National Indigenous Radio Service (NIRS)

NIRS is a national service provided from a hub station residing in Brisbane. It primarily provides a bed program to Indigenous media organisations that don’t have the staffing or capital requirements to provide 24-hour high quality broadcasting to their audience. 

The NIRS supplies high quality entertainment and important information to all members who then retransmit the service when relevant.  At one end of this scale the NIRS enables aspirant and remote area broadcasters to provide relevant Indigenous broadcasting 24 hours a day to their community, with the opportunity to “window” local programming as each community desires. 

For broadcasters who meet the licensing and equipment requirements for a full time service, but lack the funds or resources to provide a full 24-hour service, the NIRS will enable them to fill any holes with its continuous programming. For community broadcasters who access air time through a CBAA affiliate station, the NIRS will provide the opportunity for these areas to hear national Indigenous issues, as well as enabling them to boost local airtime.  At the other end of the scale the NIRS provides to licensed broadcasters who already broadcast 24-hour programming access to high quality National Current affairs and issues, which would not normally be accessible to these stations. Over 130 Broadcasting to Remote Indigenous Broadcasting Services (RIBS) units, 23 Indigenous Radio Stations and 120 Community Radio Stations can receive NIRS.

NIRS provides content to be aired nationally so does not produce programs in Language. The service can however encourage and support local Language programs and help to share information about Language programs of relevance to a national audience.

Community Broadcasting Online includes an “Indigenous hub” providing links to Indigenous community broadcasters nationally and a summary of the history of Indigenous radio in Australia.
http://www.cbonline.org.au