ABC TV, SBS and commercial broadcasters have been restored to the Bendigo region after new transmission equipment was installed to replace the fire-damaged infrastructure at Mt Alexander.<\/p>\n
ABC radio is on track for service restoration later this week.<\/p>\n
The new transmission equipment tested today sees the restoration of all ABC TV, including the main ABC channel, ABC News, ABC Entertains and ABC Kids in time for tonight\u2019s evening news.<\/p>\n
ABC TV, SBS, and commercial broadcasters will remain on-air with a footprint that is smaller than pre-fire conditions and the signal may be unstable initially. This is expected to improve in coming days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If TV viewers have difficulty accessing their television channels, they are advised to rescan their TV sets to ensure a signal is received.<\/p>\n
Local Radio, triple j, Classic, and News Radio are expected to be back to their regular frequencies by Friday, but will have a smaller footprint until services can be restored to full power in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has been a tremendous collaboration between all the broadcasters and BAI to get transmission services restored after the Bendigo fires,\u201d said Damian Cronan, ABC Chief Digital and Information Officer.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrucks arrived in Bendigo early this week with an array of transmission hardware, and teams from BAI have now finalised the connection and testing of new equipment to ensure the community gets back its ABC.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce we have all our services back on air, we will then focus on how quickly we can get back to full power.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thank the community for its patience and will continue to update as we know more.\u201d<\/p>\n
What audiences should know<\/p>\n
Restoration is a progressive process, expect poorer quality and reduced transmission reliability at first.\u00a0You may need to rescan your TV to ensure ABC services return.\u00a0Communities near the Victoria\u2014NSW border north of Bendigo and the Daylesford region may experience ongoing reception issues until full power is restored.\u00a0Audiences can also listen to radio services on the ABC Listen app\u00a0and watch TV via ABC iview where internet is available.Our teams are working around the clock to restore reliable transmission services as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n