Television Sydney
Encyclopedia
TVS, or Television Sydney (http://www.tvs.tv), is a free-to-air community television station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia.
the Australian Government agreed to temporarily allocate TVS (and the other capital city Community Television channels) an additional (digital) channel so they could simulcast
in the period up until the end of 2013 when analogue television will be turned off. TVS announced in December 2009 that it had appointed Broadcast Australia as its digital service provider and officially began simulcasting on Monday 1 March 2010 on Logical Channel Number 44.
Since February 2009 TVS has simultaneously streamed its service via the internet. At the time Chief Executive, Laurie Patton
, said the decision to transmit live via the web was part of the station’s long term strategy to be available across all distribution platforms.
In 2009 the Australian Communications and Media Authority
approved the station's request for the renewal of its broadcasting licence for a five year period ending 22 April 2014.
When it commenced on air operations TVS was Sydney's first new permanent free-to-air TV channel in twenty-five years. It is backed by the University of Western Sydney
(UWS) and Metro Screen
.
).
TVS uses the same Broadcast Australia tower as the ABC
and SBS
located at Gore Hill. The channel provides coverage across most of Sydney, with reports of clear reception from locations as far south as Wollongong, in the lower Blue Mountains and on the Central Coast. The analogue transmitter is slightly weaker than that of SBS, however some viewers report stronger signal reception for TVS than for SBS. Its Digital 44 service has coverage that is equivalent to SBS (and the other free-to-airs), except that TVS does not have a number of in-fill repeaters that boost signals in some "black spots".
TVS has a broadcast operations centre on the UWS Penrith campus. The station's digital automation system is based on the Playbox (http://www.playbox.tv) software.
The focus is on Sydney-specific programming with some programs sourced from interstate community channels and from professional program makers. As at February 2010 more than forty percent of the channel's programs were Sydney produced with a further thirty percent drawn from interstate community based producers.
The station screens feature films in the public domain
on weekday mornings and in prime time
on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. On Friday nights TVS screens horror and science fiction films on the Schlocky Horror Picture Show hosted by a skeleton named Nigel Honeybone.
Not-for-profit community based producers receive free program airtime. TVS has announced the creation of the Television Sydney Foundation whose aim is to secure philanthropic donations that will be used to support the development of local programming. Former TVS CEO Laurie Patton
is the Foundation's Executive Director.
A number of programs are supplied by UWS, such as "Histrionics" (a history quiz show featuring local High School students), "Angle" (a news and current affairs program made by students from the School of Communication Arts) and "Dare I Ask?" (co-produced with Metro Screen
).
The TVS program schedule is based on a "modified wheel" concept where programs are run several times in the same week to allow audiences a choice of viewing times. The station's program line-up is published on its website, in most Australian electronic program guide
s (EPG's) and in the Sydney Morning Herald and Daily Telegraph newspapers.
TVS accepts sponsorship advertising, limited to seven minutes per hour. It also sells program airtime (a maximum of eight hours per day as permitted under its licence conditions).
executive Laurie Patton
as CEO, Henri de Gorter as Program Manager and Adrian Alback (later Ian Sneddon) as Operations Manager.
The original TVS Chairperson was UWS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Janice Reid AM and later UWS Deputy Chancellor Geoffrey Roberson. In August 2010, TVS announced the appointment of a new chairperson Harold Mitchell and a new CEO Rachel Bentley.
TVS was a founding member of the Australian Community Television Alliance
(ACTA), the official sector representative. Then CEO Laurie Patton
was the inaugural Secretary of ACTA and the sector's representative on the Government's Digital Switchover Taskforce Industry Advisory Group.
History
Transmissions officially commenced on analogue UHF channel 31 in February 2006 after three months of technical trials. In November 2009the Australian Government agreed to temporarily allocate TVS (and the other capital city Community Television channels) an additional (digital) channel so they could simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
in the period up until the end of 2013 when analogue television will be turned off. TVS announced in December 2009 that it had appointed Broadcast Australia as its digital service provider and officially began simulcasting on Monday 1 March 2010 on Logical Channel Number 44.
Since February 2009 TVS has simultaneously streamed its service via the internet. At the time Chief Executive, Laurie Patton
Laurie Patton
Laurie Patton is an Australian media, IT and events industry executive. In 2010 he was a member of an Expert Panel for a review of the Australian Government's investment in the Indigenous broadcasting and media sector...
, said the decision to transmit live via the web was part of the station’s long term strategy to be available across all distribution platforms.
In 2009 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...
approved the station's request for the renewal of its broadcasting licence for a five year period ending 22 April 2014.
When it commenced on air operations TVS was Sydney's first new permanent free-to-air TV channel in twenty-five years. It is backed by the University of Western Sydney
University of Western Sydney
The University of Western Sydney, also known as UWS, is a multi-campus university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
(UWS) and Metro Screen
Metro Screen
Metro Screen is a Paddington, Sydney based not-for-profit film and television training organisation. It is the NSW member of Screen Development Australia and is located in the Paddington Town Hall, Cnr Oxford St & Oatley Rd, Paddington....
.
Broadcast programs
TVS broadcasts twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. Despite a very limited marketing budget the channel is progressively creating a loyal audience. TVS recorded continual increases in cumulative audience numbers during the first few years. However, as digital take-up in Sydney increased the channel reported a leveling off of audience growth during 2009. When it launched its digital service in early 2010 audience levels began to increase again with a 15 percent increase in the first month (source OzTAMOzTAM
OzTAM is an Australian audience measurement research firm that collects and markets television ratings data. It is jointly owned by the Seven Network, the Nine Network and Network Ten, and is the official source of television ratings data for all metropolitan television in Sydney, Melbourne,...
).
TVS uses the same Broadcast Australia tower as the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
and SBS
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
located at Gore Hill. The channel provides coverage across most of Sydney, with reports of clear reception from locations as far south as Wollongong, in the lower Blue Mountains and on the Central Coast. The analogue transmitter is slightly weaker than that of SBS, however some viewers report stronger signal reception for TVS than for SBS. Its Digital 44 service has coverage that is equivalent to SBS (and the other free-to-airs), except that TVS does not have a number of in-fill repeaters that boost signals in some "black spots".
TVS has a broadcast operations centre on the UWS Penrith campus. The station's digital automation system is based on the Playbox (http://www.playbox.tv) software.
The focus is on Sydney-specific programming with some programs sourced from interstate community channels and from professional program makers. As at February 2010 more than forty percent of the channel's programs were Sydney produced with a further thirty percent drawn from interstate community based producers.
The station screens feature films in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
on weekday mornings and in prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. On Friday nights TVS screens horror and science fiction films on the Schlocky Horror Picture Show hosted by a skeleton named Nigel Honeybone.
Not-for-profit community based producers receive free program airtime. TVS has announced the creation of the Television Sydney Foundation whose aim is to secure philanthropic donations that will be used to support the development of local programming. Former TVS CEO Laurie Patton
Laurie Patton
Laurie Patton is an Australian media, IT and events industry executive. In 2010 he was a member of an Expert Panel for a review of the Australian Government's investment in the Indigenous broadcasting and media sector...
is the Foundation's Executive Director.
A number of programs are supplied by UWS, such as "Histrionics" (a history quiz show featuring local High School students), "Angle" (a news and current affairs program made by students from the School of Communication Arts) and "Dare I Ask?" (co-produced with Metro Screen
Metro Screen
Metro Screen is a Paddington, Sydney based not-for-profit film and television training organisation. It is the NSW member of Screen Development Australia and is located in the Paddington Town Hall, Cnr Oxford St & Oatley Rd, Paddington....
).
The TVS program schedule is based on a "modified wheel" concept where programs are run several times in the same week to allow audiences a choice of viewing times. The station's program line-up is published on its website, in most Australian electronic program guide
Electronic program guide
Electronic program guides and interactive program guides provide users of television, radio, and other media applications with continuously updated menus displaying broadcast programming or scheduling information for current and upcoming programming...
s (EPG's) and in the Sydney Morning Herald and Daily Telegraph newspapers.
TVS accepts sponsorship advertising, limited to seven minutes per hour. It also sells program airtime (a maximum of eight hours per day as permitted under its licence conditions).
Staffing and management
The channel has a small team of paid employees and volunteers (many of them media students) and was initially headed up by former Seven NetworkSeven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
executive Laurie Patton
Laurie Patton
Laurie Patton is an Australian media, IT and events industry executive. In 2010 he was a member of an Expert Panel for a review of the Australian Government's investment in the Indigenous broadcasting and media sector...
as CEO, Henri de Gorter as Program Manager and Adrian Alback (later Ian Sneddon) as Operations Manager.
The original TVS Chairperson was UWS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Janice Reid AM and later UWS Deputy Chancellor Geoffrey Roberson. In August 2010, TVS announced the appointment of a new chairperson Harold Mitchell and a new CEO Rachel Bentley.
TVS was a founding member of the Australian Community Television Alliance
Australian 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...
(ACTA), the official sector representative. Then CEO Laurie Patton
Laurie Patton
Laurie Patton is an Australian media, IT and events industry executive. In 2010 he was a member of an Expert Panel for a review of the Australian Government's investment in the Indigenous broadcasting and media sector...
was the inaugural Secretary of ACTA and the sector's representative on the Government's Digital Switchover Taskforce Industry Advisory Group.
External links
See also
- Television broadcasting in Australia
- Channel 31
- Australian Community Television AllianceAustralian Community Television AllianceThe 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...