Television Sydney

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TVS

Type	Community television channel
Country	Australia
Availability	Sydney
Callsigns	TSN-31
Website	www.tvs.tv

TVS (Television Sydney) is a free-to-air community television station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia, on UHF channel 31. After several previous failures it is the latest bid to create a viable community based channel in Sydney.

TVS is promoted as "the first free-to-air TV station to be launched in Sydney since SBS was launched in the 1980's".

Since its opening on 20 February 2006, TVS has been broadcasting 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

TVS has a 20kW transmitter instead of the previous licensee's 5 KW transmitter, and transmits through the same antenna as SBS located on the Broadcast Australia tower at Gore Hill. The channel provides coverage across most of Sydney, with reports of clear reception from locations as far south as Wollongong, in the lower Blue Mountains and on the Central Coast. The signal is marginally weaker than that of SBS, however many viewers report superior reception.

TVS has a broadcast operations centre on the media campus of the University of Western Sydney. Their automation system is the same as that used for community channels in Melbourne and Perth however TVS is currently the only channel that is fully digital up to the transmitter.

There is new Sydney-specific programming in much of the current line-up with additional programmes from interstate community channels and professional program makers. The technical quality of programming varies.

Programme production quality is not set by TVS as it is due to the individual community groups. There are a number of repeat programmes in their programme line-up with some programmes repeated three times in a week as a deliberate strategy to allow viewers a choice of viewing times.

TVS has an exclusivety contract which excludes producers and directors from distributing their content online for three years. Questions on how this is enforced have been repeadetly asked and the Community Channels were investigated by the ACCC.

[1] Shows transcripts that contain issues when dealing with Community Channels and the legal ramification if the 3 year contract is signed. Also their lack of willingness to share content with non Community TV stations such as Foxtel and Optus.

Metro Screen ([2]) to provide training courses for program providers.

TVS accepts sponsorship advertising and has engaged an external sales and sponsorship agent, Media Brokers ([3]).