New broadcast technology as digital terrestial television (DTT) will create new opportunities for non-commercial community television.  Today such a television station is confined to cable and thus not being able to reach all citizens in its coverage area.

On January 8th 2009 the Minister of Culture will inaugurate ”Frikanalen” - the new Open Channel in Norway, which will be broadcast from Oslo on the national DTT-network. The DTT-network established in 2008 is now reaching 98 percent of the Norwegian households. Frikanalen is a non-profit open channel for NGOs and today has 57 member organisations from start. Since October 2008 Frikanalen has been test broadcasting in the afternoons but will later this year broadcast 24 hours a day.

In Denmark the Ministry of Culture has proposed a new media regulation that will make it possible to broadcast non-commercial regional or national community television on the DTT-network from November 2009.  NGO’s will be able to choose broadcast over one of eight regions solely or nationally to all regions. This will make it possible to create two levels;  a geographical and an idea oriented/public interest level. The channel will be part of the public service multiplex in the DTT-network.  The annual state support of 3.5 million euro (financed by the TV license fee) to non-commercial local television broadcast on cable will cease 2010 and will be shifted to support this regional/national community television on DTT instead.

Denmark has a long tradition of non-commercial community television on cable (and on UHF in Copenhagen) in contrast to Norway where community television has been very limited. In Sweden, the first country in the world to switch off analogue television, the cablebound Open Channels have asked to the government to open the DTT-network for community television.

At a seminar preceding the inauguration there will be MP’s from the Norwegian parliament present as well as from the European parliament (Karin Resetarits). I will be one of the speakers at the seminar.

It might be a good idea to spead the news about what is developing in Denmark and Norway to media politicians in other countries in the EU. DTT might become the best opportunity for a viable community television in Europe.

From: Christer Hederström, Community Media Forum Europe, Stockholm, Sweden