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"Local TV" licences to be renewed through to 2034 - Printable Version

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RE: "Local TV" licences to be renewed through to 2034 - lookoutwales - 27-05-2024

(27-05-2024, 09:36 PM)Omnipresent Wrote:  Notts TV is owned by Nottingham Trent University (NTU), which funds the channel and has always had strong links to broadcast journalism training.

The licence was originally won by a consortium of Nottingham Post Media Group, NTU, Confetti Media Group and Inclusive Digital.

For the past three years, they’ve also held the LDRS (Local Democracy Reporting Service) contract for Nottinghamshire, securing funding to employ three journalists.

RE: "Local TV" licences to be renewed through to 2034 - Steve in Pudsey - 28-05-2024

The university sector is not awash with money right now (a mix of the effects of inflation in the context of tuition fees being frozen for many years and changes to student visas putting international students off coming to the UK to study) so I have to assume that it is actually more or less viable rather than NTU chucking a load of money at it.

RE: "Local TV" licences to be renewed through to 2034 - Neil Jones - 06-06-2024

Spotted on the Ofcom emails:

"Ofcom has withdrawn its statement on the renewal process for local TV licences.

Our statement was based on the draft Statutory Instrument which Government had laid in Parliament and which - prior to the announcement of a General Election and dissolution of Parliament - had been expected to be approved over the course of the summer.

It will be for the next Government to confirm how it will proceed. We will provide an update to the sector following the election."

This could be interesting, as it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility that the whole operation is chucked head first into the nearest bin when the existing licences do run out.

RE: "Local TV" licences to be renewed through to 2034 - Jon - 06-06-2024

Although if the few local broadcasters that are providing a genuine local service, what’s the benefit to the government from stopping them doing it.

RE: "Local TV" licences to be renewed through to 2034 - Neil Jones - 06-06-2024

I suspect for those broadcasters that are doing a genuine local service, if the next government bins the project because of the likes of the other providers spending more time simulcasting a national service than making anything on a street corner somewhere, then its going to be a case of "the actions of a few affect the many" if it does get scrapped. Remember Ofcom sent out some correspondence that was basically reading between the lines "buck your ideas up if you want to keep your licence"...

RE: "Local TV" licences to be renewed through to 2034 - Brekkie - 07-06-2024

They might be willing to give it another roll of the dice on the condition only those who show they will truly provide a local service will survive, but I doubt they'd be much interest in anyone taking over the licences held by That's TV for example other than to do exactly what That's TV have done.

RE: "Local TV" licences to be renewed through to 2034 - all new phil - 07-06-2024

I’m torn on it. I live in an area that’s got a local tv channel, yet despite working within the broader industry myself I know nothing about it, no idea of anyone involved, never see any promotion of it, never hear anyone talk about it. If it’s invisible to me then god knows what level of awareness people less interested have of it.

RE: "Local TV" licences to be renewed through to 2034 - gottago - 07-06-2024

(06-06-2024, 08:01 PM)Jon Wrote:  Although if the few local broadcasters that are providing a genuine local service, what’s the benefit to the government from stopping them doing it.

You could say the same about the ones that aren't providing a local service. Is the local multiplex actually costing the taxpayer anything any more? I'm assuming no and it all pays for itself via the licenses (please enlighten me if this isn't the case)? So what would be the benefit in closing it down and putting people out of work? Even if the services are nowhere near as good as they were meant to be, they're still ultimately employing some people and are fitting within the current Ofcom rules. They're essentially harmless so is there any point in closing them?

RE: "Local TV" licences to be renewed through to 2034 - Keith - 07-06-2024

(07-06-2024, 01:28 PM)gottago Wrote:  You could say the same about the ones that aren't providing a local service. Is the local multiplex actually costing the taxpayer anything any more? I'm assuming no and it all pays for itself via the licenses (please enlighten me if this isn't the case)? So what would be the benefit in closing it down and putting people out of work? Even if the services are nowhere near as good as they were meant to be, they're still ultimately employing some people and are fitting within the current Ofcom rules. They're essentially harmless so is there any point in closing them?
I suspect the only reason it's lasted so long is that it was one of the pet/flagship policy of the current government when they first got elected back in 2020. Given the the then minister for the DCMS is currently the chancellor this might have been a factor in OFCOM originally planning to extend the licences based on legislation that was expected to pass through parliament.

Unless opinion polls are wildly wrong it's highly likely there will be a change in the party that's running the country in a month's time. They will feel less inclined to keep something that overall isn't really working as planned, as it wasn't a flagship project of there's, so it's not as embarrassing if they need/decide to axe it.

Whilst there are a couple of local TV services providing true local TV the majority are taking the proverbial. I think some operators only value the channel 6/7 position on Freeview, and not the amount of local output they produce (let alone the quality of it).

RE: "Local TV" licences to be renewed through to 2034 - Jon - 07-06-2024

I think anything other than rubber stamping the continuation of the licences is going to be way down the list of priorities of the next government, if it’s not taking any public subsidies. Particularly as any licence extension will presumably take them to the time terrestrial broadcasts are turned off all together.

And if you closed them down on the basis they’re not fulfilling their original remit, you’d also close down ITV and pretty much every commercial radio station in the country.