Anyway, thanks to the Tories for wasting everyone’s time and energy. Again.
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From an on-air perspective at least, (quality of the presentation, etc.) TVS was probably a reasonably close second.
But I think a mid-2000s launch and signal availability may have been issues too big for Sydney’s 2nd community station (after the completely amateur CTS-31, who died in April 2004) to overcome.
Yes. Melbourne had the bonus of incumbency. Also the fact people’s perception: “I watched that channel years ago and it was rubbish” means you probably won’t get them back.
If community television did leave the airwaves there’s always Aurora (on Foxtel) and the commercial networks Multichannels to air shows (Vasili’s Garden is still on 7Two and Blokesworld on 7Mate for example).
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I don’t know who caved on that decision, but can tell you right now, there’s no way this side of hell freezing over, that the commercial networks & ABC/SBS will agree to giving up spectrum & merging networks into essentially 3 multiplexes now, while a community station gets to have an entire 7MHz channel all to themselves for 1 digital SD channel, whilst also taking up a valuable UHF channel that the networks will probably need to use for Metro translators if they have to merge & drop from 5 to 3 channels.
The mobile carriers will just have to miss out on getting that spectrum.
If the TV networks are forced into it, losing spectrum, I can see it going to court & costing the Government/taxpayers lots & lots in compensation.
The community stations should’ve been told to do a deal with a commercial network to carry them, or be told to join the ABC or SBS multiplex.
The first round of the Digital dividend & resulting restack, yes the networks lost some TV spectrum, but they didn’t actually lose any channels, they still had use of one 7MHz channel each.
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They used to air Disney movies (somehow, possibly not legally).
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I just hope the community stations will now use the three year extension period wisely.
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To do what? Go insolvent? Like every other station? There’s not future online for community channels, there barely is for commercial channels.
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Aurora is full of infomercials and religious programming. And community groups have to pay to have a programme slot let alone a community service announcement on it.
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It’s right that they can’t justify the use of a channel to themselves, but I think that’s the answer not the problem - C31/44 should be moved to being on a DVB-T2 service on the unassigned channel - VHF10 in the main capitals, and that be added to by allocating the other 5 networks space on there to carry either additional HD or even 4K content to push DVB-T2 uptake.
A migration to DVB-T2 does the same thing as the first restack - 3 channels of DVB-T2 provides more net data rate than 5 channels of DVB-T, and coming with HEVC means an effective increase in what services they can provide. Though I can see them doing it on 4 channels to offer a net increase for the commercials, or a single legacy DVB-T.
As much as it’ll ruffle broadcasters - the money to be made from a 600MHz band clearance won’t be left on the table long term. This 3 year extension is about as long as it’d take them to work through doing that planning.
I see them having a choice between keeping DVB-T and taking a chunk of cash to share spectrum, or moving to DVB-T2 and getting less cash but keeping the net amount of bits. But I can’t see the status quo continuing.
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Nice reply.
And only via Foxtel, no way is a replacement.
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What do you mean?
To make the full transition to online streaming. Alternatively, C31 and C44 can relocate to a DVB-T2 service on the unassigned channel like Moe suggested above.
Talking to Shane Dunlop (C31 GM) a few days ago and they don’t seem all that interested in moving fully online. The revenue just isn’t there and there’s not a lot of interest in community tv on demand services. Their audience is purely traditional linear broadcast.
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Delaying the inevitable. The only option seems to be a carve out in either iview or SBS on demand. Community radio has adjusted to streaming, podcasts and digital more broadly, why is C31 to precious to do the same?
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Because the market for online-only community TV, be that as BVOD/SVOD or live-streaming isn’t there. It’s an apples and oranges comparison.
Further to the point, some community radio stations understanding streaming and podcasting. Most, frankly, do not. The benefit that the radio sector has is strong national leadership through the CBAA - very hard for C31 and C44 to do the same with just two TV stations left.
If the “online model” worked, that streaming platform that 31 Brisbane evolved into would still be operational. TVS, which had the backing of a university and therefore served a purpose as a training platform for students, would still be operational. It doesn’t work.
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Cool, so what’s the alternative? Inevitably TVs won’t be sold with a tuner and linear signals are going to be switched off. Can’t keep your head in the sand wishing for a different reality.
Hunter TV in Newcastle is now known as Newy 87.8 FM.
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Not too familiar with the situation in Adelaide, but C31 in Melbourne has slowly been pivoting towards in-house production. One example is The Cellar Door, which made its way over to SBS Food in January. That’s one potential future for the organisation - as a ‘creative house’ if you will for other independent producers. That is, however, still a pivot from running a TV station, and then you’re damned if the remaining broadcasters aren’t buying.
The end result undoubtedly will be fewer diverse voices on television. Language and religious programs that reach an older audience through linear TV broadcasts will struggle to migrate online, in part because producers haven’t been proactively chasing a younger audience. Niche programs may pivot successfully to online platforms like YouTube or Twitch, though I suspect most will die out.
Long live Fishcam.
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But radio is still going? I don’t think television is anywhere near dead, as a medium.