Ultra-local TV plans move steps closer
PLANS for TV stations for Birmingham and other towns in the West Midlands moved one step closer to reality after the government named the areas it said can bid to pioneer the concept.
Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt named 65 towns and cities in which new local TV services could be broadcast. With the first wave of licences due to be awarded next year, the eligible areas are being asked to make the case for why their town should be one of the first to bid to enjoy the service.
Greater Birmingham is on the list, as are Bromsgrove, Gloucester, Hereford, Kidderminster, Malvern, Shrewsbury, Stoke-on-Trent, Stratford-upon-Avon and Telford.
Mr Hunt said: “These new local TV services will be a fundamental change in how people get information about their own communities, and how they hold their representatives to account.
“There’s a huge appetite for local news and information in communities the length and breadth of the country. I want people to be able to watch television that’s truly relevant to them, about what’s happening where they live and featuring the people they know.
“The first licences will be open to bidders in just a few months. But before then, we need to decide which areas are best placed to pioneer the new service. In deciding the order in which licences should be made available, we need to judge the level of interest from potential broadcasters and audiences, and take the views of companies interested in bidding for the single multiplex licence.”
A handful of potential operators for a service in Birmingham have emerged in recent months. City TV, part-owned by Debra Davies, Birmingham City Council’s former director of public affairs, claimed earlier this year that its plans for a station would create 60 jobs.
The government launched a public consultation and will hold a number of summits with potential bidders, including an event in Birmingham on August 18.
The framework for local television, published last month by DCMS, confirmed that a block of geographic interleaved (GI) spectrum will be awarded to a single multiplex licence holder, which will carry local services licensed by Ofcom to broadcast local TV.
Ms Davies said: “We are thrilled the first of Jeremy Hunt’s regional Local Television Summits is being held in Birmingham.
“It speaks to the strength of the city as the largest market outside London with a strong creative and independent production sector and an ambitious team at City TV that wants to deliver local television here first.
“Recent events over the last few days show that on the spot local reporting 24/7 is a must for large cities.”
