Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced last week the government would strip Australia's five community broadcasters of access to the TV spectrum by the end of 2015.

Briz 31 general manager Scott Black said the world had flipped upside down for the station, which now faced moving out of its West End studios, trying to radically change its business model in only one year and being unable to provide hands-on experience for hundreds of volunteers.

Mr Black said the station had one meeting with Mr Turnbull, who was not receptive.

"It seems very juvenile what they're doing, it's like make the announcement then hide," Mr Black said.

Community television in Brisbane dates back to World Expo '88, and Briz 31 was officially launched in 1994. The station currently costs about $700,000 a year to operate, and makes just under $1m in revenue.

Mr Black said the station had always survived by the skin of its teeth because it relied on sponsors and producers for money, and received no federal or state funding.

"The only thing they could ever take from us was the apparatus licence, which is what they've done," he said.

"We still have our broadcast licence until 2019 – we just don't have a spectrum."

The Australian Community Television Alliance, of which Briz 31 is a member, proposed combining all five capital city stations to become a national community channel, to be broadcast on spare SBS spectrum, but Mr Turnbull's office rejected that on Monday.

Mr Black said the initial explanation for taking community channels down was to allow the other networks to use the spectrum to test new technologies, but he feels it is more likely they will be sold to raise an estimated $200 million.

"It's all speculation on my part, but they either already have a deal or have some interest, because you wouldn't make a move like this unless you were guaranteed [something]," he said.

"It's a pretty decent black eye for their public relations, but they're going strong with it."

Mr Black said OzTam ratings showed an average of 6000 to 12,000 people tuned in to Briz 31 during every half hour of prime time – more than the fully-funded NITV and the home shopping channels owned by the commercial networks.

He rejected Mr Turnbull's suggestion the internet was the best delivery platform going forwards, saying Briz 31 had been live-streaming 24/7 for two years, and was yet to see a pick-up in audiences or ad revenue from it.

"Our sponsors pay to be on television in their local markets. There is no benefit to them to have their ad show up online in Perth, if they're a Brisbane mechanic workshop," he said.

"Unless Mr Turnbull comes to his senses by the end of this year, we will have to hand in our notice."

Mr Black said Briz 31 had six paid staff members and about 100 volunteers working on everything from administration and promotion, to producing, directing, writing and filming.

"We have green screen studios, a full mixing desk, broadcast cameras... it's not the same as getting out your iPhone," he said.

"Mr Turnbull said this will only unemploy 53 people, but that's just those who are actually paid by the stations...he has a really narrow definition of what the benefit of community television is."