The Federal Government has – at last – announced a digital future for Community Television.
It really is not before time, even given the complexities involved. As long ago as June 2007, I wrote about how community television – which has a devoted band of followers and is an important training ground for the industry – was doomed to a slow “fade out” as viewers switched to digital television equipment. Community stations were not granted the spectrum to allow them to simulcast their services in digital as well as analogue, meaning that for quite a while the transition to digital television actually meant a reduction in diversity for Australian viewers.
There have been various suggestions floated, including striking a deal with commercial broadcasters to carry the Community television signal.
Well, now we know. The community sector will get the so called Channel A spectrum, which was once set aside by former Minister for Communications, Senator Helen Coonan, for the nonsense of “datacasting” – a limited service designed around nothing more profound than not upsetting the existing broadcasters’ business models too much. As reports in today’s papers about the debt position of Channels Nine and Seven suggest, it is probably too late to worry about their business models.
So good news for Community Television, but also significant because it is the first small step on the road to carving up the spectrum in the wake of the digital move. Expect much, much more on this carve-up in the years ahead.
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I suppose it’s been costed somehow, but the “$2.6m” allocated “to enable the community sector to meet the costs of commencing digital simulcasts” seems awfully low.
I wonder if there are any unfunded costs that will need to be covered? Anyone?
Hello Fergus,
You are correct on the amount $2.6m for community television digital transition. There are other costs that will be involved for this transition, but the peak body and community television sector will not say what they are. If we look back at the Federal Coalition pledging $10m if they got back in office, we as a public of interested in where our tax dollars go and why was thier contribution so high? What really happened was Senator Conroy settled for the cheaper out; meaning there was another proposal that offered more opportunity to have a real third-tier community television service that could grow to other areas, along with a requested dollar from the federal government to establish a newly designed and fully-functional television broadcast service in the initial amount of $8m followed by a $2.5 five-year federal government support after the second year to assist in the stablizing the new Peak Body and community television operations in the five metro areas. After the five year period of supported $2.5m per year the new services would be sufficiently financially stable along with each community television to operate void any further federal funding and still grow the industry’s expansion to other areas of Australia; equalling some $20.5m for a five year period. This would have solidified the community television industry, provided increased jobs, offer full production, training, broadcasting and future development to strengthen the entire Australian television industry from where it should be set; at the third-tier level. However, after much lobbying efforts and clearly defined business plan the federal government under Senator Conroy chose a cheaper and simpler pathway that would settle all controversy of the Coalitions’ offer of $10m and the current community television stations’ complaints of the community television industry being neglected. However being able to now simulcast in both analogue and digital spectrum, the licences for the digital is only temporary until 2013. Let’s just see what will transpire with community television seeking either more federal, state funding, local government and even direct funding and donations from the public from a service that has yet met its fully-focused philosophy as a community television broadcaster. Current community television operators fail to see that the dollars they have been seeking since 1994 and are getting in the amount of $2.6m does belong to the public and should make every effort to conform to this principle of representing their public interest, and not that of commercialism. Watch the news for more public support for ascertaining the real interest by the Australian public concerning the existence of the present community television industry operations, or do they want a change to only serve the local public’s interest and relevance.
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