THE future of television and radio in the Oberon area is looking bleak with the possibility that some television stations may decide to end transmissions to Oberon due to new charges being imposed by the State Government.
The Government plans to impose new fees for transmission services on all crown land sites.
Previously, Oberon Council made their own arrangements with users of the Telstra Tower until the new standardised fees were announced by the State Government.
Oberon Council is shocked by some of the annual fees being charged by the State Government.
For example, local community based organisations such as the Rural Fire Service, could be charged $367 annually, which is the minimum fee charged.
Commercial television broadcasters, such as Prime and WIN, may be charged up to $30,000 annually to broadcast to Oberon.
The general manager of Oberon Council, Bruce Fitzpatrick, fears that some of the television broadcasters may feel that, due to the high fees, it is not worth their while to broadcast to our town.
"We will lose big transmitters if they have to pay that amount of money,” he said. “They will just walk away."
Mr Fitzpatrick said that the situation was still being considered by the State Government, but that if these fees become a reality, it could cause major problems for Oberon.
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