It looks like the lights will be turned off on New Zealand’s longest-surviving regional TV station, Channel 39, after 26 years on air.
Allied Press is considering plans to close the Dunedin-based station, which launched as a full-service television station in 1997, under the name Channel 9 (following the closure of TVNZ’s Horizon Pacific network and the Southern Television station).
Channel 9/39 has broadcast a wide range of community programming over the years, including local news and sport, events coverage, shopping shows, arts and lifestyle shows, music programming, children’s programming, nature documentaries and infamous student series COW TV.
The station has helped launch the media careers of a host of reporters, presenters, camera operators, editors and technical staff, with many going on to great success at TVNZ, TV3, Sky TV, RNZ and broadcasters overseas.
The daily 20-minute South Island news bulletin will cease tomorrow, although some regional video news will continue under The South Today brand, via the ODT and regional websites.
But essentially Channel 39 will no longer broadcast on Freeview.
It is really sad for all the staff and crew to be in this position; however, over the years, the team has produced several thousand hours of content about the local community.
It has been an archive of Dunedin’s culture on a daily basis as opposed to the national networks, which generally only report on bigger, sensational items.
The team have always strived to serve their community well, and all should be really proud of what they have produced and achieved. They are thanked for all their efforts.
Also, a huge thank-you goes out to all the loyal viewers who tuned in and to the businesses that supported us over the years.
Allied Productions
Production house Allied Productions will continue operating as normal, covering local sports and events, supplying production services and producing a range of video content for businesses from around the regions. There will also be a range of new community shows being produced in the Dunedin studios that will be available via odt.co.nz and other social media and online platforms.
