Queensland town fights to keep TV set
Ok I secretly love this story, with a small country town at odds with the Digital Switchover Taskforce.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
Ok I secretly love this story, and thanks to the ABC for publishing it online.
Residents of Pentland, a small north Queensland town west of Townsville, are at odds with the Digital Switchover Taskforce, after they travelled there last year.
The taskforce gave the community a TV for residents to learn how to use the new digital satellite network.
Apparently the community thought it was theirs and built a cabinet, bought a data projector, and has been holding community TV screenings via the Pentland Progress Association (PPA). Even the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) has also been using it in clinics.
But now the taskforce wants it back but the community  has even offered to buy it.
“If they claim it’s theirs and obviously it is, we’ll give it back to them,” PPA spokesman Len Izatt said.
“I can’t see why they would spend so much money coming out here to pick it up?
“Why would they spend more money coming all the way out into the bush to collect these TVs?”
I’m not sure which is more bizzare: the fact they want it back or that Pentland never had a TV prior to this.
Can we get a miniseries out of this?
18 Responses
They would have TV’s there as they are covered by SBS, ABC, Imparja and SC TV.
Yes but this marvellous new thing accesses new channels. Amazing!
How did they git all those little people in that dang thing?
@ DK…totally agree….but I go to ABC online at least once if not a few times a day…and I missed it there….so thanks again.
This is why I love tvtonight!! Never in England would we get such a great story!!! Let them keep their new found glory boxes!!! Haha
Thanks, credit again to ABC though…..
Another story that puts this blog above the rest. Please keep us informed of the developments here, David – it’s a corker!
Meanwhile, the federal government has announced they’ll give 850 bucks a head towards “education”, for parents to spend on pokies…
But we can’t leave one community with an idiot box that has depreciated to the value of a 4 slice toaster.
See, once those nice people were exposed to the lure of TV for the first time they became addicted to its hypnotic hold on us all.
Hmmm….typical…the addy is .gov.au….
Spending more money than the TV’s are worth to collect them…money wasting….most TVs are only worth a few hundred dollars these days…write it off…for goodness sake.
Thanks for picking up on this David,,,and sharing….sharing is caring…. 🙂
I’ve heard of a one horse town, but not a one TV town!
i love this story. Working Dog need to make the movie
Hahahaha. Yes that’d be fun!
Good story, hope we here more!
In many ways they’re better off without the thing…
Greatest story ever!!!
What about a documentary?
P.S. Thank you David for this story. I hope they are allowed to buy it.
Show some goodwill to a small town.Let them keep it!