>> This one calls itself Briz-31

HC> Aha, and it differentiates itself from regular commercial
HC> telivision how?, other then bad reception?

NP> It's operating on a temporary licence dunno much else, I don't
NP> watch it often.

NP> I runs under the Umbrella of RTV Renaissance Television. their
NP> motto is "the Boom times are back" catering to the retirement
NP> public. Ch31 in Sydney just lost its licence (or is going to)

 CH31 Sydney is now off the air, having run for 11 years on their
"temporary" licence. The replacement won't transmit (if it ever does)
until 2005. How hard would it have been to provide another channel? I
assume that Public Access TV in Oz is about to go the way of free
eductation, Medicare, and the rest. Thank you, Johnny Shitface. 

 RTV was only part of the story. CH31 *daytime* ran under Renaissance
TV which was fairly-well organised showing old unwanted (by commercial
stations) series and old movies. All the crap no open else wanted. I
watched Victory at Sea again.

 The rest was a shambles of mostly ethnic programs for overseas (in
foreign language with some Emglish) plus genuine public access. We had
the anarchists, amateur producers, short films, a vegan cooking
program, something indescribable (Blokes World) that seemed to promote
motocross and prostitution, standup comedians, a medical program, and
god only knows what!

 I actually watched it fairly regularly. Blokes World was a hoot
compared to Rove, and the rest was wonderfully spontaneous,
anmateurish and stuffed up. All you needed was a video camera and
something to say, and they'd give you a time slot of your own.
Admittedly the signal was bloody awful, the wog-TV was a waste of
space, the levels were always wrong, but it was interesting! Which is
more than you can say for the programming-crap TV serves up in 2004.

 The *reason* CH31 was dumped so unceremoniously, was that it had
gained an audience and one of the proprieters (Stokes or Packer)
complained to their bought-and-paid-for minion Johnny Shithead, and
that suck-arse Professor Flint did his bought-and-paid-for duty to the
Liberal Party.

 Roll on, Election...

Regards,
Bob
   

  

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