Indigenous TV launch leaves some communities without a voice (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Indigenous TV launch leaves some communities without a voice

Posted Thu Nov 1, 2007 4:06pm AEDT
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/01/2079094.htm?section=entertainment

Australia's first 24 hour Indigenous television channel has been beamed to
millions of homes for the first time today.

The station is running Indigenous programming - including sports, children's
shows and documentaries - on a seven hour loop.

National Indigenous Television (NITV) replaced a community television
broadcast on Imparja's narrowcast service in July, but today launched on
two pay TV networks.

"More people than ever before will now be able to see the world through
different eyes," said NITV's Pat Turner.

But not everyone's happy with what's been on the black box.

Aboriginal communities that were previously able to watch their home-made
programs in language say the content is too mainstream and too sad.

Bess Nungarrayi Price from the Indigenous Remote Communication Association
says people in Central Australian communities miss seeing their own content
on television.

"I've heard people out in the bush communities saying that it's more or less
like the mainstream stuff that we've already been seeing that doesn't make
any sense to us and it's all in English which a lot of people out there
wouldn't really understand."

"I guess that's why they're just disappointed because it's not really what
they want to see."

Ms Turner says it's up to communities to produce new material for the
network or work with NITV to develop new programs.