Channel 10 For Mildura (at last)

Word from ABA that Network 10 will be allowed to transmit a digital signal
in the Mildura area from early in the New Year.

Mildura missed out on the aggregation all those years ago and only got Prime
in 97.
This will be great for this area as a recent petition in favour of getting
10 here got over 10,000 signatures. Not bad for a population of about
30,000.
This will be a boon for retailers selling STB's, I think that there will be
a surge of customers buying the boxes and this is one way of introducing
DigitalTV to the masses in one go... Bring it on. Hopefully 10 will come to
the party.
Network 10 is prohibited from providing an analogue signal in this area
until at least 2007.
Finally a ray of hope in the tv wilderness.
The Pointman.

The Pointman wrote:
> Word from ABA that Network 10 will be allowed to transmit a digital
> signal in the Mildura area from early in the New Year.

If you're basing this claim on the article in the Independent Star, then
you're being a bit optimistic (as was the subeditor). The guy from the ABA
was only saying that *if the currently proposed legislation is passed* they
will be allowed to issue such a licence next year. Even if the legislation
does get through, there's no gaurantee that there will be a Ten affiliate in
Mildura.

Hmmm, Even if what you are saying is correct, there is more hope with this
legislation than there has been in the past. It was reported that the ABA
sat up and took notice of the petition as did Federal MP John Forrest who
has been a vocal campaigner for the licence for years. I guess all it needs
is for 10 to come to the party.
"Matthew Cook" <mattax@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:bqeps9$1vvuf0$1@ID-182032.news.uni-berlin.de...
> The Pointman wrote:
> > Word from ABA that Network 10 will be allowed to transmit a digital
> > signal in the Mildura area from early in the New Year.
>
> If you're basing this claim on the article in the Independent Star, then
> you're being a bit optimistic (as was the subeditor). The guy from the ABA
> was only saying that *if the currently proposed legislation is passed*
they
> will be allowed to issue such a licence next year. Even if the legislation
> does get through, there's no gaurantee that there will be a Ten affiliate
in
> Mildura.
>
>

The Pointman wrote:
> Hmmm, Even if what you are saying is correct,

I suggest you reread the article.

> there is more hope with
> this legislation than there has been in the past.

That's true. Although the ABA could issue a suplementry digital licence to
WIN and/or Prime like they've done in Tassie for their third commercial
network - without any change of the law.

> It was reported
> that the ABA sat up and took notice of the petition as did Federal MP
> John Forrest who has been a vocal campaigner for the licence for
> years.

I hope so.

> I guess all it needs is for 10 to come to the party.

Network Ten itself doesn't own any rural "Ten" licences. The ones in the
rest of Vic, and most of NSW are owned by Southern Cross Broadcasting. This
is the company most likely to operate a new independant Ten station in
Mildura. You can email them at comment@scbnetwork.com.au if you like.

However, the ABA tends to issue supplimentary licences in areas where it has
doubts that an independant licence will be profitable enough to survive. In
Tassie, they're getting one run by the two existing broadcasters. In parts
of regional SA and western NSW, the single commercial broadcasters are being
allowed to operate a second service. So you could try lobbying WIN and
Prime.

But the organisation that really needs convincing is the ABA. If they decide
to make a third commercial licence available, there will be bidders. Someone
will run it. And it will have Ten on it.

Lobbying the other companies is probably a good way to get the ABA to change
their mind though. If WIN and/or Prime said they'd love to run Ten Mildura,
there'll be a much better chance of it happening. I just don't see that
happening. STV/ENT/WIN (the changing owners of STV8) lobbied successfully
for years to block the second station starting up. Different companies put
up their hand to run it, but WIN kept convincing the ABA that such a station
would be unviable.