Cape Town TV, a small community station, has staved off having to close down after its bid to gain access to a more suitable channel was successful, a year after it initially petitioned the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) for help.
Station manager Karen Thorne says the community offering was successful in persuading ICASA that it should have space in channel 32, which has been earmarked for the third digital multiplex.
However, as the station was concerned that it may be booted off the channel when the third digital multiplex is awarded, it will also stay in channel 67, says Thorne. She adds this will require an extra transmitter, which it will appeal to Sentech to provide.
Cape Town TV (CTV) was moved from channel 38 to channel 67 last March, to accommodate digital TV trials in the area. However, the new frequency was not suitable, as its reach is limited and viewers had to purchase more expensive aerials and boosters.
Because of the move, the station saw its viewer numbers drop from 1.3 million to 663 000, which "just about put CTV out of business", Thorne told ITWeb last October.
Thorne says the station will be able to stabilise its income and gain additional viewers if it can broadcast through both channels. She says the situation is more optimistic, but the station is not out of the woods yet.
It was fortuitous that CTV did not go out of business after losing so many viewers, says Thorne, who adds that some advertisers remained loyal to the channel.
Thorne says the station ended the year with between 600 000 and 700 000 viewers, after having taken eight months to get back to a level that was half of where it was before the channel was moved.
The gain in viewership, which was achieved through limited marketing, word of mouth and new programming, took it out of being in dire straits and meant it could again be seen as appealing to advertisers, says Thorne. However, the level is not desirable, she adds.
The station was founded by over 200 non-profit organisations in 2006, and has about 26 employees and around 100 volunteers that assist with production.
The channel provides opportunities for volunteers and interns who have video production skills to hone and who want to develop their abilities. It also provides opportunities for NGOs, community organisations, educational institutions, sports groups and government to produce programming in partnership with video producers to inform, entertain and educate the people of Cape Town.
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