Australia has had a very liberal community broadcasting regime. But could technology, and the interests of big business, change that all? That’s the fear of media campaigners Down Under.
"The Australian government recognised the value of the digital broadcast spectrum, phasing out conventional analogue services within the decade. Doing so will free the airwaves for far more channels and interactive programming," explains Andrew Garton (44) of APC member group c2o and Programme Director of the screen resource centre, OPEN CHANNEL.
"But, despite a long-standing commitment to community broadcasting, the Australian government has yet to allocate a channel for the sector within the digital spectrum. In not doing so it turns its back on the long-standing support community broadcasters have enjoyed in Australia. In Melbourne, for instance, the community television station, Channel 31, is apparently the most watched network in the city," says Garton.
Success of the alternative media Down Under has concerned the free-to-air lobby considerably.
In times of flux, the fear is that the new technology, and the still almost-invisible space given to the alternative world could well kill all the heterogeneous, alternative media that Australia has come to know.
"Digital community broadcasters are in a position to do a whole lot more than the free-to-air sector. It can deliver niche programming, educational resources, localised information and access to cultural heritage. For these services to emerge, a full digital channel must be made available for community use," says Garton, who comes from a musician’s background but is deep into studying how technology can extend the scope for free and diverse expression.
Australia’s free-to-air broadcast industry has been lobbying the federal government to prevent further allocation of digital spectrum licenses. They argue a need to better understand and make use of this technology for at least a decade.
"At this point of time much of their broadcasts focus on the replication of services offered on analogue. What we’re proposing goes far deeper (ensuring a far richer chorus of voices be seen and heard and in far more innovative and compelling ways)," says Garton.
Commercial and national broadcasters in Australia commenced digital transmissions in 2001.
Explaining the role of the Australian community media, Garton points out that it encourages diversity and has built, in collaboration with like-minded organisations, a "hub for training and programming innovation". This is especially true for those who cannot afford to pay-and-attend prominent institutions like the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS). In fact, community media prepares people for the AFTRS…
"It’s an engine room for young people and also for the retired, for anyone seeking to express themselves within a media literate society that not only influences the commercial industry, some find employment there too," he says.
"At OPEN CHANNEL we train people to be media-makers. We train people not only to know how best to use a video camera, but to communicate, to synthesise their ideas, their stories into meaningful experiences. We are teaching content makers, many who find themselves within the ‘professional’ industry. This is not to say that community broadcasters are not professional. It is the type of programmes we produce that often simply do not fit the mould of commercial free-to-air broadcasting," says Garton.
However, community broadcast programmes are "literally purchased" by the commercial free-to-air sector. It has good and bad points, according to Garton.
Good when programmes of cultural significance enter the mainstream; bad when individual talent is absorbed and eventually neutralised, or commodified. However, on a positive note, this trend continues to create space for other forms of innovation, spreading the skills-base wider… more opportunities for more people… in fact, we need to let these people go for the community sector to remain healthy, vibrant and fresh,” says Garton.
In addition to the rather liberal and interesting broadcasting landscape among the alternative sector in Australia, Garton points to the fact that the country even supports indigenous community and an emergent mainstream broadcaster.
"For instance, the National Indigenous Radio service provides a national satellite feed to 132 indigenous radio stations across Australia… in addition to around 120 non-indigenous community broadcasters. Indigenous radio is being heard by everyday Australians who, as surveys have shown, want to understand indigenous people better," says Garton.
Radio remains crucial for a sprawling, underpopulated country like Australia.
"In the outback areas, there’s a scarcity of information about local conditions unless you’re local and can read the sky… most of us can’t. So for us, radio is a lifeline. There are numerous emergency service broadcasts on the analogue spectrum. Road signs provide drivers with frequencies to tune in to. If there’s a bushfire or flood ahead, you’ll know about it on radio. I have no idea what will happen to all these emergency services once we go digital," says Garton.
Garton is also involved with OPEN CHANNEL, which trains anyone to make films and "tell their story".
Garton narrates the story of a group of young school kids they were training as part of a joint initiative with the daily broadsheet, The Age. Many had already produced several videos for school, some of which were animations. They all had computer and video camera at home and were already downloading digital video to their hard-drives and editing. "These kids were media savvy. What more could we teach a 12-year-old like that? What we ended up focusing on was collaboration… though they had made plenty of films already, they hadn’t worked as a team and good team-work is at the heart of any collaborative venture, whether it be making a film or running a radio station."
Listening to the presentation, Indian engineer Vicram Crishna, a product of the elite IIT educational system, raised the possibility of "hacking open-source transmitters", to permit digital community broadcasting without waiting for the allocation of channels by the government.
Garton however pointed out that community broadcasting was generally widely supported by government, that going pirate was not a solution. Of course digital broadcasting equipment is "extremely expensive, so an open source hardware initiative wouldn’t necessarily be sneezed at… but not only is the spectrum regulated so are the transmitters… we wouldn’t get far if we couldn’t get our home-made transmitters approved. There are severe penalties in Australia for using unlicensed broadcast equipment,” said Garton. So it requires a community radio broadcaster to have a huge amount of money to even think of getting started in this technology, unlike in the case of analogue or low-powered, low-cost FM broadcasting.
Australia, in his view, has had a very liberal community broadcasting history. It has seen many radio and TV community broadcasters successfully apply for licenses. In a word, it has experienced a very healthy analogue environment.
"In Australia, governments have been far more liberal towards community broadcasters than they appear now. The digital spectrum, although receiving tacit support from some decision-makers, a soap-opera for some and a muddle of ideals for others, it seems we may still have a long way to go."
