Double Celebration For Triangle Television

Double Celebration For Triangle Television

Regional Television Station Triangle Television Turns Eight This Month With The Icing On Its Birthday Cake Provided By The Imminent Maiden Broadcast Of Its Brand New Channel In Wellington.

When Triangle Television Wellington goes to air later this month, it will represent a significant move forward for regional television in New Zealand and underscores Triangle Television's commitment over the past eight years.

Triangle Television Chief Executive Officer Jim Blackman says launching the station in Wellington has been a much more positive experience than that of the Auckland launch in 1998, which was hindered by lack of funds and negative responses from industry critics.

"When I compare launching Wellington with the struggle we had launching Auckland, it is clear just how much regional television has grown up," says Jim Blackman. "Lots of New Zealanders appreciate regional television now – and it has so much more to offer than when we first launched in Auckland.

Jim Blackman says the growth of Triangle Television is a reflection of the 'well-above-average volume of commitment from the Triangle team' which, for the station's first seven years operated the station's Auckland free-to-air, 24-hours-a-day channel with no government funding.

The past 12 months have been what he describes as a 'mammoth' year for the station, which offers viewers a broad mix of local content shows together with international news, information and entertainment programmes.

Highlights of the year include: - The launch of Triangle Television Wellington which goes to air later this month. In the build-up to going live, Triangle Television has received overwhelming support from the Greater Wellington community, local programme providers have begun making the first local content for the station, and a highly-successful pre-launch function in March was hosted by the Hon. Judith Tizard -

Purchase of new, state-of-the-art server-based equipment to help the station prepare for the digital age, thanks to a $100,000 grant from the ASB - Renovations to Triangle's Grey Lynn, Auckland, station to make provision for the new equipment - More programme providers, bringing the number of people involved in local programming for Triangle Television to more than 200 - New international programmes in the Auckland line-up – many of which will also screen on the Wellington channel - Additional broadcast spectrum via the Pinehill transponder for North Harbour, Whangaparaoa, and Auckland's eastern beaches - Auckland audience numbers continuing to rise - The appointment of Triangle Television's Wellington-based Regional Co-ordinator, Ben Green.

Today, Triangle Television Auckland has the capability to broadcast to a potential Greater Auckland audience of 1.4 million and has a cumulative audience of up to 300,000. In Wellington, the station will broadcast to most of the Greater Wellington region and parts of Blenheim and Marlborough.

"Television viewers in Auckland and Wellington who haven't yet watched regional television and are yearning for an intelligent alternative to mainstream television, tuning into Triangle Television is likely to provide a very pleasant surprise indeed. We broadcast some of the finest international programmes from around the world," says Jim Blackman.

The quality and reliability of Triangle's transmission is soon to be improved with the addition of new transmission equipment at the Auckland station.

"As a serious broadcaster, it is vital we keep up to date with changes in broadcasting technology. We have invested in a Grass Valley server-based system which is a new, high-end product but one that has been used extensively internationally since its introduction in 2005. We expect it will future-proof us for at least 10 years."

"It's becoming harder and harder to believe that in the beginning there were days when some people thought we wouldn't reach our first birthday in Auckland, let alone our eighth - making us the longest serving regional station in Auckland. Now we're not only celebrating those milestones, we are going live with another station."

TRIANGLE TELEVISION TRIANGLE TELEVISION, WHICH IS NON-PROFIT MAKING AND BROADCASTS 24 HOURS DAILY, SCREENS A MIX OF REGIONAL-ACCESS TELEVISION WITH INTERNATIONAL NEWS AND INFORMATION PROGRAMMES.

Triangle Television Auckland TRIANGLE TELEVISION AUCKLAND HAS OPERATED AS A PUBLIC BROADCASTER IN THE GREATER AUCKLAND REGION SINCE AUGUST 1, 1998. TRIANGLE TELEVISION AUCKLAND IS AUCKLAND'S ONLY REGIONAL, NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION STATION AND BROADCASTS FROM UHF CHANNEL 41 AND, IN REMUERA AND SURROUNDING SUBURBS, FROM UHF CHANNEL 52. FROM UHF CHANNEL 42 TRIANGLE ALSO REACHES THE NORTH SHORE, INCLUDING THE EAST COAST BAYS, TAKAPUNA AND DEVONPORT, AS WELL AS WHANGAPARAOA, FREEMANS BAY, MISSION BAY, KOHIMARAMA AND ST HELIERS. PARTS OF THE COROMANDEL ARE ALSO RECEIVING TRIANGLE'S SIGNAL.

Triangle Television Wellington WHEN IT LAUNCHES LATER THIS MONTH, TRIANGLE TELEVISION WILL BE WELLINGTON'S ONLY REGIONAL, NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION STATION. BROADCASTING A MIX OF LOCAL PROGRAMMING AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS, INFORMATION AND ENTERTAINMENT 24 HOURS A DAY, THE STATION WILL DELIVER A UNIQUELY WELLINGTON SCHEDULE. THE MAIN MAST FOR TRIANGLE TELEVSION WELLINGTON WILL BE AT KAUKAU ON UHF CHANNEL 40, WITH OTHER TRANSMISSION POINTS AT FITZHERBERT (UHF CHANNEL 41) AND BAXTER'S KNOB (UHF CHANNEL 41) PROVIDING COVERAGE TO THE GREATER WELLINGTON REGION AND TO SOME PARTS OF MARLBOROUGH AND BLENHEIM.

August 16, 2006

ENDS

© Scoop Media