Frameworks Films and Cork 2005 launch pilot week of Cork Community Television

The first step in making community TV a reality in Cork, Ireland, Cork Community Television [CCTV] was taken on Wednesday October 5 at a launch at Civic Trust House at 6pm.
The launch will formally announce details of a pilot week of Cork Community Television, which will be broadcast on Chorus Sports Channel, courtesy of Chorus, from 5pm to 8m during the week of October 31 – November 6 2005.
This pilot week has been compiled by Frameworks Films for Cork 2005, European Capital of Culture and is intended to be the launch pad for the future development of Community Television in Cork.
The purpose of the pilot week is to provide information on what Community Television is and to showcase the type of programmes that can be made for Community TV. Some of the short documentary films produced for the linked Cork 2005 project, Cork WideScreen, will be broadcast, along with programmes produced by other communities in Cork and from around the country. Highlights from some of the other Cork 2005 community-based projects will also be shown.
Community Television is a relatively new concept in Ireland although it exists in many other parts of the world. It is essentially an opening up of the airwaves to the community at large to both produce and broadcast alternative programming, which celebrates diversity and in which all can participate. However Community Television is about much more than simply broadcasting programmes. It is a long-term development process that enables communities to access training, equipment and resources to make programmes and also to participate in the running of the channel itself. Community Television as described above does not exist yet in Cork and will require substantial funding for equipment, training and resources to make it happen.
(GB)