Your Radio: My Voice

Ethnic radio programs are categorized as a genre of the community radio such as hospital radio, radio for the prisoners and many more representing minority or specific interest groups. Ethnic radio programming was established in 1975, as there was no ethnic representation in commercial and public broadcasting in Australia at that time. Today, there are ethnic radio broadcasts in more than 100 languages. The original aims of ethnic programs was to help migrants who are not fluent in English to settle in Australia, to keep alive their cultural heritage and maintain their cultural identities. Today, ethnic radio has become a unique and extensive network of locally produced programs providing vital support, information and entertainment for Australia's diverse ethnic communities. A recent national survey by the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasting Council (NEMBC) revealed that 2,439 hours of multilingual language programs are produced weekly, and broadcasted in over 100 languages.