Community television in Australia

Community television in Australia
Company type	Not-for-profit
Industry	Broadcasting, Television
Founded	1994
Area served	Australia
Products	Community television programming
Owner	Various community organizations

Community television in Australia represents a type of free-to-air non-commercial citizen media where television station ownership, operation, or programming is managed by community organizations aiming to provide local programming tailored to their broadcast regions. This medium functions as a conduit for media creation and public participation, akin to public-access television in the United States and community television in Canada.

These stations exist as not-for-profit organizations governed under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, with additional oversight provided by a Code of Practice registered with the Australian Communications & Media Authority. While each station operates independently without forming a traditional network, they cooperate through the Australian Community Television Alliance and occasionally exchange content.

The term "Channel 31" identifies various metropolitan community-licensed TV stations throughout Australia, whereas Adelaide’s equivalent is known as Channel 44. This designation stems from the original analogue UHF 31 frequency assigned to these broadcasters. By 2010, all had switched to digital transmission on channel 44 in 576i standard definition following the analogue shutdown.

History

During the early 1970s, the Australia Council collaborated with community organizations to create video production centres focused on Australian television content. Despite an increase in production output, these programs struggled to secure airtime on commercial or government channels due to their unconventional formats or durations.

While community radio experienced rapid growth nationwide, community television expanded at a slower pace. A licence bid submitted by a Perth group in 1984 was unsuccessful. In the late 1980s, Imparja Television began operations in Alice Springs as a commercial broadcaster. In 1987, students at RMIT University established RMITV, which became the first community TV station to receive a test transmission licence.

In 1992, the Australian Government tasked the ABA with trialling community television on vacant sixth channels (UHF 31 in capital cities). Since 1994, community TV has operated under open narrowcast 'class licences' limited to non-profit educational and community programming in major urban areas.

Legislative reforms in 2002 introduced formal community TV licences; by 2004, such licences were granted in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Decline

In September 2014, then Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull declared that all community television licences would be terminated by December 2015. Shortly before assuming office as Prime Minister in September 2015, he postponed this deadline to 31 December 2016. Nevertheless, Television Sydney ended its broadcasts on 20 December 2015. Meanwhile, other stations based in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth had begun transitioning towards online platforms but maintained their broadcast services.

Following this, Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield extended the deadline multiple times: initially to 30 June 2017 and subsequently to 31 December 2017. A further extension until 30 June 2018 was granted as part of an agreement with the Nick Xenophon Team to secure Senate support for media reforms. By that time, 31 Digital had already ceased transmissions on 27 February. On 1 June 2018, broadcasters received an additional two-year licence extension valid until 30 June 2020.

As the deadline approached on 30 June 2020, after discussions with remaining community stations Channel 44 (Adelaide) and C31 Melbourne, Fifield prolonged the deadline by another year to 30 June 2021.

In June 2021, Channel 44 Adelaide and C31 Melbourne were awarded a three-year licence extension following legislative amendments introduced by South Australian Senator Rex Patrick. After a change of government, community broadcasters were granted an indefinite licence extension in 2024, subject to a six-month notification if their spectrum allocation is repurposed.

Video on Demand

Brisbane's 31 Digital introduced a video on demand platform called Queensland Online TV in 2017; however, it ceased operations within a year. Their subsequent initiative, renamed Hitchhike TV in 2018, provided linear streaming in brief segments through their website but also discontinued by 2020. Meanwhile, Newcastle's Hunter TV and Perth's West TV terminated their free-to-air transmissions in 2017 and 2020 respectively, yet both continued offering video-on-demand content via YouTube and their official sites.

On 12 August 2021, C31 Melbourne, 44 Adelaide, together with Film Victoria, launched CTV+, an online streaming platform featuring both live channels and on-demand programming. The release of a mobile application for CTV+ in August 2022 marked the debut of Australia's first community broadcasting streaming app.

Licensing

In Australia, community television operates under a dedicated broadcasting licence that permits access via terrestrial free-to-air signals. Licence holders are required to adhere to regulations mainly related to advertising practices and content guidelines. These licences are granted and overseen by the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA).

While officially licensed community television stations form the core of the sector, various unlicensed broadcasters and distributors also provide comparable content without government regulation.

Community support

Community television often features programs produced by amateur volunteers who focus on local issues and diverse topics. Contributions also come from not-for-profit organisations and independent producers. The sector is collectively represented by the Australian Community Television Alliance.

Funding sources include sponsorship deals, subscriptions, donations, membership fees, grants, and merchandise sales; however, there is no consistent national government funding. Many productions rely on self-financing by their creators.

The Antenna Awards, established in 2004 to celebrate excellence in community television, were held annually at Melbourne's Federation Square by C31 Melbourne until 2010. These awards were revived for ceremonies in 2014 and 2019. Due to multiple postponements, the 2021 awards were eventually conducted online, recognizing over twenty recipients.

Programming on community television places strong emphasis on content in more than twenty community languages, catering to migrant and refugee populations. Producers frequently collaborate with other community media organisations such as the Student Youth Network.

Stations

DVB name	LCN	Launch date	Notes
C31 Melbourne	44	6 Oct 1994	Serves Melbourne, Geelong, and nearby regions; initially broadcast on UHF 31 until 2010.
Channel 44	44	23 Apr 2004	Covers Adelaide and surrounding areas; originally transmitted on UHF 31 until 2010.

Defunct stations

Analogue-only stations
Channel name	UHF	Launch date	Discontinued date	Notes
CTV 41 Bendigo	41	19 Jun 1999	30 Jun 1999	Conducted a trial broadcast in Bendigo; licence was revoked due to absence of regular programming.
ACE TV	31	May 1994	Dec 2002	Operated in Adelaide; licence cancelled for breaching conditions; succeeded by C31 Adelaide in 2004.
Channel 31	31	1993	23 Apr 2004	Broadcasted in Sydney; replaced by Television Sydney in 2006.
BushVision	37	23 Sep 2005	4 Mar 2007	Trial transmission based in Mount Gambier, South Australia.
Access 31	31	18 Jun 1999	6 Aug 2008	Served Perth and regional Western Australia; ceased operations due to insolvency; replaced by West TV on LCN 44 in 2010.
LINC TV	68	Sep 1993	2012	Broadcast intermittently from Lismore, New South Wales until closure.

Digital stations
DVB name	LCN	Launch date	Discontinued date	Notes
Television Sydney	44	20 Feb 2006	20 Dec 2015	Served Sydney, Illawarra, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, and Southern Highlands; initially broadcast on UHF 31 until 2010.
31 Digital		31 Jul 1994	28 Feb 2017	Operated in Brisbane area; originally on UHF 31 until transition in 2010; later shifted to online streaming as Hitchhike TV.
West TV		10 Apr 2010	20 Feb 2020	Served Perth and its surrounding regions.

Programs

Community television channels have developed a wide array of original content, many of which are distributed beyond local areas, sometimes reaching audiences on pay television or free-to-air networks. Prominent examples include:

References