Government invites companies to bid to run Plymouth TV station
THE Government is inviting firms to bid to run Plymouth's new local TV station.
Ofcom wants to hear from applicants for the licence to run the new service, which is expected to launch on air as early as next year.
Plymouth is one of the first 21 areas across to the UK to be given the opportunity to have its own local TV station.
It is part of a Government plan to set up a network of town- and city-based television channels.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Sunday, May 26 2013
The BBC has agreed to make available up to £40million for local TV purposes and will be responsible for administering the funding.
Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, Olympics and Sport, said: "I hope to see some really exciting bids in Plymouth for its new TV channel.
"Local TV will not only create jobs but it will also provide communities with news and content that is relevant to their daily lives."
Potential operators now have until August 13 to apply to Ofcom for a licence.
The quango will award the licence based on a set of criteria including: provision of local news and current affairs; proposals for programmes; planned launch date; and viability of the business plan.
Plymouth was selected as one of the first 21 areas, based on having sufficient levels of interest from potential operators and being technically capable of receiving a local TV service.
Ofcom is also seeking applicants to hold a TV multiplex licence, with the winning applicant responsible for providing the broadcast infrastructure for all the local TV services.
The competition for the multiplex licence is open to both commercial and not-for-profit bids.
The holder of the multiplex licence will have to promote local TV and offer good quality coverage and transmission.
It cannot recover carriage costs greater than the costs of transmission from each local TV service.
Once up and running, the local TV service will be broadcast on Freeview and available to the majority of households within the transmitter area.
Comments
by Jannercide
Monday, May 14 2012, 7:45AM
“Bring back Gus Honeybun!”
by PCCwatcher
Monday, May 14 2012, 6:41AM
“Given the minister in charge, I presume the allocation of the contract is already decided.....”
by thebannedone
Sunday, May 13 2012, 6:26PM
“With the Uni, College, Arts and Marjon there is scope for Plymouth to become a cutting edge training ground.
There again look at what happened with TSW!
Plymouth had one of the largest local broadcast archives in the Royal William Yard which is now consigned to history and landfill.”
by thebannedone
Sunday, May 13 2012, 6:24PM
“With the Uni, College, Arts and Marjon there is scope for Plymouth to become a cutting edge training ground.
There again look at what happened with TSW!
Plymouth had one of the largest local broadcast archives in the Royal William Yard which is now consigned to history and landfill.”
by Jannerbloke
Friday, May 11 2012, 10:30PM
“It only needs a production company, like twofour. Broadcasting is a simple process and be done by any subcontractor. Looks as if there may be no other choices anyway.”
by leeroymeboy
Friday, May 11 2012, 6:29PM
“Twofour are a production company, not a broadcaster. The big satellite in their forecourt was purchased from the uni for £1. (It has never been used).
THey are more of a sausage factory, in terms of production than a broadcaster.”
by JTPlymouth
Friday, May 11 2012, 5:25PM
“Let's hope this awful, amateurish "newspaper" has nothing to do with it. Plymouth has suffered enough shakey "journalism", typos, fiction, the mundane and political bias thanks to the monopoly this school paper has had purporting to provide local news coverage. The Herald must make Plymouth seem like a bit of a jokey toytown to those from outside the city.”
by whinger7643
Friday, May 11 2012, 1:20PM
“Whilst i am all for locally based television, why if it is open to commercial bids, are the taxpayers (albeit through the BBC) coughing up 40 million.”
by PL1Plym
Friday, May 11 2012, 1:19PM
“Strange how ITV can't make it work with all of their money, resources and experience. How will "Hospital Radio TV" make it work? Good luck to them!”
by Jannerbloke
Friday, May 11 2012, 8:32AM
“The locally based twofour group are the obvious choice.”