Founding Australian Communities Foundation Board Director, Mike Zafiropoulous AM, JP has spent a lifetime advocating for social justice and community representation.
Working across the arts, sport, media, welfare, local government and philanthropy, Mike has held roles that include General Manager of SBS Melbourne, mayor and deputy mayor of two municipalities, and was the founder of Multicultural Arts Victoria, which is currently celebrating its 50th year.
While others might choose to wind back their community service after so many decades, Mike is still on the front lines. He is currently working to save Melbourne’s Channel 31 from the threat of disappearance.
Channel 31 (the Melbourne Community Television Consortium) is a not-for-profit public company limited by a guarantee and is a registered charity with DGR1 status, operating a community television service that has provided open access, free-to-air content since 1994.
More than 90 programs made by community television volunteers and independent television makers are broadcast every week. In 2022 Channel 31 launched its own streaming service platform, CTV+, which needs funds to be fully developed.
“These are faces, voices and issues which are not present in mainstream television,” Mike explains.
“Mainstream media is primarily focused on audience and viewing numbers – how many people are watching? For us, the most important thing is to ask, ‘Are there groups in the community that are missing out on information, entertainment and educational programming?’ And the answer is yes, there are.
“Channel 31 provides an essential service because it complements other media which ignore minorities. We can’t afford for Channel 31 to disappear like community broadcasters did in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney.”
With only two community television broadcasters left in Australia, Channel 31 in Melbourne and Channel 44 in Adelaide, the Australian Community Television Alliance describes Community TV as “the YouTube of free-to-air television” providing innovative and niche programming for local communities.
For us, the most important thing is to ask, ‘Are there groups in the community that are missing out on information, entertainment and educational programming?
Unlike the ABC and SBS, community television receives no government funding. Channel 31 has historically relied on sponsorships and funded content for its survival but has increasingly sought support from philanthropic funders that value the importance of a platform that enables under-represented local community groups to share their voice.
As Chair of Channel 31’s Board of Directors, a position he has held since 2010, Mike is at the helm of a new fundraising effort to urgently upgrade the broadcaster’s transmission equipment and enable it to take advantage of streaming services.
“The renewed licensing stability and support for a long-term future from the current Federal Government has meant that there are urgent upgrades required now to our multiplexer, encoders, and transmitter at Mount Dandenong,” Mike explains.
“Our broadcast infrastructure was last upgraded in 2007/08 and is well past its end-of-life replacement dates. Our studio equipment is in some cases more than 15 years old.”
The current fundraising effort seeks to raise $70,000 to fill a funding gap for studio and set improvements, antenna repairs, business development and streaming platform improvements.
Channel 31 is not just a broadcaster, but a DGR1 charity that keeps our communities connected
Mike says that with a little support, Channel 31 will continue to be the home of community broadcasting in Victoria for decades to come, serving new and emerging vulnerable and under-represented communities.
“I’ve been a volunteer all my life and seeing hundreds, if not thousands of people, voluntarily creating free content for Channel 31 over the decades is something that I deeply admire.
“People are giving, not just their time, but also putting money out of their own pockets to produce programs for their communities, focusing on topics such as disability, youth, cultural diversity, Indigenous affairs, the aged, young women in sport, climate change and more,” Mike says.
“During the pandemic, when people were not permitted to attend faith services, Channel 31 provided televised programs at home to the Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Islamic Centre and several other faiths.
“Channel 31 is not just a broadcaster, but a DGR1 charity that keeps our communities connected.”
Support Channel 31’s urgent updates here.
