C31 Melbourne, also known as
Channel 31 Melbourne (call letters MGV-31), is a non-profit community
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
station in Melbourne, Victoria,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
.
The Channel
Its signal is transmitted from
Mt. DandenongMount Dandenong is a small township/suburb of Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 35 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges...
, reaching much of the Greater Melbourne area, and parts of
GeelongGeelong is the second largest city in the state of Victoria, Australia and is the largest regional centre in the state. It is a port city with an urban population of 160,991 people, and one of the largest provincial cities in Australia...
on free-to-air television. The station is also available on
Neighbourhood CableNeighbourhood Cable is a telecommunications provider based in regional Victoria, Australia . Neighbourhood Cable owns and operates Hybrid Fibre Coaxial cable networks in three Victorian regional cities:* Mildura* Ballarat* Geelong...
in Geelong.
The station began broadcasting officially on 6 October 1994. The
Australian Broadcasting AuthorityThe Australian Broadcasting Authority was an Australian government agency whose main roles were to regulate broadcasting, radiocommunications and telecommunications....
had granted Melbourne Community Television Consortium (MCTC) with a temporary open-narrowcast license on 5 March 1993. The framework of community television in Australia can be traced back to 1992, when the Government asked the ABA to conduct a trial of community television using the vacant sixth television channel (
Channel 31Channel 31 is the frequency currently reserved for free-to-air community television stations in the major Australian capital cities. The stations broadcast in analogue only at present but have been assured by the Federal Government of a transition to digital transmission in the future.Each...
). On 30 July 2004, the Australian Broadcasting Authority granted the station a full-time community broadcasting licence.
Channel 31 broadcasts community television throughout
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
, Geelong and in parts of regional Victoria.
Channel 31 is primarily funded through sponsorship, grants, sale of airtime and member donations. The station does not receive any regular Government funding. The annual revenue of C31 is approximately (AUD) $2 million per year. For comparison, the
Nine NetworkThe Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian television network based in Willoughby, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney. For nearly 40 years between 1956 and 2005, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, an Australian commercial station, has $907 million annual revenue. The station claims that "1.3 million Melbournians tune in each month" this figure is supplied by the ratings company
OzTamOzTAM is an Australian television ratings research firm that collects and markets television ratings data. It is jointly owned by the Seven Network, the Nine Network and Network Ten, and is the official source of television ratings data for all metropolitan television in Sydney, Melbourne,...
. Individual programs can have ratings of up to 60,000 to 70,000 viewers.
C31 has an exclusivity contract which excludes producers and directors from distributing their content in different mediums for three years. Questions on how this is enforced have been repeatedly asked and the Community Channels were investigated by the ACCC. This shows transcripts that contain issues when dealing with Community Channels and the legal ramification if the 3 year contract is signed. Also their lack of willingness to share content with non Community Television services such as
AuroraAurora Community Channel is an Australian subscription television channel that screens locally-produced community television programs. It was launched on the March 1, 2005 on the Foxtel, Austar and Optus Digital Networks and can be found on channel 183...
. The Channel hopes to expand its online presence over time with more programs available in full online.
C31 Melbourne is joined the digital broadcast centre with two levels of
ABC TV MelbourneABV is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television station in Melbourne, Victoria. The station began broadcasting on 19 November 1956, and is transmitted throughout the state via a series of transmitters...
in
SouthbankSouthbank is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on the south side of the Yarra River, opposite Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Melbourne and Port Phillip...
.
Transmission quality
C31's signal is broadcast in
UHFUltra high frequency designates a range of electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 300 MHz and 3 GHz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
only and at a lower power than Melbourne's other television stations (it is, for example, one quarter of
SBSThe Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
's output power). Nevertheless, viewers with good line-of-sight to the main transmitter on Mount Dandenong can receive a usable signal from as far away as
GeelongGeelong is the second largest city in the state of Victoria, Australia and is the largest regional centre in the state. It is a port city with an urban population of 160,991 people, and one of the largest provincial cities in Australia...
,
CastlemaineCastlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the "Goldfields" region about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo...
and
MoeMoe is a city in the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is about east of Melbourne and has a population of approximately 17,981. It is administered by the City of Latrobe council....
. There is also a translator transmitter on the Como building in
South YarraSouth Yarra is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Stonnington and Melbourne...
to provide in-fill for the
St KildaSt Kilda is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
area; this operates on UHF 64.
Most TV sets are capable of receiving C31, although it is often not included in the factory settings. However, using a TV's automatic tuning function can tune the station in if it is able to be received. Often a signal amplifier attached to the antenna can provide a much better C31 reception. Unlike the other free-to-air stations, C31 is not yet broadcasting digitally. However, government reviews are under way to find a way to facilitate this. Fortunately for C31, many people have yet to convert to digital only television (in a recent government report, it was noted that only 43% of Australians had gone digital.)
Programming
Channel 31 broadcasts a vast array of locally-produced content including news, sport, youth, arts, and entertainment programmes. The station also features a substantial amount of local multicultural programming, celebrating Melbourne's ethnic diversity.
FishCam
FishcamFishcam refers to a broadcast consisting of a video camera pointed at a fishtank.- Australia :Channel 31 Melbourne, Australia, had one of the more famous and long-lasting Fishcams. The Fishcam itself was originally used as a replacement to the more common testcards, shown when the station had...
is arguably Channel 31's best-known programme. It was a pre-recorded broadcast of a fish tank located in the station's studios, set to music by independent artists . It used to be live, but the station got complaints from the
ACMAAustralian Communications and Media Authority is an Australian government agency whose main roles are to regulate broadcasting, radiocommunications and telecommunications, and to represent Australian interests in international communications matters...
when there was a dead fish floating on the top of the tank for several days. It was originally shown in place of a
test patternA test card, also known as a test pattern in North America, is a television test signal, typically broadcast at times when the transmitter is active but no program is being broadcast...
when the station had no programming available for broadcast. After it was discovered that
Fishcam was reasonably popular,
Fishcam became a scheduled show and was even listed in the TV guide. Channel 31 has boasted that
Fishcam is "very popular" and is so widely recognized in the Melbourne community that "many people know Channel 31 as 'the fish station'."
The station has previously made
VHSVideo Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, was a video tape recording standard developed during the 1970s. It was released to the public during the latter half of the decade. During the late part of the 1970s and the early 1980s it formed one-half of the VHS vs Betamax war, which it...
tapes of
Fishcam available for purchase. After having its timeslot continually cut back over the years to make room for more traditional programming,
Fishcam finally ceased broadcasting on March 4, 2007.
Relay Stations
The following stations relay C31 throughout Victoria:
- Upper Murray - UHF
Ultra high frequency designates a range of electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 300 MHz and 3 GHz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 64.
- Albury
Albury is a city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is also a Local Government Area, administered by Albury City Council...
and WodongaWodonga is a small city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. It is covered by the municipality Wodonga City Council...
- UHFUltra high frequency designates a range of electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 300 MHz and 3 GHz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 31.
- Bendigo
Bendigo is a regional city in central Victoria, Australia, located in the City of Greater Bendigo. It is approximately 131 kilometres from the state capital of Melbourne. With a steadily growing urban population estimated at 88,031 Bendigo is currently the fourth most populous city in Victoria...
- UHFUltra high frequency designates a range of electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 300 MHz and 3 GHz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 31.
- Ballarat
Ballarat is a city in Victoria, Australia, and Victoria's largest inland city. It is well-known for its history and heritage and is a major regional centre in the Goldfields region of Victoria....
- UHFUltra high frequency designates a range of electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 300 MHz and 3 GHz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 31.
- Goulburn Valley
The Goulburn Valley is a region of Victoria, Australia. The region consists of those areas in the catchment of the Goulburn River and other nearby streams, and is part of the Murray-Darling Basin. The Goulburn Valley is bordered on the south by the Great Dividing Range and to the north by the...
/SheppartonShepparton is the fifth largest city in Victoria, Australia. The population of the municipality of City of Greater Shepparton in 2005 was estimated to be at 60,403 residents. The population of Shepparton-Mooroopna is estimated at 38,773...
- UHFUltra high frequency designates a range of electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 300 MHz and 3 GHz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 64.
- Latrobe Valley
The Latrobe Valley is nestled between the Strzelecki Ranges and the Great Dividing Range in Victoria, Australia. It is named after the Latrobe River which flows, eastwards, through it....
/TraralgonTraralgon is a regional city located in the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Traralgon is a city within the City of Latrobe....
- UHFUltra high frequency designates a range of electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 300 MHz and 3 GHz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 64.
- Mildura
Mildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia, part of the Rural City of Mildura. Mildura is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of the Murray River. The city's population was 30,016 at the 2006 census....
and SunraysiaSunraysia is an area of northwestern Victoria and southwestern New South Wales in Australia, known for its sunshine, grapes and oranges. Its main centre is Mildura....
- UHFUltra high frequency designates a range of electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 300 MHz and 3 GHz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 31.
- Murray Valley
The Electoral district of Murray Valley is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.It contains the towns of Cobram, Numurkah, Rutherglen, Wangaratta and Yarrawonga, as well as many other smaller towns....
/Swan HillSwan Hill is a city in the north west of Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Murray Valley Highway, on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At the 2006 census, Swan Hill had a population of 9,684....
- UHFUltra high frequency designates a range of electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 300 MHz and 3 GHz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 64
- Western Victoria - UHF
Ultra high frequency designates a range of electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 300 MHz and 3 GHz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 64
Other programs
- Fusion Latinahttp://www.fusionlatinatv.com is a magazine style TV show that explores the passion of the Spanish and Latin American culture in Australia.
- The Bazura Project
The Bazura Project is a cult, late-night television show broadcast throughout Australian community television stations written and hosted by Shannon Marinko and Lee Zachariah....
is a movie show featuring film news, feature stories, interviews, and reviews. It is hosted by Shannon Marinko and Lee Zachariah.
- Get Cereal TV is an hour long breakfast show produced by SYN
The Student Youth Network is a youth based media organization based at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Commonly referred to as SYN, the organization produces new and independent media that is made by and for Melbourne's young people...
, airing weekday mornings from 7:30.
- Barnaby Flowers
Barnaby Flowers is the name given to a group of producers, directors and writers based in Melbourne, Australia...
is the collective of Melbourne writers, directors and producers behind the popular C31 shows, Barnaby Flowers Comeback Special & Barnaby Flowers Bumper Bonanza a live hour long sketch show and Barnaby Flowers A Time to Talk, a satirical mock interview show.
- Chartbusting 80's
Chartbusting 80s is a variety television show with a 1980s music theme. It is broadcast on community television station Channel 31 in Melbourne, Australia. It is the highest-rated program on that station. The show is hosted by Josie Parrelli, who is known for her extreme dress sense...
one of C31's most popular and resource-intensive studio shows.
- Darren & Brose
Darren Chau and Brose Avard are Australian based comedy writers and performers who first met whilst studying Media at Latrobe University. Chau had previously been working with the comedy ensemble Chop-Socky, whilst Avard had been producing and broadcasting on several aspirant Melbourne radio...
C31's very first live, nightly program.
- Damon Dark
Damon Dark is a long-running independent science fiction series from Australia, created by and featuring Adrian Sherlock .-Origins of the Series:...
is an indie science fiction programme.
- Gasolene is a programme that showcases anything to do with petrochemical engines, auto repairs or metalworking.
- Planet Nerd
Planet Nerd is a television comedy variety programme broadcast on Channel 31 Melbourne. It stars local Melbourne comedians Dan Walmsley, Paul Francis Verhoeven, Ben McKenzie, Simon Barber, Jason English-Rees, Andrew Doodson, Lou Pardi, and Rob Lloyd, and features other local Melbourne talent as well...
is a variety show for, and about, nerds and geeks. It is hosted by Dan WalmsleyDan Walmsley is a Melbourne-based comedian, writer, musician and improvisor. He is also the creator of Planet Nerd, a TV show which repeatedly threatens to engulf his entire life.Dan studied Honours in Software Engineering at Monash University in Melbourne...
.
- In Pit Lane
In Pit Lane is a motor sports television show currently broadcasting on Channel 31 in Melbourne, Australia. It started on Optus Vision, another community access station that has since folded. It is produced and hosted by Brett Ramsey. Several guest hosts have appeared...
is C31's weekly motor sports program that has run for 11 years.
- Level 3
Level 3 is an Australian television show that focuses on video games and gaming culture. The program airs on Melbourne based public broadcasting channel, Channel 31 on Fridays at 9pm EST+10...
A video game related show that has reviews of PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony. The PS2 console is the sequel to the original PlayStation console. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation series of video game...
, PlayStation3, Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles....
, Nintendo DSThe is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in 2004 in Canada, the United States, and Japan. The console features a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP, with two LCD screens inside—with the bottom one being a touchscreen...
, WiiThe is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both...
and PCA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator...
games.
- Magic Dudes: As Seen On TV The made for television series show cases the sleight-of-hand magic of the performing duo, the Magic Dudes. The series was filmed in front of a live audience and was based on a pilot that first was shown on C31 Adelaide in 2004.
- No Limits
No Limits is an Australian television show about living with disability. It has been produced since June 2003 from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology studios.It currently shows on Channel 31 in Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide....
is a talk show about living with disability. It is a high-profile and popular show. Its 'politically-correct' content gives support to C31's raison d'etre.
- Pinoy TV is a television programme which is dedicated to Filipino-Australians living in Melbourne, Sydney and Darwin. It features cooking, news and cultural events. Pinoy TV is hosted by "Ate G" (Giselle Gonzales) and "DJ Gwapz".
- Sketchmen
Sketchmen is an Australian comedy troupe formed in 2005. The troupe's members are Michael, James, Jay and Casey.- Sketchmen :...
a Sydney sketch comedy show.
- The Shambles
The Shambles is an Australian television sketch comedy program shown on the community television station Channel 31 in Melbourne. It is written by and stars Sean Lynch, Nathan Valvo and Anthony Ziella, known on the show as Lynchy, Valvo and Sos respectively.Debuting on Melbourne's Channel 31 in...
Sketch comedy show starring Sos, Valvo & Lynchy.
- TheatreGames LIVE is a program where a number of actors compete against each other playing improvisation and theatregames.
- Blurb (tv show)
Blurb is a half hour Australian television show about books. Produced through the community access production house RMITV, Blurb aired on Channel 31 Melbourne in late 2007...
is a book review television program featuring Misha Adair and Natasha Ludowyk.
- The Ugly Stick
The Ugly Stick is a troupe of Melbourne comedians, and creators of The Ugly Stick radio show on SYN 90.7 and The Ugly Stick TV show on Channel 31. Repeats can be seen 10:30 pm Saturday nights on Channel 31....
a sketch comedy program featuring the ugly stick comedy troupe.
- 1700 a live daily music show produced by SYN
The Student Youth Network is a youth based media organization based at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Commonly referred to as SYN, the organization produces new and independent media that is made by and for Melbourne's young people...
, with sms interaction, video clips, music news and many segments http://syn.org.au/tv
- In Search of... a weekly documentary series
- Paranormal investigators Television series which looks into the paranormal as a group of people go out to often secluded locations in search of the paranormal
- GolfZone TV
GolfZone TV is a variety television show featuring the sport of golf in Australia. It is broadcast on community television station Channel 31 in Melbourne, Australia. GolfZone is the only free to air Golf T.V. show featured on Australian Television. The show is a labour of love by the...
Golf themed TV show, featuring golf instruction, golf rules, golf product reviews, course reviews and rule interpretation.
- 4WD TV 4WD TV is an action packed program dedicated to all things four wheeling. For 4WD enthusiasts of all kinds, get up close and dirty in extreme competitions and the inside scoop on industry events with stories covering 4WD education and safety, hints and tips, trip and track reports, product tests and reviews, repairing and modifying your rigs as well as club reports, events and competitions.
Personalities
Many comedians, performing artists and producers worked at C31 before moving to mainstream television, these people include
Rove McManusJohn Henry Michael "Rove" McManus is an Australian media personality. He is the host of the variety show Rove and owner of the production company Roving Enterprises. He is a three time Gold Logie Award winner.-Personal life:...
,
Amy ParksAmy Parks is a reporter for Nine News in Melbourne. Parks is well known for being one of the original hosts of Channel Nine's late night interactive quiz show, Quizmania.-Television:...
, Greg Tingle, Hamish and Andy, Adam Richard,
Jo StanleyJoanne "Jo" Stanley is an Australian television and radio personality.Stanley has appeared as the host of Network Ten's Bread TV program, a show that focuses on small business and is currently the host of The Matt and Jo Show on Austereo's FOX FM, a show she joined in 2003.- Biography :In her...
,
Darren ChauDarren Chau is an Australian writer, performer, comedian and producer.Chau was educated at Camberwell Grammar School and later studied Media and Drama at La Trobe University....
,
Corinne GrantCorinne Grant is an Australian comedian and television presenter.-Career:After briefly studying as a nurse in Wodonga, she embarked upon a career as a stand-up comedian in Melbourne. She also gained a degree in drama...
, Jamie McDonald and Kim Hope.
External links