The Wire

Community radio stations are waiting with baited breath for next week’s budget to see if the government will reverse their cuts to digital broadcast funding. The sector says that community radio will drop off the digital dial in some capital cities if the government doesn’t restore the funding.

Last year the government suddenly reduced the amount of money that it gives to community radio to pay for digital transmission costs.Some stations say that they won’t be able to fund the shortfall themselves, leaving the entire digital future of the sector in doubt.Today one station in Melbourne is taking drastic action to raise public awareness about the problem, by switching off their signal.