VIEWERS and contributors to Adelaide’s Channel 44 have received a last-minute reprieve, amid ongoing uncertainty for the future of community television.

The station was set to be turned-off at midnight, last night, but just hours out the Federal Government announced it would grant an extension to Channel 44’s broadcasting licence.

The extension allows Channel 44 to air for at least another 12 months, and is the sixth extension since 2014 when former communications minister Malcolm Turnbull said community TV should move to an online spectrum to make way for the testing of broadcasting technology.

Gawler’s Ethan White has had his self-produced travel show Off the Couch with Ethan aired on C44 for the past two years and said it has provided him with the experience he couldn’t have found anywhere else.

“For young people like myself who want to be involved with the media industry I always say C44 is a little bit like the learner plates for TV,” he said.

“It’s that stepping stone that can give you the experience you need to go on to bigger and better things without having to jump straight across to a commercial station, which is really difficult to do.”

“I think the 12-month extension is really good but just a start as well – C44 needs a permanent solution to stick around because it really is an important part of our community here in Adelaide and I think an integral part of society.”

Melbourne’s community station Channel 31 was also offered a 12-month extension on Monday night, having previously been led to believe one would not be offered.

C31 content shares with Adelaide as well as airs Off the Couch with Ethan to a much-larger Victorian audience.

The two channels are the last remaining community television stations in the country, with stations in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth, closing over the past few years.

C44 Adelaide acting general manager Kristen Hamill said she believes community TV is a sector worth fighting for.

“Not only are we a platform for local voices and a training ground for emerging media professionals, but we have also been able to adapt quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify needs within the local community,” she said.

“There are many Australians that don’t have access to the internet, and our local broadcasts provide an essential service to keep people connected, comforted and informed.”

While some testing was completed – using spectrum vacated by interstate stations – in 2018, there is currently no planned alternative use for the broadcast spectrum occupied by C31 and C44.

According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), there is no planned use for the channels for at least the next five years.

Community television relies on sponsorship deals and volunteers to operate and has never been taxpayer funded.

The Bunyip requested comment from Federal communication minister Paul Fletcher, but did not receive a response.