ABC Radio expands its regional reach with 14 new services

The ABC has announced that from 1 July 2015, ABC radio will stream an additional 14 regional services, ensuring more Australians can access radio online and on mobile.

The ABC’s managing director, Mark Scott, said the decision to expand regional streaming beyond the Gold Coast and Newcastle builds on the ABC’s 82-year commitment to rural and regional Australia in the digital era.

“From Cairns in the north through to Launceston in the south, regionally produced programs and bulletins will broaden their audiences through the capacity to stream online and on mobile,” Scott said.

“The rollout is being funded through efficiencies from across the organisation and forms part of the ABC’s strategy of putting audiences at the centre.”

The following services will be streamed from 1 July 2015:
ABC Alice Springs                                                 ABC North West – Karratha
ABC Goldfields – Kalgoorlie                               ABC Northern Tasmania – Launceston
ABC Kimberley – Broome                                   ABC Western Queensland – Longreach
ABC South West – Bunbury                               ABC North West Queensland – Mt Isa
ABC Far North – Cairns                                      ABC North and West – Port Pirie
ABC Western Plains – Dubbo                            ABC Gippsland – Sale
ABC Southern Queensland – Toowoomba     ABC Goulburn Murray – Wodonga

Scott said the ABC’s commitment to regional Australia also extends to the creation of its new division – ABC Regional – unifying the Corporation’s radio and news gathering capacity to provide a comprehensive and high quality service for its audiences. ABC Regional will be operational on 1 July.

Newly appointed director ABC regional Fiona Reynolds said it is the division’s ambition to extend streaming to other regional locations in the future.