10/07/2011 The Politics Show West Midlands

In the Midlands, you are now watching regional television, but

would you watch local TV? We will see how it is already working in

Birmingham, Alabama, as ministers prepare their plans for local

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2372 seconds

All politics is local. Well, so said the late Tip O'Neill, but all

television is definitely not local. This programme is about as closer

and personal as regional television gets, and we cover a giant region

from the Cotswolds are to the Staffordshire moorlands with a

population of 6 million. So, how can it be right, asks the Culture

Secretary that the city the size of Birmingham has no truly local TV

stations, while Birmingham Alabama has for? It is not just about the

big cities. We are joined by the chief executive of six TV, the UK's

largest TV licence holder. They have designs on serving South

Warwickshire. Fare is two key points of. It is partly access to

local news and information, and holding local politicians to

account. The other. Makes creating an advertising opportunity for

local businesses who come at the moment don't have access to a

freaky and terrestrial television. We are joined by Gavin Williamson,

the Conservative MP, and by David Wright, the Labour MP. Our

correspondent has been to that Visiting America, you notice they

do have a lot more local TV than we do, like this channel in Birmingham

Alabama. So, we're spending the day here and we're not the only new

boys' comic it is Scott Packard's new day, too. The day starts at the

meeting. Looking at this potential running order, this could be an

edition of our programme. Were we have Bacher's with TB affecting

farmers, they have armadillos with rabies. What about the differences?

There are four stations providing local news in this part of America,

all funded by advertising. So he wants advertise on local TV here?

If you drive through town, you will see 17 fast food restaurants and

they're all interested in advertising. So, everyone. We take

it. This is one argument for local TV in the UK, but there is an

untapped, under served pool of potential advertisers. One Midlands

ad agency has crunched the numbers and doubts that. Because I can see

that there would be any real demand from punt - - from the consumer, I

can see he would be watching it. If the TV station has a got an

audience, then they haven't got anything to sell. Others, who have

already expressed an interest in local TV, disagree. I am the

chairman of the theatre company that owns 40 theatres. We can't

afford to advertise on regional television. We would love to

advertise on local television. I think there is a market there.

Someone has to go out and find it and sell it. There is no doubt that

the local market leader can make news day, but can they produce news

more cheaply than we do? But, everyone keeps a tight rein on

costs and for the new boy in the studio, this is luxury to where he

started. This was my first taste of the daily meeting. The television

station I came from was very small. It was just a few reporters he had

to do everything. I have hired three people in the last four years

you're as old as my children, so why am hiring someone who is 25

were 26 years old. They had been in an even smaller market for a couple

of years and hopefully got on the floor polish, they may bring them

here. So, if you reduce costs and find a new source of advertising

revenue, could this work in the UK? We are not trying to bring the

whole American system of work, the government wants to graft a little

bit of it on to our existing set-up. Will that work?

We will not have to wait long to find out. They are due to start

going on air in the year. Incidentally, there is more on the

political background to all of this on my block - - blog. A lot of

people tell me that there is a reshuffle in the air and that she

are highly regarded, and an effective minister, and that you're

facing the possible promotion to a bigger department. If that happens,

what would you like your legacy to be remembered for? I would like us

to have a thriving local TV sector, so that your constituents hold

their local politician to account in a way that power national media

is so successful in all the non- national politicians to account.

Gavin Williamson, which should be up for this? Very much so. I think

there will be a fantastic platform for local politics. Would you want

to be held to account in this way? I think it would be great. I don't

think there is a lot of political disagreement on this. I think it

would be a real opportunity for people to engage with a member of

parliament. A clear lesson from that piece from Alabama is that the

mystics - - most successful local television stations in America are

backed by the big networks, whereas here the government wants to go for

something that is much more bottom- up. I think it will lead to real

proper local television. I do think there will be a high degree of co-

ordination between local channels and back felling. People will not

want local news 24 hours a day. They will want good quality

television, so there will be an off lot of co-ordination. Do you think

it would need the big commercial broadcasters to get involved, or

cannot all be left to local, small people. I think there will be a

mixed approach over the coming years. I think there is an

opportunity for other media to enter the market. If you live cats

the local paper in the local area, it already has as a major part of

its website video clip news. But do you think, bottom up or top-down?

In America they do have both and stations are not forced to

affiliate with the network, they do so voluntarily. I think this

bottom-up approach, I believe that is the right approach. All the

indications are that will be down to us to decide to be one to work

with other parties, and I believe we will. Let me to win what

somebody said on this, if the ITV regions could not survive without

merging together a most commercial radio stations are very similar,

how do they expect local television to survive? 10 or 15 years ago I

would have said that, but I believe everything has changed. Looking at

how television can be made with graduates to know how to use light

week - - lightweight cameras and laptops, I think it is possible.

One of the things that Greg Dyke said was that local television,

rather than in big cities like Birmingham, is the way to go, but

the Government is talking about television in the 20 or so bigger

cities. I think it has got to start off there. I think it has got to

show that the format can survive. Talking to many businesses, there

is a real appetite to target their advertising spend and directed to

the consumers that are trying to get through the door. We all know

that the regional press, well, some people say it is in terminal

decline with revenues drying up. think we can create those

partnerships at regional print media and I think that is a

potential way forward. One of the biggest media organisations this

week has come under tremendous pressure and I think there will be

a kickback against that. I think it will be looking for more local news

and diversity. Since he raised the question, trust in journalism is

one of the issues. How can local television, how can we be sure that

the standards will be maintained? When you talk about local

television, it is not necessarily a low-quality TV. You have got a lot

of regional media groups, a lot of local papers, excellent journalism

already thriving. They can be tapped into. Do you think you can

reassure people about standards? One of the things I think is

interesting, the BBC did some experiments and local TV a few

years ago and they managed to put BBC brand values on the sort of

model we are talking about with a handful of video journalists. If

the BBC can do it, anyone can do it. You can follow us at any time on

The government clearly hoped that local TV will be a resounding

success, but what do you want? big talking point today, can local

television services succeed where many have failed? When a wave of

local television stations come along in the 1990s, these

journalism students were toddlers, now they are the next generation of

television talent. You might remember stations like Coventry

Cable, all short lived, often because of shoestring budgets.

Local TV television in Britain has failed repeatedly, so why should it

work now that people have a choice of 500 television channels?

Birmingham is a very dynamic city and deserves a dynamic TV station.

City TV broadcasting says it wants a terrestrial licence. This could

be their penthouse studio. They will take on 50 people. They would

choose civic journalists. City TV will have the very best people.

This is not amateur night. Birmingham needs it. What impact

can you Service have on the market place? I would be worried if I was

a local newspaper, but we can work with them. ITV and BBC, they

deliver local news, and not in the style but we will. So, what would

you like to see on your local TV service? We came to Stoke on Trent

so people here could put us in the picture. I'd go out a lot and it

would be a lot easier than having to look upon social networks when

there would be gigs. I would like to see more children's football.

Articles regarding the area itself. The government will give more

detail this month, but we know that the BBC will contribute �40 million

towards its development. The voice of the Listener is very concerned

about licence fee payer's money going to this project. This project

is far from guaranteed to succeed. Whilst there could be very valuable,

we don't think it is economic viable.

In 2005 the BBC piloted a local television service and I was a

video journalist there looking for unusual stories in Coventry. But

the service was not taken on. The BBC Trust said it could not invest

- - justify the investment. So, a political weather forecast. There

are local TV services working their way up getting licences by 2012.

They may come to rely on product placement and strong advertising.

They will also have fewer staff. That is because the next generation

of journalists are told the job of three people. We can edit, film, do

interviews. Having more channels has always a good thing in terms of

media students because it is very difficult at the moment to get into

the big companies. It is the appetite of viewers that will be

critical and will decide whether advertisers will follow and if

local television will ultimately succeed.

Since he completed their report, the BBC have issued a statement

confirming their support for Iraq - The BBC have said that they will

support this. Some people have is the very against BBC money going to

support this project. I do to some extent agreed. We don't know how

the money will be spent. We, as a company, have never asked for

public subsidy. We don't think we need support. If the money has been

used to support community training and enable licensee - - licence-fee

payers to make local programmes, I would support that. Are you

comfortable at this? We want local TV to be about local interest and

reader wanted a car than copy of the other channels already on TV.

If that money can go towards securing good local content, it

would be money well spent. support what Gavin is saying. We

want to see diversity. So, a local station in Shropshire made you can

feel very different to a station elsewhere. People watch TV

different Lea now. People don't sit down necessarily and watch a whole

range of programmes. They perhaps draw them up on video devices and

watch them in a different way. People watch to be differently.

last time we had some local cable channels like Coventry Cable, when

people had five TV channels to choose from, it didn't work. Now

with the choice of 500 for many people, how can it work? This will

not be 24 hour rolling local news. It will be hide local interest

content, but with high quality programmes backing that up.

thought the BBC pilot a few years ago was really good. You could tune

in at the set time in an hour and watch a segment in local news that

is very relevant to your area. would you tailor it to the local

demands of the viewing public? think it failed in the past because

it was not on the number one TV platform, technically it was very

bad. We do think that local news as a very high demand and that there

would be blocks of local news in the morning and evening wear we

will have local news and information. We have got plans for

local politics discussions, arts programmes, and we are working with

other local programmes in other regions so we can work with them.

If you don't have big ambitions she never achieve anything. I think

this could be a really positive contribution to local democracy. It

does give the public an opportunity to pierced - - put us on the spot.

You have a lot to do if you went to have the sudden running in the year.

The government appointed have a slightly longer than that, but, I

agree, there are companies like us and others who are now raring to go.

Well, to be continued. We will watch with a great deal of interest.