A COMMUNITY TELEVISION station in Dublin is to close after seven years with the loss of five jobs.
Dublin Community Television (DCTV) says the closure is due to a shortfall in grant funding of at least €300,000.
The board of the community initiative said this week that failure to obtain a grant from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) for archiving projects, as well as a dramatic drop in funding for shows from the BAI’s Sound and Vision Fund.
That drop is believed to be in excess of €300,000.
The station will close this Friday after the decision was taken to wind the co-operative that ran the station up last week.
A statement from the board says that four shows currently in production will be finished.
“On 21 October the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) made it known that it would not be funding any of DCTV’s archiving project submissions. Alongside this decision, BAI support for DCTV projects through the Sound & Vision scheme had dropped. Funding for 2012 was seven times higher than the funds received in 2013.
DCTV had recognised its dependence on the BAI and tried to generate alternative funding. This year the station secured significant alternative funding. However, the drop in BAI support to less than a sixth of its previous annual average left the station unable to guarantee the ability to meet its obligations in wages, rent and other costs if it continued to operate.This has been a difficult decision, not least because of the belief that the station was approaching a sustainable funding model.
“We hope that the skills, productions and networks that DCTV leaves behind after six years will be a fitting legacy. The staff and committee of DCTV thank all of the co-op’s members and collaborators for their support.”
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