Channel M to broadcast last live show
GREATER Manchester’s TV station Channel M will broadcast its last-ever news show tonight after owners Guardian Media Group failed to find a buyer for the loss-making business.
Staff numbers will be cut from more than 30 to just four. Specualtion over the future of Channel M had been mounting since the sale of its sister company MEN Media – publisher of the Manchester Evening News – to Trinity Mirror last month.
While the channel will remain – it will broadcast only traffic, networked news and archive material.
A Guardian Media Group spokesman said: “Despite interest from a number of parties, a viable offer for the station has not emerged.
“Following the review of Channel M, we have reached the conclusion that the station is no longer sustainable in its current form.
“This is due to a number of factors, including the absence of a committed buyer, the loss of access to news from MEN Media, and the costs associated with the requirement to leave the Urbis building.”
Channel M , founded 10 years ago, was at the heart of GMG’s blueprint for the future of converged regional journalism, but struggled to compete against the might of the BBC and ITV.
