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31 Digital

From Alfawiki
Hitchhike TV
Company typeCommunity television station
IndustryBroadcasting
PredecessorBriz 31
Founded1992
Defunct2019
Headquarters
Brisbane
,
Australia
Area served
Brisbane, Ipswich and surrounding regions
ProductsTelevision broadcasting, online streaming

Hitchhike TV was a community TV station located in Brisbane, Australia. Initially launched as Briz 31, it operated from 1992 until its closure in 2019.

1994–2017: Brisbane’s community television era

The inaugural community television channel in Brisbane was established by Wes Tatters, Ric Adams, Simon Bunker, Ben Morrisson, and Cait Spreadborough. Its origins trace back to a two-week trial broadcast in 1992 during the inauguration of South Bank Parklands, under the name Briz TV. Early content comprised member-created shows and live event broadcasts.

Following advocacy efforts with the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA), the station commenced full-time transmission on analogue channel 31 (callsign CTQ-31) from Vulture Street Studios on 31 July 1994. The initial lineup featured text-based information services alongside locally developed programs such as Crazy Crosswords and Tamara Tonite, a variety show presented by a Brisbane drag performer.

By 2004, the channel had obtained a permanent broadcast license. It included a nightly news program produced by the Queensland University of Technology journalism department and current affairs segments sourced from Deutsche Welle. To signify its reach extending beyond Brisbane, the station rebranded as Channel 31 in October 2006. A transmitter enhancement in 2007 expanded coverage to Ipswich and surrounding regions.

The broadcaster underwent multiple name changes: adopting QCTV in July 2008 before reverting to iterations of "31" by April 2010. On 7 June 2010, it transitioned to digital transmission on channel 44 under the brand 31 Digital, discontinuing analogue broadcasts by May 2011.

In September 2014, federal communications minister Malcolm Turnbull declared that community TV licensing would end by December 2015; this deadline was extended first to December 2016, then to June and finally December 2017. In response, 31 Digital moved its operations online, offering live streaming via its website to maintain audience access beyond traditional broadcast limits. The station ended its television transmissions at midnight on 28 February 2017.

2017–2019: Transition to online platform

Following the cessation of terrestrial broadcasting, the channel evolved into an online video-on-demand service named Queensland Online TV (Q Online TV).[1] In February 2017, the sports talk show The Commentary Box debuted on Facebook, focusing on weekly discussions centered around Queensland sports fans.[2]

In June 2018, the platform was rebranded as Hitchhike TV, shifting its format to continuous linear streaming without on-demand video options. Hitchhike TV broadcast archived 31 Digital programming in two-hour segments via its website, with intentions to launch a full-time stream. The service was discontinued in 2019 without any formal announcement.[3]

Legacy

On 31 July 2024, commemorating the 30th anniversary of Briz 31’s launch, Brisbane-based YouTuber "IBIS Channel 32" released a documentary chronicling the station’s history.[4]

In-House Productions

  • Crazy Crosswords (1994–1996)
  • The Bike Show
  • Clips 31
  • Tamara Tonite
  • Art Studio
  • The Boat Show
  • The Late Nite Show with Scott Black
  • This Town Brisbane
  • The Storyteller (1995–1996)
  • Community Billboard (1994–2002)
  • The Commentary Box (2017)

Additional Programming

Brand Evolution

31 Digital

  • 1994–1999: Getting Together
  • 2006–2008: Your local television
  • 2008–2009: Queensland's Only Community Television Station
  • 2010–2017: Your stories... Your station

Queensland Online TV

  • 2017–2018: Q Online. Local. Always.

Hitchhike TV

  • 2018–2020: Locally Sourced. Crafted with Love.

See also

External links

  1. ↑ As we swap-over to our new platform, 31 Digital is also getting a new look and a new name. Meet Queensland Online TV – or Q Online for short.
  2. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/CommBox31/
  3. ↑ https://www.hitchhike.tv/
  4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17Txqife1N4&t
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