622
Intangibles 9(c),(d),(e) 275 367 275 367
Inventories 9(g) 12,108 8,139 12.108 8,139
Other 9(h) 5,730 5,883 5,730 5,883
Total non-financial assets 77,668 73,189 77.668 73,189
Total assets 173,883 92,861 173,073 93,604
LIA B IL IT IE S Debt Loans 10(a) 24,013 30,828 24,013 30,828
Leases 10(b) 866 1,215 866 1,215
Total debt 24,879 32,043 24,879 32,043
Provisions and Payables Employees 11(a) 13,675 11,478 13,675 11,478
Suppliers 11(b) 7.347 7,406 7,342 7,402
Grants 11(c) 35 2,093 35 2,093
Other 11(d) 74,334 67 74,334 __ 67
Total provisions and payables 95,391 21,044 95,386 21,040
Total liabilities 120,270 53,087 120,265 53,083
EQUITY Capital 12 14,799 4,800 14,799 4,800
Reserves 12 10,056 10,056 10,056 10,056
Accumulated surpluses 12 28.758 24,918 27,953 25,665
Total equity 53,613 39,774 52,808 40,521
Total liabilities and equity 173,883 92,861 173,073 93,604
Current liabilities 41,898 16,625 41,893 16,621
Non-current liabilities 78,372 36,462 78,372 36,462
Current assets 28.971 29,436 26,807 28,754
Non-current assets 144,912 63,425 146,266 64,850
The above statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
St at ement of Cash Flows fo r the year ended 30 June 2000 Consolidated Corporation 2000 1999 2000 1999
Notes $’000 $'000 $’000 $'000
OPERATING ACTIVITIES Cash received Appropriations 1(f) 110,986 83,969 110,986 83,969
Sales of goods and services 25.132 26,402 24,772 26,042
Interest 847 800 818 788
Grants 297 2,869 297 2,869
Other 70,000 _____ - 70.000 _____ y
Total cash received 207,262 114,040 206,873 113,668
Cash used Employees (49,038) (45,052) (49,038) (45,052)
Suppliers (72,174) (51,705) (72,167) (51,691)
Interest and other financing costs (4,501) (4,584) (4,501) (4,584)
Total cash used (125,713) (101,341)(125,7O6)(101,327)
Net cash from operating activities 13 81,549 12,699 81,167 12,341
INVESTING ACTIVITIES Cash received Proceeds from sales of property, plant and equipm ent 1 27 1 27
Total cash received 1 27 1 27
Cash used Purchase of property, plant and equipm ent 9(d) (5,033) (5,202) (5,033) (5,202)
Purchase of investments (79,601) (2,000) (79,601) (2,000)
Total cash used (84,634) (7,202) (84,634) (7,202)
Net cash from investing activities (84,633) (7,175) (84,633) (7,175)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES Cash received Proceeds from equity injection 9,999 4,800 9,999 4,800
Total cash received 9,999 4,800 9,999 4,800
Cash used Capital use paid l(u) (6,389) - (6.389) -
Repaym ents of debt 10(a) (2,700) (900) (2,700) (900)
Paym ent to sinking fund 10(a) (3,200) (4,800) (3,200) (4,800)
Finance lease payments 10(b) (349) (310) (349) (310)
Total cash used (12,638) (6,010) (12,638) (6,010)
Net cash from financing activities (2,639) (1,210) (2.639) (1,210)
Net increase in cash held (5,723) 4,314 (6,105) 3,956
Cash at the beginning of the reporting period 10,379 6,065 9,697 5,741
Cash at the end of the reporting period 8(a) 4.656 10,379 3,592 9,697
The above statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
Schedul e of Commitments as at 30 June 2000 Consolidated Corporation 2000 1999 2000 1999
Notes $’000 $'000 $’000 $'000
BY TYPE
CAPITAL COMMITMENTS Plant and equipm ent 7,871 422 7,871 422
Total capital com m itm ents 7,871 422 7,871 422
OTHER COMMITMENTS Transmission facilities (i) 144,331 61,771 144,331 61,771
Operating leases (ii) 5,388 1,597 5,368 1,576
Other commitments (iii) 20.139 17,743 20,139 17,743
Total other comm itm ents 169,858 81,111 169.838 81,090
Total com m itm ents payable 177,729 81,533 177,709 81,512
COMMITMENTS RECEIVABLE Transmission facilities (i) 137.643 51,117 137.643 51,117
Leases 5,165 4,206 5,165 4,206
Advertising and sponsorship 4,581 3,711 4,581 3,711
Services to related corporations 195 181 195 181
Production services 659 208 659 208
Total com m itm ents receivable 148.243 59,423 148,243 59,423
Net com m itm ents 29,486 22,110 29,466 22,089
BY MATURITY
All net com m itm ents One year or less 26,223 16,003 26,215 15,983
From one to two years 5,546 5,197 5,534 5,196
From two to five years (78 1 ) 1,910 (78 1 ) 1,910
Over five years (1,502) (1,000) (1.502) (1,000)
Net comm itm ents 29,486 22,110 29,466 22,089
Operating lease com m itm ents One year or less 3,506 852 3.498 832
From one to five years 1,882 745 1,870 744
Operating lease comm itm ents 5,388 1,597 5.368 1,576
NB: All 1999-00 commitments are G ST inclusive where relevant. T h e comparatives have not been adjusted to reflect the GST.
(i) Transmission facilities commitments payable includes future expenditure for transmission services .
(ii) Operating leases comprise: - a lease for office accommodation; - leases of computer equipm ent; and - leases of motor vehicles.
(iii) As at 30 June 2000, other commitments comprises amounts payable in respect of program, production and operational costs.
The above statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
Schedul e of Contingencies as at 30 June 2000
CONTINGENT LOSSES Claims for damages/costs
Note
(iv)
Consolidated Corporation
2000 1999 2000 1999
$’000 $'000 $’000 $'000
Total contingent losses 66 - 66
CONTINGENT GAINS Claims for damages/costs - - - -
Total contingent gains - - - -
Net contingencies - 66 - 66
(iv) As at 30 June 2000, no contingent liabilities were identified (1999 $66,000).
The above statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
1.
Notes to and forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2000
Note Description
1. Summary of significant accounting policies
2. Reporting by segments and outcomes
3. Economic dependency
4. Operating surplus
Operating revenues 5(a) Revenues from Government 5(b) Sales of goods and services 5(c) Interest revenue 5(d) Reversals of previous asset write-downs
5(e) O ther operating revenue
6. Operating expenses 6(a) Employee expenses 6(b) Remuneration of officers 6(c) Remuneration of directors and related party disclosures 6(d) Suppliers expenses
6(e) Depreciation and amortisation 6 (f) Write-down of assets 6(g) N et losses from sale of assets
7. Interest expense
8. Financial assets
8(a) Cash 8(b) Receivables 8(c) Investments
9. Non-financial assets 9(a) Land and buildings 9(b) Plant and equipm ent 9(c) Intangibles 9(d) Analysis of property, plant, equipm ent and intangibles 9(e) Summary of balances of assets at valuation 9 (f) Summary of balances of assets held under finance leases 9(g) Inventories 9(h) O ther non-financial assets
10. Debt
10(a) Loans 10(b) Finance lease liabilities
11. Provisions and payables
11(a) Liabilities to employees 11(b) Suppliers 11(c) Grants liabilities 11(d) O ther liabilities
12. Equity
13. Cash flow reconciliation
14. Financial instruments 14(a) Terms, conditions and accounting policies 14(b) Interest rate risk 14(c) Foreign currency risk 14(d) Credit risk 14(e) N et fair values of financial assets and liabilities
92
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
1. Summary of significant accounting policies
(a) Basis of accounting
T h e financial statem ents are required by clause
1(b) of Schedule 1 to the Commonwealth Authorities
and Companies Act 1991 and are a general purpose
financial report.
T h e statem ents have been prepared in
accordance with the Requirements fo r the
Preparation of Financial Statements of
Commonwealth Agencies and Authorities m ade by the
M inister of Finance and Administration in August
1999 (Schedule 2 to the Commonwealth
Authorities and Companies (CAC) Orders). T he
financial statem ents have been prepared in
accordance with Australian Accounting Standards,
other authoritative pronouncements of the
Accounting Standards Board (Accounting
Guidance Releases) and the Consensus Views of
the Urgent Issues Group. T h e financial
statem ents have also been prepared having regard
to Statem ents of Accounting Concepts and the
Explanatory Notes to Schedule 2 issued by the
D epartm ent of Finance and Administration.
T h e financial statem ents have been prepared
on an accrual basis, and are in accordance with
historical cost convention, except for assets
which, as noted, are at valuation (see note 9).
(b) Changes in accounting policy Accounting policies are selected and applied in a
m anner which ensures that the resulting financial
information satisfies the concepts of relevance
and reliability, thereby ensuring that the
substance of the underlying transactions or other
events is reported. Significant accounting policies
adopted in the preparation and presentation of
the financial report are identified in this note.
Changes in accounting policy have been
identified in this note under their appropriate
headings.
(c) Principles of consolidation T h e consolidated accounts of the Corporation
include (a) the assets and liabilities of the
Corporation and the entity it controlled at the
end of the financial year, and (b) the results of
the Corporation and the entity it controlled
during the year. T h e effect of all transactions
betw een entities in the economic entity and
inter-entity balances are eliminated in full.
(d) Equity accounting of associated companies T h e principles of equity accounting have been
applied in respect of associated companies.
Associated companies are those companies over
which the economic entity exercises significant
influence but not control.
SBS’s investm ent in the associated entity,
PAN T V Ltd, is accounted for in accordance with
AASB 1016 “Accounting for investm ents in
associates”. Using the equity method, SBS has
recognised the share of profit (loss) of its
associate as revenue (expense) in its consolidated
operating statem ent and its share of movements
in reserves in consolidated reserves. Equity
information is disclosed in notes 8(c) and 12.
(e) Reporting by outcomes A comparison of Budget and Actual figures by
outcome specified in the Appropriation Acts
relevant to the Corporation is presented in
N ote 2.
(f) Appropriations From 1 July 1999, the Commonwealth Budget
has been prepared under an accruals framework.
Under this framework, Parliament appropriates
moneys to the Corporation as revenue
appropriations, as loan appropriations and as
equity injections.
Revenue appropriations Revenues from government are revenues of the
core operating activities of the Corporation.
Appropriations from government for outputs are
recognised as revenue to the extent that they
have been received into the Corporation’s Bank
Account.
Non-revenue appropriations Appropriations to the Corporation for capital
items are recognised directly in equity, to the
extent that the appropriation has been received
into the Corporation’s Bank account.
(g) Resources received free of charge Resources received free of charge are recognised
as revenues in the operating statem ent where
their fair value can be reliably measured (refer
note 5a). Use of the resources is recognised as an
expense, or, where there is a long term benefit,
an asset is recognised.
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
(h) Other revenue
Core operations
All revenues from the sales of goods and
services relate to the core operating activities of
the Corporation and the economic entity.
All other operating revenue arises from non
core operating activities except transmission
services which is included in miscellaneous
revenue.
Revenue from the sale of goods and services
is recognised when the economic entity has
passed control of the goods to the buyer.
Revenue from the rendering of a service is
recognised by reference to the stage of
completion of the contract or other agreement.
Interest revenue is recognised on a
proportional basis taking into account the interest
rates applicable to the financial assets.
(i) Grants and other provisions and payables Grants received from other government agencies,
which affect more than one financial period are
matched with the related costs and recognised in
the period to which they relate.
Prepayments received, which affect more than
one financial period are m atched with the related
costs and recognised in the period to which they
relate.
In 1999-2000, the Corporation received
revenue from the TV Fund to provide analogue
extensions to regional Australia over the next 12
years. Refer to notes 8(c) and 11(d).
(j) Employee entitlements (i) Provision for long service leave
T h e provision for long service leave is
measured at the present value of estim ated
future cash flows to be made in respect of
all employees at 30 June 2000. In
determining the present value of the
liability, attrition rates have been taken
into account. T h e liability to pay long
service leave entitlem ents has been
recognised in respect of all employees after
three years’ eligible service, and those with
three to four years’ service discounted by
half. T h e amount expected to be payable
within twelve months is shown as a current
liability, and the balance as a non-current
liability.
(ii) Provision for recreation leave
Provision is made for the value of
entitlem ents accrued as at balance date
and includes the annual leave bonus
component payable in accordance with the
SBS Award. T h e amount expected to be
payable within twelve months is shown as
a current liability, and the balance as a non
current liability.
(iii) Provision for redundancies
Provision is made for redundancies for
employees or employee numbers
identified at balance date, which can be
reliably measured. T h e provision does not
include long service leave or annual leave
paid on termination. T hese are included in
the respective provisions.
(iv) Sick leave
No provision is made for sick leave in the
financial statem ents as sick leave taken by
employees is expected to be less than
future entitlem ents. T his assessment is
made for all employees on a group basis.
(v) Provision for superannuation on accrued
recreation and long service leave
Provision is made for recognition of
employer (CSS and PSS) superannuation
contributions payable in respect of accrued
leave liabilities. In 1999-2000, the
provision was calculated using a percentage
of employer CSS and PSS contributions
and accrued leave taken during the
employees period of service and applied to
accrued leave liabilities. Refer also to
note l(k).
(k) Superannuation (i) Employees of the Corporation contribute
directly to either (a) the Commonwealth
Superannuation Scheme (CSS), or (b) the
Public Sector Superannuation Scheme
(PSS), by way of fortnightly salary
deductions.
(ii) Employees of the Corporation are
employed under Section 54 of the Special
Broadcasting Service Act 1991, and the
Corporation is required to contribute the
employer component of the
Superannuation Schemes. Current
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
employer contribution rates are 25.1% of
salary (CSS) and 13.2% of salary (PSS).
Refer also to note l(j).
(iii) T h e Corporation also contributes
superannuation in respect of contract staff
engaged under Section 44 of the Special
Broadcasting Service Act 1991, in accordance
with the superannuation guarantee
legislation. T h e contributions are included
in the cost of contract (see note 6d).
(l) Leases A distinction is made betw een finance leases,
which effectively transfer from the lessor to the
lessee substantially all the risks and benefits
incidental to ownership of leased assets, and
operating leases, under which the lessor
effectively retains all such risks and benefits.
W here a non-current asset is acquired by
m eans of a finance lease, the asset is capitalised
at the present value of the minimum lease
paym ents at the inception of the lease, and a
liability for lease payments recognised at the
same amount. Lease payments are allocated
betw een the principal component and the
interest expense.
Finance lease assets are amortised on a
straight line basis over their estim ated useful
lives to the Corporation.
Lease payments for operating leases, where
substantially all the risks and benefits remain
with the lessor, are charged as expense in the
periods in which they are incurred.
(m) Cash flows For the purpose of the Statem ent of Cash Flows,
cash includes cash on hand and deposits held at
call with banks.
(n) Financial instruments Accounting policies in relation to financial
instrum ents are disclosed in note 14.
(o) Acquisition of assets Assets acquired are recorded at the cost on
acquisition, being the purchase consideration
determ ined as at the date of acquisition.
(p) Property, plant and equipment Asset recognition threshold
Item s are classified as non-current assets when:
(i) the cost of acquisition is in excess of $2000;
(ii) they are non-consumable in nature; and
(iii) the estim ated useful life is in excess of 12
months.
Revaluations
T h e Corporation implements progressive
revaluations of all property, plant and equipm ent
over successive three year periods in accordance
with the “deprival” method of valuation as
required by Schedule 2.
T h e requirem ents of Schedule 2 are being
im plem ented as follows:
- freehold land was initially revalued as at 30
June 1998;
- buildings on freehold land were initially
revalued as at 30 June 1998;
- leasehold improvements have been
revalued as at 1 July 1999;
- plant and equipm ent, w hether at cost or
under finance lease, were initially
revalued at 30 June 1998; and
- intangible assets were initially revalued as
at 30 June 1998.
Property, plant and equipm ent, other than land, is
recognised at its depreciated replacem ent cost.
Depreciation Property, plant and equipm ent, other than
freehold land, is depreciated over its estim ated
useful life to the Corporation using the straight
line m ethod of depreciation.
Depreciation/amortisation rates (useful lives)
and m ethods were reviewed during the 1999-00
financial year.
Depreciation and amortisation rates
applying to each class of depreciable asset are
based on the following useful lives:
Class of non financial asset Buildings
Leasehold
improvements
Plant & equipm ent
Intangibles
1999-2000 1998-1999 40 years 40 years
Lease term Lease term 3 to 20 years 5 to 20 years
5 years 5 years
T h e aggregate amount of depreciation allocated
for each class of asset during the reporting period
is disclosed in note 6(e).
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
Recoverable amount test T he carrying amount of property, plant and
equipm ent is reviewed annually to ensure it is
not in excess of the recoverable am ount from
these assets. T h e recoverable amount is
assessed on the basis of expected net cash flows
which will be received from the assets
em ploym ent and subsequent disposal. T he
expected net cash flows from future
appropriations by the Parliament, have been
discounted to their present value in determining
the recoverable amount.
T h e application of the recoverable
amount test to the non-current assets of the
Corporation is a change in accounting policy
required by the Finance M inister’s Orders in
1999-2000. T h e new policy is being applied
from the beginning of 1999-2000.
No write-down to the recoverable amount
has been made in 1999-2000 as a result of this
change in policy.
(q) Amortisation (i) Current assets
Purchased program stocks and
commissioned programs are valued at cost
and amortised at 90% after first screening
and 10% after second screening, or fully
amortised upon expiration of rights.
Certain program purchases are not
categorised as program stocks or
commissioned programs, and are
expensed at the time of purchase. Costs
of internally produced programs are
expensed as incurred.
Amortisation of program stocks and
commissioned programs is shown in note
6(d).
(ii) N on-current assets
Leasehold improvements are amortised
on a straight line basis over the shorter of
either the unexpired period of the lease or
the estim ated useful life of the
improvements.
Intangible assets are amortised on a
straight line basis over their estimated
useful lives.
(r) Merchandising stocks
Merchandising stocks are valued at lower of cost
or net realisable value. Costs have been assigned
to inventory quantities on hand at balance date
using the first in first out basis.
(s) Taxation T he Corporation and its subsidiary, Multilingual
Subscriber Television Ltd (M ST Ltd), are not
subject to income tax. A ruling was sought in
1998 from the Australian Tax Office, which
confirmed the tax exem pt status of M ST Ltd.
T h e Corporation and its subsidiary,
Multilingual Subscriber Television Ltd (MST
Ltd), are subject to fringe benefits tax.
(t) Goods and Services Tax Revenues, expenses and assets are recognised
net of the amount of goods and services tax
(GST), except:
(i) where the amount of G ST incurred is not
recoverable from the taxation authority, it
is recognised as part of the cost of
acquisition of an asset or as part of an
item of expense; or
(ii) for receivables and payables which are
recognised inclusive of GST.
T h e net amount of G ST recoverable from, or
payable to, the taxation authority is included as
part of receivables or payables.
(u) Capital Use Charge T he Capital Use Charge (CUC) is a charge
levied on Commonwealth General Government
Sector agencies and authorities. T he Capital
Use Charge payment is based on the
Departmental net assets of the Corporation as at
30 June. T h e rate of the Charge is currently
12%. T he rate is calculated at the return on a
risk free investm ent (the long term bond rate,
presently 6%) plus a margin for risk of 6%.
(v) Foreign currency Transactions denominated in a foreign currency
are converted at the effective exchange rate on
the date of the transaction. Exchange gains and
losses are reported in the operating statement.
9 6
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
(w) Receivables C redit terms for receivables for goods and
services are net 45 days for advertising debtors
and 30 days for other debtors.
A provision is raised for doubtful debts based
on a review of all outstanding amounts at year
end. Bad debts are written off during the period
in which they are identified.
(x) Bank loans Bank loans are recognised at their principal
amounts.
Interest is expensed as it accrues.
(v) Commonwealth loans (borrowings from future appropriations) A loan of $4,500,000 from the Commonwealth
was recognised in 1996-97.
T h e balance of the Commonwealth loan of
$2,700,000 was repaid in full in 1999-2000.
(z) Trade creditors Creditors and accruals are recognised at their
nominal amounts, being the amounts at which
the liabilities will be settled. Liabilities are
recognised to the extent that the goods or
services have been received (and irrespective of
having been invoiced). Settlem ent is usually
made n et 30 days.
(aa) Comparative figures Comparative figures are, where applicable,
restated to reflect the current year presentation
of the financial statements.
(ab) Rounding Amounts are rounded to the nearest $1,000
unless specifically stated to be otherwise.
2. Reporting by segments and outcomes
Reporting by segments
T h e economic entity operates Radio and Television services within the broadcasting industry. Geographically
the economic entity operates entirely within Australia.
T h e Corporation is structured to m eet one outcome:
Outcome 1: Provide multicultural and multilingual services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and in doing so reflects Australia’s multicultural society.
Reporting by Outcomes 1999-2000
Outcome
Budget Actual
$000 $000
Total net adm inistered expenses - -
Add: N e t cost of entity outputs 111,886 105,298
Outcom e before abnormal/extraordinary items - -
Abnormal/extraordinary items - -
N e t Cost to Budget O utcom e1 111,886 105,298
Total assets deployed as at 30/06/00 97,130 173,073
N e t assets deployed as at 30/06/00 52,858 52,808
Any intra-government costs included in the figure “N et Cost to Budget Outcom e” are eliminated in
calculating the actual budget outcome for the Governm ent overall.
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
Reporting by Outcomes by funding source for 1999-2000
O u t c o m e O u t p u t s
$ 0 0 0
T o ta l
A p p r o p r i a t i o n s
$ 0 0 0
T o ta l
E x p e n s e s
$ 0 0 0
Expenses against Revenue from
Government (Appropriations)
(B)
Expense
against
Revenue
sources
(C)
Total
Expenses
against
Outputs (D) - (B)
Special
Appropriations
Annual
Appropriation
Total
Actual 1 0 7 ,5 8 6 1 0 7 ,5 8 6 3 0 ,1 8 7 1 3 7,773 1 0 7 ,5 8 6 137,773
Budget - 1 1 1,886 1 1 1 ,8 8 6 2 5 ,7 6 4 1 3 7 ,6 5 0 1 1 1 ,8 8 6 137,650
Appropriation Act 2 - equity
Actual
Budget
Total Appropriations
Actual
Budget
3. Economic dependency T h e Corporation is dependent on Parliamentary appropriations to be viable as a going concern.
4. Operating surplus T h e Corporation’s operating surplus before payment of the capital use charge is 88 .5 5 4 .0 0 0 . T he
operating result is 8 2 ,2 8 8 ,0 0 0 after adjusting for the capital use charge provided for or paid.
Consolidated Corporation
2000
Notes $'000
1999 $'000
2000 $’000
1999 $'000
5. O p e ra tin g revenues 5(a) Revenues from Government
Annual Appropriation Act No. 1 - basic appropriation 106,344 79,148 106.344 79,148
Annual Appropriation Act No. 2 - equity injection 7.899 7,899
Annual Appropriation Act No. 3 - appropriation - additional estimates 5.542 3,705 5,542 3,705
Annual Appropriation Act No. 4 - equity injection - additional estimates 1.200 - 1.200 -
Parliamentary appropriations received 120.985 82,853 120.985 82,853
Less equity injections (9,999) - (9.999) -
Less appropriation prepaym ent received (3.400) - (3.400) -
Plus repayment of borrowings from appropriation l(y) - 900 - 900
Plus repayment of interest from appropriation l(y) - 216 216
Total Parliamentary appropriations 107,586 83,969 107,586 83,969
Resources received free of charge (v) - 8,808 - 8,808
Total Revenues from Government 107,586 92,777 107,586 92,777
9 8
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
(v) T h e National Transmission Agency (NTA) provided the services, and operated the facilities necessary to
transmit the Corporation’s programs to the public under the direction of the Minister for Communications,
Information, Technology and the Arts until 30 April 1999. From 1 May 1999 these transmission services
have been provided to SBS on a commercial basis.
Consolidated Corporation
2000 1999 2000 1999
Notes $’000 $'000 $’000 $'000
5(b) Sales of goods and services
Advertising and sponsorship 22,813 19,239 22,813 19,239
Production services 3,193 3,175 3,193 3,175
Sale of programs and merchandise 604 824 604 824
Services to related corporations (vi) 533 485 173 125
Total sales of goods and services 27.143 23,723 26,783 23,363
(vi) Revenue from related corporations
O ther contract services - associated company 533 485 173 125
Total revenue from related corporations 533 485 l 73 125
5(c) Interest
Deposits 1.892 1,345 1,863 1,333
O ther - non government securities 328 16 328 16
Total interest 2,220 1,361 2,191 1,349
5(d) Reversals of previous asset write-downs
Financial assets Receivables Goods and services - adjustm ent to provision for doubtful debts 84 - 84 -
Investm ent 71 " - -
Total reversals of previous asset write-downs 155 ____________- 84 ~
5(e) Other operating revenue
Grants l(i) 2,355 778 2,355 778
Rental Receipts 640 585 640 585
Miscellaneous revenue 1.524 3,747 422 3,747
Total other operating revenue 4,519 5,110 3,417 5,110
9 9
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
Consolidated Corporation
Note
6 O perating expenses 6(a) Employee expenses
2000 $'000
1999 $'000
2000 $’000
1999 $'000
Basic remuneration for sendees provided Salaries and related expenses Employee leave entitlem ents provisions Superannuation expenses l(k)
37,173 6,798 6.700
34,868 5,708 5,633
37,173 6,798 6,700
34,868 5,708 5,633
Total basic remuneration for sendees provided 50,671 46,209 50.671 46,209
Separation and redundancy payments 564 165 564 165
Total employee expenses 51,235 46,374 51,235 46,374
6(b) Remuneration of officers “Officers" are persons engaged by the economic entity who are concerned in, and take part in, the
m anagem ent of the Corporation or economic entity, other than a director. T h e definition does not include
a designated office or position occupied by more than one person during the reporting period.
Remuneration of officers (detailed below) relates to members of the Executive. T he remuneration of
those officers who have occupied the position of Managing Director or a director of the economic entity
during 1999-00 are not included to the extent that they were rem unerated as directors of the Corporation or
economic entity. Details in relation to those directors are included in note 6(c).
Officers Total remuneration in respect of officers:
Consolidated Corporation
2000 1999 2000 1999
$498,119 $439,259 $498,119 $439,259
T h e above amounts include remuneration in respect of each officer or designated position which is
$100,000 or more during the reporting period. T hese amounts are included in Employee expenses in note
6(a).
T h e num ber of officers whose total remuneration was betw een :
$120,001 - $130,000 $130,001 - $140,000 $150,001 -$160,000 $160,001 -$170,000 $170,001 -$180,000
$ 210,001 - $ 220,000
Officers of the Officers of the
economic entity Corporation
2000 1999 2000 1999
Number Number Number Number
1 1 1 1
- 1 - 1
1 - 1 -
1 1
1 - 1 -
6(c) Remuneration of directors and related party disclosures
Directors
Remuneration of directors includes the remuneration of officers who are also directors of the Corporation or
the economic entity. T heir remuneration as directors of the Corporation is included below.
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
Consolidated Corporation
2000 1999 2000 1999
Total remuneration in respect of directors: 8 8 3 8 ,5 4 5 $747,431 8 5 0 7 ,4 6 3 $469,567
Superannuation included in the above remuneration: 8 1 1 7 ,6 4 9 $84,312 896 ,1 7 1 $32,957
T h e directors of the Corporation’s subsidiary Multilingual Subscriber Television Lim ited (M ST Ltd -
see note 8c) are appointed from directors and officers of the Corporation. T h e remuneration paid by the
Corporation to those directors is 8 6 9 1 ,3 8 8 (1999 $652,316).
T h ey received no additional remuneration for their duties in relation to the controlled entity.
T h e num ber of directors whose total remuneration was betw een :
Nil - $ 10,000
$ 10,001 - $ 20,000 $ 20,001 - $30,000 $30,001 - $40,000 $40,001 - $50,000
$110,001 - $120,000 $140,001 -$150,000 $160,001 -$170,000 $180,001 -$190,000 $320,001 -$330,000
Directors of the Directors of the
economic e n tity Corporation
2000 1999 2000 1999
Number Number Number Number
5 5
6 5 6 5
2 - 2 -
1 - 1 -
- 1 - 1
- 1 - -
1 - - -
- 1 - -
1 - - -
1 1 1 1
T h e following persons held positions as directors of the Corporation during 1999-00:
Sir Nicholas Shehadie (Chairman - resigned 17/12/99) Peter Carroll
Carla Zam patti (Chairman - appointed 18/12/99) Amareswar Galla
Neville Roach (Deputy Chairman) Edward Gregory
Nigel Milan (Managing Director) M artine Pop
Nyra Bensimon Trang Thomas
T h e following persons held positions as directors of the Corporation’s controlled entity, M ST Ltd,
during 1999-00:
Sir Nicholas Shehadie (Chairman - resigned 17/12/99) M aureen Crowe
Carla Zam patti (Chairman - appointed as Director on 27/3/00) Tuong Quang Luu
Nigel Milan (Acting Chairman 18/12/99 to 7/4/00)
1
Transactions with other related parties g
Transactions with other related parties are disclosed in the relevant notes. Linless otherwise stated, I
transactions betw een related parties are on normal commercial terms and conditions, which are no more s
favourable than those available to other parties. |
!
101
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
Consolidated Corporation
2000 1999 2000 1999
Notes $’000 $'000 $’000 $'000
6(d) Suppliers expenses
Operating lease rentals 1,207 963 1,207 963
Supply of goods and services Administrative expenses 21.957 17,865 21.951 17,853
Amortisation of program stocks l(q) 6,92.3 6,179 6,923 6,179
Amortisation of commissioned programs l(q) 3.866 3,220 3,866 3,220
O ther program purchases 8,385 5,344 8,385 5,344
Broadcasting facilities 5,154 5,920 5,154 5,920
Translators & transmitters 1(g),5(a), (v) 13.341 10,575 13,341 10,575
Contract staff l(k) 6,278 6,249 6,278 6,249
Materials and minor items 2,479 2,567 2,479 2,567
Production services 1,716 1,425 1,716 1,425
Audit fees (vii) 69 69 65 65
Total supply of goods and services 70,168 59,413 70.158 59,397
Total suppliers expenses 71,375 60,376 71.365 60,360
(vii) Audit fees
Fees for services paid or payable to the Auditor-General for auditing
the economic entity’s financial statem ents for the reporting period were
8 6 9 .0 0 0 (1999 $69,000). No other services were provided during the
reporting period.
Fees for auditing the financial statem ents 69 69 65 65
Total audit fees 69 69 65 65
6(e) Depreciation/amortisation of non-current assets (viii)
Depreciation/amortisation of property, plant, equipm ent and intangibles 3,952 4,538 3,952 4,538
Amortisation of leased assets 136 136 136 136
Total depreciation/amortisation of non-current assets 4,0 8 8 4,674 4 ,0 8 8 4,674
(viii) T h e aggregate amounts of depreciation and amortisation allocated during the reporting period, as expense
for each class of depreciable asset, are as follows:
Buildings on Freehold Land 902 868 902 868
Leasehold Improvements 80 152 SO 152
Plant and E quipm ent 2,933 3,424 2,933 3,424
Intangibles 173 230 173 230
Total allocated 4,0 8 8 4,674 4.0 8 8 4,674
102
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
Consolidated Corporation
2000 1999 2000 1999
6 (f) W rite-down of assets
Financial assets Receivables Goods and services -
Notes $’000 $'000 $’000 $'000
adjustm ent to provision for doubtful debts - 66 - 66
Goods and services - bad debts written off 12 17 12 17
Investm ent Non-financial assets
- 202 - -
Plant and equipm ent - write-off Leasehold improvements -Kp) 66 3 66 3
revaluation decrement 9(xii) 186 - 186 -
Total write-down of assets
6(g) Net losses from sale of assets
Plant and equipm ent
264 288 264 86
Proceeds on disposal 1 27 1 27
Less carrying amount of disposed assets (30) (107) (30) (107)
Loss on disposal
7. Interest expense
29 80 29 80
Bank loan 10(a) 4.284 4,274 4.284 4,274
Com monwealth loan l(y), 5(a) 144 216 144 216
Finance charges on lease liabilities 10(b) 73 94 73 94
Total interest expense
8. Financial assets
8(a) Cash
4,501 4,584 4,501 4,584
Cash at bank and on hand
Balance of cash as at 30 June shown in the
4,656 10,379 3.592 9,697
Statem ent of Cash Flows
8(b) Receivables
13 4,656 10,379 3,592 9,697
Goods and services - controlled entity 8(c) 3.667 3,667
Goods and services - associated company 1,100 33 - 33
O ther goods and services (ix) 5,286 5,158 5,286 5,158
Total goods and services receivables 6,386 5,191 8,953 8,858
Interest 99 59 99 59
Capital use charge receivable 123 - 123 -
Subtotal 6,608 5,250 9,175 8,917
Less provision for doubtful debts (131) (215) (131) (215)
Total receivables 6,477 5,035 9,044 8,702
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
Consolidated 2000 1999
Notes $'000 $'000
Corporation 2000 1999
$’000 $'000
(ix) T h e majority of goods and services
receivable relate to advertising agencies.
Receivables include receivables
N ot overdue 6.257 3,064 8,824 6,731
Overdue by: - less than 30 days 74 1,893 74 1,893
- 30 to 60 days 45 67 45 67
- 60 to 90 days 39 41 39 41
- more than 90 days 193 185 193 185
Total receivables (gross) 6.608 5,250 9,175 J,9 1 7
8(c) Investments
Non-government securities (X) 82.769 2,016 82,769 2,016
Shares in controlled entity (Xi) - - - -
Shares in associated company (xii) 2,313 2,242 _______ y ______ :
Total investments 85.082 4.258 82.769 2,016
(x) In 1999-2000, the Corporation received revenue from the TV Fund to provide analogue extensions to
regional Australia over the next 12 years. T hese funds have been invested in non-government securities.
(xi) Investm ent in controlled entity
T h e Corporation subscribed for 5 shares ($1 each) in Multilingual Subscriber Television Ltd (M ST Ltd) in
1994-95. M ST Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of SBS Corporation. It was incorporated for the purpose of
the Corporation’s involvement in Pay TV. T here were no dividends received by the Corporation from MST
Ltd as at 30 June 2000.
Name of entity
Country of incorporation
Interest of
Corporation 2000 1999
Contributions to consolidated surplus 2000 1999
$’000 $'000
Parent Entity SBS Corporation Australia 8,554 6,519
Directly controlled by SBS Corporation M ST Ltd Australia 100% 100% 1.552 154
10.106 6,673
1 04
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
(xii) Investm ent in associated company and equity information
Name of entity Principal A ctivity Ownership Interest 2000
Ownership Interest 1999
Balance \ Balance
Date Date
PAN TV Ltd Production and delivery of media services 40% 40% 30 June 2000 30 June 1999
T h e Corporation’s controlled entity (M ST Ltd) subscribed for 220,000 shares in PAN TV L td in 1994-95,
the subscription price deem ed to be paid in consideration for a range of services provided by the economic
entity to PAN TV Ltd. T h e purchase consideration for the shares acquired was valued at $3,667,333 ,
having regard to the price paid by the other investing partners in PAN T V L td in acquiring their shares.
T h e equity accounted value of this investm ent as at 30 June 2000 was $2,313,150 (1999 $2,242,218)
having regard to the performance of PAN TV L td in 2000.
T h e range of services valued at $3,667,333, have been fully provided by the Corporation to PAN TV
L td on behalf of M ST Ltd. T his amount is shown as a receivable by the Corporation from its controlled
entity, M ST Ltd, and eliminated on consolidation.
PAN TV Ltd currently provides a World Movies Channel to Foxtel, O ptus Vision, and Austar under
distribution agreements.
2 0 0 0 1999
Cost
$ ’000 $'000
Carrying amount of investment in associated company (at cost) 3,667 3,667
D ividends receivable from associated company ----------- - --------- -
3,667 3,667
Equity Carrying amount of investment in associated company (at cost) 3,667 3,667
Less share of retained losses (1-354) (1,425)
Equity-accounted amount of investment 2,313 2,242
Share of associate’s operating profit (loss) before income tax 1,097 463
Share of income tax expense attributable to operating profit 74 (665)
Share of operating profit (loss) after income tax 1,171 (202)
Dividends receivable from associated company (1.100) -
Accumulated results attributable to associate 1 July 1999 (1,425) (1,223)
30 June 2000 (1,354) (1,425)
Movement in the equity accounted investment in associated company Investm ent in associated company 1 July 1999 2,242 3,667
A djustm ent due to adoption of AASB 1016 - (1,223)
N ew investm ents during the year - -
Share of operating profit after income tax 1,171 (202)
Dividend revenue from associated company (1,100) -
Disposals during the year ______________-
Investm ent in associated company 30 June 2000 2.313 2,242
Share of commitments Share of operating lease commitments 20 21
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
1 06
Consolidated Corporation
2000 1999 2000 1999
Notes $’000 $'000 $’000 $'000
9. N on-financial a s s e ts 9(a) Land and building 1(P)
Freehold land - at independent valuation (xiii) 8,675 8,675 8,675 8,675
Buildings - at independent valuation (xiii) 30,825 30,825 30,825 30,825
Buildings - at cost 497 148 497 148
Less accumulated depreciation (1,770) (868) (1,770) (868)
29,552 30,105 29,552 30,105
Leasehold improvements -at independent valuation (xiii) 212 2,969 212 2,969
Less accumulated amortisation (81) (2,571) (81) (2,571)
131 398 131 398
Total lan d a n d buildings 38,358 39,178 38,358 39,178
9(b) Plant and equipment l(p)
Plant and equipm ent - at independent valuation(xiii) 34,253 34,253 34,253 34,253
Plant and equipm ent - at cost 7,003 4,259 7,003 4,259
Less accumulated depreciation (21,405) (20,371) (21,405) (20,371)
19,851 18,141 19,851 18,141
Plant and equipm ent under finance lease - at independent valuation 1(1), 10(b),
(xiii) 1,809 1,809 1.809 1,809
Less accumulated amortisation (463) (327) (463) (327)
1.346 1,482 1,346 1,482
Total p lan t a n d eq u ip m en t 21,197 19,623 21.197 19,623
9(c) Intangibles l(p)
Com puter software (purchased) -at independent valuation (xiii) 1.136 1,137 1.136 1,137
Com puter software at cost 203 142 203 142
Less accumulated amortisation (1,064) (912) (1,064) (912)
275 367 275 367
Total intangibles 275 367 275 367
Total property, p lan t, eq u ip m en t a n d intangibles 59,830 59,168 59,830 59,168
(xiii) All property, plant and equipm ent (except for leasehold improvements) were revalued in accordance
with the deprival method of valuation at 30 June 1998 (see note lp). Leasehold improvements were
revalued in accordance with the deprival method of valuation as at 1 July 1999.
T h e revaluations for land and building were completed by independent valuers, based on market
value for existing usage: Anthony St Leon, AAPI, AICMV - Artarmon, NSW (land and building).
Edward J Kinch AVLE (Val) - Craigieburn, Victoria (land).
T h e revaluation for plant and equipm ent was made by an independent valuer Simon B O ’Leary,
AAPI, MSAA, based on the depreciated replacem ent cost of the equipm ent.
T h e revaluation for leasehold improvements was made by an independent valuer Mario Lancellotti,
AAPI, based on the depreciated replacem ent cost of the improvements.
In 1999-2000 a revaluation decrem ent of $185,952 for leasehold improvements was expensed.
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
9(d) Analysis of property, plant, equipment and intangibles (Consolidated e ntity only)
M ovem ent sum m ary 1999-00 for all assets irrespective of v aluation basis
Land Buildings Total land & buildings Plant & Equipment
Computer software/ licenses
Total
$’000 $’000 $’000 $’000 $'000 $’000
Gross value as at 1 July 1999 8,675 33,943 42,618 40,320 1,279 84.217
Additions
Acquisition of replacement assets - 86 86 - 11 97
Acquisition of new assets - 262 262 4,603 70 4,935
Revaluations: write-ups / (write-downs) - (2,757) (2,757) - (2,757)
Disposals - - - (382) - (382)
Write-offs - - - (1,476) (21) (1,497)
Gross value as at 30 June 2000 8,675 31,534 40,209 43,065 1,339 84,613
Accumulated depreciation / am ortisation as at 1 July 1999 - 3,440 3.440 20.698 912 25,050
Depreciation / amortisation for assets held 1 July 1999
- 982 982 2,933 173 4,088
Revaluations: write-ups / (write-downs) - (2,571) (2,571) - - (2,571)
Disposals - - - (353) - (353)
Write-offs - - - (1,410) (21) (1,431)
Accumulated depreciation / am ortisation as at 30 June 2000 - 1,851 1.851 21,868 1,064 24,783
Net book value as at 30 June 2000 8,675 29,683 38,358 21,197 275 59,830
N e t book value as at 1 July 1999 8,675 30,503 39,178 19,623 367 59,168
In 1999-2000 a revaluation decrem ent of $185,952 for leasehold improvements was expensed. Refer also to
notes 9(a) and l(p).
T h e majority of assets written off have been identified as obsolete, dismantled or scrapped following the
fixed assets stocktake in 2000.
107
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
4.
I
9(e) Summary of balances of assets at valuation as at 30 June 2000 (Consolidated entity only)
Land Buildings Total land Plant & Computer Total
& buildings Equipment software/
As at 30 June 2000
$’000 $’000 $’000 $'000
licenses $'000 $'000
Gross value 8,675 31,037 39,712 36,061 1,136 76,909
Accumulated depreciation / amortisation (1,851) (1,851) (21,868) (1,064) (24,783)
Net book value 8,675 29.186 37,861 14,193 72 52,126
As at 30 June 1999
Gross value 8,675 30,825 39,500 36,061 1,136 76,697
Accumulated depreciation / amortisation (868) (868) (20,698) (912) (22,478)
Net book value 8,675 29,957 38,632 15,363 224 54,220
9(f) Summary of balances of assets held under finance lease as at 30 June 2000 (Consolidated entity only)
As at 30 June 2000
Gross value - - - 1,809 - 1,809
Accumulated depreciation / amortisation (463) (463)
Net book value 1.346 1,346
As at 30 June 1999
Gross value - - - 1,809 - 1,809
Accumulated depreciation / amortisation (327) (327)
Net book value 1.482 1.482
Notes 1(1), 10(b) and 9(b) also refer to the finance lease agreements entered into by the Corporation.
108
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
Consolidated Corporation
2000 1999 2000 1999
Notes $'000 $'000 $’000 $'000
9(g) Inventories
Inv entories not held for sale l(q)
Purchased program stocks - at cost 13,369 13,407 13,369 13,407
Less accumulated amortisation (9,941) (10,065) (9,941) (10,065)
3,428 3,342 3,428 ' 3,342
Commissioned programs (completed) - at cost 16,225 10,414 16,225 10,414
Less accumulated amortisation (11,471) (7,605) (11,471) (7,605)
4,754 ' 2,809 4,754 2,809
Commissioned programs - in progress 3.921 1,899 3,921 1,899
Total inv entories not held for sale 12,103 8,050 12,103 8,050
Inv entories held for sale Merchandising stock l(r!S 5 89 5 89
Total inventories held for sale 5 89 5 89
Total inventories 12,108 8,139 12,108 8,139
9(h) Other non-financial assets
Prepayments 5,730 5,883 5,730 5,883
Total other non-financial assets 5,730 5,883 5.730 5,883
10. D ebt 10(a) Loans
Bank loans l(x)
Bank loan (secured) (xiv) 39,000 39,000 39,000 39,000
Less sinking fund (bank loan offset) (xiv) (14.987) (10,872) (14,987) (10,872)
24,013 28,128 24,013 28,128
Commonwealth loans Borrowings from future Parliamentary appropriations l(y) - 2,700 - 2,700
Total loans 24,013 30,828 24,013 30,828
(xiv) T h e loan for the construction and enhancem ent of the premises at Artarnron is with ABN AMRO, and
has been fully utilised. T he loan is fully guaranteed by the Commonwealth of Australia. T h e Corporation
has no other used or unused facility.
A sinking fund has been established to set aside moneys for the repaym ent of the loan. Deposits to the
sinking fund are treated as equity injections as they are offset against the capital component of the
building loan. Sinking fund deposits made in 2000 were $3.2 million (1999 $4.8 million).
1 09
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
Consolidated Corporation
2000 1999 2000 1999
Notes
At the reporting date, loans payable are as follows: $’000 $'000 $’000 $'000
within one year: - 900 - 900
within one to two years: - 900 - 900
within two to five years: 24.013 29,028 24,013 29,028
Total loans
10(b) Finance lease liabilities (xv)
Lease liabilities recognised in the statem ent of assets and liabilities
24,013 30,828 24,013 30,828
Current 366 345 366 345
Non-current 500 870 500 870
Total lease liabilities
Finance leases liabilities at the reporting date and related finance charges are payable as follows:
866 1,215 866 1,215
N o later than one year 422 422 422 422
L ater than one year and not later than two years 422 422 422 422
Later than two years and not later than five years 108 530 108 530
M inimum lease payments 952 1,374 952 1,374
Less future finance charges (86) (159) (86) (159)
Total lease liabilities 866 1,215 866 1,215
(xv) T h e Corporation has entered into two separate finance lease agreements for the purpose of acquiring
equipm ent for signal splitting to other states, and for digital editing and recording equipm ent
(see notes 11 and 9f)·
11. Provisions and payables 11(a) Liabilities to employees (xvi)
Salaries and wages 1,242 886 1.242 886
Superannuation 344 128 344 128
Annual leave 5,425 5,590 5,425 5,590
Long service leave 5.422 4,874 5,422 4,874
Superannuation on leave 1,242 1,242 "
Aggregate employee entitlem ent liability 13,675 11,478 13,675 11,478
(xvi) No redundancies were identified for employees on or before 30 June.
Redundancy payments made during the year are included in Employee expenses - see note 6(a).
11(b) Suppliers
Trade creditors 7,347 7,406 7,342 7,402
Total suppliers liabilities 7.347 7,406 7,342 7,402
1 1 0
Consolidated Corporation
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
2000 1999 2000 1999
11(c) Grants liabilities
Note $’000 $'000 $’000 $'000
Non-profit institutions 35 2,093 35 2,093
Total grants lia b ilitie s
11(d) Other liabilities
35 2,093 35 2,093
Deferred Revenue 109 109
Prepayments received (xvii) 74,225 67 74,225 67
Total o th e r lia b ilitie s 74,334 67 74,334 67
(xvii) In 1999-2000, the Corporation received revenue from the TV Fund to provide analogue extensions to
regional Australia over the next 12 years. Refer also to notes 8(c) and 1(1).
12. Equity
(Consolidated entity only).
Item Cap ital Accurr
res lulated ults
As
revali res
set jation prve
To
rese tal rves
TO EQl TAL JITY
2000 $000
1999 $000
2000 $000
1999 $000
2000 $000
1999 $000
2000 $000
1999 $ 0 0 0
2000 $000
1999 $000
Balance as at 1 July 4,800 - 24.918 18,245 10.056 10,056 10.056 10,056 39.774 28,301
O p e r a ti n g r e s u lt
N e t r e v a lu a tio n
in c r e a s e s /d e c r e a s e s
I n je c ti o n o f C a p ita l
C a p ita l U s e C h a rg e
10.106 6,673
4,800
Balance as at 30 June 14,799 4,800 28,758 24,918 10,056 10,056 10,056 10,056 53.613 39,774
All property, plant and equipm ent owned by the Corporation (except for leasehold improvements) were revalued at 30 June 1998 - see notes l(p) and 9(d). Leasehold improvem ents were revalued as at 1 July 2000 - see note
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
13. Cash Flow Reconciliation
Consolidated Corporation
2000 1999 2000 1999
Note $'000 $ '0 0 0 $ ’000 $ '0 0 0
Reconciliation of operating surplus to net cash flows provided by operating activities.
Net operating surplus 10.106 6,673 8,554 6,519
Depreciation and amortisation of property, plant and equipm ent 4.088 4,674 4,088 4,674
Decrease / (increase) in payables to suppliers for purchase of assets â (498) . (498)
(Decrease) / increase in receivables for capital use charge 123 _ 123
Write-down of assets 252 3 252 3
(Gain) / loss on disposal of property, plant and equipm ent 29 80 29 80
(Decrease) / increase in provision for doubtful debts (84) 66 (84) 66
M ovem ent in interest on investm ent (1.152) (16) (1.152) (16)
(Gain) / loss on investm ent (71) 202 - -
Changes in assets and liabilities: Decrease / (increase) in receivables (1.358) 3,059 (258) 2,111
Decrease / (increase) in inventories (3,969) 16 (3,969) 16
Decrease / (increase) in prepayments paid 153 (4,202) 153 (4,203)
(Decrease) / increase in liabilities to employees 2.197 1,322 2,197 1,322
(Decrease) / increase in payables to suppliers (59) (34) (60) 913
(Decrease) / increase in grants liabilities (2,058) 2,091 (2.058) 2.091
(Decrease) / increase in prepayments received 74.267 (219) 74,267 (219)
(Decrease) / increase in bank loans (915) (518) (915) (518)
Net cash provided by operating activities 81,549 12,699 81.167 12,341
14. F in a n cia l In s tru m e n ts Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
14(a) Terms, conditions and accounting policies
Financial Instrum ent
Financial assets
Gash
Notes A ccounting Policies and Methods (including recognition criteria and measurement basis)
8(a)
Financial assets arc recognised when control over future economic benefits is established and the amount of the benefit can be reliably measured.
Cash at bank and on hand is recognised at its nominal value. Interest is credited to revenue as it accrues.
Nature o f underlying instrum ent (including significant terms & conditions affecting the amount, tim ing and certainty o f cash flows)
Funds, mainly from monthly drawdowns of appropriation placed in bank accounts with the Corporation’s banker.
Receivables for goods & services
8(b) T h e receivables are recognised at the nominal amounts less any provision for doubtful debts. A provision is raised for doubtful debts based on a review of all outstanding amounts at year end. Bad debts are written off during the period in which they are identified.
Credit terms for receivables for goods and services are net 45 days for advertising debtors and 14 days for other debtors.
Sinking fund (bank loan offset)
10(a) T h e sinking fund represents funds invested with ABN AMRO. It was established to set aside moneys for the repayment of the bank loan of $39m for the construction of the building at Artarmon.
To date, 8 contributions have been made totaling $ 12.6m (excluding interest). T h e funds invested with ABN AMRO have an average effective interest rate of 7.12% p.a. Interest compounds semi-annually.
Non-government security
8(c) SBS has a series of investments with Banks for funds not immediately required for operational expenditure. T h e investments are by purchase of negotiable certificates of deposit for varying periods between 1 month and
12 months. T h e weighted average effective interest rate of these investments is 6.22%.
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 - fm om iak
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 -financials
14. F in a n cia l In s tru m e n ts Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
14(a) Terms, conditions and accounting policies continued
Financial liabilities
Bank Loans
Financial liabilities are recognised when a present obligation to another party is entered into and the amount of the liability can be reliably measured.
10(a) Bank loans are recognised at their principal amounts. Interest is expensed as it accrues.
Commonwealth Loans
10(a) Amounts received from Parliamentary appropriations which are in effect a debt to the Commonwealth, and to be repaid by a reduction in future appropriations, are recognised as a loan from the Commonwealth and not as revenue in the period that the amounts are received.
SBS established a loan facility with ABN AMRO in 1992 for the purpose of funding its specialised broadcasting premises at Artarmon. T h e facility expires on 31 March 2002. Interest is payable quarterly on a fixed rate of 10.95% pa on the $39 million outstanding loan. T h e loan facility is subject to
a direct Commonwealth Governm ent guarantee which covers scheduled principal (on 31 March 2002), interest payments, facility usage fee & break costs.
In 1997 the Corporation received $4.5m from the Commonwealth to pay for a redundancy program. T h e loan was repaid in full in 1999-2000.
Finance Lease Liabilities
Trade Creditors
10(b) Liabilities are recognised at the present value of the minimum lease payments at the beginning of the lease. T h e discount rates used arc estimates of the interest rates implicit in the leases.
At reporting date, the Corporation had entered into two separate finance lease agreements. T h e terms of the leases are 5 years and 5.5 years. T h e interest rate implicit in the leases averaged 7.0%.
11(b) Creditors and accruals are recognised at their nominal amounts, being the amounts at which the liabilities will be settled. Liabilities are recognised to the extent that the goods or services have been received (irrespective of having been invoiced).
Settlem ent is usually made net 30 days.
T h e economic entity has no unrecognised financial assets or liabilities as at 30 June 2000. Interest rate details of recognised financial assets and liabilities are disclosed below. Investm ent
in the economic entity’s associated company is excluded, in accordance with the Australian Accounting Standard (AAS 33) on Presentation and Disclosure of Financial Instruments. Equity
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
N on-Interest
Bearing
2000 1999 $’000 $'000
5,035
5,035
N on-Interest
Bearing
2000 1999 $’000 $'000
Total
2000 $’000
1999 $'000
Weighted Average
E ffective Rate
2000 1999
% %
4,656 10,379 5.3% 4.0%
- 5,035 11/a n/a
14,987 10,872 7.1% 7.0%
82,769 2,016 6.2% 4.8%
102,412 28,302
173,883 92,861
7,347 7,406
Total
2000 $’000
1999 $'000
Weighted Average
E ffective Rate
2000 1999
% %
- 39,000 39,000 10.9% 10.9%
- - 2,700 0.0% 8.0%
- 866 1,215 7.0% 7.0%
7,406 7,347 7,406 n/a n/a
J t7 ,2 1 3 50,321
120,270 53,087
Special Broadcasting Service Corporation and Controlled Entity
14(c) Foreign currency risk
T h e economic entity entered into 2 forward exchange contracts to hedge a proportion of foreign currency
purchases in 2000. T here is no outstanding forward exchange contract as at 30 June 2000.
14(d) Credit risk
T h e economic entity’s maximum exposures to credit risk at reporting date in relation to each class of
recognised financial assets is the carrying amount of those assets, as reported in the Statem ent of Assets and
Liabilities.
T h e economic entity has no significant exposures to any concentration of credit risk.
14(e) Net fa ir values of financial assets and liabilities
T h e net fair values of cash, receivables for goods and services and trade creditors approximate their carrying
amounts. T h e n et fair values of non government securities, bank loan and finance lease liabilities are based
on discounted cash flows using current interest rates for liabilities with similar risk profiles.
T h e higher net fair value of the bank loan, as compared with its carrying amount, reflects the difference
in the fixed loan interest rate with current floating interest rates.
Notes Carrying Amount Net Fair Value
2000 $’000
1999 $ '0 0 0
2000 $’000
1999 $ '0 0 0
F inancial assets Non government securities 8(c) 82,769 2,016 82,791 2,014
Financial lia b ilitie s
Bank loans 10(a) 24.013 28,128 26,613 34,186
Finance lease liabilities 10(b) 866 1,215 862 1,201
Total lia b ilitie s 24,879 29,343 27,475 35,387
I
1 16
T h e accompanying notes form part of these financial statem ents
Appendices
Appendix 1
SBS Act - Compliance with Section 73
particulars of any broadcast by SBS during the
year because of a direction by the Minister
under subsection 12(1). None.
particulars of any broadcast by SBS during the
year because of a direction by the Minister
otherwise than under this Act. None.
particulars of any written statem ent of
Commonwealth Government policy given to
the Board by the Minister during the year and
the action (if any) taken by the Board in
respect of the statement. None.
particulars of any gift, devise or bequest
accepted by SBS during the year. None.
particulars of how the programming activities
during the year have related to SBS’s Charter
obligations. See Our Programs which includes
Television, Radio and New Media; SB S Television
- Languages Broadcast 1999-2000 (Appendix 4);
Top SB S Television Programs by Category
1999-2000 (Appendix 5); SBS Independent
Commissioned and Transmitted programs
(Appendix 7); S B S Radio schedule (Appendix 9);
S B S Radio - Languages Broadcast 1999-2000 (Appendix 10);
particulars of the total revenue earned during
the year from advertising and sponsorship, of
the identity of each advertiser or sponsor and
of the program (if any) with which advertiser
or sponsor is associated. See Financial
Statements. For SB S Television Sponsors
1999- 2000 (Appendix 11); SB S Television
Advertisers 1999-2000 (Appendix 12); S B S Radio
Marketing Clients 1999-2000 (Appendix 13).
g particulars of any direction by the Minister
during the year under section 11 or 12. None.
h particulars of any advice received by the Board
during the year from the Com munity Advisory
Com m ittee (CAC) and the action taken by the
Board in response to that advice. See Building
Relationships with Our Community and for
members of the CAC see Appendix 14.
particulars of any other measures taken by the
Board during the year to ensure that the Board
is aware of, and response to, comm unity needs
and opinions on matters relevant to SBS’s
Charter. See Building Relationships with Our
Community. ’
j an assessment of the extent to which the operations of SBS and its subsidiaries during
the year have achieved the objectives of SBS
and its subsidiaries under the Corporate Plan
and fulfilled the functions of SBS. Such details
are included throughout the body o f the Report.
It particulars of any activities carried out during
the year by SBS under subsection 52 (2). See
Our Position in the Marketplace and Financial
Statements.
I particulars of the activities during the year of
any authorised business with which SBS is
associated under section 52. See Our Position in
the Marketplace and Financial Statements.
Financial and Staffing Resources Summary
Appendix 2
(A ll Programs) $ (‘000) and actual s ta ff years
Actual Budget Actual
(1998-99) (1999-00) (1999-00)
Budgetary (cash) basis
Components of Appropriations 83,969 120,985 120,985
Revenue 34.528 22,502 25,887
plus cash on hand at beginning of year 5,741 9,697 9,697
less cash on hand at end of year (9,697) (10,622) (3,592)
Total funds available 114,541 142,562 152,977
Total outlays by output groups
Television 89,342 114,050 122,382
Radio 25,199 28.512 30,595
114,541 142,562 152,977
S ta ff years by output groups
Television 442 462 471
Radio 296 296 296
738 758 767
Appendix 3
Television Services
A re a S e rv ed C hannel A rea S e rv ed C h a n n e l A re a S e rv ed C h an n el
Australian Capital Territory Richmond/Tweed 41 Boyne Island 54
Canberra 28 Stanwell Park 30 Brisbane 28
Fraser 53 Sydney 28 Cairns 30
Tuggeranong 54 Tamworth 52 Cairns East 35
Weston Creek/Woden 58 Taree t 56 Cairns North 53
Tumbarumba t 57 Camooweal t 63
New South Wales Tumut t 54 Charleville t 7
Albury North 53 Tweed Heads 62 Cloncurry t 60
Armidale 30 Ulladulla 30 Cooktown f 61
Bathurst 46 Upper Namoi 28 Croydon t 6
Berridale f 36 Vacy 28 Cunnamulla t 62
Bouddi 64 Wagga Wagga t 53 Currumbin 48
Bourke f 57 Wollongong 32 Darling Downs 29
Bowral/Mittagong 30 Wyong 39 Eromanga f 63
Braid wood 54 Young t 58 Esk 52
Broken Hill t 44 Georgetown t 63
Broken Hill South t 66 Northern Territory Gladstone East 29
Central Tablelands 30 Alice Springs f 28 Gladstone West 52
Coffs Harbour 69 Bathurst Island t 63 Gold Coast 61
Cooma 58 Darwin 28 Gordonvale 58
Cowra 45 Darwin North 61 Gympie 42
Dubbo t 54 Groote Eylandt t 43 Gympie Town 50
Dungog 42 Ikuntji t 54 Hervey Bay 52
East Grove t 43 Jabiru t 61 Hughenden t 69
Gosford 58 Katherine f 58 Hungerford t 60
Goulburn 58 Maningrida t 60 Julia Creek t 59
Grafton/Kempsey 28 McArthur River Mine t 63 Longreach t 54
Griffith t 28 Milikapati t 63 Mabuiag Island t 63
Gulgong t 37 Milingimbi t 63 Mareeba 45
Illawarra 53 Nhulunbuy t 55 Mission Beach 62
Khancoban f 57 Oenpelli f 60 Moranbah t 67
Kings Cross 58 Pularumpi t 66 Morven f 60
Kotara 55 Tennant Creek t 58 Mount Isa t 29
Lightning Ridge t 60 Tindal t 56 Nambour 55
Lithgow 29 Yulara t 58 Normanton t 52
Lithgow East 52 Noosa/Tewantin 29
Lord Howe Island Nth t 6 Queensland Quilpie t 63
Lord Howe Island Sth t 7 Augathella t 6 Redlvnch 57
Manly/Mosman 39 Ayr 57 Richmond t 65
Merewether 32 Babinda 45 Rockhampton 28
Mudgee f 58 Bamaga 52 Rockhampton East 52
Murwillumbah 57 Barcaldine t 60 Roma t 60
Newcastle 45 Bell 53 Seisia f 62
Nowra North 29 Bedourie t 69 St George t 61
Oberon t 54 Birdsville t 69 Smithfield Heights 53
Portland/W'allerawang 54 Boonah 54 Stuart 56
t Transmitter licensed by the Australian Broadcasting Authority under the self-help re-transmissions scheme. 119
A re a S e rv ed C h a n n e l A re a S e rv ed C h an n el A re a S e rv ed C h an n el
Sunshine Coast 34 NE Tasmania 29 Cervantes t 40
Thargomindah f 60 New Norfolk 53 Collie t 57
Tier! t 56 Orford 52 Denham t 67
Toowoomba 53 Penguin 34 Derby t 59
Townsville 28 Smithton f 38 Esperance t 28
Townsville North 52 Stanley t 69 Gascoyne Junction f 63
Tully 58 Taroona 43 Green Head t 42
Warwick f 67 Tullah f 52 Hyden t 38
Wide Bay 30 Ulverstone 53 Kalgoorlie t 28
Yeppoon 53 Wayatinah t 52 Kambalda f 52
Wynyard 30 Kondinin t 63
South Australia Kununoppin t 58
Adelaide 28 Victoria Lagrange t 60
Adelaide Foothills 43 Albury North 53 Lake Grace t 36
Angaston/Barossa t 69 Bairnsdale 54 Lake King t 60
Carrickalinga t 52 Ballarat 30 Lancelin t 65
Ceduna/Smoky Bay t 12 Bendigo 29 Laverton t 60
Goober Pedy t 60 Bruthen 50 Leonora f 69
Elizabeth South 60 Churchill 52 Maryville t 53
Golden Grove f 53 Ferntree Gully 68 Menzies t 60
Gumeracha t 53 Foster 60 Molloy Island t 62
Mt Gambier t 29 Gisborne t 68 Munkinbudin t 37
Normanville t 54 Kiewa 54 Narrogin t 54
Peterhead t 53 Lakes Entrance 29 Newdegate t 56
Renmark t 30 Latrobe Valley 34 Newman t 69
Spencer Gulf North 34 Marysville 58 Nyabing t 67
Swan Reach t 63 Melbourne 28 Perth 28
Truro Grove t 69 Mildura t 29 Pingrub f 61
Victor Harbor 52 Mitta mitta t 65 Port Hedland f 42
Woomera t 28 Old Tallangatta t 59 Roleystone 54
Yankalilla t 53 Port Campbell t 66 Toodyay 34
Red Cliffs f 66 Westonia t 56
Tasmania Safety Beach 58 Wickham t 69
Acton Road f 52 Selby 69 Wiluna t 60
Barrington Valley 37 South Yarra 58 Yalgoo t 60
Burnie 55 Swan Hill t 28
Circular Head f 60 Upper Murray 30 Territories
Cygnet 42 Upwey 51 Norfolk Island t 9
Dover 53 Warburton 58
Dover South 41
East Devonport 54 Western Australia
Geeveston 54 Albany t 54
Hill wood 37 Bridgetown t 54
Hobart 28 Broome t 29
Hobart N/E Suburbs 54 Bunburv t 33
Launceston 53 Jabiru f 61
1 2 0
t Transmitter licensed by the Australian Broadcasting Authority under the self-help re-transmissions scheme.
SBS Television - Languages Broadcast
Appendix 4
Language Number
of hours
% Of total program time
% of L0TE program time
Language Number
of hours
% of total program time
% of LOTE program time
African languages Malayalam 2 .1 2 0 .0 3 % 0 .0 6 %
(not stated elsewhere) 4 .1 4 0 .0 6 % 0 .1 1 % Maltese 3 7 .7 9 0 .5 8 % 1 .0 2 %
Albanian 3 .6 4 0 .0 6 % 0 .1 0 % Mandarin 2 2 2 .2 0 3 .4 0 % 5 . 9 7 % T
Arabic 1 1 9 .5 3 1 .8 3 % 3 .2 1 % Mongolian 6 .1 2 0 .0 9 % 0 .1 6 %
Bahasa Indonesia 1 5 3 .0 5 2 .3 4 % 4 .1 1 % Moore 2 .9 2 0 .0 4 % 0 .0 8 %
Bambara 3 .3 9 0 .0 5 % 0 .0 9 % No dialogue 1 6 .5 4 0 .2 5 % 0 . 4 4 Ϊ Î
Basque 1 .0 7 0 .0 2 % 0 .0 3 % Norwegian 1 2 .1 3 0 .1 9 % 0 .3 3 %
Bengali 2 .4 4 0 .0 4 % 0 .0 7 % PNG Languages 1 .0 0 0 .0 2 % 0 .0 3 %
Bosnian 7 .8 5 0 .1 2 % 0 .2 1 % Polish 7 9 .8 7 1 .2 2 % 2 .1 5 % "
Bulgarian 1 .6 6 0 .0 3 % 0 .0 4 % Portuguese 2 6 .1 8 0 .4 0 % 0 .7 0 %
Cantonese 1 6 1 .0 3 2 .4 7 % 4 .3 3 % Romani 6 .2 0 0 .0 9 % 0 .1 7 %
Catalan 3 .5 1 0 .0 5 % 0 .0 9 % Romanian 6 .2 5 0 .1 0 % 0 . 1 7 % "
Crioulo 1 .3 3 0 .0 2 % 0 .0 4 % Russian 2 3 8 .0 9 " 3 .6 5 % 6 .4 0 %
Croatian 1 1 .4 6 0 .1 8 % 0 .3 1 % Serbian 1 2 .9 7 0 5 2 0 % 0 .3 5 %
Czech 2 1 .0 7 0 .3 2 % 0 .5 7 % Shona 1 .2 3 0 .0 2 % 0 . 0 3 % "
All English 2 8 0 6 .5 4 4 2 .9 8 % Sicilian 2 .1 7 0 .0 3 % 0 .0 6 %
Danish 19.3 1 0 .3 0 % 0 .5 2 % Silent 2 .6 0 0 .0 4 % 0 .0 7 %
Dutch 3 9 .6 1 0 .6 1 % 1 .0 6 % Slovak 2 .2 2 0 . 0 3 % " 0 .0 6 %
Estonian 3 .8 3 0 .0 6 % 0 .1 0 % Slovene 4 .0 3 0 .0 6 % 0 .1 1 %
Farsi 8 .7 5 0 .1 3 % 0 .2 3 % Spanish 3 8 5 .6 3 5 .9 1 % 1 0 .3 6 %
Finnish 3 .5 9 0 .0 6 % 0 .1 0 % Swedish 3 7 .0 7 0 .5 7 % 1 .0 0 %
Flemish 3 .1 4 0 .0 5 % 0 .0 8 % Swiss German 3 .4 4 0 .0 5 % 0 .0 9 %
French 4 7 0 .2 7 7 .2 0 % 1 2 .6 3 % Tagalog 2 6 .6 4 0 .4 1 % 0 .7 2 %
French-Canadian 2 .0 0 0 .0 3 % 0 .0 5 % Taiwanese 6 .5 0 0 .1 0 % 0 .1 7 %
Frisian 1 .6 2 0 .0 2 % 0 .0 4 % Thai 7 .6 9 0 .1 2 % 0 .2 1 %
Gaelic 4 .8 5 0 .0 7 % 0 .1 3 % Tibetan 1 .9 5 0 .0 3 % 0 .0 5 %
Georgian 5 .1 9 0 .0 8 % 0 .1 4 % Tok Pisin 2 .4 1 0 .0 4 % 0 .0 6 %
German 3 2 7 .1 2 5 .0 1 % 8 .7 9 % Tunisian (Arabic) 1 .6 3 0 .0 2 % 0 .0 4 %
Greek 3 7 2 .3 0 5 .7 0 % 1 0 .0 0 % Turkish 1 2 .5 4 0 .0 9 % 0 .3 4 %
Hebrew 1 2 .5 0 0 .1 9 % 0 .3 4 % Ukrainian 2 4 .6 8 0 .3 8 % 0 .6 6 %
Hindi 2 2 .4 7 0 .3 4 % 0 .6 0 % Various 8 .8 0 0 .1 3 % 0 .2 4 %
Hungarian 5 7 .7 4 0 .8 8 % 1 .5 5 % Vietnamese 1 3 .0 8 0 .2 0 % 0 .3 5 %
Icelandic 8 .0 4 0 .1 2 % 0 .2 2 % Warlpiri 1 .3 9 0 .0 2 % 0 .0 4 %
Inuktitut 1 .4 9 0 .0 2 % 0 .0 4 % Wolof 1 .3 4 0 .0 2 % 0 .0 4 %
Italian 4 2 0 .9 0 6 .4 5 % 1 1 .3 1 % Yiddish 3 .5 0 0 .0 5 % 0 .0 9 %
Japanese 1 8 4 .7 1 2 .8 3 % 4 .9 6 % Grand totals 6 5 1 5 .7 3 9 9 .7 9 % 9 9 .6 4 %
Kabyle 1.43 0 .0 2 % 0 .0 4 % Languages with
Kazakh 2 .4 5 0 .0 4 % 0 .0 7 % individual durations
Khmer 2 .3 3 0 .0 4 % 0 .0 6 % of less than one hour 1 3 .3 9 0 .2 1 %
0 .3 6 %
Korean 1 2 .2 7 0 .1 9 % 0 .3 3 % Total 6529.12 100.00%
Lithuanian 1 .1 8 0 .0 2 % 0 .0 3 % Total LOTE* 3722.59 57.02%
Macedonian 4 .0 8 0 .0 6 % 0 .1 1 * LOTE (Languages Other Than English)
121
Top BBS Television Programs by Category
Appendix 5
Number of hours % of total time
Category Imported Local Imported Local
Adult Animation 5.72 1.72 0.09% 0.03%
Cooking 31.93 5.63 0.49% 0.09%
Comedy 45.35 9.70 0.69% 0.15%
Current Affairs 0.00 159.37 0.00% 2.44%
Dance 2.28 0.00 0.03% 0.00%
Documentaries 336.93 91.15 5.16% 1.40%
Documentary series 353.02 68.73 5.41% 1.05%
Drama series 131.58 27.78 2.02% 0.43%
Eat Carpet 43.12 0.43 0.66% 0.01%
Education 0.00 136.62 0.00% 2.09%
Features 1430.37 2.93 21.91% 0.04%
Fillers 21.53 4.17 0.33% 0.06%
Funny Shorts 3.73 0.00 0.06% 0.00%
Magazine 0.00 137.23 0.00% 2.10%
Music 4.45 6.03 0.07% 0.09%
News 2345.58 275.37 35.92% 4.22%
Opera 77.77 0.00 1.19% 0.00%
Performance 0.77 0.00 0.01% 0.00%
Single drama 8.45 3.73 0.13% 0.06%
Specials 28.43 16.25 0.44% 0.25%
Sport 0.00 711.25 0.00% 10.89%
Total 4871.02 1658.10 74.60% 25.40%
Appendix 6
BBS Television Programs Classification
Month
Jul 1999
G
60
PG
34
M
25
MA
14
MAV
2
R(NSTV)
2
Number of Programs
137
Total Time Hours:Min
110:16
Aug 1999 66 47 30 9 5 2 159 114:38
Sep 1999 84 34 31 11 2 2 164 122:03
Oct 1999 127 62 29 18 3 1 240 132:43
Nov 1999 98 35 30 7 2 4 176 131:15
Dec 1999 56 25 35 4 1 4 125 87:28
1
Jan 2000 74 22 13 8 2 0 119 77:52
t Feb 2000 62 27 33 7 1 1 131 103:45
!
Mar 2000 97 25 38 6 4 0 170 121:22
1 Apr 2000 91 25 29 7 0 1 153 104:27
$ May 2000 97 20 35 5 2 2 161 106:50
! Jun 2000 74 20 31 6 3 1 135 104:46
Total 986 376 359 102 27 20 1870 1317:25
1 2 2 52.73% 20.11% 19.20% 5.45% 1.44% 1.07%
Appendix 7
SBS Independent - Commissioned Programs 1999-2000 SBSI commissioned a total of 79 hours of programs during the year. These included 34.5 hours of documentary and 44.5
hours of drama and animation. Funding was drawn from two sources - SBS’s general Production Fund and the Federal
Government’s’s Special Production Fund.
General Production Fund
Documentary - Half Hour Schtick Happens
Documentary - One Hour Shamans of the Amazon
Picking Up the Pieces
Painting Country
Robert Fortune, The Tea Thief
Guns Under Their Bums
Vijaya s Story
King of the Market
Business Behind Bars 1
From the acclaimed documentary Original Schtick
Filmmaker Dean Jefferys’ return to the Amazon
East Timorese woman living in Australia returns to her homeland
Indigenous artists from Balgo Hills region travel across country.
T he stolen secrets of tea cultivation
The ANC smuggles weapons into South Africa in tourist trucks
History and politics in Sri Lanka
Chore Bazar, the thieves market in Mumbai, India
First of two documentaries about privatisation of prisons
SBSI/FFC Accord Documentaries - One Hour Paying fo r the Past
Fond Memories of Cuba
Holy Rollers
Sm all Steps, Giant Steps
From Korea With Love
Yvonne
Malpas
Poles Apart
M r Strehlows Films
Birthrites
Documentary - Series Space Stones I
⢠Yuletide
⢠Sydney
⢠Operation Feathergrinder
⢠Two Roads to Helidon
⢠Gampa
⢠Boulia
⢠More Than a Women
⢠Gepps Cross 5094:
A Night at the Drive-in
⢠Remembering Country
Reconciliation and justice for Holocaust survivors
Forty years after the revolution
Tracing the footsteps of Jesus from Bethlehem to Calvary.
Families dealing with autism
A couple seek to adopt a South Korean child
Showcasing Yvonne Kenny
The NPY Aboriginal women’s council in SA and N T
The purchase of Jackson’s Polock’s ‘Blue Poles’
T he controversy of Ted Strehlow’s collection of artifacts, photographs and films
Indigenous birthing practices in Canada and Australia
The boulevard of Christmas lights in Ivanhoe, Melbourne
T he CBD of Sydney
A secret society in WA’s wheat belt
Queensland’s Helidon, the ‘New Jerusalem’
A family story from SA’s far west coast
An isolated Queensland community and the Min Min lights
A town and a transvestite city councillor
Gepps Cross’ drive-in tells a town’s story
The story of Harold Furber one of the ‘stolen generation”
Space Stories II
⢠Adaminaby,
Our D?'owned Town
Six 26-minute episodes from emerging film makers in all States. Those so far selected:
The NSW town flooded for the hydroelectricity scheme
i
I s
123
I
Appendix 7 c o n tin u e d
⢠Village of Vitality T he community that ‘owns’ the P rah ran swimming pool
⢠Speed City Sydney as seen by three bicycle couriers
Developement In itia tive s - 52 minute documentaries
Pitch ln Punt Honne Pm Home and The Gay Gene - SBSI and Channel 4
The Big Pitch Dealing with Dinosaurs and Dealing with the Devil - SBSI and ZDF
Special Production Fund
Documentary - Half Hour
Saltwater Bluesman
Documentary - Series
Hybrid Life
⢠Shopping Town
⢠Dear Bert
- A Television Love Story
⢠Beautiful Journey
⢠Khan 2
⢠The Last Pechenuik
⢠Islands
⢠Brother Sey it
⢠Cosenza Vecchia
Celebrating indigenous harmonica player Uncle Kiddo Taylor
Centenary of Federation projects - eight half- hour documentaries.
Young people and the shopping centre meeting place
A humourous homage to Bert Newton
T he producer’s parents and their trans-national relationship
A Bangladeshi photographer and his son’s relationship
A film maker searches for her Russian aunt
A film maker’s search for identity at a Samoan wedding
Upholding Islamic traditions in Australia
A film maker haunted by his grandfather’s fascist past
Drama - Short Films ( ‘ Unfinished Business’ season)
Dust
My Mother My Son
Road
Drama / Comedy Series
D IY T V II
Hybrid Life Dramas
Undertows
Multicultural Mentorship
In Development
Cooking With Frank
Death By Horoscope
They Call Me Mum
Church Street
Gomorrah Today
Feature Films (Pre-sales offered)
A meeting on a desolate cotton field
A ‘stolen’ child whose values have been shaped by her upbringing
A collaboration with indigenous young people in Redfern
Four 26-minute programs: In the Swim, Let's Vote, Bloodsports, Video Dare
Centenary of Federation projects - Four 26- minute dramas: Saturn's Return, Wee
Jimmy, Delivery Day, Sparky D Comes to Town
Three 26-minute contemporary stories from Queensland
Four three-minute dramas: The Dress Circle, O f Middle Eastern Appearance, Give it
to Me White Boy, Orange Season
Six 26-minute scripted variety series
Six 26-minute comedy series
Four 26-minute monologues on the ‘stolen generation’
Thirteen 26-minute drama series about a small old-style shopping strip.
Six 26-minute comedy series
1 24
Live and Die
Silent Partner
Indigenous Features Initiative
Off the Edge
The Meaning of Life
Black comedy about a household of disparate friends
A couple of desperate men agree to train a greyhound
(Under development)
Low budget feature film initiative with Screen West
Two middle-aged couples and their feelings (in conjunction with Film Victoria)
Appendix 7 c o n tin u e d
A Mother's Disgrace A film about Robert Dessaix
Anim ation
The M ad Century A 26-minute satirical animated history of the 20th century
Anim ation (Pre-sales offered)
Leunig 50 one-minute animations based on Michael Leunig’s cartoons
When Quads Won't Leave Thirteen 26-minute series set in a house whose inhabitants are disabled
Home Movies Twelve six-minute personal statements from Australian animators
SBS Independent - Transmitted Programs 1999-2000 SBS transmitted 35.5 hours of documentary and nine hours of drama during the year. T hese were programs commissioned under
two funding sources - SBS’s General Production Fund and the Federal Government’s Special Production Fund.
General Production Fund
Documentary - One Hour
Walking Through a Minefield
Paradise Bent - The Third Sex
Whiteys Like Us
The Fauves: 15 Minutes to Rock
The Producers
Surfing the Healing Wave
Original Schtick
Grandfathers and Revolutions
Chnssie
Uncle Chatzel
Documentary Accords
Island Style
Growing Old Disgracefully
Emily's Eye
River o f Dreams
Dream Believers
Least Said Soonest Mended
A Cry From the Heart
Land o f the Little Kings
The Habits of New Norcia
Documentary Series
Growing Wild
Moana
Once Were Monks
Controversial plans to mine uranium in Kakadu National park
Samoan boys raised as girls
A reconciliation study circle in Manly
Two years in the life of the Australian rock band
Two elderly men try to scheme their way out of poverty
Indigenous surfing festival
An American artist-cum entrepreneur’s attempt to win fame
Hungarian film maker uncovers his grandfather’s history
A woman dying of AIDS
Lithuania’s history through the life of the film maker’s uncle
The Sydney lives of young people from the Pacific islands
An estranged father and his son
Emily is blind in one eye and totally deaf
Conflict between tourism, mining and conservation in the Kimberleys
Network marketing and pyramid selling
The ‘shame and secrecy’ of adoption
Personal story of the ‘stolen generation’
Individual stories about the ‘stolen generation’
History of New Norcia Aboriginal Mission
Half Hour
Wildflower growers and sellers in WA
The politics and perils of the mosh pit
Five half-hour episodes about a group of monks in Melbourne
Documentary Series â
Risky Business
One Hour
First of four one-hour episodes about small business in multicultural Australia
125
Appendix 7 c o n tin u e d
Special Production Fund
Documentary - One Hour
Sadness
Stolen Generations
Documentary Series
A personal story from photographer, William Yang
History and stories of the ‘stolen generation’
Irish Empire Five one-hour episodes about the Irish diaspora
Winds of Change Three one-hour episodes shot by film makers working in Southeast Asia
Drama - Short Films (Indigenous)
Saturday Night, Sunday Morning A shy teenager is taken hostage
Wind
Harry's War
My Mother, My Son
Dust
Confessions of a Headhunter
Drama Series (short film s)
A tracker must choose: loyalty or his ancestral soul
Story of mateship between two soldiers, one black, one white
Unusual story of ‘stolen children’
A meeting on a desolate cotton field.
How heroes, villains and myths are constructed
Fetching Shorts
D IY T V
On The Edge
Bondi Banquet
Anim ation
Five short films: Jesus Saves Us, Pilbara Pearl, Sick Dog, A Dozen Eggs, Masseur
Sell-ebnty Sell-ection, Cooking With Frank
Christina's Birthday, Perfect Pale Blue, Where Two Rivers Meet
Seven half-hour episodes set in Bondi
Swimming Outside the Flags Three half-hour animations
Appendix 8
Radio Services
Area served Band Frequency (l Aust. Capital Territory Canberra FM 105.5 MHZ 50 New South Wales Sydney AM 1107 kHz 5 Sydney FM 97.7 MHZ 20 Newcastle AM 1413 kHz 5 Wollongong AM 1485 kHz 0.15 Young (self-help) FM 98.7 MHZ 0.05 N orthern Territory Darwin FM 100.9 MHZ 10 Queensland Brisbane FM 93.3 MHZ 45 South Australia Adelaide FM 106.3 MHZ 20 Adelaide Foothills FM 95.1 MHZ 1 Tasmania Hobart FM 105.7 MHZ 35 V ictoria Melbourne AM 1224 kHz 5 Melbourne FM 93.1 MHZ 10 Western Australia Perth FM 96.9 MHZ 50 Appendix 9 SBS Radio National Network - Broadcast Schedule Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 6am World View World View World View World View World View Alchemy Alchemy 7am Greek Arabic Greek Greek Greek Finnish Maltese 8am Italian Italian German Croatian Serbian Italian Italian 9am German Slovenian Vietnamese Vietnamese German Vietnamese Hindi 10am Cantonese Filipino Dutch Filipino Mandarin Dutch Urdu 11am Russian French Filipino Portuguese French Portuguese Hebrew 12pm Dutch Maltese Aboriginal Maori Armenian Hungarian Yiddish 1pm Polish Spanish Polish Spanish Polish Turkish Polish 2pm Hungarian Indonesian Burmese Korean Hebrew Persian-Farsi Tamil 3pm Tongan Lithuanian Turkish Estonian Indonesian Russian Sinhalese 4pm Macedonian Ukrainian Latvian Macedonian Dari Swedish French 5pm World View World View World View World View World View Danish Finnish 6pm Loatian Greek Italian Italian Italian Greek Greek 7pm Vietnamese Vietnamese Russian Arabic Vietnamese Arabic Vietnamese 8pm Romanian Cantonese Mandarin German Cantonese Cantonese Mandarin 9pm Portuguese Croatian Serbian Khmer Aboriginal Thai Czech 10pm Spanish Japanese Irish Scottish Spanish Welsh Slovak 11pm Alchemy Alchemy Alchemy Alchemy African hour Alchemy Alchemy 12am oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs Appendix 9 c o n tin u e d S BS Radio Sydney a m (i i o?a m) - B r o a d c a s t S c h e d u le Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 6am World View World View World View World View World View Alchemy Alchemy 7am Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Sam Italian Italian Italian Italian Italian Italian Italian 9am German German German Czech German Belarusian Hindi 10am Dutch Filipino Dutch Filipino Filipino Dutch Urdu 11am Russian Russian Filipino Portuguese Portuguese Portuguese Tamil 12pm Maltese Maltese Maltese Maltese Armenian Maltese Sinhalese 1pm Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish 2pm Bosnian Indonesian Burmese Gujarati Indonesian Persian-Farsi Ukrainian 3pm Hindi Turkish Turkish Turkish Turkish Turkish Turkish 4pm Bengali Ukrainian Latvian Ukrainian Dari Russian Russian 5pm World View World View World View World View World View Danish Kannada 6pm Italian Italian Italian Italian Italian Italian Italian 7pm Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic 8pm Romanian Armenian Armenian German Assyrian Thai German 9pm Portuguese Thai Portuguese Punjabi Dutch Filipino Czech 10pm Spanish Japanese Spanish Indonesian Spanish Kurdish Slovak llpm Alchemy Alchemy Alchemy Alchemy African hour Alchemy Alchemy 12am oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs SBS Radio Sydney f m (9 7 .7 F M ) - Broadcast Schedule Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 6am Alchemy World View World View World View World View Alchemy Alchemy 7am Greek Greek Greek Greek Greek Greek Greek 8am Serbian Slovenian Croatian Croatian Serbian Croatian Slovenian 9am Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese 10am Cantonese Mandarin Cantonese Cantonese Mandarin Mandarin Cantonese llam Norwegian French Khmer French French Khmer Hebrew 12pm Aboriginal Albanian Aboriginal Maori Laotian Hungarian Yiddish lpm Polish Polish Polish Polish Polish Polish Polish 2pm Hungarian Hungarian Hebrew Korean Hebrew Tongan Cook Is.Maori 3pm Croatian Serbian Yiddish Serbian Yiddish Fijian Korean 4pm Tongan Macedonian Macedonian Macedonian Macedonian Swedish French 5pm Turkish Lithuanian Russian Estonian Maltese Latvian Finnish 6pm Greek Greek Greek Greek Greek Greek Greek 7pm Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese 8pm Cantonese Cantonese Mandarin Mandarin Cantonese Cantonese Mandarin 9pm Khmer Croatian Serbian Khmer Aboriginal French Samoan 10pm Laotian Korean Irish Scottish Korean Welsh Macedonian llpm Alchemy Alchemy Alchemy Alchemy African hour Alchemy Alchemy 12am oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs oAiight progs Appendix 9 co n tin u ed S B S Radio M e lbourne am (1224AM) - B r o a d c a s t S c h e d u l e Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 6am World View World View World View World View World View Alchemy Alchemy 7am Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Arabic Maltese 8am Italian Italian Italian Italian Italian Italian Italian 9am German German German German German German Hindi 10am Dutch Filipino Dutch Filipino Filipino Dutch Urdu 11am Russian Russian Filipino Portuguese Portuguese Portuguese Tamil 12pm Maltese Maltese Maltese Maltese Armenian Maltese Sinhalese 1pm Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish 2pm Bosnian Indonesian Burmese Romanian Indonesian Persian-Farsi Ukrainian 3pm Hindi Turkish Turkish Turkish Turkish Turkish Turkish 4pm Bengali Ukrainian Latvian Ukrainian Dari Russian Russian 5pm World View World View World View World View World View Danish Albanian 6pm Italian Italian Italian Italian Italian Italian Italian 7pm Maltese Turkish Maltese Arabic Maltese Arabic Arabic 8pm Romanian German Armenian German Assyrian Thai German 9pm Portuguese Thai Portuguese Punjabi Dutch Filipino Czech 10pm Spanish Japanese Spanish Indonesian Spanish Kurdish Slovak llpm Alchemy Alchemy Alchemy Alchemy African hour Alchemy Alchemy 12am oAiight progs o/hight progs o/hight progs o/hight progs o/hight progs o/hight progs oAiight progs SBS Radio Melbourne f m (93.1FM) - Broadcast Schedule Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 6am Alchemy World View World View World View World View Alchemy Alchemy 7am Greek Greek Greek Greek Greek Greek Greek Sam Serbian Slovenian Croatian Croatian Serbian Croatian Slovenian 9am Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese 10am Cantonese Mandarin Cantonese Cantonese Mandarin Mandarin Cantonese llam Norwegian French Khmer French French Khmer Hebrew 12pm Aboriginal Albanian Aboriginal Maori Laotian Hungarian Yiddish 1pm Polish Polish Polish Polish Polish Polish Polish 2pm Hungarian Hungarian Hebrew Korean Hebrew Tongan Cook Is.Maori 3pm Croatian Serbian Yiddish Serbian Yiddish Fijian Korean 4pm Macedonian Macedonian Macedonian Macedonian Macedonian Swedish French 5pm Turkish Lithuanian Russian Estonian Bulgarian Latvian Finnish 6pm Greek Greek Greek Greek Greek Greek Greek 7pm Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese 8pm Cantonese Cantonese Mandarin Mandarin Cantonese Cantonese Mandarin 9pm Khmer Croatian Serbian Khmer Aboriginal French Samoan 10pm Laotian Polish Irish Scottish Hungarian Welsh Macedonian llpm Alchemy Alchemy Alchemy Alchemy African hour Alchemy Alchemy 12am oAiight progs o/hight progs oAtight progs o/hight progs o/hight progs o/hight progs o/hight progs Appendix 10 SBS Radio - Languages Broadcast National National Network Melbourne Sydney Network Melbourne Sydney Language Hours/week Hours/week Language Hours/week Hours/week Hours/week Hours/week Aboriginal 2 3 3 Kannada 0 0 1 African 1 1 1 Khmer 1 4 4 Albanian 0 2 1 Korean 1 2 4 Arabic 3 9 14 Kurdish 0 1 1 Armenian 1 2 3 Laotian 1 2 2 Assyrian 0 1 1 Latvian 1 2 2 Relorusan 0 0 1 Lithuanian 1 1 1 Bengali 0 1 1 Macedonian 2 6 5 Bosnian 0 1 1 Maltese 2 9 6 Bulgarian 0 1 0 Mandarin 3 6 6 Burmese 1 1 1 Maori 1 1 1 Cantonese 4 8 8 Norwegian 0 1 1 Cook Is Maori 0 1 1 Polish 4 8 7 Croatian 2 5 5 Portuguese 3 5 5 Czech 1 1 2 Punjabi 0 1 1 Danish 1 1 1 Romanian 1 2 1 Dari 1 1 1 Russian 3 5 5 Dutch 3 4 4 Samoan 0 1 1 Estonian 1 1 1 Serbian 2 5 5 Farsi 1 1 1 Sinhalese 1 1 1 Fijian 0 1 1 Slovak 1 1 1 Filipino 3 5 5 Slovenian 1 2 2 Finnish 2 1 1 Spanish 4 10 10 French 3 5 5 Swedish 1 1 1 Gaelic-Irish 1 1 1 Tamil 1 1 1 Gaelic-Scottish 1 1 1 Thai 1 2 2 German 4 9 6 Tongan 1 1 2 Greek 7 14 14 Turkish 2 8 7 Gujerati 0 0 1 Ukrainian 1 3 3 Hebrew 2 3 3 Urdu 1 1 1 Hindi 1 2 2 Vietnamese 7 14 14 Hungarian 2 4 3 Welsh 1 1 1 Indonesian 2 3 3 Y i d d i s h 1 3 3 Italian 7 14 14 Japanese 1 1 1 M u l t i c u l t u r a l 18 18 18 TOTAL 126 238 238 I1 Appendix 11 SBS Television Sponsors 1999-2000 Program Sponsors Matinee Movie Primus Movie Show Subaru, HSBC, Rothschild Masterpiece Andersen Consulting Cinema Classics Ateco Automotive Travel Documentaries Subaru, Boots, HSBC, Toyota Cult Movie Lexus, Qantas, Toyota Pizza Pizza Haven, Toyota, Department of Defence Global Village Toyota Comedy Pizza Haven South Park Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Music, Dairy Farmers, Columbia Tristar Cooking Pillsbury Latina Pasta Wine Lovers Guide to Australia Lexus ICAM Dairy Farmers About Us Dairy Farmers, Ateco Automotive Movies St George, Telstra Going Home City Rail Arts on Saturday Lexus, Toyota Documentaries Procter & Gamble, C&W Optus, Energy Australia, Universal Music, St George, Lexus, Dairy Farmers, Boots, Qantas, Great Southern Energy, Commonwealth Government, Ford, Toyota,C.R. Kennedy Music Specials/Opera Universal Music, Lexus, Commonwealth Government, Ford FA Cup Qantas, Carlton & United Breweries, Telstra, Toyota, Commonwealth Bank, Medibank API Awards Qantas, Toyota Worldwatch Qantas, Toyota Premier League Dunlop Tyres Speed Week Independent Tyres Sport Specials - Superbowl Chrysler Run of Station Star Alliance Toyota World Sports Toyota Appendix 12 SBS Television Advertisers 1998-99 20th Century Fox Ericsson National Australia Bank ABN Amro e-venture marketing Nestle American Express Fairfax New Vision Films Amnesty International Fisher & Paykel News Interactive Andersen Consulting Ford News Limited Ansett Fudge Nike ANZ Bank Global Web Nortel Ateco Automotive Great Southern Energy Norwich Union Australian Hospital Benefits NRMA Communications Association NSW Government Exchange Hertz NY2K Australian Dairy Holden Ozisoft Corporation Honda Palliative Care Australia Australian Grand Prix Parfums Christian Dior Australian NationalMaritime Museum IBM Peakhour.com.auAxa Images, Concepts & Events Perpetual TrusteesBank West IMG PeugeotBolle Independent Tyres Pharmacia and UpjohnBonlac Industry Super Fund PhilipsBoots Intel PillsburyBrown Brothers International Pizza HavenBT Financial Group Entertainment Pizza HutBuena Vista Corporation PrimusC&W Optus Johnson & Johnson Procter & GambleC.R.Kennedy Kellogg Professional FreightCanon KFC ServicesCarlton Soccer Club Kraft Foods QantasCarlton & United L.J.Hooker Queensland GovernmentBreweries Leggos Queensland NewspapersCentenary of Federation Levi Strauss QuickenChrysler Lexus Quik TrackColes Supermarkets Liberal Party Rivkin EntertainmentColonial First State Looksmart Roadshow EntertainmentColossal Records M-Advertising Rositano FurnitureColumbia Tristar MasterCard Ross MollisonCommonwealth Bank MBF Rothschild AustraliaCommonwealth Medibank RoverGovernment Mercantile Mutual S.A. Tourism CommissionCommunity Aid Abroad Milk Marketing Sanford SecuritiesConrad International Millers Confectionary Schering PloughCrown Millmaine Entertainment Seek CommunicationsDairy Farmers Mitsubishi Motors Sharmill FilmsDavid Jones MLC Life SiemensDendy Cinemas Moccona Singapore AirlinesDiners Club monster.com.au Smith FamilyDunlop Tyres Motorcycle Grand Prix Smiths SnackfoodsEco Recycle Motorola SOCOGEDS Multi Tiles Sony ComputerEMI Mushroom Records EntertainmentEnergy Australia MYOB Sony MusicEpson mySAP.com St. George Bank St. Vincent de Paul Society Star Alliance Starco Developments Streets Subaru Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Suncorp Metway Sydney City Mission TAB Queensland Telstra Text Media The Age T he Australian Newspaper T he Medallion Club Toyota Unilever Unisys United Airlines United International Pictures Universal Music Valvoline Victorian Arts Centre Victorian Government Village Roadshow Vodafone Volkswagen Volvo Warner Music Warner Vision Australia Western Union Westpac Whirlpool WISPA Woolmark World Vision Worldwide Productions yourprosperity.com.au Zurich 1 32 Radio Marketing Clients 1999-2000 Appendix 13 A Maximum Security Shutters ACCC Accelerated Learning Worldwide AIS Media AIDS/HIV Multicultural Health Service AlphaCall Telecommunications AMES - Adult Multicultural Education Services Ammirati Puris Lintas Sydney ANH Australia Trading Co. Anti Cancer Council of Victoria Armadillo Post ATSIC Australian Electoral Commission Australian Taxation Office Australian-Turkish Pensioners’ Association Bank of Cyprus Bank of Valletta Best FX Biddle, Ogle, Anderson and Co Break Even Southern Break Even Western Byvan (Vic) Pty Ltd Campaign Palace Carers Association of Australia Central Equity Central Sydney Area Health Service Centre for Culture Ethnicity and Health Centrelink Chahal Educational Consul Chinese Community Problem Gambling Chris and Carol O’Rourke City West Water Limited Clemenger Melbourne Pty Ltd CM T Tiles C3 Marketing Council of Adult Education Curtis Jones and Brown Advertising CSL Limited Cultural Perspectives Deep Blue Travel Dept of Education, Training and Youth Dept of Fair Trading Dept of Health and Aged Dept of Health and Family Dept of Human Services Dept of Workplace Relations Digiplus Digital Image Pty Ltd Djerriwarrh Health Services E P A Ecumenical Migration Centre Energy and Water Ombudsman EMD Multicultural Marketing Environmental Protection Essential Media Communications Ethnic Communications Ewald Eugene Kejda Fairfield Cinemas Fairfield Council Fairfield Community Health Centre Federal Government Financial and Consumer Rights Council Flint Webster Fox Video Pty Ltd GCI Group Geoff Waters George Yurtseven Golden Turkish Directory Gyuto House Regaine Hair Restorer Haliplex Communication Systems Harness Racing Victoria Health Insurance Commission Hepatitis C Council of Victoria Hertz Walpole Howie and Taylor Publicity HSBC Bank Hulya Karayalcin I & G Media Immigration Museum India Trade Centre Interlink Media International Tours and Promotions John Bevins Pty Ltd Kelly Communication Kidsafe Leba Ethnic Media Leeds Media And Communications Leo Burnett Connaghan and May LOTE Marketing M & C Saatchi Micronite Mid-Med Bank Migrant Service Publications Monash University Morcare Services Pty Ltd Morris Johnstone Wallpole Museum of Victoria National Centre for Australian Studies nethow.com Nizam’s Indian Food NRMA NSW Dept of Health NSW Dept of Sport and Recreation NSW Government Advertising Agency NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service NSW Multicultural Health NSW Ombudsman NSW Office of State Revenue NSW Waste Boards Office of State Revenue Optimedia Australis Pty Ltd Orbis Express Oriental Merchant ORTA PapScreen Victoria Peach Advertising Phillip Island Nature Park Phoenix Pharma Port Phillip Prison Production Place Pure Creative Pyramid Automation Pty Ltd Qantas Quit Victoria Rachael Cogan Rachael Wirrpunda Referendum Taskforce Rex Films Richmond Multicultural Children’s Centre Roads and Traffic Authority Samuelson Talbot Sally Shepherd Sky Air Services Smithkline Beecham Southern Star Reception SRG Absolute Marketing Standard and Poors Sultan Promotions Superior Learning Methods Tacobell TAFE NSW Multicultural Unit Tarkan Allan Property Specialists T& L Advertising TM P Worldwide Telstra Total Media Transurban City Link Victorian National Parks Association Vina Floorcoverings Visual Purple Wesley Central Mission Whybin TBWA and Partners Wightman Advertising Women’s Health West Zenith Media Zoran Avtarovski Appendix 14 SBS Community Advisory Committee Mr V ictor Hamit B.Ec. LLB (Victoria). Chairman from February 1999. Born in Australia of Albanian background, Mr Hamit works as a partner in a legal firm and has been a member of Albanian community groups for more than 15 years. Dr Samer Akkach (South Australia). Born in Syria, Dr Akkach holds a PhD in Architecture (Syd). He is the founding director of the Centre for Asian and Middle Eastern Architecture at the University of Adelaide. Ms Ayse Alpandinar (Victoria) Born in Turkey, Ms Alpandinar has a Bachelor of Arts, Diploma in Education, and Diploma in TESOL. She is actively involved in the arts and cultural organisations of the Turkish community. M r Santo Casella (Queensland). Born in Italy, Mr Casella has an Arts Degree from Queensland University. He is a visual artist who helped establish the Brisbane Ethnic Music and Arts Centre (BEMAC) in 1986 while he was Multicultural Arts Officer with the ECC of Queensland. He is currently B EM AC’s vice-president. Ms Leonie Dickson (Tasmania) Ms Dickson was born on Flinders Island, Tasmania. She has worked in the Aboriginal community in various positions since the 1970s. As the Commissioner for ATSIC Tasmania, Ms Dickson’s role is to consult with, represent the views of, and act as advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Her portfolios include women’s issues, arts culture, broadcasting. [ATSIC nominee] Ms Beatrice Jouy-Botte (Queensland). Born in France, Ms Jouy-Botte holds a degree in German and a Bachelor of Education. She teaches German and is a district coordinator of language teachers, member of the Modern Language Teacher’s Association and secretary of French-Australian Association in Queensland. Mr Ly Le (SA) Born in Vietnam. Mr Le has a Graduate Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of South Australia and a Master of Education from Deakin University, Victoria. He is an educator, counsellor and advocate for multicultural Australia. Ms Genoveva Medwell DAM (Northern Territory). Born in the Philippines, Ms Medwell has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Management). She has worked in the Premier and Cabinet departments of Victoria as Assistant Secretary of the Ethnic Affairs Unit and as Head of the N T Ethnic Affairs Unit. Mr Russell Raymond DAM (Western Australia). Born in Sri Lanka, Mr Raymond is a senior journalist in Perth who is actively involved with the North Perth Migrant Resource Centre, the Sri Lanka Ceylon Association, and the Ethnic Communities Council of WA. [FECCA nominee - national] Ms Lucia Da Rocha Tavares- Johns (New South Wales). Born in Brazil, Ms Tavares-Johns has a degree in languages, works as a translator and interpreter and is President of the Brazilian Community Council of Australia. Dr Eric Tsui (NSW) came to Australia as an overseas student and is now a principal consultant responsible for all aspects of industry-academic cooperation such as course design, collaborative research and conference sponsorships. He has PhD and MBA qualifications and holds honorary positions at Sydney University and the University of Technology, Sydney. M r Michael Zorbas (Australian Capital Territory). Born in Australia of diverse heritage, Mr Zorbas works as an adviser in the property industry. He has considerable interest in, and experience of, issues affecting youth and is a member of the Federal Government’s National Youth Roundtable. During the year Ms Sabina Chang, Ms Catherine Chung and Mr Greg Sedunary completed their terms as members of the Committee. Awards - Television and Radio 1999-2000 Appendix 15 Film and Television B anff Television Festival 2000 Tudawali Film and Video Awards 2000 Won the Global Outstanding Achievement Award For Indigenous Series Program ICAM SBS Television Original Concept in a Short Film Adrian Wills Angel Australian Film In stitu te Awards 1999 Original Concept in a Longer Best Documentary Hephzibar Format Drama Rima Tamou Best Editor Joint winners: Saturday Night, Hephzibah and Sunday Morning Original Schtick Direction on a Longer Best Direction Original Schtick Format Drama Rachel Perkins Best Sound in a Non-Feature Sadness Radiance Best Animation Cousin Language Spoken Documentary Belle Davidson and Best performance by an Actor Pantjiti McKenzie in a TV Drama Jeremy Simms (screened in ICAM Aftershocks program Wingellina) Cultural Documentary Steven McGregor Dendy Awards - Sydney Film Festival 2000 Apekathe Best Australian Short Film & Direction in a Documentary Michael Riley T he Rouben Mamoulian Award Chasing Buddha Black Tracker Best Short Film over 15 minutes Perfect Pale Blue Original Concept in T he EAC Award Dust a Documentary Louise Glover Yoram Gross Animation Award Brother Black Sheep Melbourne Film Festival 1999 Tudawali Lifetime Outstanding Achievement Achievement Award Lester Bostock in a Video Award Original Schtick and Whiteys Like Us United Nations Association of Australia Media Best Short Film Sadness Peace Award 1999 Promotion of Children’s Rights Belinda Hawkins, AW GIE Awards Susan Wallace, (Australian W riters Guild Awards) 1999 Phillip Hankin, Best Original Screenplay Script A Wreck a Tangle Hamilton Wende Best Short Film Script Pilbara Pearl A Life Less Fortunate Best Documentary Script Sadness Dateline Best Telemovie Adaptation Aftershocks Louis Johnson Media Awards 1999 Quill Awards - Melbourne Press Club Best Television Camera work (news and current affairs) High Commendation in the Television Current Affairs Report category High Commendation for the RACY Transport Quill Award Phil Hankin, Senior Cameraman The African Experience Belinda Hawkins Not In My Backyard Insight Alan Sunderland Aircraft Fumes Insight Television Current Affairs Belinda Hawkins, Kicking the Dust: The Wick People Insight High Commendation - Television Feature Tin Onus - Bridge Between Cultures Frameworks E dit Award 1999 Nominated for Best Editing in a Non-Feature Film Original Schtick Nominated for Best Editing in a Non-Feature Film Hephzibah Appendix 15 c o n tin u e d V ictoria Law Foundation - Legal Reporting Awards 1999 Best Legal Reporter of the Year Belinda Hawkins Insight reports Best Television Current Affairs Report Belinda Hawkins, Kicking the Dust: The Wick People Insight Celebration of A b ility Media and Student Award (Ageing & Disability Department) Short-listed for Media Award House Gang (Series Two) Short-listed for Individual Journalist Mike Piper Heather Rose Goes To Cannes Short-listed for Individual Journalist Short-listed for Individual Journalist Short-listed for Individual Journalist Gabby Hills Double Burden, Insight Belinda Hawkins & Cathy Carey Someone's Child’ Insight Brigid Phelan & Jessica Douglas-Henry Emily’ s Eyes Open C raft Award 1999 Nomination Sadness Australian College of Education (V ic) Media Awards 1999 Best Television or Radio Report Belinda Hawkins, Foreign Students Insight Engineering Excellence Awards 1999 Journalist Award for Best Engineering Media Report Robin Newell and Keith Stevenson The Elegant Solution International Health and Medical Film Com petition Finalist Breathing Space Jacob’s Creek World Food Media Awards 1999 Bronze Award The Wine Lovers' Guide to Australia Tennis Australia Award 1999 Best Electronic Media Story (Pat Rafter feature) Robert Grasso SBS Television Sport Australian Cinematographers Society Silver Award, Current Affairs Camera Work Phillip Hankin, Nigeria: The Rocky Road to Democracy Dateline International Aspen S hortfest 1999 Best Short Film, Animation Cousin Best Short Film, Animation Brother Hollywood Black Film Festival 2000 Best Short Film Harry’s War Silver Images Film Festival Chicago 2000 Best Foreign Documentary Servant of the Ancestors Zanzibar Film Festival Golden Dhow Award Servant of the Ancestors International Visual Arts Festival Gyor Hungary 1999 Best Documentary Cracks in the Mask Cologne Film Festival Germany 1999 Best Film Cracks in the Mask Columbus International Film and Video Festival USA 1999 Bronze Plaque Emily’ s Eye Columbus International Film Festival USA 2000 Silver Plaque Paradise Bent 136 Appendix 15 c o n tin u ed Chicago International Television Com petition USA 2000 Certificate of Merit Cooking with Frank C ritics Circle Award 2000 Best Original Script Feeling Sexy Banff Television Festival 2000 In competition Winds of Change Berlin Film Festival 2000 Teddy Jury Award Chrissie Cannes Film Festival 2000 Directors’ Fortnight screening Mailboy Sundance Film Festival 2000 Screening at World Cinema section Chasing Buddha and Original Schtick Broadcast Design Association (USA) 1999 Silver Award for the Opening Titles Scott Anderson Alchemy Radio United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Award Sally Spalding Positive Image of Older People (Radio) Mark Henderson Finalist, Indigenous Health (Radio) Austcare Refugee Media Award Shpend Osmani, Sani Kajtazi and Sally Spalding Coverage of the Kosovo displaced persons National Youth Media Awards Sonia de Masi Ethnic Youth, Crime and Policing Australian Arabic Welfare Council Media Woman of the Year Majida Abboud-Saab For services to the media Khmer Community of NSW Khmer New Year and Business Awardsl SBS Radio Khmer Language Program For services to business NSW Law Society Excellence in Journalism Annabel Cotton Mandatory Sentencing New York Festivals Finalist, Radio Programming Vita Kristovskis and Mark Henderson Interview with Konrad Kalejs United National Association of Australian Finalist, World Environment Day Media Awards Cathy Harper Cultural and environmental issues in Australia Korean Broadcasting Service Third Place in International Radio Competition SBS Radio Korean Language Program For programming Appendix 16 EEO Statistical Analysis Board/Exec/Policy Male 7 Female 5 ESB 9 NESB1 1 NESB2 1 ATS1 DIS Radio 174 173 84 222 26 4 3 Television 220 219 253 73 53 13 2 New Media 11 9 14 2 2 - - Resources 33 28 37 13 7 1 1 Marketing 6 9 7 4 3 - - Total 451 443 404 317 92 18 6 I 138 Appendix 17 Brief History of SBS 1975 1976 March September 1977 January June November November 1978 January February May Experimental ethnic radio stations 2EA (Sydney) and 3EA (Melbourne) commence. Consultative Committee on Ethnic Broadcasting established by the Government to consider future of ethnic broadcasting. ABC requested to establish permanent ethnic broadcasting service. National Ethnic Broadcasting Advisory Council (NEBAC) established. Government offer to ABC to establish ethnic broadcasting service withdrawn. State Ethnic Broadcasting Advisory Councils (SEBACs) established in NSW and Victoria. Governor-General proclaims amendments to Broadcasting and Television Act 1942 setting up the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). SBS established and assumes responsibility for 2EA and 3EA. SBS Board members appointed for three years. Dr Grisha A. Sklovsky is Chairman. 2EA broadcasts 126 hours weekly in 36 languages. 3EA broadcasts 103 hours weekly in 32 languages. Ron E Fowell appointed as SBS Executive Director. June SBS asks SEBACs to reschedule 2EA and 3EA. July September October December 1979 Government decides public broadcasting and ‘restricted commercial’ stations could be assisted by SBS funding of ethnic programs. Joint statement by Minister for Post and Telecommunications and Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs on establishment of an ethnic television service. SBS releases discussion paper on structural reorganisation of 2EA and 3EA broadcasting groups. 2EA broadcasts in 41 languages. 3EA broadcasts 126 hours weekly in 38 languages. February SBS releases policy for restructuring of 2EA and 3EA. March Ethnic Television Review Panel (ETRP) appointed to undertake public consultation program and prepare report on permanent ethnic television service. March Start of SEBAC (Vic) new 3EA schedule. April First SBS produced experimental ethnic television programs are broadcast on ABC Television. Final programs broadcast on 22 July 1979. May 3EA broadcasts in 41 languages. July ETRP submits first report: The Aims and Philosophy of a Permanent Ethnic Television Service. Appendix 17 co n tin u ed July August September November December 1980 January F e b r u a r y May July August October Start of SEBAC (NSW) new 2EA schedule. 2EA Newcastle translator begins on 29 August and 2EA Wollongong translator begins the next day. 2EA broadcasts in 47 languages. First phase of policy for restructuring broadcast groups of 2EA and 3EA put into operation. ETRP submits second report: T he Structure of the Interim Multicultural/Multilingual Television Service. 2EA commences broadcasting through 4EB (Brisbane). Government announces intention to establish independent and Multicultural Broadcasting Corporation (IMBC) to provide multicultural television (MTV) and multilingual radio services. IMBC Implementation Committee appointed to bridge the period between the disbanding of SBS and establishment of IMBC. Implementation Task Force set up with a brief to establish a multi-cultural television service. New 3EA (5KW) AM transmitter begins. ETRP submits third report: Programming for the Multicultural/Multilingual Television Service - Objectives and Policies. Weekly telecasts of second experimental cycle of ethnic television programs begin on ABC Television and continue until 4 May. Legislation to establish IMBC introduced into Parliament. Senate refers IMBC legislation to Standing Committee on Education and the Arts for inquiry and report by first sitting day in August 1980. Minister appoints more diverse IMBC Implementation Committee of 13 members. 2EA transmitter power upgraded to 5kW. Senate Standing Committee on Education and the Arts recommends: IMBC legislation not proceed at this stage; Dix Committee to be asked to examine a report on a second television channel; and until the Dix Committee reports, MTV and ethnic radio to be provided on interim basis by SBS. Multicultural Television begins in Sydney and Melbourne on VHF channel 0 and UHF channel 28. Fraser Government announces it will not proceed with the IMBC, abolishes IMBC Implementation Committee, dissolves NEBAC and SEBAC, and establishes SBS Advisory Council chaired by Francis Galbally QC. New SBS Board appointed, chaired by Sir Nicholas Shehadie. An Inter-station Program Exchange and Transcription Service (IPETS) established at Radio 2EA to assist ethnic public broadcasters. Government announces extension of MTV on UHF to 10 city and country centres: 1982- 83 (Canberra, Goulburn, Cooma); 1983- 84 (Newcastle, Wollongong, Adelaide, Brisbane); and 1984-85 (Hobart, Perth, Darwin). Minister announces increase to $650,000 in subsidies to public broadcasters for ethnic programming. Ministers for Communications and for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs release discussion paper on extension and development of ethnic radio and announce establishment of Working Party to consider the matter. SBS Advisory Council appointed by the Government. Government institutes Inquiry into purchasing policies of SBS, to be chaired by J H Oswin. Working Party to examine the options for long-term development of ethnic radio disbanded. Government undertakes to examine submissions and take these into account in implementing future policy in this Minister reaffirms Government decision to extend MTV. Minister announces transmissions on X HF channel 0 in Sydney and Melbourne to cease 1 January 1985. SBS Television in Canberra begins. Extension of SBS Television to Goulburn and Cooma. Minister announces Committee of Review to examine role of SBS and recommend 1981 June July- August 1982 July December 1983 February April August August October November December Appendix 17 c o n tin u e d blueprint for future development of ethnic broadcasting. Oswin Inquiry report tabled. June First Corporate Plan presented to Michael Duffy, Minister for Communications. 1984 August Government announces intention to April SBS completes submission to Committee of Review. amalgamate SBS with ABC on 1 January 1987. August SBS Board establishes Advisory Committee on Racism. December Amalgamation legislation defeated in the Senate. Senate Select Committee established December Report of Committee of Review Serving Multicultural Australia, The Role of 1987 to report on the issue. 1985 Broadcasting, presented to Government. February Minister advises SBS Board of Government’s intention to amalgamate SBS with ABC by January Disbandment of SBS Advisory Council. 1 July 1987. February Start of daytime television transmissions. Network 0/28 TV logo changed to SBS April Prime Minister Hawke announces proposed ABC-SBS amalgamation will not occur. Television. June Ron Brown’s term as Executive Director May SBS response to Committee of Review report ends. submitted to Government. Ron Powell's term as Executive Director ends. November Start of term of new Executive Director, Brian Johns. June Minister announces extension of transmission on VHF channel 0 in Sydney and Melbourne until 5 January 1986. Extension of SBS Television to Newcastle, Wollongong, Adelaide, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. December Government decides to remove encryption requirement for SBS broadcast signals via AUSSAT, allowing people in south-eastern zone satellite beam footprint to receive both 2EA and SBS Television through small dish satellite systems. July Government transfers SBS administration of 1988 subsidies to public broadcasters for ethnic language programs to Public Broadcasting Foundation. February Government releases Department of Transport and Communication’s discussion papers Review of National Broadcasting August 2EA broadcasts in 55 languages. 3EA broadcasts in 50 languages. Policy - Australian Broad-casting Corporation. While concerned mainly with September Appointment of new Executive Director, Ron Brown. Establishment of Joint Consultative Council. ABC, it proposes SBS has its own Act of Parliament, formalising the central aim of providing high quality multicultural and October Government abolishes existing Planning Committees and establishes National Broadcasting Development Council. The Movie Show commences on SBS Television. multilingual programming. It also proposes guaranteed three-year base funding at the 1987-88 level, increased annually in line with inflation. November Report by the SBS Board’s Advisory Committee on Racism submitted to SBS April Mary Kostakidis begins as presenter of weekday editions of World News. 1986 Board. July Government releases discussion paper Review of National Broadcasting Policy - January Cessation of VHF Channel 0 transmissions in Sydney and Melbourne. SBS Television becomes the sole UHF-only television broadcaster in Australia. Special Broadcasting Service. Proposed model involves: a separate SBS Act containing Charter responsibilities; an organisational structure appropriate to a March Extension of SBS Television service via AUSSAT to Perth and Hobart. modern broadcaster; and, a mixed funding regime comprising annual Budget March Government decisions on Committee of Review report announced. SBS to be replaced by Special Broadcasting Corporation on 1 July 1987. appropriation, and other options - at the discretion of the Board - to obtain revenue from other sources, including television downtime usage, channel sharing, Appendix 17 co n tin u ed sponsorship, and sale of advertising time. August SBS launches the SBS Youth Orchestra, with founding conductor Matthew Krel. 1989 June Minister gives approval for SBS to receive moneys for program sponsorship in relation to the SBS test pattern and for Rome 1990 World Cup (to be SBS’s first soccer World Cup coverage). July Prime Minister announces Government’s National Agenda for a Multicultural Australia including plans for the Government to introduce legislation to establish SBS as independent corporation with its own Charter. July SBS Television service to be extended to a further nine major centres throughout Australia: 1991 (Latrobe Valley); 1992 (Bendigo, Ballarat, Darling Downs); 1993 (Spencer Gulf, Darwin, north-east Tasmania); and, 1994(Cairns, Townsville). 1990 March Government releases details of new radio news and current affairs service to be produced by SBS Radio and supplied in at least 15 different community languages to interested public radio stations throughout Australia. Also announces establishment of trainee program for people from non-English speaking backgrounds. 1991 June Government agrees to allow advertising on SBS Television and Radio under a new Charter. Five minutes of advertising or sponsorship per hour to be allowed, only between programs or in natural program breaks. Guidelines covering the form, content and placement of advertisements to be set by the SBS Board after public consultations. December SBS becomes a Corporation with the proclamation of the Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991. 1992 November Brian Johns resigns from SBS to become Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Authority. Phased transfer of staff and facilities from Milsons Point to SBS’s new Sydney Radio and Television headquarters at Artarmon begins. 1993 March March November December 1994 January July October SBS Board announces the appointment of the 14 members of the SBS Community Advisory Committee (CAC). Mr Steve A Karas OAM is the Chairman. Malcolm Long appointed SBS Managing Director. SBS’s Codes of Practice published. Prime Minister Paul Keating officially opens the new Artarmon building. SBS Television now available in Cairns and Townsville. SBS Radio national network launched, providing an SBS Radio service to Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin. Sydney and Melbourne Radio Stations 2EA and 3EA, renamed Radio Sydney and Radio Melbourne respectively. Second radio frequencies for Sydney and Melbourne begin. As part of its Creative Nation cultural policy statement, and in recognition of the importance of developing programming to reflect Australia’s multicultural society, the Federal Government provides funds of $13m over four years to SBS to commission high quality Australian programs for SBS Television. 1995 June SBS Radio celebrates its 20th anniversary. Common language (English) programs launched on SBS Radio. July Launch of Insight, a weekly SBS Television current affairs program with a multicultural focus. SBS Handbook of Editorial and Programming Procedures published. September Indigenous Unit, Kuri-Gnia, established in Television Production. 1996 February SBS Radio’s Canberra service begins broadcasting. First edition of 13-part series, ICAM (Indigenous Cultural Affairs Magazine) broadcast in February 1996. April SBS Radio’s Hobart service begins and completes the SBS Radio national network, linking all State and Territory capital cities. SBS documentary, Untold Desires, winsMost Outstanding Documentary at the Logie Awards. 141 Appendix 17 c o n tin u e d I I M a y June J u ly August September December 1997 February March J u n e J u ly August September 1998 February May June July August November SBSI financed film, The Quiet Room, selected for competition at the 49th Cannes International Film Festival, and No Way to Forget, one of six short dramas in the SBSI financed film, From Sand to Celluloid, selected for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard category. New SBS Enterprise Agreement certified, establishing tailored terms and conditions of employment for SBS staff. Board releases new Corporate Plan 1996-99. Extension of SBS Television to NSW north coast and Albury Wodonga. Self-operation for Broadcaster/Journalists introduced into SBS Radio. Networking of Radio programs between Radio Sydney and Melbourne introduced. SBS publishes revised Codes of Practice. Quadrant Research commissioned to undertake audience surveys of designated language communities to determine use of and attitudes to SBS Radio and Television. Closed captioning of World News introduced. Board determines that SBS Radio will be able to accept commercial advertising. Training in Radio for Young People (TRY!) commences as a pilot project. Malcolm Long resigns as Managing Director. Proposal for relocation of SBS’s Melbourne facilities to the new Federation Square development. Release of a detailed SBS Technology Strategy Plan including the conversion of broadcasting activities from analog to digital. Nigel Milan appointed as Managing Director. Government allocates $17.7m to SBS over five years for digital conversion. Governments renews funding for the SBS Independent production fund with $19m allocated over four years. SBS releases the SBS Service Commitment (Service Charter). SBS TV’s coverage of the ’98 World Cup the biggest and most successful ever. South Park becomes the most popular series ever shown on SBS TV. Launch of SBS Radio’s two outside broadcast 1999 April May J u ly September October November December 2000 Sale of National Transmission Network to N T L Australia. Installation of time delay system to South Australia and conversion to digital of SBS’s two analogue satellite services. Board approval of new SBS Corporate Plan and revisions to SBS’s Codes of Practice and Editorial Guideines. Establishment of SBS Transmission Services division to manage transmission and self-help services. Turkish Language Radioathon raises $1.2 million for earthquake victims. Telecast of two-part SBS-produced series, T he Snowy, on 50th anniversary of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. First SBS webcast of the AFI Awards. Sir Nicholas Shehadie completes his term as Chairman (1981-99) and Ms Carla Zampatti appointed Chairman for five-year term. February Establishment of New Media division. SBS Television’s share of total TV free-to-air viewing exceeds 4% in 1999. May 10 hour Corroboree 2000 live broadcast. Going Home, SBS Television’s biggest-ever local production, begins. June SBS Television wins Banff Global Outstanding Achievement Award. SBS Radio’s 25th anniversary celebrations. SBS web site carries audio-on-demand for four SBS Radio language programs. 142 Index A Front Up 30 R Accrual budgeting 76 Future Tense 30 Radio 2,4,11-21,26,27,44-50, Advertising 12, 63, 64, 75 54, 57, 63, 64. 71-74 Appendix 12 G Radioathon 17, 56 Alchemy 27, 29 Global Village 30 Radio services Appendix 8 Analogue extension 70 Going Home 15, 18, 19, 29, 52 Asia Pacific Broadcasting Authority 61 s Audience 2, 11, 12, 17, 18, H Satellite services 70, 71 22-27, 56, 57 History of SBS Appendix 17 SBS Act 4, Appendix 1 Audit 4, 76-78 Hotline 30, 57 SBSIndependent 15, 36, 37, 40-44 Audit Committee 77, 78 Homereach 46 Appendix 7 Australian Broadcasting Human Resources 79-81 SBS productions 28-37 Authority 56, 60, 72 I SBS Radio & Awards 13,31,39,42,44,50 TV Youth Orchestra 59, 61 Appendix 15 IC AM 31, 35, 58 Self-Help 12,22,23,57,69,70 Indigenous 15, 35-37, 39, 42, 47 Service Commitment 56 B Insight 19, 34. 35, 51 Shehadie, Sir Nicholas 4, 9, 59 Banff Award 13, 14 Snowy, The 32 Board 6-9, 54 u Special programs, Radio 45, 46 Broadcast schedule, Radio Languages broadcast, Radio Special programs, TV 39-41 Appendix 9 Appendix 10 Sponsorship 12, 67, 68 Language broadcast, TV Appendix 4 Appendix 11 C Language Services, SBS 19, 66, 67 Sport, Radio 50 Capital Planning 73, 74 Language surveys 26 Sport, TV 35 Certified Agreement 4 Staffing resources Appendix 2 Charter Inside front cover M Subtitling 37. 64 Chairman 4, 6, 54, 59 Marketing 18 Codes of Practice 56 Marketing, Radio 63, Appendix 13 T Community Advisory Committee Marketing, Television 64-66 Television 2, 4, 11-21, 22-41, 54, 57, 17, 54, 58, 59, 61, Appendix 14 Merchandising 64 63, 69-74 Computing 74 M ovie Show, The 32 Television services Appendix 3 Consultations, Community 54 MSTL 68 Training 4, 79. 80 Corporate Plan 4, 11, 76 Multiculturalism 2, 15, 48, 57 Transmission 57, 59, 69-71, 75 Corporate Services 81 Triennial funding 16, 59, 76 Corroboree 2000 14, 15, 20, 28, N TRY project 27,l 8 35, 41, 42, 47, 52 New Media 4, 19, 51-53 News & Current Affairs, Radio 46-50 w D News & Current Affairs, TV 32-34 Web site 18, 19, 27, 42, 51-53, 74 Dateline 19, 33, 51 ntl Australia 57, 69, 70 WorldWatch 19. 32, 53, 58 Digital 4, 15, 19, 60, 62, 71-77 W orld News 19, 32,51,58 Documentaries, 0 W orld View 15, 18, 46, 48-50, o.x o8 Television 15, 37, 42-44 Occupational health and safety 79 Drama, Television 15, 38, 42-44 Operating revenue 5 Organisation chart 10 E Outside broadcasts 17, 20, 26, 54, 55 eat carpet 30 Enabling legislation Inside front P cover Performance management Equal Employment 76, Appendix 16 program 4,21 Performance report 11-21, 79 F P izza 15, 27, 29, 38 Feature Films 38 Production 15 Financial results 75 Programs, Radio 44-50 F ood L overs' Guide Programs, TV 28-41 Appendix 5 to Australia 31, 37, 64 Programs, Appendix 6 F ork in Asia, A 29 TV classification Sydney Postal address: Street address: Locked Bag 028, Crows Nest, NSW 1585 14 Herbert Street, Artarmon, NSW 2064 Telephone: (02) 9430 2828 Facsimile: (02) 9430 3700 Online: www.sbs.com.au Melbourne Postal address: Street address: Telephone: Facsimile: PO Box 294, South Melbourne, VIC 3205 Australian Ballet Centre, Level 4 2 Kavanagh Street, Southbank, VIC 3006 (03) 9685 2828 (03) 9685 7501 (TV) (03) 9686 7496 (Radio) ISSN 1038 - 6696 © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2000 Designed by Miller Hare Design Group Photography byTLP Studios