Local TV to come to Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM is one of 20 cities across the UK to run its own local TV station.

Alongside Nottingham, the second city is the only one from the Midlands to be included in the first tranche unveiled by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The list of cities, which also includes Cardiff, Manchester, Edinburgh and Leeds, were identified as having significant levels of interest from potential operators and audiences.

The news follows a consultation to select the shortlist from 65 areas technically capable of receiving a local TV service.

The aim is to create a series of commercially viable stations carrying locally made programmes and news across the UK.

Broadcasting regulator Ofcom will conduct a further consultation into how licences will be awarded, although it is expected to be through competitive tendering, with bids from commercial and not-for-profit operators.

The first new stations could be broadcasting from 2013, following the award of licences from next summer.

The others cities in the list are: Belfast, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Glasgow, Grimsby, Liverpool, London, Newcastle, Norwich, Oxford, Plymouth, Preston, Southampton and Swansea.

A further 24 areas have been identified for a future round of licensing, including Hereford, Kidderminster, Malvern, Stoke-on-Trent and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Three pieces of legislation will shortly be laid before Parliament to make the necessary changes which will include the local TV stations being added to electronic programme guides.