September 26 , 2009


One way to develop community TV is to buy the station.

That's what 45 employees of Victoria's oldest TV station did
when owners threatened to shut it down. They bought CHEK TV
from Canwest Global for $2.

Loyal viewers in Victoria were thrilled. "HOORAY!! I am
totally stoked. They have the best, oldest and one of the
most community friendly and established stations in B.C. I
have grown up with CHEK TV. It was one of the first
stations I ever watched. We can never replace the community
with corporate takeovers," wrote one viewer.

Employees are equally excited about keeping the station open
and finding advertisers. One keen employee said: "The owner
of the coffee shop next door to our studio in Victoria
hugged us all when he found out we finally bought the
station and he said he'd definitely advertise with us. With
that kind of support, how can we not succeed?"

That kind viewer loyalty and motivated workforce is
priceless. Financial backer Levi Sampson was so impressed
that he invested in the worker-led company. He had also
invested in Nanaimo's Harmac pulp mill when it was taken
over by employees. He said that a worker-led model could be
used in any business "given the right circumstances."

Another way to build community TV is to do it yourself.
Canadians are getting together to provide an alternative to
commercial TV, says Canadian Association of Campus and
Community Television User Groups and Stations (CACTUS).

"Community television is a way to democratize television,
and a way for citizens to take back the airwaves and to
muscle our way into the crowded cable universe so that we
can tell our own stories. It is way for us to participate
in shaping the communities where we live," says their
website.

Community stations are as diverse as Canada's cultural
mosaic. Programming is prepared by hundreds of small groups
across Canada in school basements, bingo halls, community
centres, then aired on their local cable channel 10.

A handful of low-power and community broadcast stations
deliver programs to local audiences in rural areas. Small
communities produce programs and share them by running wires
from house to house through home-made cable systems.
Student groups on Canadian campuses distribute programs on
the internet or on campus cable.

The loss of over-the-air CBC TV in Kamloops provides an
opportunity for our very own community TV station.

The same transmitter that restores CBC in Kamloops would
have room for a community channel plus four others. New
efficient technology allows for six channels where one used
to be. Not only is the new technology more efficient but it
is also cheaper, and it delivers six pictures clearer than
the single channel it replaces.

There are many possible sources of programming in Kamloops
for a community channel. The growing arts community could
show off local talent.

Thompson Rivers University could use it to present plays,
news and documentaries produced by journalism students,
course material for off-campus students, lectures by
renowned Canadian visitors, and interviews with faculty on
exciting research.

The Kamloops Indian Band could broadcast the Kamloopa Pow
Wow and programs on aboriginal issues.

Community TV already exists in Kamloops in a limited way.
Channel 10 is on cable and TRU has a closed-circuit system.
But true community TV would be accessible to everyone
through broadcasting. What could be more democratic than
the ability to receive TV without fees and wires?

Kamloopsians are excited about the prospect of a free
six-pack of channels. Results of a survey of Kamloopsians
in July, commissioned by the Canadian Media guild, indicate
that thousands would dump pay-TV for a free broadcast
package consisting of CBC in English and French, CFJC,
Global, CTV, and Knowledge Network.

Approximately 5,000 Kamloopsians now watch TV over-the-air
but that number would jump to 30,000 with free TV. A single
transmitter would provide a set of channels for viewers who
want digital-quality broadcast pictures but are tired for
paying for TV they don't watch.

Of course, the exact mix of the six-pack of channels would
have to be approved by the CRTC but one of those could be a
community channel.

Television that is made by ourselves, for Kamloopsians, is
something to get excited about - - a thought-provoking and
playful look at our city; a celebration of the arts and a
statement about who we are.
 

David Charbonneau is the owner of Trio Technical.
He can be reached at dcharbonneau13@shaw.ca

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