bexj's blog

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has decided to allocate two new community radio broadcasting licences to serve areas of Perth, Western Australia. The licences will be allocated to Peedac Pty Ltd to broadcast on 100.9 MHz to the Perth metropolitan area and surrounding districts and Capital Community Radio Inc. to broadcast on 90.5 MHz to Perth City and the inner and middle ring suburbs of Perth.

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New local content licence condition for regional commercial radio

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has imposed an additional licence condition on regional commercial radio broadcasters that requires them to broadcast specific levels of local content from 1 January 2008.

The condition requires regional commercial radio broadcasting licensees (licensees) to broadcast from 1 January 2008 the applicable number of hours of local content (‘material of local significance’) between 5 am and 8 pm on business days. The applicable number of hours is three hours for most licences but some classes of licence have a lesser requirement.
The key features of the condition are:

the requirement for licensees to broadcast the applicable number of hours of material of local significance on business days;

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ACMA finds that Ten failed to provide a captioning service for The Simpsons

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has found the licensee of TEN Sydney Network Ten (Sydney) Pty Ltd (TEN) breached the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (the BSA) by failing to provide a captioning service for two episides of The Simpsons broadcast in prime time in May 2007.

ACMA received a complaint in relation to the quality of the captioning service provided for The Simpsons broadcasts on 8 May 2007. Under the BSA, commercial television licensees must provide a captioning service for all television programs transmitted during prime viewing hours and television news or current affairs programs transmitted outside prime viewing hours.

08:35PM
THE BRIEF: THE ARCHITECT'S WIFE
Final
Friday, 07 December 2007

For the first time, barrister Henry Farmer (Alan Davies) finds himself prosecuting a civil case for an alleged rape victim, Rachel Browning (Kirsty Mitchell). Eighteen months after the collapse of her rape trial against defendant Michael Gilbraith (Alastair Mackenzie), Rachel still claims he attacked her and wants her day in court.

Henry finds himself once again pitted against Chambers colleague Cleo Steyn QC (Cherie Lunghi) who Gilbraith retained for the original criminal trial. Cleo takes on Millie (Camilla Power) as her junior which means that she and Henry can't share the flat for the duration of the trial.

08:00PM
THE WORST CHRISTMAS OF MY LIFE
New Series Friday, 07 December 2007

The Worst Week Of My Life returns to the ABC for a third series - The Worst Christmas Of My Life - starring Ben Miller, Sarah Alexander and Alison Steadman.

Now, in the new series, Howard and Mel are looking forward to their first Christmas as a family with their new baby daughter, Emily. However - for Howard and those close to him, life is rarely so simple.

It's Howard's first festive season with the in-laws, a terrifying ordeal for most people, but a particularly scary one for poor Howard. When he turns up at his office Christmas party it's apparent from the word go that it's going to be a disastrous evening. He's drunkenly propositioned, electrocuted while doing a spot of karaoke and then vomited on by his drunken boss!

Things to Try Before You Die
Tuesday, August 28 at 7.30pm on Nine

Tomorrow night Things To Try Before You Die takes Nine’s viewers to the UK – where Jules, Livinia and Gary show us what makes Britain great.

Ever fancied yourself as James Bond? Gary Sweet gets to experience the 007 lifestyle first hand when he finds himself deep in the English countryside at “Spy Games”, where you can learn the art of espionage for under $500. He comes to grips with fast cars, hostage situations and how to stay one step ahead of the enemy. Unfortunately there are no glamorous girls or martinis on hand at the end of the day for a novice spy.

From one fast car to another, Gary test drives a Ferrari at the birthplace of Formula One, the Silverstone circuit which is the home of the British Grand Prix. Driving a dream car around the famous circuit brings on an adrenalin rush as he gets up to speeds of 180 kmh.

Jules Lund pushes himself out of his comfort zone when he tackles one of his greatest fears – singing. Not karaoke, but harmonising with the world famous London Community Gospel Choir. Jules rises to the challenge and although petrified gives it his all. The choir has sung with Madonna, Sting and Stevie Wonder – and now they can add Jules Lund to their illustrious list!

ROBERT DE NIRO
EXCLUSIVELY ON A CURRENT AFFAIR

6.30PM TONIGHT ON CHANNEL NINE

Tonight on A Current Affair Hollywood heavyweight Robert DeNiro talks exclusively to Eddie McGuire in his only Australian television interview.

DeNiro, who turns 64 today, talks in depth about his good friend Al Pacino and how they cut their path through the movie industry, his successful transition into comedy alongside actor Ben Stiller, and the brilliance of director Martin Scorsese. He also dishes out some stern advice to Hollywood’s wayward brat pack celebrities.

The star of nearly 80 movies, DeNiro reveals the motivation which took him behind the camera to direct the 2006 thriller The Good Shepherd which was nine years in the making.

Also on the agenda are his concerns about the world’s perception of America and what we can learn from the likes of US Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

This is the only one-on-one interview DeNiro has agreed to do and it can be seen in full on A Current Affair presented by Tracy Grimshaw, 6.30pm tonight on Channel Nine.

I'm a fan of Hi-5 and it's great to hear that they are taking part in Walk Safely to School Day. The nationwide fitness scheme is not only aimed at the kids but also the parents: to help reduce traffic congestion, to create a pedestrian-safe environment, and at the same time potentially saving 125,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year. Good stuff!

Google.

PRODUCTION STARTS ON NINE’S NEW DRAMA

The Nine Network today announced production has commenced on Australia’s newest drama series – Canal Road.

Canal Road is a medical and legal advisory centre where the lives of inner-city professionals and their patients entwine in a story of mystery and intrigue. At the heart of the series are the tragic deaths of the wife and son of central character Spencer McKay. Spencer is the centre’s psychiatrist who is confronted by the killer of his loved ones and sets out on a journey of revenge which will implicate friends, workmates and his darkest demons.

NIDA graduate Paul Leyden (Dragnet, LAX, Law & Order: SVU) has returned from the United States to take the lead role of Spencer McKay. Joining him are Diana Glenn (The Oyster Farmer, Somersault), Brooke Satchwell (Tripping Over, Dangerous), Grant Bowler (Outrageous Fortune, Through My Eyes), Sibylla Budd (The Secret Life of Us), Charlie Clausen (McLeod’s Daughters, Blue Heelers), Patrick Brammall (Home and Away, The Alice), Peta Sergeant (Satisfaction, All Saints) and dynamic newcomers Alyssa McClelland (Small Claims) and Sam Anderson.

LAST CHANCE LEARNERS
Episode 8
Wednesday June 6
7:30pm (G)

On LAST CHANCE LEARNERS tonight, Mum-of-three Naida gets another chance to pass her driving test, while the other learners have the deceptively simple challenge of finding a car park close to one of Sydney's busiest markets.

How will Simone cope as she runs out of fuel on a highway?

And it's crunch time for David as he discovers he's a long way from sitting his test. So how will he handle a driving simulator?

It started with a TV show... It developed into a highly popular series... Along came plenty of reruns, toys and gadgets... Now the movie has been set in motion...

But now things have been taken to a new pace and to new heights. Literally. In 2008 an adventure themed ride dedicated to The Simpsons will be on the move in the US. Think speed, screams, excitement along with our lovable family: The Simpsons.

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Did you know about the lesbian kiss on Neighbours between Natalie Saleeba and Nicky Whelan? Possibly. How about the explosive experiments of Stefan Dennis? Maybe? From the looks of the ratings - viewer numbers are continuing to drop for the show, with less than 700,000 national viewers each night. This may seem big to some of you, but trust me, it isn't...

Network Ten are obviously not in high spirits about this and new scenes and plans are underway to try and spark interest once again for the long-time favourite soap.

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Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter is poised to join her comrades in another galaxy as Stargate SG-1 winds down its last 10 episodes and Stargate Atlantis revs up for another season. Atlantis is due to begin production in Vancouver in the next month, introducing a powerful new race of aliens, bringing new cast onto the set, and mourning the loss of important members of the crew.

Actress Amanda Tapping was on Stargate SG-1 for 10 seasons and is now going to be the hottest astrophysicist in the new series as well, bringing her character's scientific expertise and military background into a demanding new role with the crew of Stargate Atlantis.

"Atlantis" fans can also look forward to the return of Jewel Staite ("Firefly," Serenity). She will appear in eight episodes, reprising her role as Dr. Keller, a physician who joins the "Atlantis" expedition. Staite previously appeared on the series as Ellia, the Wraith child who was transformed into a human in the season 2 episode, "Instinct."

He only played a small role in A Close Shave, but Shaun the Sheep became a fast favourite for many Wallace and Gromit fans. And now we can all get excited because Shaun is going to be starring in his very own 40-part animated show!

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