AUCKLAND (Radio New Zealand International/ Pacific Media Watch): Radio New Zealand International is moving from its one analogue-only transmitter operation to a dual digital and analogue transmitter, affecting current RNZI listeners in the Pacific region.
A statement published online by RNZI manager Linden Clark said the change would come into affect on July 1, 2016, and the radio station would be swapping between its digital short-wave and analogue short-wave modes throughout each day.
“The move to a one-transmitter operation will result in a reduced service to current individual short-wave listeners in the region. RNZI will still broadcast in analogue short-wave for extensive periods of each day, but there won't be a 24 hour service as there has been. This is likely to be most felt during breakfast hours when we will need to broadcast a digital signal for relaying stations, rather than an analogue one.”
“RNZI has made the decision not to replace the old short-wave transmitter, but to instead maximize the flexibility of our newer short-wave transmitter by using either its analogue or digital mode to deliver to different audiences at different times of the day."
Clark said the radio organisation remained committed to covering weather warnings during typical seasons in the Pacific.
In the statement, she said: “Our role in warning about, and covering, cyclones remains especially important. During cyclone season, RNZI has the flexibility to choose to broadcast entirely in analogue if we need to temporarily provide a fulltime service to individual listeners."
Listeners in the region can still tune into the radio station and its content online.
RNZI analogue and digital frequency schedule is available at www.rnzi.com along with updated broadcast times.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3
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