Pievienots
On the 17th of February, 2016 the last SBS program in the Latvian language was broadcast. ‘This program is currently in recess’.. this news was given suddenly and without prior warning to SBS Radio Latvian language program broadcasters. Why this has happened and for how long this decision holds is unknown and remains unanswered.
We have published below an open letter sent to Mr. Colla and invite you to take a moment and join us in signing a petition at CommunityRun.org.
2016. gada 17. februārī izskanēja pēdējais SBS radio latviešu valodas raidījums. “Raidījumi tiekot atsaukti uz nezināmu laiku “ .. pēkšni un bez iepriekšējas brīdināšanas šāda ziņa tika nodota SBS radio latviešu valodas programmu vadītājiem. Kāpēc un uz cik ilgu spēkā būs šis lēmums tā arī ir palicis nezināms un neatbildēts.
LAAJ ir Austrālijā un Jaunzēlandē organizāciju jumta organizācija un tieši šie ir tie brīži, kad ir pienākums iestāties un runāt visas latviešu sabiedrības interešu vārdā.
Publicējam atklāta vēstule, kura tika nosūtīta SBS programmu menedžerim Renzo Colla kungam. Lūdzam Jums pievienot Jūsu vārdu mūsu petīcijai atrodams CommunityRun.org. vai arī sazinoties ar latviešu organizāciju virsvadītājiem Austrālijas pavalstīs.
Aicinu arī katru lasītāju rakstīt SBS radio programas menedžerim un izteikt savu viedokli par pēkšņo raidījumu pārtraukšanu.
Open letter to:
Mr. Renzo Colla
Program Manager
Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Australia
Dear Mr.Colla,
As Chairperson of the Latvian Federation of Australia and New Zealand (www.laaj.org.au), it is with great concern that I write to you in relation to your recent decision to indefinitely suspend the production and broadcasting of the Latvian language program on SBS Australia.
Latvians have had a presence in Australia since the first recorded arrival of a Latvian to these shores in 1829. The Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917 saw the first waves of Latvians arriving in Australia, as refugees. The greatest influx of Latvians to Australia was in the period 1947-1952, as refugees following the Second World War. Even today, a steady trickle of Latvian immigrants are finding their way to Australia from the European Union.
Consequently, there are currently more than 25,000 Australian residents boasting Latvian ancestry and heritage, with locally born third and fourth generation Latvians maintaining our rich, ancient culture largely through our unique language.
The one hour Latvian radio program that you have notified as suspended indefinitely, is the only regular broadcast/telecast of content in the Latvian language in Australia today.
This broadcast is the continuation of the first Latvian language broadcast in Australia on 15th. May, 1975. I note that you recently proudly celebrated 40 years of Italian language broadcasts in Australia.
Similarly, we Latvians are proud of the 40 years of Latvian broadcasting in Australia that we have enjoyed as a community.
As a community in Australia, Latvians are aware that we do not have the numbers of other, larger communities, such as the Italians or Greeks. We understand, therefore, that we cannot automatically expect to have a presence when it comes to SBS Television, and have contented ourselves with the one solitary hour on SBS Radio per week.
To remove this one hour of broadcasting from us, however, is both perplexing and unjust.
As a comparison with the broadcast/telecast programmes for the larger Italian and Greek communities, for example, let us look to the current SBS programming schedule, on a population comparison with Latvians.
According to the most recent census figures (2011), Italian born Australian residents numbered 185,400, and Greek born 99,939.
SBS programming provides a total of 35 hours and 40 minutes of broadcasts/telecasts in the Italian language, weekly. This equates to one hour of programming per 5,200 Italian born residents.
Similarly, there are 22 hours of broadcasts/telecasts in the Greek language, weekly. This equates to one hour of programming per 4,543 Greek born residents.
In comparison, Latvians have, up until now, had one hour of weekly programming per 4,675 Latvian born residents. This is in line with the exposure for Italians and Greeks, and does not seem unfair.
Cutting this figure back to zero for Latvians is neither justifiable nor acceptable.
Our Latvian community, particularly our senior members, who may not have the skills or opportunity to access other, modern media, rely on the weekly radio broadcast to keep in touch with local and international events and news in their native language.
To illustrate this, the sounds of the SBS Latvian broadcast echo through radio speakers all throughout the Retirement Community at the Latvian Friendly Society Village in Wantirna South, Melbourne, where over 120 residents eagerly await this as a weekly event.
These elderly and respected members of our community would be deprived of any such external media contact, should the Latvian programme cease to be transmitted.
The SBS Charter, provided in the SBS Act, sets out the principal functions of SBS and a number of duties it has to fulfil. The Charter, contained in Section 6 of the Special Broadcasting Services Act 1991, states: “…SBS, in performing its principal function, must: …2(d) contribute to the retention and continuing development of language and other cultural skills…”.
How can the goals of this Charter be served by suspending indefinitely the final and only broadcast available in public media for one distinct and endangered language, Latvian?
The Latvian language, together with Lithuanian, are the last two existing Indo-European languages of their branch in the world.
Does SBS Australia take responsibility for not supporting the continuation of these languages, thereby contributing to their possible extinction?
Mr.Colla, I call on you to please publicly explain your decision in suspending production and broadcast of the Latvian programme, declare your intentions in relation to the future of the Latvian broadcast, and move to reinstate regular Latvian broadcasting in your programming at your earliest convenience.
We seek nothing more than our fair share, what all of our ethnic communities now living here in Australia recognise and embrace as “a fair go”.
In the interests of keeping the Latvian community here in Australia fully informed (as we currently have no other public means to do so, since the radio broadcast is suspended), I have made this a Public Letter to you, which will be published on the Latvian Federation of Australia and New Zealand home page (www.laaj.org.au) as well as in both Australian Latvian periodicals.
I invite your prompt response, Mr.Colla, and I assure you that your response will be published, unedited, in the same media.
Yours sincerely,
Kristīne Saulītis
Chairperson
Latvian Federation of Australia and New Zealand
