50 years of Brisbane TV: Part 12-The future: Where will we be in fifteen years time...

As we march to the conclusion of the 50 Years of Brisbane TV series, I thought it would be timely, to end it with a look into the future. After all, the book that detailed the first twenty-five years of the Brisbane industry, On Air, 25 Years Of TV in Queensland, ended with a similar look entitled "The Sky is The Limit", by former Pick A Box champion and Labor politician, Barry Jones. In that look, it predicted things like interactive television, cable TV's emergence, early predictions of digital television, even DVD recorders. People back then, couldn't imagine what the next twenty-five years of technological advances would have turned out, from the early days of the internet, to Web 2.0's massive growth in the late 2000's, they would have still thought of a "Jetsons" future for the 2000's, with flying cars, tube elevators and robot maids back then. But now, as we close the book on Q150, we look forward, to another big celebration, which will bring the state together, fifteen years from now.

Note: This post is a theoretical prediction of the future, and may not represent a true picture of the future.

Celebrating 200 Years of European Settlement-The Queensland Bicentenary.

Queensland in 2024 is a much different place. What people, thought were pipedreams in the mid 2000's, are now part of everyday life. The National Broadband Network, has transformed telecommunications, with providers not just putting web and telephone, but offering TV via the broadband connection. Approximately half of all TV sets in Queensland are now connected to either Pay TV or IPTV. Digital television has the same gleam, with twelve commercial licences, three each for regional Queensland, Brisbane, outback Queensland and the newest licences, the three Gold Coast DTV licences, which opened up prior to the successful 2018 Commonwealth Games, also held on the Gold Coast. But the biggest party is yet to begin.

200 Years of Redcliffe...

Queensland's 200th birthday, is celebrated in many ways statewide, but the biggest focus, is on what has become, the "Bicentennial City", the suburb and ticking heart of the Moreton Bay City area (which gained the city title early in 2024), Redcliffe. For, it was at Redcliffe Point in 1824, where the first European settlement on Queensland soil was established. The city's celebrations are year long, and will involve an entire region, now tagged, "Queensland's oldest city", to the chagrin of Brisbane residents.

The Chermside "busway boom"

The last days of Q150, were dominated by talk about a Northern Busway extension to Chermside, which went ahead with one major casualty, the Redcliffe-Chermside bus service ending, as most passengers were now heading to Carseldine to board Chermside bound services. Chermside in 2024, is a whole lot different to 09's Chermside. The suburb resembles Parramatta, and because of this, the entire busway station complex (a including a east-west link) was built underground. What was once a suburban housing area, is now dominated by highrises, tallest around 35 stories and employs more people than the CBD.

Brisbane in 2024:

North Bank is a classic example, of urban regeneration, when Brisbane's much maligned Riverside Expressway was sunk in 2017. Now, it is home to a wealth of facilities, including a social history museum, which talks about our city's icons, and is home to a pillar of the former expressway. Other attractions include, the Bicentennial Centre, a riverfront expansion of the Treasury Casino and the well preserved Commissariat Store, once again looking over South Brisbane, uninhibited by a concrete expressway. South Bank continues to be our city's cultural heart, but has been challenged recently by a reclaimed North Bank.

And finally, If we hope to reshape our future, Brisbane has to think of the future. Simply, we may never be that "big country town" again, but people move here for our relaxed lifestyle. This has been reflected on our screens too little, in the last few years, in favor of adding value to content. Simply, Brisbane wake up and tell the stations what you want, after all, they may just abandon you, or they will pick up the board for the common viewer. I indeed hope it is the latter.