Access 31
Encyclopedia
Access 31 was a free-to-air
Community television
station based in Perth
, Australia which operated between 1999 and 2008 before closing due to insolvency
. The station had broadcast on UHF 31 from the ABC
's television mast at Bickley in the Perth Hills. It was also available at certain times on the Westlink Network
, which is broadcast via the Optus Aurora
rural satellite service throughout Western Australia, and on transmitters in Albany
and Bunbury
.
campus of Edith Cowan University
before moving to premises in Belmont
in late 2003.
Access 31 had complemented existing television services in the state with an emphasis on locally produced programming, and at its height drew in a viewing audience in excess of 800,000 different people per month, competing favorably against other television networks. However, as householders moved to digital television
, Access 31's audience reach became progressively reduced as no support or access to the digital broadcasting spectrum had yet been allocated to the analogue-only community Channel 31 stations by the Australian Federal Government
at the time. With ramifications for future advertising revenue, combined with a financial situation already compounded by an estimated $600,000 in debts, in June 2008 the station announced that it was in serious danger of closing due to insolvency
unless additional funding could be obtained and a guarantee for future access to digital television services from the Federal Government could be secured.
A grant from Lotterywest
and a financial contribution from Garry Baverstock, a Perth architect totaling $750,000 had been planned to keep the station on the air for at least the next 18 months, time the station's board believed will see action from the Federal Government. However the station was also forced to cut jobs and volunteer numbers, in addition to limiting broadcast hours and in-house production of programs in order to keep the station afloat for the time being. Later it was revealed that a total of $1.3 million was required to keep the station operating until December 2009, when it was thought the Federal Government would provide a rescue package.
) on 6 August 2008, Access 31 ceased transmission after both the Lotterywest grant and the private contribution was withdrawn. CEO Andrew Brine had resigned the previous day, the station unable to pay his salary. Programme providers were not informed of the decision to close the station.
Fred Mafrica, host and producer of The Couch - one of the station's more popular programs, offered to run the station for free on a temporary basis, backed by almost 100 volunteers, while also appealing for help from the state government
. Ma Xi Bo, owner of local media company Perth Chinese Media Group, also presented an offer to return the station back on the air, as did a consortium of local producers and business people aligned with Murdoch University
. Ultimately, on 1 September 2008 the station's board voted to liquidate Access 31's assets in order to pay off its debtors. The Australian Communications and Media Authority
cancelled the station's broadcasting licence later that month.
, a breakfast show broadcast live daily; WAFL On, which focused on the West Australian Football League
; Charlie's Kitchen, a cooking show; Sweet and Sour, a discussion panel program; and The Couch, a chat/variety show that also features live performances from up and coming local musicians. The station also carried a number of programs originally produced at other Channel 31 stations in other states.
Access 31 also had broadcast old movies, classic television shows and programming and current news bulletins sourced from Deutsche Welle
, Voice of America
and BBC World News.
After its closure, a small number of Access 31's locally produced shows secured broadcast slots on Foxtel
's Aurora Community Channel. A number of shows previously broadcast by Access 31 also now feature on successor channel West TV
.
. The station had faced criticism for alleged mismanagement of their finances for years. Garry Baverstock, who pledged $500,000 to rescue the station before withdrawing his offer, claimed that he was misled about the station's financial position.
In the weeks before its closure, the station claimed that the Federal Government had committed to community digital television after Access 31 was rescued, yet this statement concerning a change in policy was dismissed by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. The Federal Government later allowed community stations access to the digital spectrum from late 2009, more than a year after the closure of Access 31.
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
Community television
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...
station based in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Australia which operated between 1999 and 2008 before closing due to insolvency
Insolvency
Insolvency means the inability to pay one's debts as they fall due. Usually used to refer to a business, insolvency refers to the inability of a company to pay off its debts.Business insolvency is defined in two different ways:...
. The station had broadcast on UHF 31 from the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's television mast at Bickley in the Perth Hills. It was also available at certain times on the Westlink Network
Westlink Network
The Westlink Network, often shortened to Westlink, is a TV channel broadcast to regional and remote areas of Western Australia, mainly via satellite but also via analogue terrestrial in some areas...
, which is broadcast via the Optus Aurora
Optus Aurora
Optus Aurora is a free-to-view satellite television platform in Australia, aimed at providing television and radio services to remote and black spot areas using the Optus C1 and B3 satellites...
rural satellite service throughout Western Australia, and on transmitters in Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
and Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
.
History
Access 31 started broadcasting on 18 June 1999, and received a permanent broadcasting licence in 2002. The station was originally based at the Mt LawleyMount Lawley, Western Australia
Mount Lawley is an inner suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Most of the suburb lies within the Local Government Area of the City of Stirling and small portions are in the City of Vincent and City of Bayswater...
campus of Edith Cowan University
Edith Cowan University
Edith Cowan University is located in Perth, Western Australia. It was named after the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Australian university named after a woman....
before moving to premises in Belmont
Belmont, Western Australia
The City of Belmont is a Local Government Area in the inner eastern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, located about east of Perth's central business district on the south bank of the Swan River...
in late 2003.
Access 31 had complemented existing television services in the state with an emphasis on locally produced programming, and at its height drew in a viewing audience in excess of 800,000 different people per month, competing favorably against other television networks. However, as householders moved to digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
, Access 31's audience reach became progressively reduced as no support or access to the digital broadcasting spectrum had yet been allocated to the analogue-only community Channel 31 stations by the Australian Federal Government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
at the time. With ramifications for future advertising revenue, combined with a financial situation already compounded by an estimated $600,000 in debts, in June 2008 the station announced that it was in serious danger of closing due to insolvency
Insolvency
Insolvency means the inability to pay one's debts as they fall due. Usually used to refer to a business, insolvency refers to the inability of a company to pay off its debts.Business insolvency is defined in two different ways:...
unless additional funding could be obtained and a guarantee for future access to digital television services from the Federal Government could be secured.
A grant from Lotterywest
Lotterywest
Lotterywest, formerly the Lotteries Commission of Western Australia, is an Australian lotteries corporation run by the State Government of Western Australia. Lotterywest sells lottery tickets and "instant win" scratchcards through a network of newsagents and other authorised retailers...
and a financial contribution from Garry Baverstock, a Perth architect totaling $750,000 had been planned to keep the station on the air for at least the next 18 months, time the station's board believed will see action from the Federal Government. However the station was also forced to cut jobs and volunteer numbers, in addition to limiting broadcast hours and in-house production of programs in order to keep the station afloat for the time being. Later it was revealed that a total of $1.3 million was required to keep the station operating until December 2009, when it was thought the Federal Government would provide a rescue package.
Closure
At 5pm (AWSTTime in Australia
Australia uses Standard time, i.e: the same well defined time for a region. The proper names of Australia's time zones are Australian Western Standard Time , Australian Central Standard Time , and Australian Eastern Standard Time...
) on 6 August 2008, Access 31 ceased transmission after both the Lotterywest grant and the private contribution was withdrawn. CEO Andrew Brine had resigned the previous day, the station unable to pay his salary. Programme providers were not informed of the decision to close the station.
Fred Mafrica, host and producer of The Couch - one of the station's more popular programs, offered to run the station for free on a temporary basis, backed by almost 100 volunteers, while also appealing for help from the state government
Government of Western Australia
The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
. Ma Xi Bo, owner of local media company Perth Chinese Media Group, also presented an offer to return the station back on the air, as did a consortium of local producers and business people aligned with Murdoch University
Murdoch University
Murdoch University is a public university based in Perth, Australia. It began operations as the state's second university in 1973, and accepted its first students in 1975...
. Ultimately, on 1 September 2008 the station's board voted to liquidate Access 31's assets in order to pay off its debtors. The Australian Communications and Media Authority
Australian Communications and Media Authority
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is an Australian government statutory authority within the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy portfolio...
cancelled the station's broadcasting licence later that month.
Programming
Access 31 had broadcast a number of popular local programs including Wake Up! WAWake Up! WA
Wake Up! WA was a breakfast television show broadcast in Western Australia. It aired on Access 31 until the station's demise in 2008.-Overview:...
, a breakfast show broadcast live daily; WAFL On, which focused on the West Australian Football League
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
; Charlie's Kitchen, a cooking show; Sweet and Sour, a discussion panel program; and The Couch, a chat/variety show that also features live performances from up and coming local musicians. The station also carried a number of programs originally produced at other Channel 31 stations in other states.
Access 31 also had broadcast old movies, classic television shows and programming and current news bulletins sourced from Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...
, Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
and BBC World News.
After its closure, a small number of Access 31's locally produced shows secured broadcast slots on Foxtel
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
's Aurora Community Channel. A number of shows previously broadcast by Access 31 also now feature on successor channel West TV
West TV
West TV or WTV, previously New Visions 31, is a free-to-air community television station that began broadcasting in standard definition digital format on logical channel 44 in Perth on 10 April 2010 at 10 am.-History:...
.
Controversy
Access 31 previously faced closure in 2003, when the station went into voluntary administrationAdministration (insolvency)
As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on running their business. The process – an alternative to liquidation – is often known as going...
. The station had faced criticism for alleged mismanagement of their finances for years. Garry Baverstock, who pledged $500,000 to rescue the station before withdrawing his offer, claimed that he was misled about the station's financial position.
In the weeks before its closure, the station claimed that the Federal Government had committed to community digital television after Access 31 was rescued, yet this statement concerning a change in policy was dismissed by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. The Federal Government later allowed community stations access to the digital spectrum from late 2009, more than a year after the closure of Access 31.
See also
- West TVWest TVWest TV or WTV, previously New Visions 31, is a free-to-air community television station that began broadcasting in standard definition digital format on logical channel 44 in Perth on 10 April 2010 at 10 am.-History:...
- Channel 31
- Westlink NetworkWestlink NetworkThe Westlink Network, often shortened to Westlink, is a TV channel broadcast to regional and remote areas of Western Australia, mainly via satellite but also via analogue terrestrial in some areas...
- Television broadcasting in Australia