What would Australian television look like without comedic duo Hamish and Andy's down-to-earth humour, or presenter Waleed Aly's insightful commentary?
It's a question that's been on the lips of many in the entertainment world over the past few days after Communications Minister Mitch Fifield confirmed Channel 31 would no longer broadcast on free-to-air TV at the end of this month.
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Careers launched on Channel 31
Responsible for some classic on-air moments and launching the careers of many broadcasters, Melbourne's Channel 31 will close at the end of June.
Some of Australia's most well-known faces on television are mourning Channel 31's free-to-air demise, and fear there will be fewer opportunities for the next crop of up-and-coming radio and television personalities.
For many, the community television station was a training ground where they could hone their skills and build lifelong friendships – all while having the freedom to make a few mistakes along the way.
![Before becoming household names, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee made their television debut on a Channel 31 show called Radio ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170623110757im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/a/c/r/h/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gwva5i.png/1498078227480.jpg)
Few Australian entertainers owe more to Channel 31 than Hamish Blake, who – along with longtime friend Andy Lee – got his first television gig at the station in the early 2000s. Together, they made six instalments of a half-hour comedy series called Radio Karate.
Blake says without a doubt Radio Karate is the gig that kick-started his career. Reflecting on more than a decade at the helm of top-rating radio and TV shows, the comedian says he would be nothing without Channel 31.
"We [Andy and I] didn't know anything other than the fact we wanted to be on TV," he said. "Channel 31 was perfect. There's not too many places you can cut your teeth without it being extremely high stakes because of the money involved."
Blake has "so many fond memories" of his time at the community broadcaster, and says it is an extraordinary training ground, not just for people who dreamt of being in front of a camera, but the hundreds of people always working hard behind the scenes.
![The Project's Waleed Aly is worried the next generation of TV stars won't have the same chance to hone their talent as ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170623110757im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/r/9/m/e/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gwva5i.png/1498078227480.jpg)
The comedian says he is worried Channel 31's free-to-air demise will have a negative flow-on effect for the next batch of TV stars.
"Where else as a student are you going to get your hands on a $100,000 camera and be responsible for getting something to air?" he said. "That was the cool thing – you were in charge of your show and it was a microcosm of the real TV world."
![Gorgi Coghlan started her career reading the news for Channel 31.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170623110757im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/v/g/o/0/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gwva5i.png/1498078227480.jpg)
However, Blake says he is still optimistic about the station's future. Channel 31's general manager, Matthew Field, has said the network will survive thanks to the popularity of YouTube and Facebook Live.
"This [the end of the free-to-air channel] won't stop people being excited about creating TV or content," Blake said. "But it does make it a little harder for them."
TV host Waleed Aly, meanwhile, says he is less optimistic. The Project's Gold Logie winner said being on free-to-air TV allows people to flick through all the channels and accidentally discover shows.
"When we were doing our show on Channel 31, the number of people who emailed in to tell us they found the show said they did just that," he said. "I think the platform is really important.
"What we don't really have much of at the moment are spaces to play, spaces to go out and make mistakes. Once you get into the professional world, risk-taking is so much harder."
For fellow The Project presenter Gorgi Coghlan, having had an early news presence alongside channels Seven and Nine was important because it fuelled her desire to make it in the industry.
"It was a wonderful way of being thrown in the deep end and landing on your feet," she said. "We often took a very different angle to the commercial news guys, and we covered stories – like any regional paper – that were really relevant to the local community."
Coghlan worries that some Melburnians will feel less informed about their community when the station's free-to-air cord is cut on June 30. After all, it's a bit of stretch to imagine an elderly viewer logging onto Facebook to watch a university student's show.
"Channel 31 really embraces Australia's multicultural community," Coghlan said. "It makes everyone feel equal and, gosh, if there's ever a time when we need that in the world, it is now."
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