SBS consult on new schedule

Dirk Anthony, SBS Radio audio and language content director, has announced a public consultation period for its schedule as part of the broadcaster's three-year plan.

The SBS board have made a decision to focus it's language services on the larger language groups resulting in more 'block programming'.

Speaking to News Limited Anthony said "this will allow us to pull the whole schedule apart and have more impact for audiences, we think block programming will create bigger audiences and is more effective."

The responses through the consultation period will be cross-referenced with census results in the middle of 2012. Anthony went on to say the changes reflected SBS's aim to "contribute to a cohesive society" while not being a language service only.

"If you think of it like ABC News Radio, we're constantly writing stories about today's news and current affairs and every hour we do it in a different language," he said.

Anthony estimated that some African languages, such as Swahili, would receive greater coverage in the changes, as would some Chinese languages.

The launch of the public consultation period is likely to be Anthony's last major move at SBS before he leaves to relocated back to the UK with his family, read here.