Digital TV Goes Local

While much of the focus has been on the digital TV switchover here (with Northern Ireland being the last UK region to witness the end of analogue) another digital development has flown somewhat below the radar. Northern Visions TV, the long established not for profit community-based media and arts organisation, which operates a media centre in the Cathedral Quarter of Belfast, has just been awarded the licence to be the local Digital TV channel in Belfast by media regulator Ofcom.

Well done them ! Not bad for an organisation that just a few months ago was facing closure following the decision by the Arts Council and Northern Ireland Screen to remove its core funding, some would suggest because it fell between two stools.

This decision will see Belfast becoming one of only 21 towns and cities across the UK who have been chosen to join the digital revolution scheme launched by former UK Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, to enable a new generation of local TV news and content to emerge across the UK.

This should prove to be an interesting experiment in just how important local and regionalised content is to viewers in Northern Ireland, and no doubt will be an exciting venture for all concerned. From what we can glean so far, NvTv hopes to be live on Freeview in Belfast on September 9, 2013, but also plans to launch two ultra local TV news channels online in advance.

As with most local TV channels planned under the scheme, the focus of NvTv will be on news, with the first year seeing six bulletins a day on weekdays and Saturdays, with five-minute bulletins four times in the daytime, and 15-minute bulletins at 7pm and 10pm. Sunday will see a round-up of the week’s news added to the schedule.

There is also a flagship 40-minute Community Today show which will showcase in-depth news coverage every weeknight from the beginning.The general aims of the channel are to broadcast local news, current affairs, and a wide range of cultural, educational, and entertaining programming – in keeping with the previous work of Northern Visions. They are also planning to deliver a regular Current Affairs programme – called 'The Insider', as well as a regular business programme. Ambitious indeed !

Other programmes will encourage citizen journalism, educating in the techniques to produce high quality content using mobile phones and other cheap video devices. We all know just how important mobile phone coverage has become in helping shape the news agenda these days.

A national company will manage the TV transmissions for all the local TV channels and Ofcom has produced maps predicting the coverage. The Belfast city area covers 268,000 people, but the full range of the transmitter is expected to reach more than 645,500 people, albeit to varying degrees.

So for those of you in the Greater Belfast area, just when you thought all your digital retuning days were over, remember to add September next year to your long term calendar. It should make interesting viewing !