BBC World Service Australasia

BBC for Australasia is the BBC's international news service tailored to Australia and New Zealand. The programme carries the English-language news, current affairs and features of the World Service, scheduled for listeners in the Pacific time zones, with reports on global developments, business, science and culture. The tone is calm and impartial, and the coverage looks at world stories as well as events relevant to the region.

The BBC World Service began in 1932 as the Empire Service and has grown into one of the most widely listened-to international broadcasters, reaching audiences through shortwave, FM relays, satellite and the internet. For many listeners in the Pacific, it is a way to follow international news from a British perspective. As a public service of the BBC, the content is not commercially sponsored. The programming is largely speech, with documentaries, discussions and interviews, and the clear English suits learners. This stream is delivered as MP3 at 56 kbps, a low bitrate that keeps speech intelligible while using very little data, which suits slow connections and long-distance feeds. It plays in your browser on RadioKite without installation, and you can add it to your favourites for international news in the Antipodean day.