City on course to get local TV station - This is South Wales

The city is one of 21 locations to be chosen to take part in the pioneering scheme and could begin transmitting programmes as soon as 2013. Ofcom is now inviting companies to bid for a licence to run the new service. Once up and running the local TV service will be broadcast on Freeview and be available to the majority of households within the transmitter area. - thisissouthwales.co.uk

www.thisissouthwales.co.uk

London set for its own TV station as Ofcom invites bids for franchise - Business - London 24

It is one of the first 21 areas across the UK being offered franchises next year, under Government plans for a new network of city-based channels. Ofcom, the broadcast industrys independent regulator, opened the bidding following yesterdays announcement from Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt. I hope to see exciting bids for the new TV channel, he said. - london24.com

www.london24.com

Government invites companies to bid to run Plymouth TV station - This is Plymouth

THE Government is inviting firms to bid to run Plymouth's new local TV station. Ofcom wants to hear from applicants for the licence to run the new service, which is expected to launch on air as early as next year. Plymouth is one of the first 21 areas across to the UK to be given the opportunity to have its own local TV station. - thisisplymouth.co.uk

www.thisisplymouth.co.uk

Norman: ITV ready for connected TV - News - Broadcast

It takes just 2 minutes and offers full, instant access to the Broadcast website along with a copy of the magazine delivered every week. - broadcastnow.co.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

BBC seeks technocrat with vision - Media - guardian.co.uk

The next BBC director general will have to outline a vision to avoid its terminal decline. The BBC has not faced a radical challenge to its very purpose and existence since the dying days of the Thatcher government. Within six months of taking charge of the BBC, the next DG will have to prepare a vision that will see it through perhaps its most demanding and life-threatening period since 1926. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

Saorsat: Ireland’s Freesat launches to reach the two per cent without a TV aerial - Recombu

Unlike Freesat, Saorsat doesnt share satellites with the very popular Sky pay-TV service at the Astra 2 location. Instead, its on Ka-Sat at 9E, about 19 degrees to the West of the Astra 2 satellites, although an experienced installer can get both on the same dish. Theres a coverage checker at http//coverage.rtenl.ie/. - recombu.com

recombu.com

VLV: 4G Freeview disruption ‎"an outrage" - News - Broadcast

It takes just 2 minutes and offers full, instant access to the Broadcast website along with a copy of the magazine delivered every week. - broadcastnow.co.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

It could be time to retune - Local News - Biggleswade Today

- biggleswadetoday.co.uk

www.biggleswadetoday.co.uk

Ofcom - Licensing Local Television - Statement

Statement published 100512, updated 150512 Background 1.1 Three Orders have been passed by Parliament, which give Ofcom the necessary powers and duties to license a new generation of local television services. 1.2 Ofcom has consulted on how it would exercise these new powers and duties to create a licensing framework for local television. We set out our proposals before the Orders were passed so as not to delay the timetable for launching new local TV services. - stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

Ofcom - Ofcom invites applications for first 21 local TV channels

Ofcom today invited applications for 21 local TV channels across the UK. This follows new duties given to Ofcom by Parliament to license local TV. In addition to inviting applicants for 21 stations, Ofcom is today also inviting applications to run the local TV multiplex. - media.ofcom.org.uk

media.ofcom.org.uk

Ofcom - Television Multiplex Licence Renewal - Multiplex B

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stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

Letters: The truth about Sky's free choice - Media - The Guardian

Sky buys its customers by buying their choices, by buying rights and companies so it controls how people can see the programmes previously free-to-air. There is a mass of programmes from the US channels it has bought, and films from their studios. Then Sky simply steps in and uses its financial might to outbid the terrestrial channels and take the programmes. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

BBC2's Janice Hadlow: 'I'm not opposed to romping' - Media - The Guardian

Not surprisingly BBC2 controller Janice Hadlow stands foursquare behind Clarkson and her channel's top rating show. In a break with tradition, the job ad for the director general said a background in programming or journalism was not required. It would be less challenging had management gone ahead with a plan to axe BBC4 in the latest round of cost-cutting. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

No laughing matter: BBC faces comedy crisis as rivals lure talent with big budgets - News - TV Radio - The Indepen

BBC1 could miss out on the next generation of classic sitcoms like Only Fools And Horses because talented writers can't handle the pressure of parading their wares in front of a mass audience, a leading executive said. It's a sellers' market in comedy at the moment, which has impacted the number of scripts we are getting. Other writers prefer the path taken by Tom Hollander, who launched his acclaimed religious comedy Rev on BBC2, where it was able to build an audience. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

Vince Cable: I feel vindicated for declaring war on Rupert Murdoch over BSkyB - UK Politics - UK - The Independent

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www.independent.co.uk

Richard Horwood has a tele-‘vision’ of a Channel 6 for London—and a reason why he wants Ofcom to act on it now - F

That set the broadcasting industry buzzing, not least Richard and his Channel 6 Group. We have good national advertising market in Britain worth around 3.4 billion, he points out. It can fund a high-quality channel that would sell London as a world city. The ex-lawyer turned financier, now media executive, is passionate about the new London TV franchise about to be offered for tender. - eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk

www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk

What would an independent Scotland mean for the BBC? - Television radio - guardian.co.uk

Salmond has been generally opaque on this issue, offering little beyond a cheery assurance that Scottish voters shouldn't fret because no one's going to deprive us of Eastenders or The X Factor. Yes, why would Scottish viewers have any interest in a programme with middle class people in it Good news for Sky and Virgin though Scottish subscriptions would soar. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

Making Windows Media Center available in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

This post is how we will deliver on that and continue to support Media Center for another product lifecycle. --Steven If you saw our recent post on the Windows 8 editions, then you know already that Windows Media Center will be available in Windows 8. You might also have noticed Windows Media Center is included in Windows 8 Consumer Preview. - blogs.msdn.com

blogs.msdn.com

YouView is coming – slowly - Comment - Broadcast

3 May, 2012 But not everyones prepared to wait patiently, says Kate Bulkley. It takes just 2 minutes and offers full, instant access to the Broadcast website along with a copy of the magazine delivered every week. - broadcastnow.co.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Echostar launch Ultra Slim Box, world's slimmest PVR : HDTV UK

With analogue TV signals dying the death, now's the perfect time to grab a digital set-top box if you didn't already have one. The box also offers live TV rewinding and pausing functionality, as well as intelligently seeking out HD versions of shows when available and offering the ability to set shows to record from advertisements. - hdtvuk.tv

www.hdtvuk.tv

http://www.how-do.co.uk/north-west-media-news/north-west-broadcasting/channel-m-'was-a-victim-of-bad-timing'-says-form

- how-do.co.uk

www.how-do.co.uk

Lord Sugar: Dont Hold Your Breath For YouView - Gizmodo UK

Bad news streaming fans those looking forward to a May launch for the revolutionaryYouViewstreaming TV service will be sorely disappointed. According to Lord Sugar, its not in any shape to launch before the end of 2012, let alone before the Olympics. Considering it was meant to get into our living rooms way back in 2010, well be lucky if it makes it out this year. - gizmodo.co.uk

www.gizmodo.co.uk

Will BSkyB's viewers turn on and tune in or drop out? - Telegraph

However, the phone hacking scandal and News Corp's contentious 39pc stake in BSkyB has not so much blotted the broadcaster's copy book, as upended a whole inkwell over it. The act has only forced a broadcaster off air once in the past, but Ofcom's steady flow of pronouncements on the subject suggest it has the appetite to flex its muscle again. If Ofcom reaches the same conclusion, News Corp could be forced to sell its entire stake or watch BSkyB, the broadcaster it tried to take over last summer, go off air. - telegraph.co.uk

www.telegraph.co.uk

Freeview homes face digital TV interference due to new mobile services - Media - guardian.co.uk

Nearly two million homes face disruption to their digital TV signal because of interference from new mobile services, with fears that a government help scheme to combat the problem will prove inadequate. About 1.9 million households all with digital terrestrial TV service Freeview will suffer interference from the next generation of mobile services 4G which could come online by the end of this year. Satellite and cable TV services will be unaffected by 4G signals. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

informitv - Future of Broadcast Television Initiative

This represents a laudable effort to define the requirements for future global terrestrial television standards, but it currently lacks representation from other fields of telecommunications and information technology. In the digital age divisions have remained and consequently there is no single digital television standard. The ambitious aim is to try and break down many of the long-standing barriers that have prevented common systems. - informitv.com

informitv.com

BBC News - Murdoch not fit to run News Corp

It will force the board of News Corporation to review whether the 81 year-old, who created one of the most powerful media groups the world has ever seen, should remain as its executive chairman. It will give ammunition to those News Corporation shareholders who would like to loosen the hold over the company of the Murdoch dynasty. I forgot to mention one very important conclusion, that the News of the World and News International also misled MPs as corporate entities. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

BBC and Arts Council launch joint digital Space for culture - Media - guardian.co.uk

An archive of John Peel's entire record collection is now available on The Space. The Space, which went live on Tuesday, will offer hundreds of hours of arts programming online, on mobile, and on digital TV. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

Backwards EPG and catch-up coming to Freeview - News - TechRadar

You'll soon be able to catch up on TV shows you missed by browsing backwards through the Freeview EPG. The EPG upgrade will only benefit those with a connected set-top box or TV, but will bring a week's worth of catch-up programmes to the televisual buffet. Timing There's no word yet precisely when the EPG upgrade will be released, unfortunately. - techradar.com

www.techradar.com

Now on Freeview HD: Olympic arts channel that's tough to watch • The Register

Freeview HD got a new channel this morning, which will be filled with events from the Cultural Olympiad as well as the occasional Hitchcock film and the usual arts nonsense. The Space sits on channel 117, which puts it into the IP-streamed channels only available to kit conforming to the letter and spirit of the Freeview HD standard. The channel is funded from 3.5m of lottery dosh, via the Arts Council, and on the website punters can already watch the first of 26 shows of John Peel's record collection from A to Z. - theregister.co.uk

www.theregister.co.uk

informitv - YouView delayed again

YouView, the hybrid television platform planned by British broadcasters and broadband service providers, may not be ready until the end of 2012. The repeatedly postponed project will apparently now not roll out until at least the fourth quarter of the year. By which time, it may be too late to make an impact on the market. - informitv.com

informitv.com

Lord Sugar blow over YouView delay - Telegraph

According to documents filed at Companies House, YouView spent more than 20m in its first nine months to April last year. However, well-placed sources said the spend so far is now more than 100m. When the set-top box does launch properly, it will have a battle on its hands. - telegraph.co.uk

www.telegraph.co.uk

Ofcom - DAB coverage planning: report to Government

1.2 This report to Government sets out the approach and results of this planning exercise. 1.3 Broadcast radio coverage is dependent on a range of different factors including the height of the transmitting antenna and the power of the transmitting station, the type of terrain and ground clutter, atmospheric weather conditions, receiver sensitivity and aerial gain and whether the receiver is used indoors or in vehicles. 1.4 There are also important differences between FM and DAB technologies. - stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

Phone hacking: select committee report – live - Media - guardian.co.uk

11.02am MPs on the Commons culture, media and sport select committee are finally publishing their long-gestating final report into the News of the World phone-hacking scandal on Tuesday. The report is expected to criticise James Murdoch, the former chairman of News of the World publisher News International,. Here's what the Guardian's latest story suggests may happen The all-party culture, media and sport select committee has concluded that it cannot reach a final decision about whether Murdoch misled them because of what MPs describe as conflicting evidence, according to a source close to the process. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

Rupert Murdoch 'not fit' to lead major international company, MPs conclude - Media - guardian.co.uk

All three were accused of misleading parliament by the culture select committee. According to minutes published by the committee, the MPs were almost unanimous in their criticism of Hinton, Myler and Crone. The report said that it would not draw conclusions on evidence to the committee about Milly Dowler, the murdered schoolgirl whose voicemail messages were hacked by the News of the World in 2002, because of an ongoing police investigation into Brooks. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

News - SES.com

This means that consumers will be able to enjoy the benefits of watching TV programmes on different devices and screens. SAT-IP will become an official standard which is open to all manufacturers and allows them to develop a neutral environment of multiple devices. Current prototypes already allow for the reception of up to eight programmes on eight different screen devices at home. - ses.com

www.ses.com

BBC News - BBC announces daytime TV schedule shake-up

The new strategy is part of the Delivering Quality First initiative aimed at saving money. Daytime controller Liam Keelan has also pledged there will be no more than two programmes of any genre shown each day. Keelan used last year's decision to pull the plug on Cash in the Attic - which will come off air in early 2013 - and To Buy or Not to Buy as an example of the new approach. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

BBC - About the BBC: Voting with Mobile Short Dial Codes

The voting experience is exactly the same as if the caller was dialling an 090... long number, from the message they hear to the way in which their vote is counted, but by using MSDCs we are able to detail the exact price the consumer will be charged which for The Voice will be 25p. Traditionally '090...' Premium Rate numbers have been used for live voting which has left the mobile caller being charged, in some instances, up to three times that of a land line caller. When a caller from a mobile wishes to cast a vote, the journey that call takes across to the fixed line provider has historically lead to the high charges incurred from a mobile. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

MuxCo.com London s Digital Boost

Each area in the country has specific issues based on topography or land use and Londons no exception. Digital Radio UK have co-ordinated an additional transmitter on BT Tower, alongside some additional power upgrades around the network to provide further resilience. Its seen all the multiplex operators work together London 1, 2 and 3 alongside D1 and the BBC to make this happen. - muxco.com

www.muxco.com

YouView hires top marketer ahead of expected autumn launch - Marketing news - Marketing magazine

YouView expected to launch in the autumn Last October YouView made its entire marketing and communications redundant. It has now hired Conway who will report to Richard Halton, chief executive. YouView's initial launch was scheduled for the summer of 2011 but has been delayed by technical difficulties. - marketingmagazine.co.uk

www.marketingmagazine.co.uk

London TV channel only on Freeview could leave millions unable to view - News - London 24

The government proposal for the local station, one of 20 planned in the UK, only allocates a Freeview slot when it goes live next year. They argue that Freeviews vacant slot 8 listing, allocated to the new service, can only cover three million homes if it is transmitted just from Crystal Palace on a medium power frequency. The remaining two million will be left in what London Assembly budget chairman John Biggs describes as a TV desert. - london24.com

www.london24.com

Media Analysis: Throwing digital radio switch will be a challenge - Media - Business - Evening Standard

It wont have meant much to viewers, most of whom regard five-channel viewing as an anachronism anyway, but the marquee full of engineers and media types were still rather pleased with themselves when the tower was lit up like a Christmas tree to mark the event. Second, it frees up airwaves that will be fought over by mobile phone operators keen on increasing their networks capacity. Now the old TV signal has been switched off, when will radio follow suit - thisislondon.co.uk

www.thisislondon.co.uk

Cambridge Consortium Completes Successful Trial of Next-Generation Wireless -- CAMBRIDGE, England, April 25, 2012

The UK is playing a leading role by exploring the use of licence-exempt access to TV white spaces and developing a model regulatory framework. Leading innovators from the UK and beyond have demonstrated the potential that television white spaces can have for meeting the UK's broadband needs. Developments such as this endorse the leadership position that the UK can take in enabling more efficient use of spectrum by opening up an array of opportunities for wireless applications for consumers and businesses alike. - prnewswire.co.uk

www.prnewswire.co.uk

Digital switchover has lost me 80 TV channels From Bournemouth Echo)

The 54-year-old has retuned her TV half a dozen times since the signal from the Isle of Wight was retuned last Tuesday. Anyone who would like more channels than are available via an aerial may also wish to consider alternative options for digital TV, such as satellite. Comments are closed on this article. - bournemouthecho.co.uk

www.bournemouthecho.co.uk

DTG :: News :: Cambridge Consortium successfully trials TV White Spaces

I find the idea of using white space devices to deliver broadband to rural communities, or to expand the range and quality of urban Wi-Fi hotspots, exciting. This can form a significant contribution to our thinking as we consider how to maximise the value of the spectrum below 1 GHz. The trial analysis found Cambridge has significant television white spaces capacity - dtg.org.uk

www.dtg.org.uk

Avaaz - Fire Jeremy Hunt

This is an outrageous breach of his public duties, and if we raise our voices now we can get him fired this week. Let'stake another massive step to clean up our democracy by ending the crooked collusion between our government and the Murdoch Mafia. Sign the urgent petition to remove Hunt, which we'll deliver with an action outside the Inquiry. - avaaz.org

www.avaaz.org

The future of TV isn t TV, it s broadband. Tech News and Analysis

As government strives to keep up with the broadband age, the Senates Commerce Committee held a hearing today covering the future of television, but midway through the hearing I realized that the Senate has it all wrong. The future of TV isnt to be found in deregulation its on the Internet. It danced around the problems of pipe owners also owning content providers and pay TV distribution businesses. - gigaom.com

gigaom.com

ITV could have made even bigger history - Media - guardian.co.uk

Andy Allan, formerly of Thames, Tyne Tees, Central and Carlton, died relatively young he was only 68 but to say he lived life to the full rather understates the case. By modern norms it all looks desperately wasteful and inefficient 14 separate companies, each a producer/broadcaster in its own right, making shows for the network according to a system of guarantees designed to match contributions paid in according to share of advertising revenue with programming supplied. The big companies thereby got to make most of ITV's network shows, which made their programme controllers very powerful indeed. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

London gets extra digital radio reception : Radio Today

Olympic gold medal winner Dame Kelly Holmes and Colin Murray did the honours at a media gathering overlooking London. The new transmitter, along with three other recent additions, means 99 of the London road network within the M25 will be able to receive a listenable signal. The additional transmitters are a collaboration between the broadcasters, multiplex operators, Arqiva, and BT Wholesale, and is the culmination of a two-year programme of investment in digital transmitters around London. - radiotoday.co.uk

radiotoday.co.uk

Kent prepares for digital switchover - News - Kent News

Digital switchover will take place countywide over May and June, giving the majority of households access to more than 40 Freeview channels free through their aerial. Parts of north Kent which pick up signal from a London transmitter began the switchover process this week. For the remainder of Kent, stages one and two will happen on June 13 and June 27 respectively. - kentnews.co.uk

www.kentnews.co.uk

Digital TV switchover date for Tunbridge Wells looms closer... - Tunbridge Wells People

Homes in Tunbridge Wells will start the stage one process of the digital switchover on May 30, 2012, giving households access to more than 40 Freeview channels throughour aerials. Digital switchover date in Tunbridge Wells is getting closer. For the remainder of Kent, stages one and two will happen on June 13 and June 27 respectively. - tunbridgewellspeople.co.uk

www.tunbridgewellspeople.co.uk