Together TV

Community Channel

Ownership
Owner	Media Trust

Community Channel is a UK free-to-air television channel wholly owned by Media Trust and supported by major broadcasters including the BBC. The channel is available to all TV households in the UK.

Community Channel broadcasts inspiring community stories, uplifting series and documentaries that encourage people to "do something brilliant" that makes a difference to where they live. Each year the channel broadcasts over five hundred new programmes and hundreds of community stories. A million individuals a month watch the channel across its platforms.

The channel broadcasts on Freeview HD 63 (10am-midnight), Sky 539 and Virgin TV 269 and Freesat 651 (24 hours). It offers video on demand through the channel's website, YouTube, BT TV, Daily Motion and via BBC iPlayer. The channel is also streamed through TVPlayer.

The channel runs an interactive red button service with Looking Local on Sky and Virgin. The channel’s website presents deeper online resources and an extensive video-on-demand service.

Community Channel launched on Sky in September 2000, on Freeview in 2002, NTL in 2005 (becoming Virgin Media in 2007), YouTube on 2008 and BBC iPlayer in November 2012. In early October 2013, the channel launched on TV Catchup. It joined the free-to-air satellite TV service Freesat on 17 October 2013.

In 2004, Director-General of the BBC Mark Thompson and Sky's CEO James Murdoch agreed to a Joint Declaration of support for the Community Channel, along with eight other major players in the British media industry: Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV, ITN, Discovery, Flextech, GMTV, and the independent producers' body PACT. MTV, Disney and Turner Broadcasting System joined the group in 2006 and the now-defunct Joost signed the declaration in 2007.

Community Channel has produced and broadcast programmes from communities and charities across the UK and around the globe. Notable series include Chalkhill Lives, Kismet Road, Charity Chic, Action!, Charge, Walks Around Britain, Crafty Beggars, What Can Science Do For Me?, Jon Snow Interviews, Volunteer Films/Untold Stories, Mad For Arts, Union TV, Mediabox, Talent Studio, Your Sport, BSL Zone, BBC Lifeline, London360, UK360, The Bald Explorer, The Ardent Fruitcakes, For The Love of Odd and Brilliant Britain.

Series from broadcast partners have included Charlie’s Garden Army, Charity Champions, Horizon and Panorama from the BBC, One Born Every Minute, Secret Millions, Katie: My Beautiful Friends and Secret Millionaire from Channel 4, Living the Life from Sky, Staying Alive, Shuga and MTV EXIT from MTV, UK’s Toughest Jobs from Discovery, series from Link TV and Aurora, and on occasion films from BFI, Universal and Warner Brothers.

Community Channel has broadcast films from UK and global non-profits and charities including Sisters on the Planet from Oxfam, The Hunger Inquest and Nepal Challenge from Action Aid, The Space and The Two Worlds of Charlie F from the Arts Council, The ACLT: The Gift of Life from the African Caribbean Leukaenua Trust, EDC’s and Breast Cancer from Breast Cancer UK, The Spirit of London from the Damilola Taylor Trust, Child 31: Story of May's Meals from Mary’s Meals, Youth Producing Change from the Human Rights Watch, The Net Result 2009 from Comic Relief, Rising Voices from Unicef, and Health is Wealth from Water Aid.

History

Community Channel is the only TV channel for communities, charities and the brilliant people who make the U.K. a better place for us all. Viewers learn more by watching the channel and are motivated to do more for others.

Community Channel launched on 18 September 2000. It has grown from a two-hour teleshopping channel on Sky to a 24-hour channel available on all UK TV platforms, streaming applications and with 90% of its programming available on-demand.

The channel is warm, embracing, sometimes funny, often surprising and offers a window into recognizable lives across the UK. 11.5 million unique TV viewers watched the channel last year with over two million viewers each month. Viewers are mainly 35-54 and 54-65 with an even gender split. They are mainstream and mid-market and there is representative viewing across the UK nations.

Based on audience surveys 86% of viewers learn more by watching the channel, 62% feel differently having watched a programme, 44% have been inspired to go out and do more for their community and 20% got involved directly with a topic they watched.

1999-2000

In 1999, an initiative by Caroline Diehl MBE to create Community Channel was supported by Elisabeth Murdoch of BskyB, deputy home secretary Paul Boateng, and cabinet office minister Lord Charles Falconer.

Community Channel launched on 18 September 2000 as a national two-hour "ethical shopping channel" which provided charities a platform to showcase their merchandise, raise awareness of the works of national charities and boost the number of volunteers across the UK.

2002-03

By 2002, Community Channel had increased its broadcast hours from three hours a day to 12 hours a day (8am to 8pm). It was chosen as one of the initial 30 free-to-view channels on the digital terrestrial platform Freeview. The BBC also agreed to supply relevant programming from the BBC archive to Community Channel.

In conjunction with continued broadcasts of charity focused programming, Community Channel began a co-production with ITV's campaigning series That's Esther to promote volunteering.

2002 also saw Jane Mote, Editor BBC London - TV, Radio and Online - join Community Channel as channel controller.

In 2003 the channel produced First Up, a cruelty-free talent show. Milton Keynes ska-punk-funk-metal band Six.Point.Five were awarded first prize by viewers and an expert panel. The prize (in association with Channel 4) was five days' recording in Abbey Road with a producer of their choice (Dave Chang).

2004-05

2004 saw the launch of flagship drama series Kismet Road. Commissioned by the Department of Health, Kismet Road used drama to promote good health. Using a number of Asian actors, writers, trainees and integrating Urdu and Punjabi in the dialogue, Kismet Road was a breakthrough series in showcasing a multicultural Britain.

Community Channel also launched an interactive TV donation service in 2004. This provided a round-the-clock on-air presence for selected charities to encourage donations from viewers. Designed by Sky Interactive, the red button also enabled existing programmes, films or adverts of participating charities to further promote their fundraising campaigns, at no extra cost to the charities.

In 2004, Community Channel moved from an overnight slot on Freeview to a daytime slot.

2005 saw Nick Ware, former Creative Director for BBC Learning, take on the role of channel controller and Community Channel became available on NTL for 24 hours a day.

The documentary Abnormally Funny People broadcast in partnership with Sky and won several awards. It featured a group of gifted stand-up comedians: Tanyalee Davis, Steve Best, Liz Carr, Steve Day, Chris McCausland and Simon Minty. All but one of them is disabled and all are very funny. Abnormally Funny People celebrates its 10th Anniversary at Edinburgh in summer 2015.

In support of The Year of The Volunteer campaign, Community Channel broadcast a range of programmes which highlighted the work of people who donated their time to good causes. Programmes included Beach Lovers and Charity Chic – a magazine show chronicling the lives of those involved in charity shop work.

Programming in July 2005 included Restoration and Soaplife, which featured Fiona Phillips as presenter.

In September, Community Channel and the Royal Horticulture Society produced "Britain in Bloom", a partnership that ran for three years of the RHS Awards, focusing on the Neighbourhood Award scheme, also working with the BBC.

Parterning with Channel Five, Mad 4 Arts was shown in October. Also in October, pairing with BBC, Community Channel aired the National Lottery Awards.

2006

On Thursday 6 July 2006, the Broadcasters Joint Declaration was renewed with new signatories and at an event was held at Channel 4. The signatories were BBC, ITV, Channel Four, Five, Sky, Turner, Flextech Television, Disney, MTV, Discovery, GMTV, ITN and PACT.

Community Channel became available for two more hours on Freeview.

Community Channel was also at the forefront of the interactive TV campaign to raise money for the Indian Tsunami.

Launched to coincide with National Giving Week, Community Channel launched an online social networking area called YourCharitySpace for visitors to blog about charity issues. The site also offers visitors the chance to donate by linking to a specially designed page on the Charities Aid Foundation's website.

2006 saw the launch of Give More, Get More, Volunteer - a campaign to make volunteering more accessible for marginalised groups including people with no formal qualifications, people with disabilities and ethnic minorities.

In January, The Skoll Foundation’s series The New Heroes aired, telling the dramatic stories of 14 daring people from all over the world who are helping bring social reform to poor and marginalized people around the globe.

In August, partnering with BBC2, Community Channel broadcast Restoration Village, followed by North By North East in September.

In October, the channel broadcast the Screen Nation Film and Television Awards, recognising talented black and ethnic minority actors. Teaming up with Channel Five, Mad For Poetry was also broadcast in October, along with Saving a Stranger by Anthony Nolan.

In November, Ballet Saved My Life was broadcast as a partnership with Channel 4.

In December, teaming up with Channel 4, the Community Channel aired the Beacon Awards/Secret Millionaire and Oxfam.

2007-08

Community Channel launched an interactive initiative for young film-makers called Charge TV and described as "YouTube with a conscience". Charge TV ran for five series broadcasting on Community Channel and on the website.

Daren Forsyth of BBC Future Media, became the channel’s Director of Innovation & New Media. Forsyth led a programme of digital media initiatives across Media Trust's media training, news distribution, film and TV productions and Community Channel, the TV and online service for charities.

In 2007, Community Channel joined forces with The Scout Association to deliver the live broadcast from Brownsea Island of the Sunrise Ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the movement.

In February, the channel aired James McAvoy: On the Tiger’s Trail, which featured the Scottish actor and explains the work of RETRAK's flagship project in Uganda.

In June 2007, the Giving Nation Challenge documentary aired which was filmed in schools across the UK showcasing young entrepreneurs participating in the Giving Nation Challenge, including their progress, and pitches to experts.

Community Channel also broadcast Summit About A Boy, following 22-year-old Lee McConville's extraordinary journey from the violent gang-ridden streets of Lozells in Birmingham to the exclusive briefings at the G8 summit in Germany, under the wing of veteran Times political editor Philip Webster.

In 2008, Community Channel’s Awareness Campaign featured focused programming for a variety of campaigns including Disability Week, World Mental Health Day, Black History Month, Aids and Human Rights Day.

2009-10

Community Channel launched its new BSL Zone (British Sign Language Zone) on 21 January 2009. This initiative offers an extended service in signing supported programmes.

Following on from their 2007 success, Community Channel joined forces with The Scout Association once again to showcase their six-part series Scout TV.

Spotting Cancer Early, a four-part series produced with Cancer Research UK, broadcast with Dr. Sarah Jarvis and Dr. Chris Steele presenting.

In 2010, Community Channel partnered with BT Vision and was available on Freeview for 24 hours a day from the month of May to June, leading to a notable spike in viewing figures.

In September 2010, Community Channel celebrated a decade of broadcasting. For the anniversary month in September, programmes including Inspiring Stories, How the Other Half Live, Living With Size Zero and other Sky health series were broadcast. Other seasons in 2010 included Alzheimers Awareness, Black History Month, Disability Week in December and programming for World AIDS Day.

Community Channel also launched Community Champions in partnership with Heavenly. This campaign aimed to recognise the individual champions in communities across the UK.The public were encouraged to nominate and vote for their own community champions. In addition, a dedicated telephone line enabled entry forms to be requested. The top 20 people with the highest number of registered votes were shortlisted and an independent judging panel then decided on the winning five. The five winners were recognised through a documentary that highlighted the impact that they make in their community.

Community Channel also partnered with Looking Local for interactive services on Sky.

October 2010 saw the celebration of Black History Month on Community Channel. Programmes included Black History and Me, Girl Guiding Anniversary, Future Shorts, Penny Revolution and Evicted.

In November 2010, Community Channel took a deeper look at deprivation during Poverty Month, with programmes including The Street: Film with the Homeless and SPIT: Squeegee Punks In Traffic. The Nick Broomfield Season, the Strictly Politics documentary, and Unicef and Children in Need weeks were also popular with audiences during this month too.

2011

Community Channel opened 2011 with a campaign to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living. Your Sport returned for a fourth series following its broadcast as shorts on Channel 5 from October 2010. An environmental season in March included Nature Inc, Planet India, Explore and The Environmental Atlas of Europe. International Women’s Day was highlighted through the series Make Women Matter and other programming.

Other notable spring and summer premieres included the Oscar-winning Blood of Yinzhou District, MediaBox, Talent Studio, Untold Stories, The Team (produced by Search For Common Ground), ViewChange, Charity Champions (from BBC Children in Need) and That Paralympic Show (from Channel Four).

London360 launched in June 2011, a ground-breaking series celebrating the capital’s communities through featured produced by young reporters trained in journalism, production and digital skills. The "Riot Special" following the 2011 England riots received critical praise for its unique look into the London riots. London360 has broadcast five series and featured hundreds of communities to date with media partners including BBC Radio London, The Voice, MTV, Sky, Time Out, Huffington Post and Westside Radio. Many of London360’s alumni have gone on to work for major broadcasters including BBC, ITV, MTV and London Live.

In August and September, the channel ran a season of pioneering British films under the This Britain banner. These films were funded by the BFI Production Board and charted changing Britain from the 1970s to the millennium. The season ran for 10 weeks, launching with Horace Ové’s Pressure (1975), and included Karl Francis’s Above Them The Earth (1977), Peter K. Smith’s A Private Enterprise (1974), Ron Peck’s Nighthawks (1978), Sally Potter’s The Gold Diggers (1983), Menelik Shabazz’s Burning an Illusion (1981) Patrick Keiller's Robinson in Space (1997), Margaret Tait’s Blue Black Permanent (1992), and John Akomfrah’s Speak Like A Child (1998).

In September, the channel launched a simulcast programming block on Channel M, a local TV channel in Manchester, broadcasting four hours a day. This continued until Channel M’s closure in April 2012. The channel also launched feature documentary strand Beyond Borders, which has broadcast more than 50 films to date.

In October, the channel ran a season marking Black History Month and in November it ran a season of programmes on addiction, including HBO’s High On Crack Street, its premiere coinciding with Sky’s premiere of The Fighter, which features the documentary.

In November, the channel launched UK360, a celebrity-presented series that featured stories from communities and local reporters across the UK. It ran for 50 episodes until August 2013 and presenters included Benjamin Zephaniah, Terry Wogan, Rachel Riley, Matt Allwright, Charlie Dimmock, Adam Deacon and many more. The channel also ran a short event supporting the Film Africa film festival and lifelong learning content.

In December, the channel broadcast eight Worldview-supported international documentaries as new films commissioned by Worldview, Community Channel and YourWorldview shorts. Other new programmes included An Inconvenient Truth 2 and Dream Islands.

2012

In 2012, Community Channel launched two documentary strands - Postcards and Compass. The Postcards strand features authored, quirky, socially-driven and grassroots community films representing lives and passions from across the UK. The Compass strand, on the other hand, showcases international films offering unique stories and insight from little-reported places, featuring lives from the margins with tales of resilience and hope.

In March, Community Channel and The Sunday Times launched "The Change Makers", a competition calling on the public to nominate inspirational people that had made positive impact on the community. Six features appeared in newspaper including interviews with celebrity supporters James Middleton and Karen Brady. Over 20 social enterprises were showcased in the campaign and the winning group Street Soccer in Scotland received exposure for their work across The Sunday Times and Community Channel, a £500 prize and a raft of professional media support from The Sunday Times to help further promote their work.

Community Channel was broadcast partner for The Space, a new digital arts service from Arts Council England and the BBC. From July to 16 October, specially-produced programmes were aired and featured content from companies and artists, from films on John Peel, Tracey Emin and Ridley Scott alongside full performances of The Two Worlds of Charlie F (performed by Afghan war veterans) and two Globe To Globe Shakespeare’s (performed by companies from Zimbabwe and Bangladesh). A specially-commissioned Community Channel series Arts360 brought mainstream and community arts to life from a younger perspective.

Sleep Out Live was Community Channel’s first live broadcast event. Partnering with Centrepoint and six other youth homeless charities, it was jam-packed with presenters, interviews, performances, guest appearances, link-ups across the UK and incredible films about youth homelessness. The promo featuring presenter Richard Madeley was broadcast to shopping centres across the UK with footfall of 60m people and was secured Sky cross-promotion on Sky News and PickTV, who broadcast it 46 times. This year, the event raised £350,000, up £100,000 on last year’s total, and plans are afoot to go bigger and better in 2013.

During the London Olympics, Community Channel documented the lives and passions of disparate groups and communities that can be viewed as being outside the social norm in the Outsiders season. Programming included A Very British Games, Gypsy Gentleman, For the Love of Odd, Thank You Skinhead Girl and UK360: Momentum.

In November, Community Channel launched as a third-party linking partner on BBC iPlayer. This enables BBC iPlayer’s 8,000,000 weekly users to find information and over 1000 on-demand programmes from Community Channel on the UK’s leading broadcaster VOD service.

2013

In February, the channel’s Freeview hours were extended by three hours from 5am-8am to 2am-8am.

In April, Community Channel showcased an Against All Odds season to celebrate those who have overcome mental or physical setbacks. This coincided with National Autism Month and Cystic Fibrosis Week (29th – 5th).

May and June saw Community Channel introduce the popular Gypsy Roma Traveller season in which Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) cultures and histories throughout the UK were celebrated with online features and links to groups. Steering Group of 20 GRT activists, academics and artists identified issues to profile, e.g. housing, health, education, women, art and prejudice.

The channel secured over 20 new films and documentaries for the season, working with NGOs, broadcasters, distributors and filmmakers around the world. A UK360 special featuring GRT360 news bulletins, talking head promos and agony aunt spots added context to the season.

Community Channel received extensive online support with a dedicated microsite for highlights, news, topics and ways to take action. Newsletters were sent to over 20k subscribers to increase awareness.

The season gained coverage in several newspapers, magazines and websites including The Independent, Huffington Post and New Statesman.

In September, a new series of Brilliant Britain began piloting. Brilliant Britain is an entertainment magazine show that is produced by Community Channel and celebrates brilliant community stories from across the UK,featuring regular segments and local stories.

Community Channel became available on Freesat channel 651 in 2013, and on TVCatchup.

2014

In 2014, Community Channel moved its Freeview EPG slot from news (channel 87) to general entertainment (channel 63).

Community Channel and Media Trust gained funding from the Big Lottery Fund to launch the flagship campaign "Do Something Brilliant". This campaign sets out to celebrate all that is brilliant about the incredible, diverse and talented people who make England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland a better place for us all. With charities, communities and individuals throughout the UK, Do Something Brilliant tells the engaging and entertaining stories that inspire us all to do the little brilliant things that make a big difference.

Do Something Brilliant launched on 25 February 2014. In conjunction with this, Brilliant Britain and My Brilliant Moment will showcase communities and charities around the UK.

Community Channel launched on Freeview HD on 18 March and was to be found on channel 109.

The Easy Riders launched on 19 March 2014. The Easy Riders is a new 10-part series starring Red Dwarf star Danny John-Jules and Steve Keys. Sharing a passion for motorcycles and adventure, we follow our intrepid explorers as they embark on an epic 1,250 mile journey from the UK to Valencia in aid of Riders for Health; a charity working to ensure health workers in Africa can access reliable transportation to reach isolated people with regular healthcare.

On 29 April 2014, Community Channel had its broadcast hours extended on Freeview SD from 3AM to 8AM to 3AM to 12AM. April also saw the channel introduce its Secrets of Sex strand. Covering issues surrounding gay rights, sex and disability, body image, AIDS and the fight against female genital mutilation, this strand aims to lift the lid on aspects of sex and sexuality rarely covered in the media. Shows including Naked on the Inside, Protection, The Last Taboo and the Meryl Streep-narrated Cutting Tradition have featured in this strand. Secrets of Sex has grown to become a channel staple and has seen audience figures in the hundreds of thousands.

Community Channel’s young reporter series London360 ran for 13 episodes on new local TV channel London Live.

Following on from April, Community Channel reached viewing figures in record numbers. May 2014 saw the channel watched by more than 2.6 million viewers in one month, and over two million again in both June and July. On 2 July Community Channel launched on live streaming service TV Player. This made the channel accessible to more viewers across broadcast, online, on-demand and streamed services.

In August, Community Channel’s Do Something Brilliant campaign teamed up with The Sunday Times to launch The Change Makers, a search for the UK’s social innovator of the year. Run in association with SparkNews Impact Journalism Day, this competition aimed to inspire people across the country to do something brilliant and to spark social change. Out of more than one hundred nominations, Joe Dickinson won the competition making him the social innovator of the year. Joe’s Call and Check service ensures that postmen and women check in on vulnerable people in Jersey.

On 16 September 2014, Community Channel’s Freeview hours extended once again to 17 hours on air including 3AM to 3PM and 7PM to midnight. As well as achieving a month’s viewing figures over 2 million, September also saw the highest rated week in channel history with more than a million viewers.

2015

On 22 February 2015, Community Channel premiered its first ever drama series PREMature. The series was acquired in 2014 and was originally funded through Kickstarter along with co-production funding from Community Channel. Cast and crew screenings of all six episodes were held in Brentford on the eve of its television premiere. Easy Riders returned for a third series with The Five Peaks challenge. Planet Norfolk returned for series 2, with the filmmaker Nik Coleman holding a premiere screening in Great Yarmouth and a promotion being shown at Norwich FC's grounds. London360 returned for series 7, with its reporters interviewing party leaders ahead of the election for Sky's Stand Up and Be Counted.

In March Community Channel's Freeview SD 63 closed due to Freeview capacity being moved to another channel. The Freeview HD 109 moved to Freeview HD 63, available in SD. New programming included Pitchin' In.

In April the channel launched Make #Something Brilliant competition with Wendy Turner Webster and Julie Peasgood, with support from Hobbycraft and Craft Beautiful magazine. This was alongside a craft and passions season on the channel which included series Crafty Beggars and She's Crafty.

Do Something Brilliant Week launched in late May, with a new TV ad broadcasting across Sky, MTV, Turner and BT Sport alongside Community Channel. The Share #Something Brilliant competition was supported by METRO and other media and charity partners supported the campaign through online and social media. New programming for Do Something Brilliant Week included the five-part series This Is Brilliant and hour-long Do Something Brilliant, alongside regular series My Brilliant Moment and Brilliant Northern Ireland. Other series included Supersize vs. Superskinny, The Undateables and The Day Before Tomorrow from The Drum.

2016

In January, the channel was the first broadcaster to show the series Walks Around Britain. which was commissioning from the Yorkshire-based Nova Productions. Community Channel premiered both season one and two, and starting showing season three after it was first broadcast on the Made TV Network.

In 2016, rôles were reversed, when this time the channel turned to the public to help them. In order to continue broadcasting, they needed to raise £300 000. A Crowdfunder was set up, and in the month of July many individual pledges large and small resulted in the target being reached, and thus the channel was saved.

Former logos

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  Former logo used until 15 December 2009.

External links

• Official website
• Media Trust
• Year of the Volunteer
• Charge TV