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Earliest 2EA broadcasts: Arabic
Title:
Earliest 2EA broadcasts: Arabic
NFSA ID
297244
Year
1975
Courtesy
SBS
The earliest extant in-language broadcasts by 2EA (then SBS Radio, now SBS Audio), including Arabic, Greek, Italian, Maltese, Spanish, and Yugoslav programs, represent the birth of multilingual and multicultural broadcasting on Australian radio.
2EA began broadcasting on 9 June 1975, with EA standing for Ethnic Australia. It was opened in Sydney by Al Grassby, former Minister for Immigration, with the first broadcast in Greek. Later that month, 3EA opened in Melbourne. The initial purpose of the stations was to inform multilingual communities about proposed changes in the healthcare system brought by the new Medibank scheme.
During 1977, programming and language coverage grew to 119 hours per week in 33 languages on 2EA and 103 hours per week in 22 languages on 3EA. As SBS celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025, it continues to inform, educate and entertain all Australians in more than 60 languages.
This clip is from an Arabic broadcast on 2EA on 12 June 1975.
Watch an excerpt from a Network Ten news report from June 1977 about 2EA’s rapid growth and potential future direction.
Watch a clip from 25 Years of SBS Radio (2000) describing the early days of 2EA and 3EA and the diversity of the communities involved in their formation.
2EA image on Sounds of Australia page: Greek program presenters Sophia Catharios and Takis Kaldis. Courtesy: National Archives of Australia and SBS
This was Mr Grassby greeting you from Radio 2EA, the Voice of the Arab Community in Australia.
This was ‘Ghanno Ya Ahbab’ by the singer Samira Tawfiq.
Here is Radio 2EA, the Voice of the Arab Community in Australia.
Ladies and gentlemen, the voice of the Arab community in Australia is your only voice. It is being broadcast for a trial period of three months. The continuation of this voice depends on you. Contribute by sending your suggestions and expressing your opinion frankly about the program and its contents. This contribution and this expression will lead to the success and continuation of this radio. Radio Voice of the Arab Community in Australia.
Write to the Grassby family PO Box 39613961 GB Sydney.
Can you explain to me briefly what Medibank is? When will it start working?
Medibank is the government health insurance program, and its system will start working from 1 July 1975.
How much should I pay, for example, weekly or monthly to join Medibank?
To join Medibank, you will not pay any fees at all, because Medibank is funded by the Australian Government tax revenues.
Does this mean that Medibank is insurance for taxpayers?
No, no, Madam, Medibank insures every person in this country, taxpayers and non-taxpayers. It includes citizens, immigrants and visitors. It includes everyone at all, whether they have been in this country for five minutes, five weeks or five years.
For more information about Medibank, write to mailbox 9999.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.