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Renaissance
Television Welcomes ABA Ruling on Community Broadcasting
Services - Melbourne
March 5, 2003
Renaissance
Television (RTV) today welcomed the Australian Broadcasting
Authority’s (ABA) ruling on the nature of the
broadcasting services provided under temporary community
television licences (currently open narrowcast licenses)
in Sydney and Melbourne.
Following
a formal complaint to the ABA in 2002 by the (then)
Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations
(now known as Commercial Television Australia)(CTA),
the ABA has completed its inquiry into the operations
of community television licence holders in Sydney
and Melbourne, and their relationships with Renaissance
Television (RTV) as a provider of programme content.
In
its finding, the ABA has cleared the Channel 31 licence-holders
in Sydney and Melbourne, and program provider RTV,
of any allegations that they may be in breach of the
Australian Broadcasting Services Act. The ABA found
that all parties named in the CTA complaint were,
in fact, fully complying with the provisions of the
Act and the conditions of their licences.
The
ABA report concluded that Melbourne Community Television
Consortium (MCTC) and Community Television Sydney
(CTS), the current operators and licensees of Channel
31 in their respective cities, are the sole providers
of the community broadcasting services in these cities.
In
welcoming the ABA ruling, the General Manager of RTV,
Mr Nick Grigoriadis said RTV was confident the ABA
inquiry would clarify the situation.
“The
ABA found that there is no separate RTV ‘service’
broadcast on Channel 31 in Sydney and Melbourne, as
had been alleged in the complaint. It reaffirmed the
role of RTV as a programming content provider to the
broadcasting licence holders in those cities”,
said Mr Grigoriadis.
“We
are pleased that RTV’s role is now clarified”,
he said. “Our mission is to provide quality programming
content for the over-50s viewer. We cater specifically
for a sector of the community which has traditionally
been ignored by commercial television programmers
and is often alienated by programs with high levels
of violence, sexual references and ‘colourful’
language.
“Further,
in providing consistent high quality content to community
television we are able to support it in its broader
aim to provide programmes to other marginal television
audiences.
“The
level of sponsorship underpinning RTV’s programme
content is appropriate. And the findings of the ABA
confirm that.”
“As
a point of further clarification -- neither RTV nor
any company associated with RTV, are holders of community
television licences in Australia, nor do they hold
aspirations in this area”, said Mr Grigoriadis.
RTV’s
programming -- which includes lifestyle, healthcare,
information, education and variety programs, and golden
era movies -- is broadcast from 8.00am to 4.00pm Monday
to Friday on UHF Channel 31 in Melbourne, Sydney and
– since March 3, 2003 – in Brisbane. Its
programs reach an estimated audience of more than
a million and a half viewers around Australia.
For
full details of the ABA finding go to: www.aba.gov.au
For
further information contact:
Wayne
Rogers
Tel: 03 9234 1660
Links:
RTV
Channel
31 Community TV Sydney
ABA
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