Cork Community Television Ireland

http://www.corkcommunitytv.ie/

Cork Community Television (CCTv) was established as a Company Limited by Guarantee (without share capital) in May 2007. Its primary aim is to enable communities to make, manage and broadcast television programming to reflect the interests, activities and concerns of these communities, in order to effect positive social change.

CCTv’s founding members are representatives of the community and voluntary sector and the community media sector who began meeting following the Pilot Week of Cork Community Television in 2005, to establish CCTv on a more permanent basis.

From its founding members, a voluntary Board of Management was formed to oversee the initial development of CCTv. There are currently 9 Board members of Cork Community Television (Siobhan O’Neill (chairperson), Emma Bowell (secretary), Karen Hogan (treasurer), Eddie Noonan, Margaret Desmond, Una Feely, Dave Whelan, Michael Hobbs, Audrey O’Mahony). There are currently over 30 members of Cork Community Television.

In December 2006, Cork Community Television first submitted an application to the BCI for a Community Content Contract under Section 39 of the Broadcasting Act 2001. This was provisionally awarded in 2007 and much work has been taking place since then to establish CCTv on a more solid footing. Some development funding was provided by Cork City Council in 2008 to enable CCTv to set up a premises and to prepare for transmission. On 14^th May 2009, representatives from Cork Community Television signed the Community Content Contract with the BCI, which will be in place for 10 years.

Cork Community Television will be broadcast on Channel 803 on the UPC digital cable package. This is available in Cork city and its environs. CCTv hopes to be able to broadcast in county areas in the future, either via UPC’s MMDS service and/or via digital terrestrial television. CCTv is also exploring the option of being able to stream content over the Internet.

Cork Community Television currently receives no core funding and has no staff working for it. It is being managed by the voluntary input of the Board of Management and a team of volunteer members. For Cork Community Television to develop as a channel, it needs to secure core funding and is currently seeking ways to do this.

CCTv and its members have received some funding for programme production under the Sound & Vision scheme, run by the BCI. Communities in Blackpool, Bishopstown and Mahon have been involved in the production of the Corklore series, a series charting the rapid development of these areas. Two of the productions are completed, co-produced with the Northside Folklore Project and the Bishopstown Senior Social Centre. Several other documentary projects have been awarded funding under this scheme and are in various stages of production (more news anon). These include documentaries on the Cork Stonemasons, the North Infirmary and the Community Midwives in Cork.

Cork Community Television has been supported by the Arts Office of Cork County Council to develop ideas for arts programming on CCTv and will be running workshops on this later this year.

CCTv is also involved in the Community in a Studio Project with the two other community television stations in Ireland (DCTV and P5TV). In Cork this project will result in the production of studio-based programmes, which will be broadcast on the channel later this year.