In sad news for Community Television in Australia, and in Perth in particular, it seems that community broadcaster Access 31 has shut its doors in Western Australia. As TV Tonight reports:

Access 31, Perth’s community television station, has this afternoon gone off air. The closure follows ongoing financial difficulties for the volunteer-run station. Despite promises of government support and securing of a financial backer, today it closed its doors at 5pm. TV Tonight understands a number of staff have been resigning in recent weeks, leaving the place dangerously under-manned. … Sources say none of the independent program producers, who comprise the bulk of production, were informed ahead of time.

Oddly, though, despite the goodbye message currently being broadcast, the Access 31 website still makes it look like they’re open for business.

Update: There is a vitriolic article on PerthNorg today, suggesting the Board may have played a large role in Access 31’s demise.