National Indigenous Television
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National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian
free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the FTA Receiver, appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring ...
television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
people. It includes the half-hourly nightly ''NITV News'', with programming including other news and current affairs programmes, sports coverage, entertainment for children and adults, films and documentaries covering a range of topics. Its primary audience is Indigenous Australians, but many non-Indigenous people tune in to learn more about the history of and issues affecting the country's First Nations peoples. NITV was initially only carried by cable and satellite providers, along with some limited over-the-air transmissions in certain remote areas. NITV was re-launched in December 2012 by the
Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World ...
(SBS) as a free-to-air channel.


History


Predecessors of NITV

Indigenous groups and individuals lobbied the
Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...
to fund a nationwide Indigenous television service in the 1980s and 1990s, however no major political party championed this cause. In the late 1990s the
Imparja Imparja Television (IMP) is an independent Australian television station servicing over , across six states and territories of Australia, states and territories: Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales and V ...
Info Channel (also known as "Channel 31") was launched free-to-view on the satellite
Optus Aurora Optus Aurora was a free-to-view satellite television platform in Australia, which aimed at providing television and radio services to remote and black spot areas using the Optus C1 and B3 satellites. The service was available in all areas, usin ...
service, providing largely Aboriginal programming direct to homes and via network of BRACS transmitters to remote Aboriginal communities. The Aboriginal programming on this channel later became known as
Indigenous Community Television Indigenous Community Television (ICTV) is an Australian free-to-view digital television channel on the Viewer Access Satellite Television service. It broadcasts television programs produced by, and for, Indigenous Australians in remote communit ...
. In 2004, Imparja stated a desire to run a better funded service, at least within its license area. In the same year, a voluntary NITV Committee was formed and a summit was held in Redfern, Sydney. The summit involved a group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media professionals and community members committed to the establishment of a national Indigenous broadcasting service. Following an Australian Government review in 2005, the Government announced $48.5 million in funding for NITV.


Establishment

In 2007, NITV established a head office in
Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
and a television arm in Sydney. On 13 July 2007 NITV launched, replacing Imparja Info Channel on Optus Aurora and in the remote Aboriginal communities it previously reached. It soon after also became available free-to-air on Optus D1 to Australia and eastern
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
. NITV launched on Australian subscription television services on 1 November 2007 on
Foxtel Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...
and
Austar Austar was an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity was subscription television but it has also been involved with internet access and mobile phones. It was founded in 1995 under the name Community Entertainment Tele ...
's satellite service on channel 180, with it becoming available on its cable service soon after. It showed Australian programs and sports like ''
The Marngrook Footy Show ''The Marngrook Footy Show'' was a sport panel show broadcast in Australia focusing on Australian rules football and aimed at Indigenous viewers. Debuting on television in 2007 after 10 years on radio, the show first aired on NITV and on Channe ...
'', and the annual '' NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout''. On 27 October 2008, NITV was added to Sydney's
Digital Forty-Four Digital Forty Four was a Sydney-only trial datacasting service that was licensed by the Australian Broadcasting Authority (now the Australian Communications and Media Authority) beginning on 17 March 2004 for an initial three-year run until late ...
data-casting service on channel 40. On 30 April 2010, NITV ceased broadcasting on Sydney's digital television Datacasting service along with other services. However, it remained available on subscription services Foxtel, Austar and Optus TV.


Under SBS

In 2010, the Australian government commissioned a wide-ranging review of its investment in the Indigenous broadcasting and media sector. The review was headed up by retired senior public servant
Neville Stevens Neville Robert Stevens is a former senior Australian public servant and policymaker. He is a consultant and serves on a number of boards. Life and career Stevens was appointed to his first Secretary role in December 1990, as head of the ...
with the assistance of Expert Panel members Laurie Patton and
Kerrynne Liddle Kerrynne Liddle is an Australian politician and the first Indigenous federal member of parliament from South Australia. She is an Arrente woman and member of the Liberal Party. She was elected to the Senate on the party's ticket in South Austr ...
. The review recommended that NITV continue to receive government funding only on the basis that it was re-structured. Subsequently, Communications Minister
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
Stephen Conroy Stephen Michael Conroy (born 18 January 1963) is an Australian former politician who was an Australian Labor Party member of the Senate from 1996 to 2016, representing the state of Victoria. He served as a minister in the Rudd and Gillard go ...
invited NITV to enter in negotiations with the
Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World ...
to access one of that network's unused digital terrestrial channels. On 8 May 2012, the SBS received $15m a year in government funding dedicated to a new free-to-air Indigenous Australian channel which would replace NITV in July 2012, with 90% of staff transferring to this new channel. SBS took over the management and operation of NITV on 1 July 2012, and NITV was re-launched on 12 December 2012 by SBS as a free-to-air channel on
Freeview Freeview may refer to: * Freeview (Australia), the marketing name for the digital terrestrial television platform in Australia * Freeview (New Zealand), a digital satellite and digital terrestrial television platform in New Zealand *Freeview (UK), ...
channel 34. Among its launch day programmes were two live broadcasts from
Uluru Uluru (; pjt, Uluṟu ), also known as Ayers Rock ( ) and officially Gazette#Gazette as a verb, gazetted as UluruAyers Rock, is a large sandstone geological formation, formation in the centre of Australia. It is in the southern part of the ...
, including ''From the Heart of Our Nation'', a two-hour event to mark the channel's launch at Noon, and a concert in primetime simulcast by
SBS One SBS is a national public television network in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally. In 2018, SBS had a 7.7% audience share. As of 2022, SBS is the lowe ...
. Tanya Denning-Orman, a
Birri Gubba The Birri Gubba people, formerly known as Biria, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland. Language The Birri Gubba people spoke a number of languages in the Biri language group. Country The Biria held sway over some , ...
and Guugu Yimidhirr woman was appointed to lead NITV, a position she retains into 2021. On 29 February 2016, SBS unveiled a refreshed brand and revamped schedule for NITV with an increased focus on its central charter, Indigenous news and current affairs. Denning-Orman was appointed SBS's first Director of Indigenous Content in early 2012. In December 2012, changes were made to NITV's senior content editorial leadership team: Kyas Hepworth (née Sherriff) was appointed Head of Commissioning and Programming; Rhanna Collins to Head of Indigenous News and Current Affairs;
Karla Grant Karla Grant is an Australian presenter, producer and journalist for the Special Broadcasting Service, SBS's national Indigenous current affairs program ''Living Black'', focusing on issues concerning Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal and Torres ...
, while remaining host of ''Living Black'' and ''Karla Grant Presents'', will expand her role, becoming Executive Producer, Living Black & Special Projects. On 12 December 2021, NITV unveiled an updated logo and branding by indigenous design agency Gilimbaa, which combines SBS's
mercator __NOTOC__ Mercator (Latin for "merchant") may refer to: People * Marius Mercator (c. 390–451), a Catholic ecclesiastical writer * Arnold Mercator, a 16th-century cartographer * Gerardus Mercator, a 16th-century cartographer ** Mercator 1569 ...
logo with traditional
clapsticks Clapsticks, also spelt clap sticks and also known as bilma, bimli, clappers, musicstick or just stick, are a traditional Australian Aboriginal instrument. They serve to maintain rhythm in voice chants, often as part of an Aboriginal ceremo ...
, and colors reflecting different terrains of the country. It is accompanied by revisions to its primetime schedule, as well as the new image campaign "Reimagine Australia".


Programming

NITV's line-up focuses on programming of interest to and showcasing indigenous Australians, such as documentaries, current affairs programs, sports, drama, adult animation and a block of domestic and international children's programming focusing on Indigenous and Aboriginal culture (under the name ''Jarjums''), and films. It also broadcasts programs relating to First Nations culture worldwide.


News and current affairs

News and current affairs on NITV are covered by ''NITV News'', ''Nula'' and ''The Point''. In December 2020, Rhanna Collins was promoted to Head of Indigenous News and Current Affairs. ''The Points audience rose significantly during the 2020
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...
movement. ''NITV News'' is the network's national half-hour news program, broadcast nightly and covering stories relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers. It is the only nightly television news service that covers entirely Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often groupe ...
stories from across the country. Started in February 2008, the program began with 5 minutes of news, followed by 15 minutes before finally extending to a half-hour bulletin. Natalie Ahmat is the
news anchor A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...
.


Other programs

* ''Volumz'' is a music show hosted by Alec Doomadgee, highlighting the best of the Australian Indigenous music scene. It was produced from 2011 to 2012. In March 2020, a new
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
panel show, ''Yokayi Footy'', aimed at a young audience, replaced the ''Marngrook Footy Show'', which was axed in late 2019. It is co-hosted by Tony Armstrong, Bianca Hunt and Darryl White. Programs in 2018–2019 included: * ''First Voices'' * ''Future Dreaming'' * ''Going Places with Ernie Dingo'' * ''Little J and Big Cuz'' * ''
Living Black ''Living Black'' is a current affairs (news format), current affairs program aired on SBS (Australian TV channel), SBS, Australia, addressed primarily to the interests of Australia's Indigenous Australians, indigenous community. Karla Grant has be ...
'' * '' Over The Black Dot'' * '' Yokayi Footy''


Logos

File:NITV 2021.png, 12 December 2021 - present


See also

* WITBN


References


External links

* * * {{Digital Forty Four Special Broadcasting Service Indigenous Australian mass media Television channels and stations established in 2007 English-language television stations in Australia Mass media in Alice Springs Indigenous television 2007 establishments in Australia National Indigenous Television original programming 2007 Australian television series debuts 2010s Australian television series Australian television news shows Digital Forty Four