Television Sydney

Television Sydney (TVS)
Company type	Community television broadcaster
Industry	Television broadcasting
Founded	2004
Defunct	2015-12-20
Headquarters	Sydney, Australia
Area served	Sydney, Australia
Key people	Rachel Bentley (CEO), Laurie Patton (former CEO), Harold Mitchell (Chairperson)
Products	Free-to-air community television programming
Number of employees	Small number of salaried employees and volunteers

Television Sydney (TVS) (call sign TSN-31) operated as a free-to-air, sponsor-funded community television broadcaster serving Sydney, Australia. After nearly a decade on air, TVS’s community broadcasting license was revoked on 8 December 2015, leading to the station ceasing transmissions on 20 December 2015. No successor channel was introduced.

History

In 2003, the Australian Government invited bids for "permanent" community television licenses, transitioning from the previous model of annual 12-month narrowcast permits. While existing channels in other metropolitan areas secured these permanent licenses, a consortium headed by the University of Western Sydney (UWS) was awarded Sydney’s license. TVS officially received its license in early 2004.

Following technical testing, TVS commenced analogue broadcasts on UHF channel 31 in February 2006. Unlike its predecessor Channel 31, TVS benefited from financial support provided by UWS to install a high-powered transmitter, thereby broadening community television reach throughout Sydney.

In November 2009, the Government assigned an additional digital channel to TVS for simulcast purposes until analogue transmissions were discontinued at the end of 2013. TVS partnered with Broadcast Australia as its digital transmission provider and initiated digital broadcasts on LCN 44 in March 2010.

Starting February 2009, TVS expanded its distribution by streaming content online as part of a multi-platform growth strategy. The Australian Communications and Media Authority extended TVS’s broadcast license for five years until April 2014.

At its inception, TVS marked Sydney's first new permanent free-to-air channel in a quarter-century, backed by UWS and Metro Screen. The station terminated analogue broadcasts on 1 March 2012 and continued exclusively on digital channel LCN 44.

In September 2014, federal communications minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the termination of community TV licenses by December 2015. Although this deadline was later extended to December 2016, TVS CEO Rachel Bentley indicated that ongoing transmission depended on launching a video-on-demand platform by that time. TVS ended broadcasting on 20 December 2015 to concentrate on programming redevelopment and digital infrastructure enhancements with intentions to relaunch online in 2016. These plans were never realized, and no replacement channel emerged.

Broadcast programs

Operating around the clock, TVS steadily cultivated a dedicated viewership despite limited promotional resources. Audience numbers grew continuously during its early years but stabilized in 2009 amid increasing digital television adoption in Sydney. Following the launch of its digital service in early 2010, TVS experienced a 15% rise in viewers within the first month.

Utilizing the same Broadcast Australia transmission tower at Gore Hill as ABC and SBS, TVS provided coverage to most areas of Sydney with reception reported as far as Wollongong, the lower Blue Mountains, and the Central Coast. Its Digital 44 broadcast matched SBS’s coverage footprint but lacked supplementary repeaters to address some reception gaps.

The station’s broadcast operations were based at UWS’s Penrith campus and employed a Playbox-based digital automation system.

Programming primarily emphasized Sydney-centric content while incorporating shows from interstate community broadcasters (such as Vasili's Garden from Melbourne) and professional content creators. By February 2010, locally produced programs accounted for over 40% of airtime with an additional 30% sourced from interstate community producers.

TVS scheduled public domain feature films during weekday mornings and prime time slots on Sundays and Wednesdays. Friday evenings featured horror and science fiction movies under the banner of Schlocky Horror Picture Show, hosted by Nigel Honeybone.

Beginning April 2015, children’s programming was introduced on weekday mornings and afternoons, including sponsorship of Butterscotch's Playground shorts starring former Wiggle Greg Page. From May 2015 onward, news content was added during weekday mornings and afternoons through rebroadcasts and sponsorship of Seven News with Mark Ferguson.

Nonprofit community producers were granted complimentary airtime. To support local program development financially, TVS established the Television Sydney Foundation aimed at attracting philanthropic contributions.

The programming schedule followed a "modified wheel" format, repeating shows multiple times weekly to provide viewers with flexible options. The lineup was published online, featured in Australian electronic program guides (EPGs), and listed in major Sydney newspapers.

TVS accepted sponsorship advertisements capped at seven minutes per hour and sold up to eight hours of program airtime daily within license restrictions.

Programmes

Pete Boone, Private Eye (aired 2002–2004)
Vasili's Garden (broadcast 2002–2006, resumed 2009–)

Staffing and management

The station was managed by a compact group of salaried employees alongside volunteers, including numerous media students. Leadership initially included former Seven Network executive Laurie Patton as CEO, Henri de Gorter in the role of Program Manager, and Adrian Alback, followed later by Ian Sneddon, as Operations Manager.

The original Chairperson was Professor Janice Reid AM, Vice-Chancellor of UWS, who was later succeeded by Geoffrey Roberson, Deputy Chancellor of UWS. In August 2010, the board appointed media buyer Harold Mitchell as Chairperson and named UWS academic Rachel Bentley as CEO.

As a founding participant in the Australian Community Television Alliance (ACTA), the channel acted as an official voice for the community television sector. CEO Laurie Patton served as ACTA’s first Secretary and represented the industry on the Government's Digital Switchover Taskforce Industry Advisory Group. The station played a leading role in advocacy efforts to obtain digital broadcast spectrum and to secure placement on the Freeview free-to-air service.

Identity history

2006–2012: branded as You're Watching TVS
2012–2015: rebranded to A Different View

External links

Official Website (archived)
University of Western Sydney