UK: a Conservative take on local news provision

Posted by Christie Silk on July 15, 2009 at 3:59 PM

An alternative vision to the controversial plans for the redistribution of broadcasting funds outlined in the Labour government's Digital Britain Report has been proposed by the Conservative party. The opposition party suggested that local newspaper companies should be responsible for the production of local television news programmes on the ITV channel.

The Conservatives would abandon the current government's plans to "top-slice" the BBC licensing fee from 2013. The surplus money would be redirected to the creation of a chain of independent consortia offering local news provision. Instead, the Conservatives would establish a group of roughly 80 independent local media companies. These companies would serve regional and local communities with print, television, radio and online news and entertainment.

The proposals, outlined by Johnston Press chairman Roger Parry, come as part of the Conservative's review of creative industries.

The enforcement of the suggested funding models would most certainly have implications for local newspapers. The companies, LMCS, would draw in revenue from local advertisers and commercial services, which are the staple sources of newspaper revenue. Moreover, a fundamental plank to the plan is the easing of current print media merger regulations and essentially, cross-media ownership rules. Could the relaxation of these regulations, which the Digital Britain Report saw best to leave untouched, alongside the creation of the LMCs foster the development of local media monopolies? The report concedes that this is a possible fate of smaller markets, yet denies that this would endanger media plurality or compromise local advertising interests.

The ramifications, however, could only be ascertained if the proposals were to come into effect. The plans appear to work on the basis that the encouragement of local, private funding would prove a more effective business model for local news provision than prolonged injections of public money. Shadow culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt enthused: "by looking at how government can help create new sustainable business models in this sector we'll ensure the long-term provision of local news and local journalism".

Source: The Guardian