NZ: Plug pulled on independent Stratos Television - blow to diversity
Friday, December 23, 2011
Item: 7789
AUCKLAND (Stratos Television / Pacific Media Watch): Stratos Television, the free-to-air, nationwide broadcaster is switching off after four years of serving up real public service broadcasting to a growing number of New Zealanders.
The channel, which has provided a different window on the world from other channels through the likes of Al Jazeera news in English, is no longer financially viable.
Co-founder and chief executive Jim Blackman said Stratos had survived four years because the people behind it have 15 years experience of "delivering great television at low cost" and without having the advantage of access to taxpayer dollars.
“We simply have not had the support we were seeking – despite a growing audience of more than one million and reaching the stage where AC Nielsen were able to include us in the TARPS audience ratings,” he said.
“It is hugely disappointing because New Zealand is a country where 25 percent of the population are new New Zealanders and providing a window to the world helps develop understanding in our communities.
“Stratos was founded on the principles of recognised public broadcasting. We could have also filled the gap the proposed closure of TVNZ7 will create, but after four years of proving ourselves, we are no closer to being given the opportunity. Auckland viewers in particular, where the demographic is rapidly changing to include more Polynesian and Asian peoples, will miss Stratos.”
Triangle carries on
Stratos TV has screened free-to-air on Freeview Digital Channel 21, on Sky Channel 89 and TelstraClear Channel 089.
It is a sister channel to Triangle Television, screens similar programming across Auckland on UHF channel 41.
Apart from the hugely popular Al Jazeera news, Stratos served up series like the worldwide top-rating “Jewel in the Palace”, a Korean drama about palace life and traditional cuisine, and the international talent quest Eurovision that discovered the likes of ABBA. Its news and current affairs programmes, screened in both English and mother tongues, has covered more than a dozen countries.
Stratos had international partnerships with the likes of DW-TV, France 24, Euro News in Europe, Voice of America, Bloomberg, Australia Network and CCTV, CQTV, NHK and YTN in Asia.
Blackman says his team studied the Australian SBS model and set out to “provide regional, multilingual and multicultural television services that informed, educated and entertained all New Zealanders and reflected the diversity of New Zealand’s regional and multicultural society”.
(cc) Creative Commons
All inquiries to: info@stratostv.co.nz
Comments
Stratos - whatever happened to democracy?
It is a government conspiracy to stop independent thinking. They have axed channel 7 in spite of logic and intelligent argument. The loss of Stratos makes the argument for public broadcasting even more cogent. This blinkered government listens to no one but their vested interest mates. They sell state assets in spite of 88% of people saying no, they sell farms to foreigners in spite of 97% saying no, they kill channel 7 in spite of the need for public broadcasting. Whatever happened to democracy? But then again John Key is a nice man.
Pulling the plug on Stratos
I am very dissappointed that Stratos has gone!! Apart from the Al Jazeera news the Dutch NOS news half hour was to us a highlight of the day.
Sad demise of real news broadcasts
Brian if you down load Livestation from the Aljazeera website you can watch a really good range of international news channels on line although it is not quite the same as whatching it on the telly and you can't share it with the rest of the house so easily. go to Aljazeera.net/english andthere should be a link.
Carrie
Freeview and Stratos
Couldn't agree more Brian. As a recent settler from Oz I was impressed with the range of Freeview available. I was initially attracted to Stratos because it provided an Australian news report (and, I must admit, some AFL), but also a wider range of news and other programming. With the the demise of 7 and Stratos, TV in NZ is really being dumbed down.
Terry Gunn
What happened to Stratos?
I am very disappointed to read about the demise of freedom of choice as to where we get a more balanced view on what we get to see on world news. Now we will have to put up with a very sterile and watered down look at current events dictated by the traditional source of media. who can now save us from the bland and uninformed? I am not sure the right to know is going to be delivered, do we now have to get our news from FOX or the B.B.C. or C.N.N.
are we going to get all the facts from the New Zealand womens weekly,
I dont think so.
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