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Turnbull: “I know Rove McManus started his career in community television.”

Communications Minister defends a decision to move Community TV online, despite pleas to retain it.

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image004.jpgCommunications Minister has written an argument defending the decision for Community TV online by the end of 2015.

He says “The internet is a natural fit for CTV’s ‘open access’ function” and says “small audience figures suggest that CTV is not contributing significantly to the diversity of media services for local communities.”

He continues:

The internet provides the perfect opportunity for community television to continue its vital role as the training ground for the next generation of program production and content makers. I know Rove McManus started his career in community television.

Luckily for today’s would-be Roves, a new generation of performers, presenters and entrepreneurs have found a start on the internet.  Look at YouTube video producers Christiaan Van Vuuren and Nick Boshier (the Bondi Hipsters) who now have a show on ABC2 and have presented on Triple J. Or our local YouTube stars, Natalie Tran (Communitychannel) and Jordan Raskopoulos (member of The Axis of Awesome), both of whom have built a living providing content on the internet.

He also draws comparisons with BBC3 ending its channel in 2015, in favour of an online model.

But while BBC3 is not reliant on commercial sponsors for its funding, BBC Director-General, Tony Hall, has also said: “We recognise that, for now, most of this audience still do their viewing on television, and that is why we plan to show BBC Three’s long-form content on either BBC One or BBC Two.”

Meanwhile Rove McManus has backed the need to retain Community Television on air, saying, “I am a proud supporter of all C31 stands for and I think it’s especially important to point out that for every person like me who started out their career on camera, there was a greater number of likeminded individuals – volunteers, mind you – working behind-the-scenes as well to make it all happen.”

You can read Malcolm Turnbull’s article in full at Fairfax.

14 Responses

  1. I don’t know what it is like in other centres that do receive community television, but I am making a statement about our internet out here in the bush.

    All I can say is good luck streaming video without impacting on the rest of the house (or even the rest of the village), or even sometimes, good luck streaming video at all!

  2. Malcolm Turnbull’s decision demonstrates clearly to all that he heeds the commands of his lord and master, Rupert Murdoch, over and above the wishes of his constituents or the wider Australian community.

  3. @DPDP – totally agree. How he can justify crippling the NBN rollout with fibre to the node whilst at the same time pushing services such as community tv to online is beyond me. Replies to this thread alone show how flawed that is, with a number of people saying they don’t have the bandwidth or capacity to view tv online.

  4. I know this has been pointed out elsewhere, but the great irony of Turnbull promoting the internet as the saviour of community TV while at the same time failing to build proper internet infrastructure would be funny if it wasn’t actually happening.

    And what spectrum is saved by removing C31 is no doubt going to be sold to a big business friend of this government at some point. The whole thing stinks of corruption and greed.

  5. Agree with other posters here and I have said it before…many do not have computer access…or have limited data….
    This government needs to climb out of its ivory tower and actually look at the real world…at ground level and for more than just a flying visit.

  6. I hope the Community TV “community” and fans spread the word about what Mr Turnball is trying to do, hopefully people power will stop this decision in its tracks let people know about community TV as I am sure there are a number of people who don’t know it exists.. Community TV is only available in the metro areas of each state I am presuming, who knows what the numbers would be if they could reach out to regional areas but that would be a lot of money I am sure.

  7. Why can’t Community TV be carried via ABC’s or SBS’s 5th channel? We all know with Seven, Nine and Ten we can pull 5 channels out of one networks’ digital bandwidth so surely there is an opportunity there?

    Since moving back to Sydney I have actually watched a bit of TVS but would never do online as we only have limited monthly internet so far and have to budget our use as it is.

  9. More evidence that Mr Turnbull has no understanding or appreciation of what community TV actually is.

    Comparing it to BBC3 is hardly comparing apples with apples. BBC3 is a minor outlet among BBC’s massive portfolio, it is not the BBC’s bread and butter. BBC also does not rely on commercial sponsorship to survive, while community TV does and will be severely limited in its capacity to do so by shoving it online.

  11. I think some of this governments communication portfolio decisions beggars disbelief .. The closing of Australia Network is so political and seemingly at the behest of sour grape news corp – if ever a case for a federal icac if ever there was one. With community tv surly there is a case of better using the NITV spectrum and having community tv and nitv share

  12. The group who should be lobbying the government about this decision is small business. They are the main advertises on CH31.

    Community TV is a cheap TV option to get their name out there, and I assume it must bring some results as they wouldn’t be doing it if it didn’t.

    Isn’t this government suppose to be ‘small business friendly’, this is not a decision that is going to help small business.

  13. But Malcolm, the UK has an infinitely superior internet service compared to Australia. In our southern Sydney location we can’t even get a “port” at the local Telstra exchange so have to use Dodo wireless. Expensive, limited and slow.

  14. This will alienate everyone who doesn’t have a computer and inter et connection and/or cannot afford the data charges to watch TV online.

    They will be cut off.

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