First 20 Cities for 'Local TV' Announced

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Four months ago, Jeremy Hunt asked the 65 towns and cities Ofcom identified as “potential pioneer locations” for local TV services to make a case why their area should be first to receive the service Hunt has long campaigned for. The service aims to have “commercially viable” stations that broadcast locally made programmes and news.

The first 20 towns and cities have just been announced. Chosen because of their “significant levels of interest,” which means potential operators and audiences see opportunity in the service, and also because it is technically possible the areas chosen are: London, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton, Hove, Bristol, Glasgow, Grimsby, Leeds, Liverpool, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Plymouth, Preston, Southampton, and Swansea.

Twenty-four more areas have also been identified as next in line after this initial round. These areas are: Aberdeen, Ayr, Bangor, Barnstaple, Basingstoke, Bedford, Cambridge, Carlisle, Derry/Londonderry, Dundee, Guildford, Hereford, Inverness, Kidderminster, Limavady, Luton, Maidstone, Malvern, Mold, Salisbury, Sheffield, Stoke on Trent, Stratford upon Avon and York.

Media regulator, Ofcom will be conducting further consultation in the first 20 cities and towns beginning the end of next week. This will help them decide on how licenses will be awarded. According to sources, licenses will be awarded through competitive tendering, with regulators accepting bids from both non-profit and commercial operators.

Legislation enabling the stations is also yet to be passed, but Hunt has already announced that there will be three pieces of legislation put to parliament. First, to make the spectrum available for broadcast, another for the local licensing regime, and the final will ensure EPG prominence for the services.

In the meantime, the government will be setting up the statutory framework. Pay-TV broadcasters like BSkyB and Virgin are also getting on board with the system, having committed to offering apps and yellow button use to interactive services. This will give local TV the “appropriate prominence” on EPGs.

“Local TV will be a fundamental change in broadcasting in this country, meeting a real demand for local news and content. We are now putting in place the measures needed to establish a series of commercially viable local TV stations,” said Hunt.

“I am confident these new stations will provide local communities with programming which is relevant to their daily lives, will support local democracy, boost the Big Society and enhance local communities.”

Though promising, the project isn't without its critics. Shadow minister for media, Helen Goodman believes that the government is simply “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” Goodman is referring to the fact that £40m is needed for the project, not including £25m in start-up costs and the £15m that will go to acquiring content over three years. The money will be coming from the BBC license fee.

“The BBC has always provided excellent local content, but as a result of the harsh licence fee settlement agreed by the government, many local services are being slashed by 20%. This government is distracting attention away from these cuts by promoting new services with old money," Goodman said.

“Labour backs community enterprises and wants to see new business flourish. However, there is little point in cutting high quality services which the public enjoy to fund other projects.”

It is believed that the BBC Trust will need to approve the final figures for the cost, however, and though controversial now, in the end, advertising will fund the services.


The new stations will begin broadcasting in 2013.
 
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