Archant, Tindle and Trinity Mirror back Channel 6 London local TV bid
Local media groups Archant, Tindle and Trinity Mirror has have combined to back Richard Horwood’s Channel 6 bid for the London TV franchise.
The consortium has submitted their bid to host the London local TV contract, and will also partner with the National Council for Voluntary Ogranisations (NCVO) in an aim of engaging with London’s local communities.
Horwood explained: “This is why we will combine our extensive local news and community engagement programmes with world-class entertainment to create a commercially strong and sustainable TV channel, befitting the guaranteed prominent on-screen programme guide listing afforded by the PSB status given to the new franchise. Prominent listing is a double-edged sword. Being right next to the most popular entertainment channels will cast an unforgiving spotlight on London’s TV channel, so it needs to look like it belongs there from day one – which is what LondonTV has been designed to do. This is the very real difference between a channel that is just about London, and a channel worthy of London.”
Georgina Harvey, managing director of Trinity Mirror Regionals, added: “Being involved in local TV is aligned to our key objectives of diversification and seeking opportunities for growth. There are obvious synergies which exist between local TV and our local media businesses, particularly in the cities we operate in, and this is consistent with our multi-platform strategy ambitions."
Included in the management team of the consortium is former editor-in-chief of ITV News David Mannion, with the consortium also promising to create 100 new jobs in the city.