One major reform which was established whilst Jeremy Hunt was at the Department of Culture Media and Sport was the plans to allow local television stations to broadcast throughout the UK. Dozens of new stations are going to spring up covering towns and cities in the months and years ahead.
Ofcom has been busy assessing all the bidders for the franchises and we now know that Manchester’s new tv channel will be run by the Your TV Group. The Chairman of Your TV is Sir Michael Lyons who commented:
“We are delighted that Ofcom has endorsed our proposal and approach to local television in this vibrant city. With many other local TV licences still to be decided upon soon, including several other YourTV applications, this is an exciting time for viewers and broadcasters alike and one which we are confident YourTV can play a great part in.”
More information about YourTV Manchester can be found at
Many will remember Channel M which was around for a short while but ran into difficulties. One big difference with the new platform is that the Channels are going to be featured on the first page of the EPG the Electronic Programme Guide so they will be up there alongside the established terrestrial channels.
David Nuttall 
What sort of ‘controls’ do/will these new channels have? Is there a built in monitor/ regulator that will stop whoever owns it shoving out a bias to whichever religious or political ideal they support – after all the controls on what we are told we are eating have been found lacking, the banking fiasco was just as well monitored (NOT) The immigration controls are/where useless – the track record for regulation is rubbish.
Hi,
These new stations will be bound by the same rules as existing channels.
David
Hi, Thanks for that – Good. But will the same NUMBER of people who ‘look’ (I’m making an assumption – that they do actually look) at the existing channels develop extra heads (metaphorical)? Presumably there is expected to be a vast increase in output.
Rossendale IS our area !
They are insignificant to Bury and I work in Westhoughton not far from Horwich Wanderers !
I will be voting to JUST be in the EEC as we voted a short time ago !
As for the words Greater & Manchester, they don’t go together. A bit like Army & intelligence! Sorry ex – RAF here !
If we are going to have a local Television Station it would have to be Bury & Rossendale just the same as we NEED a Bury & Rossendale NHS Trust. These areas are forgotten here in Lancashire. I say Lancashire because that is where we live. Greater Manc-Chester is just for our servants in the local authority, the soil & the people are Lancastrian.
As for our reduced NHS, what is going to happen in the future ? Are we going to have to travel to little insignificant places such as Crumpsall, Bolton, Rochdale or Oldham ?
We want all these services locally in BIG Bury like we always did have !!
A couple of thousand million would bring all these back. we just need to drag the money back from the Europeans over the other side of the English Channel !
Hi,
THanks for your comment. There is nothing to stop a Manchester area television station covering stories in Rossendale especially if they impact on our area.
I trust you will be voting to leave the EU then when we have the Referendum in 2017.
David
PS I am not sure residents of Bolton Oldham etc would agree with your definition of them as being ‘little insignificant places’ All in the spirit of friendly rivalry!