Community_television

Australia\'s Community television is a form of Citizen media much like Public Access Television in the United States and the Community Channel in Canada. In principle, community television is another model of facilitating media production and involvement by private citizens.

Australia

Australia has a special type of broadcasting licence for community television which is available via free-to-air terrestrial reception. Holders of a Community Television (CTV) licence must conform to various rules, primarily relating to advertising and to a lesser extent, program content. They are licensed by, and regulated by, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

In the strictest sense of the term, Australian Community TV is these officially licensed stations and their programming. However, there are a number of stations and distributors that release similar content - but they are not subject to government regulation.

The TV stations with CTV licences are located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Lismore, Melbourne, Mount Gambier, Perth, Sydney and nearly 100 remote Aboriginal communities. In Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and the remote communities, the stations have ongoing licences. The stations in Adelaide, Lismore and Mount Gambier currently have trial licences.

Other quasi community television channels include Aurora Community TV, Australian Multicultural TV, Ballarat Community Cable TV, Channel NSW (in Sydney), ChannelVision (in Canberra), Geelong\'s Own Television Channel, GTV (in Broome), Imparja Info Channel, iTV64 (in Darwin), Satellite Community TV, TV Norfolk (on Norfolk Island) and Westlink. Other distributors of this style of programming include YouTube and Google Video.

Community television programs are most often made by amateurs about their own communities and special and diverse interests. In other cases, companies produce the programs.

The sector is represented by the Australian Community Television Alliance.

Community TV is funded by a mixture of sponsorship, subscriptions and donations, membership fees, grants, merchandise sales and sale of air time to program providers. It receives no regular national government funding. Many programs are paid for by the producers themselves.

The audience reach is over 5 million Australians, based on surveys, research and ratings (2001-2004) [1].

The National Community Television Awards - the Antennas - were established in 2004 and have been announced in each of the subsequent years. [1] Melbourne Community Television Consortium and Community Broadcasting Association of Australia Information Kit: Community Television in Australia 2004

A special emphasis of community TV is the provision of programs in an increasing range of community languages and about community cultures. Over twenty languages groups, many from newly migrant and refugee communities, are broadcast regularly by the CTV stations.

Australian Community Television producers are often also producers of other community media. Examples are: SYN and Arts Community Television.

See also

• Citizen media
• Public access television (US)
• Community channel (Canada)
• Community channel (UK)
• Community media
• Citizen journalism
• Amateur television
• Community radio
• Channel 31

External links

• The Global Village CAT — links to 700 Community & Public Access Television sites worldwide
• Community Television at Broadcast Australia

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