[comtv-l] Local news TV advisory panel set to report to Jeremy Hunt

[CMA-L]

Source: Maggie Brown, Monday 13 September 2010 07.28 BST
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/sep/13/local-tv-news-jeremy-hunt/

The advisory panel examining ways to establish a new generation of
local TV services is expected to deliver an interim report to the
Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, by the end of the month.

Led by Nicholas Shott, the head of UK investing at Lazards, the panel
has been deluged with submissions and is currently consulting widely
in its quest to find a sustainable broadcast model, which could be
rolled out across at least part of the country.

Last week, the panel visited newspaper groups and other interested
bodies in Scotland. On Thursday they are invited to several existing
local TV operators, including Belfast's NvTv and the Community Media
Association.

Claire Enders, the founder of media consultancy Enders Analysis and a
member of the panel, said they expected to deliver an interim report
by the end of September and their final proposals by the end of the
year.

"We are making patient progress, but there are long, intractable
issues," Enders said. "We are doing our best to go through all the
business models. We are leaving no stone unturned. We are aware of how
keen the minister is.

"But one of the obvious things about the UK is that our conurbations
are not appropriate for local television, they are not big enough. We
will get somewhere, which advances the minister's agenda, but it will
not be earth-shattering stuff."

Hunt has been an enthusiastic proponent of creating a new generation
of local TV services since he became the shadow culture spokesman.

In his first speech on media policy after becoming culture secretary
in June, Hunt confirmed that the new coalition government was
scrapping Labour's plan to replace ITV regional news with consortiums
funded by the BBC licence fee or another form of public subsidy.

He also announced plans to deregulate local cross-media ownership
rules and push ahead with new local TV services with the appointment
of Shott to lead the advisory panel.

One key difficulty is the availability of broadcasting spectrum to
make local or city TV a reality, since mobile operators are expected
to take precedence in an auction of transmission frequencies freed up
by digital switchover.

Dr David Rushton, director of the Edinburgh-based Institute for Local
TV, is urging the panel to insist, through Ofcom, on a national local
television plan to ensure a proper spread of stations, not just
settling for 12 or 15 services.

Another complicating factor is that the panel is not clear whether ITV
intends to commit to continuing with regional news after its Ofcom
licences expire in 2014.

By contrast, Enders said new community models and initiatives are
mushrooming, from user-generated community material and local
broadband stations, to newspaper video news sites, while companies
bidding for the now abandoned, independently funded news consortium
favoured by the former Labour government ploughed in large sums to
formulate their proposals.

The Shott panel also includes Richard Eyre, former chairman of GCap;
Lady Kingsmill, former Competition Commission deputy chairman; and
Brian Linden of private equity company Cinven.

Source: Maggie Brown, Monday 13 September 2010 07.28 BST
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/sep/13/local-tv-news-jeremy-hunt/

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