CTV would need R150 000 immediately and R600 000 over the long term to cover transmission costs.
CTV started its official broadcast on 1 September 2008 which means it remained on the air for exactly a year and a month. CTV cites ''a cash flow crisis'' that has forced the channel off the air and that it's unable to pay its transmission costs, although CTV management says in a statement they're ''confident that the situation will be resolved shortly, when the necessary funds have been raised''.
CTV chairman, Martin Jansen says CTV ''has to pay normal commercial rates for its signal transmission to Sentech'' and laments the situation whereby community television stations like CTV don't receive a subsidy from government like community radio stations does. ''This means that CTV has to carry the entire cost of transmission, which is an onerous burden,'' he says.
''When a community TV channel such as CTV chooses to mainly represent the interests of the poorest and most disadvantaged sections of our community it is even less attractive to commercial advertising and sponsorship.''
CTV's broadcast manager Mike Aldridge says CTV needs R150 000 immediately to get back on air and in the longer term, R600 000 is needed to cover the transmission costs.
CTV currently broadcasts from just one transmitter, located on Tygerberg mountain.