RMITV

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RMITV
Type Community
Country Australia
Availability Melbourne, Australia
Founded 1987
Slogan What Are You Looking At?
Launch date 1987
Website www.rmitv.org

RMITV is a not-for-profit community access television production facility based at RMIT University City Campus in Melbourne, Australia. It is one of the members of the MCTC; the not-for-profit consortium that operates the community access channel Channel 31 in Melbourne. RMITV was also responsible for broadcasting ETV, a closed-circuit television system operated at the RMIT Campus in previous years.

RMITV is responsible for producing a number of shows that air on C31, including some with the highest production values and budgets. Some examples include Barnaby Flowers, In Pit Lane, The LiveWire, TheatreGames LIVE, Chartbusting 80s and The Loft Live. The popular Australian talk host Rove McManus and dynamic duo radio DJs Hamish and Andy also begun their media careers at RMITV.

RMITV encourages people interested in the field to take out memberships with them. Although based at RMIT University in Melbourne, membership to RMITV is not limited to current RMIT students.

[edit] History

RMITV is one of the oldest community television organisations in Australia, having been involved in lobbying the government for community access to the television spectrum. It transmitted its first test broadcast in 1987, which controversially at the time wasn't licensed by the authorities.

The government encouraged Melbourne's many aspirant community television broadcasters to form an umbrella organisation to apply for a broadcasting license, and so RMITV is a founding member of the Melbourne Community Television Consortium; the license holder for Melbourne's Channel 31.

Throughout it's time RMITV has produced some of the most prolific and groundbreaking programs on Australian Community Television, including: The Loft, Under Melbourne Tonight, Chartbusting 80's, Raucous, Dawns Crack, PLUCK an countless outside broadcasts.

[edit] Internal Structure

Due to its status as a University Student Union organisation, RMITV elects its management each calendar year via a vote from the membership. This is uncommon in television organisations, and can require a potential office-bearer to posses certain political skills in addition to television production and management experience.