Fears community television Channel 31's online move could leave seniors, program makers behind

Updated October 30, 2015 14:46:02

Photo: C31 general manager Richard McLelland says the station is working to bring viewers and sponsors with it as it moves to online. (774 ABC Melbourne: Simon Leo Brown)

Seniors, sponsors and producers of non-English language programs are afraid they will be left behind, when Melbourne's community television station Channel 31 (C31) moves to online-only next year.

But C31's CEO Richard McLelland said the station would do all it could to ensure as many people in the community as possible could still watch its content.

In June, the Federal Government gave the nation's community television stations until the end of 2016 to move online in order to free-up the digital broadcast spectrum.

Well known Australian personalities including Rove McManus, Corinne Grant, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee launched their careers on C31, and the station has been a training ground for young television producers and technicians.

The station is best known for its FishCam program, which for many years broadcast live vision of a fish tank in the evening.

Mr McLelland — who leaves his position in December — said C31 had campaigned to stay on-air, but had now accepted the government's decision was final.

"It could have been handled in a more sensitive way, and we could have been given a little more support, but that is history," he told 774 ABC Melbourne's Jon Faine.

"The challenge...is to bring our audience and all our stakeholders along and hope that they stick with us in large enough numbers to make sure that we're viable into the future."

'I'm going to cry when you stop': Online change saddens viewers

Talkback caller Rosalie from Knoxfield said she tuned to C31 every weekday morning to watch Move it or Lose it, an exercise program for seniors.

"It is my reason for getting up in the morning, I leap out of bed and do exercises," she said.

"It really keeps me fit — I'm not an exercise person... it is such a wonderful, wonderful show and I'm going to cry when you stop."

The 75-year-old said she had never watched YouTube, and would not be able to access the program once the station moved to a streaming-only model.

"How can I watch it online and lie on the floor and do my exercise — it is just ridiculous," she said.

Retired Reservoir resident Jim called to say he watched the station for local news not covered by other television stations, but said he would not follow the station online.

"I haven't got time to sit on my butt to press buttons on a computer," he said.

Geelong sponsor says move leaves 'huge gap'

C31 receives no ongoing government funding, and instead relies on sponsors to meet the station's running costs.

One of those sponsors is Bay City Events, who run the Queenscliff-based Blues Train concerts and the Motor City Music Festival in Geelong.

Festival director Hugo T Armstrong said moving from free-to-air television to online-only would hamper his company's ability to advertise to a local audience.

He said Geelong news shows on C31 covered local issues mainstream television news services did not.

"It does leave a huge gap for us as a Geelong small business," he said.

Concerns from ethnic program makers

Al Noveloso — who produces Filipino language programming for C31 — said many of the station's multicultural program makers were not happy with the move to online.

"Their demographics are not the 16 to 35 age group that have tablets, smart phones or are computer savvy, so we are going to be leaving a lot of these people behind," Mr Noveloso said.

"I think the transition from free-to-air to online is too soon for a lot of these communities and they will be disadvantaged by that move."

Mr McLelland said multicultural programs had "a special place in Channel 31".

"We are going to encourage them to make the transition if they have the will and the passion," he said.

C31 has 'unique offering'

Mr McLelland said 30 per cent of Australian homes had an internet capable television.

"Whether they have hooked them up and are using that facility, we don't know that yet," he said.

He said the station would establish a helpline to assist people who find it "a little bit technically challenging" to watch the station's programs online.

In addition to developing its existing on-demand service, the station is developing its YouTube presence and plans to release an app for mobiles and tablets in January.

"We accept that online is where it is happening ,and we have got to get in that space and we're trying to do that as successfully as we can," Mr McLelland said.

"It's going to be a tough space to compete in, but we think we have a unique offering."

Topics: television, television-broadcasting, community-organisations, multiculturalism, melbourne-3000

First posted October 30, 2015 13:01:04