PERSONAL REFLECTION & ANALYSIS OF ISSUES RAISED THROUGH
Introduction:
NNITV first started beaming out its programming on 13 July 2007. Its origins go back further than that; it is a result of the Indigenous Austrians campaigning for 25 years for cultural and linguistic representation in the media. Created with the intent to provide innovative Indigenous Austrian and Torres Strait Islander programs by an Indigenous run organization that properly represented the first Australians it faced many hurdles, with still more to come. Never the less, thus far it has succeeded brilliantly exceeding expectations and winning national and international recognition for its programming. In 2005, NATI got its first funding; $45.5 million from the Federal Government to support development until 2009. A CEO was appointed the next year and the year after that, with a staff of only 25 people, NITV started beaming its programming out across the brush. The Marngrook Footy Show, one of the first shows commissioned instantly became massively popular so, after over 25 years of hard work, NITV was an immediate success. By the end of the year Foxtel, Austar and Optus picked up the program, and the fan base grew. Today “the dedicated Indigenous channel for SBS, NITV is fulfilling its long held objective of beaming free-to-air across Australia and being available to more people than ever before in its history.” . (See attached: Addendum A).
Reflection and Analysis:
The Marngrook Footy Show was an instant success. The Barefoot Rugby League Show followed the Marngrook Footy Show, and that too was wildly popular. Sports coverage is an enduring cornerstone of NITV programming. Barefoot Sports launched in 2012 covers the diversity of Indigenous sports and sportspeople across the nation, and got a Deadly Award nomination in its first ever series. .
News coverage developed more slowly but its growth has also been steady and important. The first news reports were five-minute bulletins, these evolved to a daily fifteen-minute bulletin in 2008. Because of their growing popularity, coverage was expanded again in 2011 to a live 30 minute broadcast five days a week with Natalie Ahmat. NITV went Live to Air in December 2012. Now it even has its own facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/nitvnews). as does the NITV TV Netowrk SBS Living Black and Awaken, all of whom have links on the facebook NITV News page. . These pages have links to others, excerpts from programs, interviews, and opportunities for people to comment on the programming, post requests and even posit questions to politicians running in the upcoming election. The news programing also serves to bring out items of particular interest to Indigenous Austrians and Torres Strait Islanders. There are environmental preservation issues concerning sacred lands and waters, political issues, education and crime issues to the Indigenous People that otherwise get slight mention in other media. On NITV those items are the focal point of the programming. The Awaken Page is an excellent example of the information and items of interest to be found on these pages. There are daily updates with program brief, excerpts, interviews and scheduling information. .
The NIRV facebook page has references to a variety of programs as well as basic information about the station itself. It provides contact information, basic info and even a History by Year time line setup. That time line this is brief and contains only three annual entries is a testament of it’s success. NITV has come a long way. Where the programming fills a great need in how it invites real people, Indigenous Austrians and Torres Strait Islanders to record their own stories. This programming brings out everything from up to date personal accounts such as the Indigenous woman who won the “Mum of the Year” to music and dance performances that record traditions that are centuries, millennia old.
Conclusion:
Indigenous Austrians and Torres Strait Islanders always had a verbal storytelling based tradition so the television medium is perfect for chronicling that heritage. and bringing it forward into everyday life. The outstanding success of the sports programming shows that those storytelling skills had not dissipated with the introduction of written language and printed media. However, what was in danger of being lost was modern pride in Indigenous Austrians and Torres Strait Islanders the old stories, the ones that were passed down by word of mouth from generation, and more recent tales of events and accomplishments since then. The NNITV Campfire is all about recording these stories is. It too is an outstanding success although it does not receive quite the “Shout out loud” accolades that sports fans give to their favorite teams.
That these stories in the Campfire series go much further in some cases than the channel’s own origins makes us grateful to the Indigenous Austrians who, by campaigning for 25 years for cultural and linguistic representation in the media created a forum to tell and record them. NITV certainly fulfills its mandate to provide innovative Indigenous Austrians and Torres Strait Islander programs by an Indigenous run organization that properly represents the first Australians.
The $48.5 million dollar funding that 2005 NATI got from the Federal Government to support the station’s programming and development until 2009 was well invested That first staff of only 25 people worked miracles, Getting NITV up running and beaming its programming out across the brush, by the end of the year encouraged Foxtel, Austar and Optus to pick the station up right away.
Because of the immediate success of its creative sports coverage like The Marngrook Footy Show, The Barefoot Rugby League Show followed by Barefoot Sports launched in 2012 there was coverage of the diversity of Indigenous sports and sportspeople across the nation. This gave NITV the strong foundation it needed to develop its News coverage more slowly so that these serious issues could receive the steady growth allowed it to become an important feature of the programming.
However, I believe the most lasting and therefore important feature of all the NITV programming is to be found around the Campfire programs. These are the individual stories, old and new that would not have gotten recognition and coverage any other way. Because of this, I feel NITV has more that filled its initial mandate.
Bibliography
NITV News, 2013. NITV News. [Online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/nitvnews[Accessed 14 08 2013].
NITV, 2012. History of NITV. [Online] Available at: http://www.nitv.org.au/about-nitv/dsp-default.cfm?loadref=19[Accessed 16 08 2013].
NITV, 2013. NITV. [Online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/NITVAustralia[Accessed 15 08 2013].
History of NITV
In 2007, with barely two hours a week of dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programming being broadcast across the nation, the time was right for an innovative Indigenous run organisation to seize the initiative to properly represent the many voices of the country's first Australians, and so on July 13 of that year, with a staff of just 25, NITV started beaming out across the bush. By the end of that year we were being broadcast on Foxtel, Austar and Optus.
This milestone was the culmination of 25 years of campaigning by Indigenous Australians for the right to have our unique languages and culture reflected within the media landscape.During that time, the participation in the industry of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders had increased exponentially, and coincided with the tireless work begun by organisations such as Community Television, Walpiri Media, Ernabella Video and Television, and CAAMA - who all helped pave the way for NITV.Back in 2005, after an initial summit in Redfern, and following the concerted efforts of Indigenous media professionals around the country, the Federal Government supported the development of NITV with funding of $48.5 million until 2009. A CEO was appointed in 2006 and in July 2007, from an office in Alice Springs, a long-fought for milestone in modern Indigenous history was finally reached.One of NITV’s first commissions was The Marngrook Footy Show, and was swiftly followed by The Barefoot Rugby League Show – both massively popular cornerstones of NITVs schedule. In 2012 NITV launched Barefoot Sports covering the diversity of Indigenous sports and sportspeople across the nation, to great success, with a Deadly Award nomination in it's first ever series.
Our news reports, which reflect Indigenous concerns and interests have grown from an initial five minute update to a daily 15 minute bulletin 2008. Since then its popularity has grown and in 2011 the bulletins extended to a live 30-minute 5-days a week broadcast with news reader Natalie Ahmat and we extended our sports coverage to go 7-days-a-week.Now, as the dedicated Indigenous channel for SBS, NITV is fulfilling its long held objective of beaming free-to-air across Australia and being available to more people than ever before in its history.
