The NSW Government is undertaking a trial of a community information digital television service, Channel NSW (CNSW).

As a mass communication medium, television represents a unique opportunity for a direct, unmediated source of official government and public information.

CNSW is easy, personal and user-friendly. A dedicated channel is ideal for providing timely, live community information on, for example, transport, weather events and emergencies. CNSW has gained a large audience, with a current reach of over 250,000 households per month in Sydney. This is forecast to grow to over 1 million households by 2009. It is carried via Digital 44 using the Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial (DVB-T) system.

The NSW Government plans for NSW settlements of 2000 people or more to receive the service terrestrially.

Content

Channel NSW includes the programs:

• ecoNSW - environment
• PictureJockey (PJs) - photos
• Good Health NSW Health
• PeakHour - traffic, weather, and related info
• Seniors TV
• School Kid TV
• NSW Life - lifestyle
• Allballs - lotto results
• Arts Magazine
• Late Night Languages
• Careers Show
• uTVstar - community access
• NSW Parliament - live parliament feed
• Job Show - NSW Government jobs

NSW Government agencies currently providing services through CNSW include the: The Parliaments of the Australian states and territories are legislative bodies within the federal framework of the Commonwealth of Australia. ...

• Roads and Traffic Authority;
• NSW Health;
• Department of Education and Training;
• State Emergency Service, Rural Fire and Fire Brigades;
• Office of Industrial Relations, NSW Government Jobs Service;
• NSW Lotteries;
• Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, The Rocks, Tourism NSW;
• Art Gallery of NSW, State Records, Powerhouse Museum;
• Department of Environment and Conservation; and
• Sydney Water.

The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) is a New South Wales (Australia) Government agency responsible for major road infrastructure, licensing of drivers, and registration of motor vehicles. ... Western Australia SES OKA 4WD vehicle. ... The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority is an organisation set up by the NSW government of Australia in order to maintain the Sydney Harbour foreshore area. ... George Street, the main street of The Rocks The Rocks is a tourist precinct and historic area near the central business district (CBD) of Sydney, Australia. ... The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) is an art gallery, open to the public, and located in The Domain in Sydney, Australia. ... Powerhouse entry The Powerhouse Museum is Sydneys museum of science and technology. ... Sydney Water is a corporation owned by the Government of New South Wales that provides drinking water, wastewater and some stormwater services to Sydney, Illawarra and the Blue Mountains. ...

History

Key milestones in the development of the service to date are as follows:

• Commonwealth grants NSW trial license (December 2003);
• Initial service launched by the Minister for Commerce (March 2004);
• Remote playout operations capability enabled (July 2004);
• Initial audiovisual capability tested (August 2004);
• Block scheduling capability (February 2005);
• First field audience research (October 2005); and
• Interactive TV services lab testing (MHP) (March 2006).

Future

CNSW is a work in progress. Future plans include:

• Live event coverage, such as Parliament question time;
• Automated whole-of-government announcements service; and
• "Resource Show", a hybrid media program about the environment.

External links

• Channel NSW