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Switch-off for Community TV looming

Still-standing C31 Melbourne & C44 Adelaide rally against a June 30 deadline.

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Community broadcasters C31 Melbourne and C44 Adelaide are standing firm in the wake of confirmation this week that Communications Minister Paul Fletcher will proceed with a June 30 spectrum switch-off for the sector.

In a joint statement they said, “Confirmation of the Government’s decision follows the recent closure of WTV Perth last week – a terrible loss for local arts, journalism and education in WA – however we are encouraged by the strength of the support that still exists for Community TV.

“Despite six years of instability caused by a series of chaotic last-minute and short-term reprieves and forgoing $3.5m in lost revenue due to this ongoing uncertainty, both Melbourne and Adelaide stations have continued to provide an important, vibrant and diverse contribution to Australia’s cultural fabric.”

The government’s plan to switch off Community TV has dragged on for 6 years. In 2014 then-Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull ordered all broadcasters to move to an online model. But pleas from the community led to multiple extensions.

Both C31 Melbourne and C44 Adelaide believe there is no alternative use planned for the spectrum they currently occupy for many years to come and that their departure from the airwaves is of no benefit to the public.

Last year Community TV stations aired over 150 locally produced shows per week, involving over 1000 volunteers, with no government funding.

“We sincerely believe the Government does not intend to oversee the loss of Community TV in Australia and we look forward to an opportunity to meet with Minister Fletcher to discuss a way forward for the remaining broadcasters.”

10 Responses

  1. There is some unique programming on the metropolitan community channels that are not made or shown on the major networks. In other countries, there is an abundance of metropolitan community and regional focused channels, though they are mostly online streams.

    The only issue with online streaming I can think of is that it could get lost or be hard to find, especially when online streaming community channels are not common in Australia like they are overseas. A possible compromise could be to add them to the Freeview streaming list and have them all available nationwide for people interstate and regionally to watch programming from other metropolitan communities too, for aiding diplomacy, community and business links, and programming choices. That way, they would still be in a somewhat mainstream location.

  2. No room on the spectrum for stations that air 100% Australian content and is a training ground for presenters, writers, editors, producers, directors, camera operators, sound engineers, make up artists, lighting people, etc. Yet there’s room for 11Peaches, OneBoldBoss, 9Go, 7Maaaate, and 7(occasionallyweshow)Flix that show endless reruns of American sitcoms

    1. … I guess in the same way that the smaller metro and regional stations were “a training ground for presenters, writers, editors, producers, directors, camera operators, sound engineers, make up artists, lighting people, etc.” until a couple of politicians decided to put an end to all of that to satisfy the Sydney-based moguls … it’s how I got my start in the industry and I feel really sorry for those who would love to get into it, but find no opportunity … but try telling politicians from any party to stop fiddling with the media industry to suit their mates (good luck with that!!!).

  4. “In 2014 then-Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull ordered all broadcasters to move to an online model.” … after former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy kicked community television off the “sixth channel” effective from 31 December 2014 in his Convergence Review released in 2012. Anyone taking bets on what the Libs have in mind for that spectrum now? My two-bob’s worth is that they will make it available to broadcast the Sky-WIN news channel into metro areas.

    1. A digital TV bouquet occupies a bandwidth of 7MHz. All FTA DVB channels have each a bandwidth of 7MHz. Depending on whether the content is SD or HD, each broadcaster only has 7MHz.

      For example Network 10 has one HD channel (the main), and five SD channels: main (SD), Peach (SD), Bold (SD), Spree (SD) and TVSN (SD). Nine has two HD channels main and gem, and four SD channels: main, gem, go, life.

      If you are betting your “two bob’s worth” that the spare channel will be used to broadcast Sky/Win in Sydney, that’s one channel in a multichannel bouquet for a given frequency. Whoever has this channel can add additional channels such that the total number of channels occupies no more than 7MHz bandwidth.

      There may be licensing issues if a community broadcaster other than Sky/Win wishes to share the Sky/Win bouquet and there may be issue of whether Sky/Win will want to share…

  6. I miss Sydney’s C44 emanating from UWS’s campus, transmitted from Gore Hill. I recall the excuse to terminate C44 was to release spectrum for mobile phone communications. C44’s frequency was 564.5MHz.

    The assumption by the then Minister was that the future of community television would be online. Online TV is a high bandwidth medium and many people cannot afford high bandwidth plans. The result is excluding a community good into fewer hands.

    However, the future of mobile communications is 5G which is in the 25GHz band and there may not be a need for 565.4MHz. I am sure that with enough lobbying community tv could return to the air.

    Thank you,
    Anthony of exciting Belfield

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