This seems like cruel and unusual punishment.
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Talk about last minute.
Wonder why theyāve made the call for another extension - maybe thereās enough votes in it in the right seats?
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Oh for peteās sake!!
Hereās the thing, the government could negotiate a permanent MPEG4 SD channel on the SBS or ABC mux in Adelaide and Melbourne, thatād be great, and give them what they want, and CTV what they want, but the Libs are determined to just destroy the sector, they know thereās no way they can move online.
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While this is good news, wtf? How are the channels & producers supposed to run their shows when they get this news like 24 hours out from closure! And Itās too late for WTV (although thats another story).
Just admit it was a wrong call and get on with it!
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Why hasnāt the government been engaging with the sector up until now? Apparently the Minister has made no contact to the channels in the last 12 months and his office has ignored their pleas for a hearing.
Not unusual from this government, theyāve been stringing community TV along like this since 2015
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Theyāre just beating a dead horse. Just end their pain!
or just keep them on air
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THIS, the minister is a joke, his lying about ABC funding, not even talking to CTV.
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or just leave them on the channels they already have. Gosh, if the narrowcast channel in Darwin (!!!) can have multiple channels then surely some stability in allowing C31 and 44 to stay on-air could even allow them to expand into having secondary channels.
There is still a vacant VHF channel 10 that has been reserved for a sixth channel, just give these guys that channel so they can free up the āborrowedā UHF spectrum theyāve been using up until now.
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I agree with this but the other option would work too. Just leave them on FTA television. Unless all the networks are losing their licences too, this makes no sense.
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Sorry if iām upset but this has become a real joke.
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Excuse the language, but for fuck sake! As good as this news is, these extensions are bloody ridiculous.
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Iām right there with ya Nicholas!
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It appears that no other HPON and Community television and radio licences are being treated like this. The others are getting renewed when they expire.
Itās unclear why the āmajorā community TV broadcasters face the constant threat of oblivion, while others by virtue of being classed slightly differently but essentially the same seem to continue untouched.
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Why should ABC or SBS be forced to carry them (especially in only two markets)?
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After Communications Minister Paul Fletcher announced the 12-month extension for C31, the Victorian Government announced this morning that it would provide a grant of $120,000 to C31 to help its transition to online.
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So they will not seek any extension beyond June 2021 then, this is the last hurrah?