Channel M on digital terrestrial

Actually, this news is quite old.

http://www.ukfree.tv/fullstory.php?storyid=1107051536

But Channel M is going to be broadcasting to far more homes after digital switchover.

Currently, it's not on Freeview. Only satellite, cable and analogue terrestrial (which does not cover the whole of Greater Manchester by any means).

Channel M provides an all-local service for Greater Manchester. Local news, sport and entertainment.

As ITV pulls the plug on local (or regional) television, is the gap on the market already being filled?

Good to see it getting a slot on Freeview, considering it's been promoted as Free to Air 39 for several years now and that must confuse some people. Although having the channel on Sky is the way most watch the station AIUI. At the moment we get a watchable picture of Channel M on Analogue in Warrington, although it's snowy, there's no hissing, but we can get it on Virgin anyway.

If anything this guarantees that the channel will be round for the next few years at least and the amount of Local programmes have increased year on year now. When they added it on Cable in 2004, there was a 30 minute recorded News bulletin daily and the rest of the output was from CHUM in Canada or Local informercials. All the CHUM programmes have gone, and there is 6 hours of Live TV from the News team every day. (6am-9am, 12-12.30pm, 5pm-7pm and 9-9.30pm)

Quite excellent for a Local channel with limited resources and the backing of the MEN.

Here's a channel that's doing seven hours of local news (that's including the only local breakfast show in the country, but also the 12.30 and 21.30 news repeats) a day.
Not the same generic graphics taken off the shelf from ITV plc or the BBC. So at least that's something different to talk about.
Available throughout western Europe on satellite.
A real trailblazer that's got more professional as time has gone by. If its business model succeeds, it could be the way forward for local television in the UK.
Yet there's very little discussion about it here. I find that odd.

I am more interested in thinking would Channel M be able to sell some of its bandwidth on the frequency to others?

Would that be profitable for just a Manchester audience..

I guess that depends how much they're getting it for and how far the signal will travel. At the moment on Analogue the signal is quite strong around Manchester and AIUI most of the western half of Greater Manchester. As I said I'm in Warrington, and we can pick it up albeit with heavy snow, but watchable. Although it appears the signal maybe greater, who knows how far.

I bet they'll flog it off to a shopping channel or something on the lines of.

I've always thought a Local channel for Liverpool would be a good idea, but since Channel One disappeared, the idea has never took off.

I'm not sure how much use a Manchester wide multiplex would be for TV channels, but I expect local radio stations to be interested in the available bandwidth. Given that Channel M is owned by Guardian Media Group, which also owns Century and Smooth Radio, I wouldn't be surprised if they are carried alongside Channel M.

They also have Rock Radio on 106.1FM in the Manchester area aswell as Century (soon to be Real) and Smooth.