PerthNorg

Access 31- Liquidation at last.

Community television station Access 31 has been forced into liquidation after members and former staff voted to overlook a brace of last-minute rescue offers and send the company into the hands of receivers to pay off an estimated $600, 000 in debts.

 

Board member Philip Skelton said that in the absence of detailed rescue bids, members had no option but to wind up the company.

Mr Skelton said he anticipated the Australian Communications and Media Authority would suspend Access 31’s licence while it considered proposals to resurrect the station.

The channel stopped broadcasting in August after failing to secure vital Commonwealth assistance for conversion to a digital signal — a move which cost the company viewers and advertising revenue — and the subsequent collapse of a $750, 000 rescue package pledged by Perth architect Garry Baverstock and Lotterywest.

In the past week, however, at least two more groups came forward in a desperate last attempt to rescue the station.

Len Fretwell, general manager of the Perth Chinese Media Group which owns a raft of Chinese language media properties and had offered to bail out the channel, said he was disappointed by the members’ decision.

“The offer letter we sent was sent to members without my contact details on it, so I wasn’t given the opportunity to answer questions which I thought was a bit strange,” he said.

Mr Fretwell said he would speak to Ma Xi Bo, the owner of the group, before they considered their next move.

Scott Hunt, spokesman for a different rescue group aligned with Murdoch University welcomed the news.

“I think liquidation was the best and quickest way forward for community broadcasting,” he said.

Mr Hunt said it was likely his consortium would purchase some of Access 31’s assets and approach ACMA to seek to take over the channel’s broadcasting licence.

One of the company’s main assets is understood to be a state-of-the-art digital television transmitter.

“We have a good case to put to ACMA,” he said. “We have the full support of the other channel 31’s around the country.”

A spokeswoman for ACMA said several groups had informally inquired about the soon to be vacant licence.

“If Access 31’s licence is surrendered or cancelled then ACMA would decide on its next action in relation to the licence which might, for example, be to call for expressions of interest in a 12 month trial licence,” she said.

The spokeswoman said that any group must meet certain requirements under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992.

“Two of these are that the licensee must represent a community interest and that the service must not to be operated for profit or as part of a profit making enterprise.”