[cma-l] DCMS measures to 'boost local media'

[Two Lochs Radio]

At an Ofcom presentation to invited guests earlier this year on its plans to 
pay for ITV news consortia, I got a sharp rebuke from the Ofcom speaker for 
having the temerity to refer to its plan as a subsidy of ITV news 
production. He insisted that it should not be called a subsidy, thoug he 
didn;t really explain how it differed from a subsidy, and had earlier 
described its objective as being 'to restore the profitability of ITV 
licences'..

So naturally it caught my attention tonight to hear the Minister, Jeremy 
Hunt, describe it as a subsidy for ITV news today when he was announcing the 
scrapping of the reprehensible proposal.

I wonder if Ofcom will now maintain that the minister too is wrong to call 
it a subsidy.

Either way, I'm glad some sense has prevailed on one matter at least, and 
Ofcom should be ashamed of ever having been complicit in promoting it.

Alex
Two Lochs


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "CMA-L" <cma-l at commedia.org.uk>
To: <cma-l at commedia.org.uk>
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 2:41 PM
Subject: [cma-l] DCMS measures to 'boost local media'


> Jeremy Hunt sets out plans to ensure a vibrant local media market in the 
> future.
>
> "The Government believes in localism and the enormous benefits of
> fostering local cultural, economic and political identities," said Mr
> Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport,
>