Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt asked to add southern Scotland to local TV coverage plan
Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has encouraged media bodies aiming to expand local TV coverage to the south of Scotland, to argue their case, after his local TV plans were accused of ignoring the area.
Speaking to media professionals from across Scotland about his plans to roll out local TV across the UK, Hunt was joined on a panel by Brian Keating, CEO of URTV, Greg Bensberg, director of Spectrum Policy at Ofcom and Julie Craik project manager for Fife & TayScreen in highlighting the potential for the local TV roll out.
In taking questions he was challenged by SNP MSP for the south of Scotland Christine Grahame as to the lack of representation for the area on the list of 65 locations previously identified for coverage.
Graham highlighted the lack of television coverage received by the area, including that of STV, which does not hold the ITV local licence to broadcast there, and claimed to have written to Hunt last month on the issue.
“There is no worse place for local television in Scotland, we don’t even get STV, yet it is not even on the list,” claimed Grahame.
She asked Hunt to look again at the technical criteria for preferred locations and consider commissioning a report on the technical criteria for Southern Scotland, and consider putting a location for Dumfries and Galloway or the Scottish Borders on the list.
Hunt responded by highlighting that his own constituency had poor reception, and also had “terrible local TV coverage” as well and commended the local TV coverage for Helensbourgh and Dundee – “that’s what local TV can unlock and we want to have local TV for everyone.”
He continued: “Ask your Government to match the [£60m] funding that the UK Government has put on the table and then every single one of your constituents can have local TV. We don’t have the potential to cover absolutely everywhere, but we are doing what we can. There is a solution and it is in your hands,” he told Grahame.
Grahame also asked Hunt to clarify whether the £60m being invested into Scotland was predicated on the Scottish Government matching the funding. Hunt confirmed that it was and that the same was true of local councils throughout the UK.
“The Scottish Government has got a big opportunity to get local TV for the whole of the south of Scotland, if they are to take part in this scheme it would mean you have 90% of Scotland covered by superfast broadband coverage," added Hunt. "It’s a big opportunity and it’s something that within the space of four years you could find that all of your constituents could have local TV service that you would like.”
Grahame responded “It takes hundreds of millions to roll out broadband, so £60m is a drop in a bucket.”
Hunt later on encouraged organisations from the south of Scotland to put forward their case, with the list of locations not yet finalised.
It was reported earlier this week that STV could begin to broadcast across southern Scotland by 2014 when it could be handed the ITV regional licence, previously held by Border Television. Bobby Hain, director of broadcast services for STV, who attended the panel session, would not be drawn on the speculation.