The CMA is working on a project 'This is Community Television', to showwhat Community Television is like and what it can be in the future sothat people who haven't experienced it yet will find out what they aremissing!  The project will also be used to influence politiciansand other decision-makers in the run up to the Department of Culture,Media and Sports' autumn consultation on proposals for a Local DigitalTelevision Order. If you are making community television and would liketo spread the good news about what you do via this project, pleasecontact diane.rodgers-wilson@commedia.org.uk.The CMA would also like to know what level of interest there is intemporary local digital television stations for Festivals, events etc.

Community Television Working Group
The Community Television Working Group is a sub committee of theCommunity Media Association’s governing Council and it hasresponsibility for taking forward the CMA’s strategy for CommunityTelevision.

The aims of the Community Television Working Group are:
1) To develop the CMA's strategy and policy for Community Television
2) To develop consensus from CMA members working in video and television
3) To represent CMA policy positions on to Government, the Regulator, Industry and other forums
4) To recruit candidates with television expertise for the CMA Council
5) To make recommendations to the Council on the points 1 - 4 above

The Group meets on a quarterly basis in advance of CMA Council meetings in order to inform CMA policy on Community Television.

Reports
The CMA regularly commissions research to support the development of Community Television.

Local and Community Television in the UK: A New Beginning?
Chris Hewson (Commissioned by the Community Media Association, 2005). 180pgs

Can Local And Community Television be revitalised within a digitalenvironment? Now is the time where significant questions must be askedconcerning the ability of Local And Community Television to complement,as well as challenge, current Public Service Broadcasting values. Anadditional opportunity also arises to reconsider the role of CommunityMedia in the promotion and enhancement of citizenship - a vision of'media literacy' distinct from the notion of television viewers as mere'consumers' of broadcast content.

A Third Tier of Television: The growth of Restricted Service Licence TV in the UK - Trends and Prospects:
Simon Blanchard, AHRB Centre for British Film and Television Studies,Sheffield Hallam University. Prepared with the support and assistanceof the Community Media Association, 2001.

This report calls for a strengthened local tier of television withclear public service obligations and provision for non-profitproviders. The report examines the growth of Restricted Service LicenceTV in the UK since the Broadcasting Act 1996, looking at trends andprospects from a public policy standpoint.

Programming
The CMA's Showcaseonline archive, provides a resource of well over 500 video and audioprogrammes available 24 hours a day for users to stream or download forfree, for non-commercial use or rebroadcast.