Culture Secretary talks Local TV at media conference

THE Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt opened the Nations and Regions Media Conference in Salford , where he spoke of the government's Local TV project and the importance of the media industry outside of London.

On his first visit to MediaCityUK since its opened last year, Hunt denounced the “London-centric media” and said the industry was “on the cusp of a very radical change.”

Addressing the audience for his keynote speech at the BBC Philharmonic Studio at Salford Quays, Hunt described the media as “the sector of greatest potential in this country.”

Media analyst and broadcaster Steve Hewlett chaired the event, and quizzed Hunt on Local TV, which will initially see 20 cities across the UK granted a local licence to produce their own regional programming.

Hunt said that low-running costs would be key to the success of the project, and estimated that the regional stations could be run for just £500,000 a year.

He added that 90 companies had already shown a serious expression of interest, and that there was no reason why the UK could not replicate the success of local TV stations in other European countries such as Italy and France.

Hunt praised the BBC’s move to Salford, describing the MediaCityUK site as “extraordinarily impressive.” He said the organisation was “the benchmark of quality”, and is fully behind the Local TV project.

Diane Coyle, Vice Chairman of BBC Trust, confirmed “that money had been ear-marked to buy the products of Local TV, if the outcome is of sufficient quality.”

Hunt spoke of his enthusiasm for local universities and said that, with their keen interest in new technologies, the future of local media production is in the hands of students.

The MP also revealed that by December 2012 the new ‘broadband plan’ for the UK will be in place, which aims to provide the country with the fastest download speeds in Europe.

By Mark Cockroft