Editing Telecommunications in Australia (section)

==Broadcasting in Australia==
{{main|History of broadcasting in Australia}}
Australia developed its own radio broadcasting system, through its own engineers, manufacturers, retailers, newspapers, entertainment services, and news agencies. Initially hobbyists and amateurs were dominant, however with the [[Government of Australia|Commonwealth Government]] setting up the first radio system, and business interests becoming increasingly involved, hobbyists and amateurs were marginalised. The [[Australian Labor Party]] was especially interested in radio because it allowed them to bypass the newspapers, which were mostly controlled by their opposition. Both parties agreed on the need for a national system, and in 1932 set up the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|Australian Broadcasting Commission]] was set up as a government agency largely separate from political interference.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

The first commercial broadcasters, originally known as "B" class stations were on the air as early as 1925. Many were sponsored by [[newspapers in Australia]],<ref>Denis Cryle, 'The press and public service broadcasting: Neville Petersen's news not views and the case for Australian exceptionalism.' (2014) ''Media International Australia, Incorporating Culture & Policy'' Issue 151 (May 2014): 56+.</ref> by [[Theatre in Australia|theatrical interests]], by [[amateur radio]] enthusiasts and radio retailers, and by retailers generally.<ref name="R.R. Walker, 1973">R.R. Walker, ''The Magic Spark – 50 Years of Radio in Australia'' (1973).</ref> Almost all Australians were within reach of a station by the 1930s, and the number of stations remained relatively stable through the post-war era. However, in the 1970s, the Labor government under Prime Minister [[Gough Whitlam]] commenced a broadcasting renaissance so that by the 1990s there were 50 different radio services available for groups based on tastes, languages, religion, or geography.<ref>John Potts, ''Radio in Australia'' (1986)</ref> The broadcasting system was largely deregulated in 1992, except that there were limits on foreign ownership and on monopolistic control. By 2000, 99 percent of Australians owned at least one television set, and averaged 20 hours a week watching it.<ref>Graeme Davison et al., eds., ''The Oxford Companion to Australian History'' (2001), pp 546–47, 637–38</ref>

===Television===
{{Main article|Television broadcasting in Australia}} 
As early as 1929, two Melbourne commercial radio stations, [[3UZ]] and [[KIIS 101.1|3DB]] were conducting experimental mechanical television broadcasts – these were conducted in the early hours of the morning, after the radio stations had officially closed down. In 1934 Dr Val McDowall<ref>[https://members.racp.edu.au/page/library/college-roll/college-roll-detail&id=496 College Roll: McDowall, Valentine, ''The Royal Australasian College of Physicians'']</ref> at amateur station 4CM Brisbane<ref>[https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:212637/s00855804_1961_1962_6_4_750.pdf Charles Porter, (1962), Broadcasting in Queensland. ''Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland'', 6 4, pp. 750-761.]</ref> conducted experiments in electronic television.

Television broadcasting officially began in Sydney and Melbourne just prior to the [[1956 Summer Olympics|Melbourne Olympic Games]] in November/December 1956 and then phased in at other capital cities, and then into rural markets. Many forms of entertainment, particularly drama and variety, proved more suited to television than radio, so the actors and producers migrated there.

It now includes a broad range of public, commercial, community, subscription, narrowcast, and amateur stations across the country. Colour television in the [[PAL#PAL-B.2FG.2FD.2FK.2FI|PAL 625-line format]] went to a full-time basis in 1975. Subscription television, on the [[Galaxy (Australian television)|Galaxy]] platform, began in 1995. Digital terrestrial television was introduced in 2001.<ref>Albert Moran and Chris Keating. ''The A to Z of Australian Radio and Television'' (Scarecrow Press, 2009)</ref>

Australia moved from PAL 625 to [[DVB-T]] on 10 December 2013.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Subscription television, whether [[Foxtel]] or [[Netflix]] type services, has become more important and is one factor driving demand for the [[National Broadband Network]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}