BBC Local TV

So what? If the punters don't like it, they'll turn it off.



Waste in your view - all of the research done so far (and the BBC has done LOADS) has seen a high approval rating for the concept of local TV



IN YOUR OPINION. Can't you accept that people in the future might want to get their local information from other sources?

Some do. I consider Bristol my local community, thanks.



So then surely almost 40 broadcast zones is heading in the right direction???



It may well be too expensive - but at least someone is trying to do this. As ITV pulls out of the regions - and let's face it, they are big time - surely the BBC should, as a public service broadcaster, be filling in those gaps. Over the past year ITV has got more and more national, and shrunk its regional output down to a complete minimum.



I don't see any problem. Perhaps in years to come it'll boil down to those 250 areas, but in the meantime this is a start!!!

if you look at page 1700 of BBCi on Sky you'll see a little preview.

It's also on the BBCi bar that comes up when you press red - looks rather impressive and nice to see it's supported with text stories. EVEN MORE impressed to see a Nuneaton story leads the Coventry and Warwickshire section.

Well I'm not surprised, what with it being crime capital of the UK and all that

Don't you know it! It's rumoured it's the epicentre of innovation after Lizardy Levy's end of the pier show.

[quote="Uncle Bruce"] Over the past year ITV has got more and more national, and shrunk its regional output down to a complete minimum.
[quote]

I'm glad you agree that providing a 30 min news show, breakfast, mid morning, lunch and late evening news, weekend news and sport at lunch and evening; a politics show, regional sport, current affairs/local affairs and entertainment series are a complete minimum.

So how do you feel about a service that costs 4.2 times as much to run, operates a lower frequency news service, no local sport magazine and an hour less a week of regional programming??

What's below a complete minimum for you??

What if you consider, say the south west, where that provider (costing 4.2 times more ) offers just '1 and a quarter's services (bbc sw & bbc ci opt) compared to TWO itv companies providing, local news, features and plus 4 opts for devon and cornwall. Or North East & Borders, with TWO itv companies providing the service of 1 bbc region.

Local TV is a great Idea, but could it have been done for far less money, with less waste and management if the licence fee was split off given to another non-for-profit body to create and run the service??

It's a minimum of their licence requirement and less than was originally agreed when they were first awarded those licences. In fact, they've been allowed to shrink down some of their output through a recent Ofcom request to about 3.5hrs per week.

I'm not debating why ITV are pulling out of regional telly - that's entirely up to them. In fact, if it is making them a loss and they don't want to do it, which I entirely understand, there's even more of an argument for the BBC to pick this up.

It's the first, it's not there. Shame on you BBC.

Did they say what TIME on Dec 1st it would appear... I'd wait until Dec 1st is over before making comments like that. Not everything has to launch at midnight.

The preview has been there for a day or two on page 1700, or from the BBCi front page on BBC One West Midlands (949 if you are out of region)

Did seem to be the wrong shape though.

The point is, could this be done cheaper and better outside the BBC. You have to put aside the bbc or itv debate, and ask is it not time for a new tier of broadcasting?

what are the plans after the midlands? Will they follow the Where I [dont] live sites?

In Devon that will be one service for an area ITV provide three??

What about BBC West? Not targeting this at the content producers, but the local WIL sites are a mess... the geography does not work.

Bath, (8 miles from bristol, distinctive city, economically looks to bristol, West Wilts and London gets news from rural somerset!

North Somerset (2.5 miles from BBC Bristol Studios) gets its news from rural somerset. I cant work out where (what was) wansdyke gets its news??

The point is, even the internet sites widly miss their editorial mark, and relevence. What hope 'Local' TV would not be the same??

I assume that this pattern of coverage is common accross the UK, dictated by Policy rather than what makes sence to the staff on the ground?

Correct, Which is why it is launching later at 5pm.