Community television
Encyclopedia
Australia's Community Television is a form of Citizen media
much like Public Access Television in the United States and the Community Channel in Canada. In principle, community television is another model of facilitating media production and involvement by private citizens.
worked together with various community groups to establish a number of video production centres that could be used to produce Australian television programs. Many people began using these production centres, as well as their own resources, to make television programs. It was still difficult for these programs to be screened on commercial or government-funded television. It has been suggested that this was because the programs were thought to be too short, long or different from the programs already showing.
Whilst community radio stations were quickly established around Australia, community television took longer to develop. During 1984, a Perth based community group unsuccessfully applied for a community television licence. In the late 1980s in Alice Springs, Imparja Television
(now a commercial station) was established. In 1987, RMITV
was set up by students at RMIT University
in Melbourne. This became the first community television station to receive a test transmission permit.
In 1992, the Government asked the ABA to conduct a trial of community television using the vacant sixth television channel (UHF 31 in capital cities). Community television services have been provided on a trial basis since 1994 under the open narrowcast 'class licence'. These licences are issued on the condition that they are used only for community and educational non-profit purposes. Currently, these class licences are held in Melbourne, Brisbane, Lismore and Adelaide .
In 2002, the legislation was changed to introduce new community television licences and in 2004 the first licences were issued in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane.
terrestrial reception. Holders of a Community Television (CTV) licence must conform to various rules, primarily relating to advertising and to a lesser extent, program content. They are licensed by, and regulated by, the Australian Communications and Media Authority
(ACMA).
In the strictest sense of the term, Australian Community TV is these officially licensed stations and their programming. However, there are a number of stations and distributors that release similar content - but they are not subject to government regulation.
, 31 Brisbane, C31 Melbourne
, West TV
, TVS Sydney
, LINCTV Lismore
, Bushvision Mount Gambier. In Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and the remote communities, the stations have ongoing licences. The stations in Adelaide, Lismore and Mount Gambier currently have trial licences.
Other quasi community television channels include Aurora Community TV
, Ballarat Community Cable TV, ChannelVision (in Canberra
), Goolarri TV (in Broome
), iTV64 (in Darwin
), Satellite Community TV, TV Norfolk (on Norfolk Island
) and Westlink. Other distributors of this style of programming include YouTube
and Google Video
.
.
Community TV is funded by a mixture of sponsorship, subscriptions and donations, membership fees, grants, merchandise sales and sale of air time to program providers. It receives no regular national government funding. Many programs are paid for by the producers themselves.
The audience reach is over 5 million Australians, based on surveys, research and ratings (2001-2004) [1].
The Antenna Awards were established in 2004 and have been announced in each of the subsequent years. [1] Melbourne Community Television Consortium and Community Broadcasting Association of Australia Information Kit: Community Television in Australia 2004
A special emphasis of community TV is the provision of programs in an increasing range of community languages and about community cultures. Over twenty languages groups, many from newly migrant and refugee communities, are broadcast regularly by the CTV stations. Australian Community Television producers are often also producers of other community media. Examples are:
SYN
and Arts Community Television.
Citizen media
The term citizen media refers to forms of content produced by private citizens who are otherwise not professional journalists. Citizen journalism, participatory media and democratic media are related principles.-Principles of citizen media:...
much like Public Access Television in the United States and the Community Channel in Canada. In principle, community television is another model of facilitating media production and involvement by private citizens.
History
In the early 1970s, the Australia CouncilAustralia Council
The Australia Council, informally known as the Australia Council for the Arts, is the official arts council or arts funding body of the Government of Australia.-Function:...
worked together with various community groups to establish a number of video production centres that could be used to produce Australian television programs. Many people began using these production centres, as well as their own resources, to make television programs. It was still difficult for these programs to be screened on commercial or government-funded television. It has been suggested that this was because the programs were thought to be too short, long or different from the programs already showing.
Whilst community radio stations were quickly established around Australia, community television took longer to develop. During 1984, a Perth based community group unsuccessfully applied for a community television licence. In the late 1980s in Alice Springs, Imparja Television
Imparja Television
Imparja Television is an Australian television network servicing remote eastern and central Australia, that began broadcasting on 2 January 1988. It is based in Alice Springs, where it has a studio and satellite uplink facility. Notably, it is controlled by Australian Aborigines through ownership...
(now a commercial station) was established. In 1987, RMITV
RMITV
RMITV is a not-for-profit community access television production facility based at RMIT University City Campus in Melbourne, Australia.It is one of the members of the Melbourne Community Television Consortium; the not-for-profit consortium that operates the community access channel Channel 31 in...
was set up by students at RMIT University
RMIT University
RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
in Melbourne. This became the first community television station to receive a test transmission permit.
In 1992, the Government asked the ABA to conduct a trial of community television using the vacant sixth television channel (UHF 31 in capital cities). Community television services have been provided on a trial basis since 1994 under the open narrowcast 'class licence'. These licences are issued on the condition that they are used only for community and educational non-profit purposes. Currently, these class licences are held in Melbourne, Brisbane, Lismore and Adelaide .
In 2002, the legislation was changed to introduce new community television licences and in 2004 the first licences were issued in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Licencing
Australia has a special type of broadcasting licence for community television which is available via free-to-airFree-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
terrestrial reception. Holders of a Community Television (CTV) licence must conform to various rules, primarily relating to advertising and to a lesser extent, program content. They are licensed by, and regulated by, the Australian Communications and Media Authority
Australian Communications and Media Authority
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is an Australian government statutory authority within the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy portfolio...
(ACMA).
In the strictest sense of the term, Australian Community TV is these officially licensed stations and their programming. However, there are a number of stations and distributors that release similar content - but they are not subject to government regulation.
Stations
Currently the following TV stations have Community Television Licences; C31 AdelaideC31 Adelaide
44 Adelaide is a community television station broadcasting in Adelaide, South Australia on the Channel 31 frequency since 23 April 2004. It was previously known as C31 before it started transmitting in Digital....
, 31 Brisbane, C31 Melbourne
Channel 31 Melbourne
C31 Melbourne, formally known as Channel 31 Melbourne , is a public television station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-The Channel:Its signal is transmitted from Mt...
, West TV
West TV
West TV or WTV, previously New Visions 31, is a free-to-air community television station that began broadcasting in standard definition digital format on logical channel 44 in Perth on 10 April 2010 at 10 am.-History:...
, TVS Sydney
Television Sydney
TVS, or Television Sydney , is a free-to-air community television station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia.-History:Transmissions officially commenced on analogue UHF channel 31 in February 2006 after three months of technical trials...
, LINCTV Lismore
LINC TV
LINC TV, is a free-to-air community television station broadcasting in Lismore, Australia. Its is broadcast on UHF Channel 68 in analog.The Australian Government hasn't allocated a channel for regional community TV stations so LINC TV has ceased comissioning new content and may be off the air early...
, Bushvision Mount Gambier. In Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and the remote communities, the stations have ongoing licences. The stations in Adelaide, Lismore and Mount Gambier currently have trial licences.
Other quasi community television channels include Aurora Community TV
Aurora Community Television
Aurora Community Channel is an Australian subscription television channel that screens locally produced community television programs. It was launched on the 1 March, on the Foxtel, Austar and Optus Digital Networks and can be found on channel 183...
, Ballarat Community Cable TV, ChannelVision (in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
), Goolarri TV (in Broome
Broome, Western Australia
Broome is a pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The year round population is approximately 14,436, growing to more than 45,000 per month during the tourist season...
), iTV64 (in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
), Satellite Community TV, TV Norfolk (on Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
) and Westlink. Other distributors of this style of programming include YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and Google Video
Google Video
Google Videos is a video search engine, and formerly a free video sharing website, from Google Inc. Before removing user-uploaded content, the service allowed selected videos to be remotely embedded on other websites and provided the necessary HTML code alongside the media, similar to YouTube...
.
Community Support
Community television programs are most often made by amateurs about their own communities and special and diverse interests. In other cases, companies produce the programs. The sector is represented by the Australian Community Television AllianceAustralian Community Television Alliance
The Australian Community Television Alliance is a not-for-profit industry association representing free-to-air community television channels licensed by the Australian Government under the Cth...
.
Community TV is funded by a mixture of sponsorship, subscriptions and donations, membership fees, grants, merchandise sales and sale of air time to program providers. It receives no regular national government funding. Many programs are paid for by the producers themselves.
The audience reach is over 5 million Australians, based on surveys, research and ratings (2001-2004) [1].
The Antenna Awards were established in 2004 and have been announced in each of the subsequent years. [1] Melbourne Community Television Consortium and Community Broadcasting Association of Australia Information Kit: Community Television in Australia 2004
A special emphasis of community TV is the provision of programs in an increasing range of community languages and about community cultures. Over twenty languages groups, many from newly migrant and refugee communities, are broadcast regularly by the CTV stations. Australian Community Television producers are often also producers of other community media. Examples are:
SYN
Student Youth Network
SYN Media is a youth-run media organisation that provides training and broadcast opportunities for young people.Commonly referred to as SYN, the organisation produces new and independent media that is made by and for Melbourne's young people...
and Arts Community Television.
See also
- Citizen mediaCitizen mediaThe term citizen media refers to forms of content produced by private citizens who are otherwise not professional journalists. Citizen journalism, participatory media and democratic media are related principles.-Principles of citizen media:...
- Public access television (US)
- Community channel (Canada)
- Community channel (UK)
- Community mediaCommunity mediaCommunity media is any form of media that is created and controlled by a community, either a geographic community or a community of identity or interest. Community media is separate from commercial media, state run media, or public broadcasting. The fundamental premise is to engage those groups...
- Citizen journalismCitizen journalismCitizen journalism is the concept of members of the public "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information," according to the seminal 2003 report We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information...
- Amateur televisionAmateur televisionAmateur television is the transmission of Broadcast quality video and audio over the wide range of frequencies of allocated for Radio amateur use. ATV is used for non-commercial experimentation, pleasure and public service events...
- Community radioCommunity radioCommunity radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
- Channel 31
External links
- The Global Village CAT — links to 700 Community & Public Access Television sites worldwide
- Community Television at Broadcast Australia
- Should community TV be state-wide?