A NEW advertising-free community television station for Dublin will enrich the social economy of the capital as well as providing entertainment and education, according to Minister for Communications Éamon Ryan.
The Minister spoke yesterday to mark the launch of Dublin Community Television (DCTV), which was awarded Ireland’s first 10-year community television licence in May 2006. It has been broadcasting on a pilot basis since last September and is run by a co-operative.
Mr Ryan said the channel would increase viewing options for the people of Dublin. He noted the current “difficult times” in the economy and said he believed things would become very difficult over the next year or two.
“Maybe that will remind us in some sense that, actually, our economy is a social economy as well as a commercial economy; that in our city, social entrepreneurship has always been, and may always be, as important as commercial entrepreneurship; that our culture, our sense of ourselves and our sense of what’s happening in our city is determined as much by the social economy as it is by the commercial economy.”
DCTV chairman Seán Ó Siuchrú said DCTV was “a much-needed and radical new departure in television in Ireland”. We could no longer believe “that more channels results in better television or more choice”.
“The truth, of course, is that greater choice only comes when you have a greater diversity of programmes; a wider range of views expressed from all sectors, especially the minority and marginalised groups; more inspiring ideas, and stimulating and creative entertainment. Only then will we actually translate the number of channels into something that gives you genuine choice.”
The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland’s chief executive Michael O’Keeffe said it had allocated about €250,000 to the community-in-the-studio concept and that it was important to support the sector. Mr O’Keeffe said he believed a Cork-based community television station would soon be ready to begin broadcasting.
DCTV will broadcast 24 hours a day at channel 802 on the Chorus- NTL digital cable network, reaching 200,000 households in Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Galway and Waterford. Programming includes drama, documentaries, arts shows, current affairs and adult education programmes.
Many programmes are funded by the BCI’s Sound and Vision fund, generated from the licence fee. Other funding sources include Dublin City Council, local authorities, and the Dublin Community Forum.
The station’s co-operative has more than 100 members.