Belfast channel to close?...show your support!

NORTHERN VISIONS BEING FORCED TO CLOSE IN MAY?

Supporters of Northern Visions are campaigning to ensure that core funds are reinstated to enable Belfast’s only open access community media and arts centre. The organisation learned in April that it did not fit with the remits of two of the Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure’s arms length bodies, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen for core funding.

Press Release - http://www.northernvisions.org/index/press_release.html

Supporters comments - http://www.northernvisions.org/index/commentsfromsupporters.html


Core funding for the centre was previously received from both bodies. Effectively, it has been told that it is neither a film nor an arts organisation.

We would be very grateful if you took the time to fill in the short form to show your support and then post the link on you facebook/website, and circulate it to your friends/colleagues.
Without core funding Northern Visions will close.

http://www.northernvisions.org/index/supportform.html

or email your comments to

First Minister & Deputy First Minister
ps.ministers@ofmdfmni.gov.uk

Minister for Culture, Arts & Leisure
private.office@dcalni.gov.uk

Northern Visions
feedback@nvtv.co.uk


Voice Of The Community

We have supported local communities as they've campaigned for a variety of different causes.

To Watch 'A Voice For The Village' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhDTW7MVKD4


Local Arts and Music

We have featured 100's of local bands such as Two Door Cinema Club, Duke Special and General Fiasco, as well as profiling artist such as Neil Shawcross and John Kindness.

To Watch 'Two Door Cinema Club' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ozFTKfOHPU


Digital Media Training and Volunteering

We run numerous training courses in camera, editing, sound and lighting, and have a very popular volunteer scheme.

For more information - http://www.northernvisions.org/index/vol4.html

Which technically is true, you are a training centre that setup a TV channel and makes it's own programmes.

I live in Belfast, and whilst I welcome the work that Northern Visions do in training up young people, I think it is just time to accept that NVTV hasn't worked. I don't think I have ever spoken to one person who has said in a conversation "Did you see that documentary/programme on NVTV". In fact, I can't think of anyone who has it tuned in to their telly.

Also, won't the channel disapper anyway at DSO?

Thanks for you comments. we wouldn't see ourselves primarily as a training organisation (we only hold training courses every 6 months or so). To quote our support form, we see ourselves as a open-access media arts centre that 'has pioneered community digital media and community arts with hundreds of groups in socially disadvantaged areas or at risk of social exclusion should find that they too, are excluded'.

We do a lot of work with volunteers (from a huge range of different backgrounds, age ranges and abilities) that can come in and use our facilities free of charge, giving them (or their community or group etc) a voice (please see our programme on the Village area regeneration in the original post). Programmes produced can then used in various forms (such as local showings, uploading to their website, DVDs for funders,campaigning etc)

We have been fighting to get a better frequency for many years and understand the frustration more than anyone about the lack of a good signal in some areas of Belfast. We are having positive steps to get on freeview but obviously this wont happen if we close next month. We do stream the channel live on our website and have a huge collection of archived programmes online - http://vimeo.com/northernvisions/videos

I recommend a recent documentary on the Belfast Tech - http://vimeo.com/39143022

Of course the quality of our programmes vary hugely as some crews are just starting out in their tv careers and some have many years of experience. There are no other organisations that I can think of that will let you pick up one of their cameras or use their edit facilities for free.

In essence we see the TV and training aspects of our organisation as a very small part of what we do...though I believe that local television is hugely important. With hundreds of irrelevant stations on cable (showing re-runs, gambling shows and shopping channels), i feel that there should be more resources put into local tv stations....not taken away.

Can i ask what area of Belfast you are from?

You would think some of these programmes could be slotted in to UTV or BBC NI every so oftern like Sunday afternoons or 10.40pm

UTV showing a regional programme?

Are there any plans for NVTV to get involved for the prospective Belfast local TV pilot? I feel you'd be ideal partners for any bid that may materialise.

Thanks for your comments. Please remember to sign the form at [url]http://www.northernvisions.org/index/supportform.html [/url]

we were planning to bid for the new license but it looks like we won't be able to survive to make the bid now.