Richard BF

The ABA have decided to cancel the temporary license for Sydney based community TV station C-31. Community media, such as radio and television, are an important independent and alternative voice to the mainstream media. Think of them as a local mini-ABC or SBS. The ABA have granted the UHF 31 permanent license to TVS (Television Sydney), an organisation of academic institutions, including AFTRS (Australian Film Television and Radio School), who while having extensive television background, have never been involved in community television. Meanwhile, C-31 will be forced off air for 8 months until TVS are up and running. Here’s a SMH story about the cancellation which leans slightly towards C-31, written by UTS journalism student Sunanda Creagh.

While C-31 have done a fair job holding the frequency for these past however many years, perhaps it is time we started to take community television seriously. I’m not saying that an AFTRS affiliated group is the best way to go, but it must be a step forward from C-31 whose web site was last updated in 1995, or you can go to their non-existent…

much more official-looking CTS home page

There is also a transitional 1996 CAT TV web site, which points you to the correct non-existent web site.

In a 4 September 2003 response to the ABA, C-31 explained their lack of minutes for the past 4 years (Q2.2), no clear program approval policy (Q2.3/Q2.10), and inequality in voting rights (Q2.4), amongst others. I’m not sure who to blame, but the members should be up in arms about not just failing to get a license, but their board failing to meet a number of minimum requirements for the existence of a community based group.

Community television in Australia has had a long history, but until now, the ABA haven’t assigned or taken seriously, the need for a permanent and professional looking community television station. OptusVision came close, when as part of their cable license, Optus were required to fund a community cable station, which was run in-house. Unfortunately it went under with Optus cable.

In Melbourne, in what has seemed to be a succession of channel 31 groups over the last two decades, there is Channel 31, who have a fucked up frames and tables based web site, minimum fixed width 740 pixels, some weird gif animation wasting 70% of their screen real estate, and it gets worse when you try to click on something. Sure, it’s a community group, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be a little more professional about it.

In August 2002, FACTS (Federation of Australian Commericial Television Stations), now called CTVA (Commercial Television Australia), complained to the ABA, about C-31 in Sydney and Melbourne selling airtime to RTV (Renaissance TV), community television for the 50+ age group. The ABA replied that community television didn’t come under the commercial regulations violated by the complaint, but at least the commercial stations are taking notice.

For more information, check out the ABA’s Community licenses page, or you can view the actual license applications on their Sydney community TV applications page.

Community radio and television. You don’t have to listen to it, but it is important for your right to freedom of expression that you at least support it.