Community Radio Network

The Community Radio Network (CRN) is an Australian program-distribution service for community radio stations. It is created and managed by the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA), rather than operating as a conventional radio broadcaster with its own local terrestrial stations. Its principal role is to aggregate, schedule and distribute programming supplied by community broadcasters and partner organisations to stations across Australia. CRN developed from the long-standing exchange of recorded programs between community stations. Before the satellite service was established, stations shared material on tape through the mail for more than a decade. In 1993, the CBAA formalised and expanded this exchange through the Community Radio Satellite, commonly known as ComRadSat. The service was designed to make community-radio programming available nationally and to help stations access material that they could not produce locally. The current CRN service is distributed as a dedicated satellite channel, identified in the Australian satellite arrangement as Channel 630. It operates alongside other services intended for community and public-interest broadcasting, including the National Indigenous Radio Service, Radio for the Print Handicapped and the BBC World Service. In December 2013, these services moved to the VAST satellite platform, replacing the earlier satellite-delivery arrangement. CRN programming includes core programs produced by member stations. These may be talk, music, cultural or issue-oriented programs, generally scheduled in 30- or 60-minute formats. The network also provides a continuous sustaining service, allowing subscribing stations to use the feed around the clock, including as a source of programming during local technical failures, emergencies or gaps in a station's schedule. When no specific program is being carried, music may be transmitted as a sustaining element. The network also distributes selected festival coverage and other special programming. Events associated with the feed have included the Woodford Folk Festival, Tamworth Country Music Festival, WOMADelaide and the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz. Appropriate organisations may purchase airtime for special-event programs or series, creating an additional programming and funding mechanism. National Radio News, produced by journalists and students at Charles Sturt University, is available to stations on a separately charged basis. CRN is complemented by the Digital Delivery Network (DDN), an online service that enables participating stations to select programs through a web-based interface. A DDN-enabled station computer can automatically record selected programs for later broadcast. The system has also made a substantial library of current music available to stations, with content across multiple genres and up to three months of current material described as available through the service. The service is maintained through a mixed funding model. Station subscription fees are combined with an operating grant from the Community Broadcasting Foundation and revenue from fundraising activities, including paid programming. Community stations can also seek a specific Community Broadcasting Foundation grant to buy and install satellite-receiving equipment. CRN therefore functions as shared infrastructure for Australia's community-radio sector: it extends the range of material available to local stations while preserving the stations' role in selecting and broadcasting content for their own audiences.

The Community Radio Network emerged from the practical needs of Australia's geographically dispersed community-radio sector. For more than ten years before the satellite service was introduced, stations exchanged recorded programs on tape through the postal system. That arrangement enabled cooperation, but it was slow, limited in capacity and unsuitable for timely national distribution. In 1993, the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia created the Community Radio Satellite, known as ComRadSat, to provide a more reliable shared distribution mechanism. The satellite initiative was developed with the participation of four media organisations: the CBAA, the Australian Indigenous Communications Association, Radio Print Handicapped Network and the BBC World Service. Their services were transmitted through Optus to the C1 satellite from an uplink site at Belrose. This arrangement allowed participating community stations to receive several distinct channels and gave the sector access to national, Indigenous, accessibility-focused and international programming in addition to material produced by Australian community broadcasters. The CBAA-managed service became known as the Community Radio Network. Its function was primarily distributive. CRN did not claim to produce all of the programs carried on its feed; instead, it provided a channel through which material supplied by member stations and other contributors could reach subscribing stations. Core programming generally consisted of half-hour or one-hour talk, music and issue-based programs. This model allowed local stations to share specialist content while retaining local control over their overall schedules. A 24-hour sustaining service became an important operational feature. Stations could use the feed when they needed additional programming, including during a local equipment failure, an emergency or an unfilled period in the broadcast schedule. Music was used when scheduled programs were not being transmitted. The network also broadened its value through live and recorded coverage of cultural events, including major Australian music and arts festivals such as the Woodford Folk Festival, Tamworth Country Music Festival, WOMADelaide and the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz. News and current-affairs access formed another part of the service. National Radio News, produced by journalists and students at Charles Sturt University, could be obtained on a separate paid basis. CRN also permitted suitable organisations to purchase airtime for special-event broadcasts or program series, subject to the service's community-broadcasting framework. In December 2013, CRN, the National Indigenous Radio Service, Radio for the Print Handicapped and the BBC World Service shifted to the VAST satellite platform. The change represented a technical transition in the way the services were delivered, while preserving the broader goal of distributing content to community stations across Australia. CRN later operated alongside the Digital Delivery Network, an online complement to the satellite feed. Through the DDN website, participating stations could choose programs for automatic recording on a DDN-enabled computer. The service also made a large selection of current music available for station use, covering multiple genres and extending to approximately three months of current content as described in reference material. The network's continuing operation depends on a combination of station subscriptions, Community Broadcasting Foundation support and fundraising, including paid program time. Stations can seek separate assistance from the Community Broadcasting Foundation for satellite-receiving equipment. CRN consequently serves as sector infrastructure rather than as a conventional commercial network: it helps community stations share programs, access specialist and national content, and maintain service continuity without eliminating local station autonomy.

• 2013

  Migration to VAST satellite delivery

  [1]Community Radio Network (Australia)en.wikipedia.org

  CRN and the associated RPH, NIRS and BBC World Service satellite services moved to the VAST platform in December.

• 1993

  Community Radio Satellite established

  [1]Community Radio Network (Australia)en.wikipedia.org

  The CBAA established the Community Radio Satellite, known as ComRadSat, following more than a decade of program exchanges between stations by tape and mail.

Shared national distribution infrastructure for Australian community radio, combining satellite delivery with online program selection and recording.

• Satellite radio feed · 1993

  CRN Channel 630

  The principal CRN satellite channel is Channel 630, transmitted in stereo. It carries programs supplied by community-radio member stations, including talk, music and issue-focused formats. The channel also provides a 24-hour sustaining service, with music available when scheduled programs are not on air. Subscribing stations can use the feed as a source of regular programming or as backup capacity during local outages and schedule gaps.

• Online program delivery

  Digital Delivery Network

  The Digital Delivery Network complements the satellite feed through online applications. Participating stations select preferred programs through the DDN website, after which a DDN-enabled computer can automatically record those programs for later broadcast. The service also provides stations with current music content in multiple genres, extending the range of material available beyond the live satellite schedule.

• Event broadcasting

  Festival and special-event programming

  CRN distributes coverage of selected Australian festivals and special events. Referenced examples include the Woodford Folk Festival, Tamworth Country Music Festival, WOMADelaide and the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz. Suitable organisations may also purchase airtime for special-event programs or series, subject to the network's operating arrangements.

• News service

  National Radio News

  National Radio News is available to community stations through a separately charged arrangement. The hourly bulletins are produced by journalists and students at Charles Sturt University and provide a news and current-affairs option for stations using the CRN ecosystem.

• 2013

  Move satellite services to the VAST platformStrategy

  Background

  The existing satellite-delivery arrangement for CRN and related services was replaced by a transition to the VAST platform.

  Action taken

  CRN, RPH, NIRS and the BBC World Service shifted to VAST in December 2013.

  Aftermath

  The services continued to provide satellite-delivered programming to their intended community and public-interest broadcast audiences.

  Source

• 1993

  Create a national satellite distribution serviceStrategy

  Background

  Community stations had exchanged programs by tape and mail for more than a decade, but the process limited the speed and scale of cooperation.

  Action taken

  The CBAA established the Community Radio Satellite, later associated with the Community Radio Network, to distribute programming nationally.

  Aftermath

  The service provided subscribing stations with shared access to member-produced programs and other partner services.

  Source

• 2013

  Community satellite services move to the VAST platform[1]Community Radio Network (Australia)en.wikipedia.org

  Other

  CRN and partner services moved to the VAST satellite platform in December 2013.

• 1993

  Community Radio Network established as the Community Radio Satellite[1]Community Radio Network (Australia)en.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The CBAA established the Community Radio Satellite, also known as ComRadSat, after years of program exchange between community stations by mail.

1. 1Community Radio Network (Australia)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Community Broadcasting Association of Australiacbaa.org.au