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ABC Radio National is an Australia-wide non-commercial radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. On air, the network styles itself "RN". Radio National broadcasts national programming in subjects that include news and current affairs, the arts, social issues, science, drama and comedy. Some programs are relayed on Radio Australia, the ABC's international free-to-air shortwave service. Radio National currently has 327 transmitter sites and covers over 98% of the permanently inhabited areas of Australia. Remote areas are served by satellite service. All radio programs are available for live streaming over the Internet, and most (excluding drama, poetry and music) as audio-on-demand, or for download as MP3s for at least four weeks after broadcast. Some programs are available as MP3s going back to 2005, when Radio National commenced podcasting. About 25% of shows, mainly the flagship weekly shows, have written transcripts archived back to 1996. ==History== From 1928, the National Broadcasting Service, as part of the federal Postmaster-General's Department, gradually took over responsibility for all the existing stations that were sponsored by public licence fees ("A" Class licences). The outsourced Australian Broadcasting Company supplied programs from 1929. In 1932 a commission was established, merging the original ABC company and the National Broadcasting Service. It is from this time that Radio National dates as a distinct network within the ABC, in which a system of program relays was developed during the subsequent decades to link stations spread across the nation. Radio National's Sydney station 2FC〔2FC radio mast at Willoughby http://naa16.naa.gov.au/rs_images/ShowImage.php?B=3025014&S=1&T=P National Archives of Australia c. 1920 Retrieved 2008-12-18〕 first test broadcast on 5 December 1923 and officially went to air on 9 January 1924. 2FC stood for Farmer and Company, the original owner of the station before the ABC took it over. The origins of the other stations in the network were: :3AR Melbourne – 26 January 1924 "Associated Radio Company of Australia", organized by Esmond Laurence Kiernan and others.〔(On This Day ) Vic Parliament〕〔(Aussie Callsigns ) at RadioDX〕 :5CL Adelaide – 20 November 1924 "Central Broadcasters Ltd" :7ZL Hobart – 17 December 1924 :4QG Brisbane – 27 July 1925 "Queensland Government" (operated by the Quennsland Radio Service, an agency within the Office of the Chief Secretary) :6WN Perth – 5 October 1938 "Wanneroo" :2CY Canberra – 23 December 1938 :2NA Newcastle – 20 December 1943 The first transmitters for 2FC, 5CL and 4QG were made by AWA with power of 5 kW (note that until about 1931 in Australia, transmitter powers were defined in terms of DC input to final amplifier, typically about 3 times that of the power into the antenna; thus power today would be stated as about 1.7 kW). They used a MT7A valve for the final high power RF stage and a MT7B for the modulator. The power supply was 12000 volts from three phase power rectified by MR7 valves. Note also that 4QG commenced with a 500 Watt transmitter which continued for about 6 months until the 5 kW unit was commissioned. The radio transmitters for 3AR and 2FC were upgraded to 10 kW in a contract let in 1938 to STC. The transmitters were designed by Charles Strong in London, and were notable in using negative feedback to ensure a high quality flat frequency response. From 1947 until the mid-1980s, "Radio 2" (as it came to be known) was broadcast to the major metropolitan centres, with a large broadcast footprint in adjacent areas due to the powerful AM transmitters in use. It contained most of the ABC's national programming. The power level of 2FC 3AR and 5CL was upgraded to 50 kW in the early 1950s. The transmitters for these were housed in the same building as the radio 1 network. They were manufactured by STC. The final stage contained three parallel 3J/261E air cooled triodes running in class C amplifier at 90% efficiency. These were driven by a class B modulator with the same type of valves. In the 1970s, the network's program format began to take on a more serious tone, a style which continues to this day. Art critic Peter Timm later remarked that the network is "virtually the only non-print media forum for art in this country."〔Timms, Peter. ''What's wrong with contemporary art?'' 2004, UNSW Press, ISBN 0-86840-407-1, p. 102〕 In the early 1980s the broadcast footprint was extended with the construction of the first of over 300 regional FM transmitters (including community re-broadcast sites). In 1985, the ABC renamed "Radio 2" as "Radio National". Since 1990, all Radio National stations have had the same callsign format, Radio National preceded by the appropriate number for the state or territory, sometimes followed by the locality (e.g., "2RN Sydney", "3RN Melbourne"). As a result of cuts in the 1996–97 budget, Radio National was hit with a reduction of a million dollars in its funding, with a significant impact on programming.〔(Budget Review 1996-97 ) Parliament House〕 In January 2012 Radio National was rebranded as RN, partly in recognition of the stations growing digital audience. RN has also been used as shorthand for the station's name by many presenters going back several years. The stations tagline, which has changed regularly over the years, was also changed to "Your World Unfolding" to mesh with the station's new logo and viual identity. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Radio National」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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