LL
London Lite
Founding member
The only US model which may work in London is the one used by a channel in Boston which recently lost their NBC affiliation and decided to pad out the schedule with mainly news with syndicated programming during off-peak times. Replace syndicated programming with the old films/docs that London Live currently schedules.
It would need considerable investment.
It would need considerable investment.
GL
No, I was referencing C5 UK.
Um, unless I've missed something, there's no link between C5 (owned by Viacom International) and Discovery Networks.
Apologies. I'm getting my parent companies mixed up!
do you mean their Scandinavian one? I think it would be a bit confusing given the pre-existing Channel 5 in the UK.
No, I was referencing C5 UK.
Um, unless I've missed something, there's no link between C5 (owned by Viacom International) and Discovery Networks.
Apologies. I'm getting my parent companies mixed up!
GL
Scale and population isn't a justifiable argument. US TV markets are actually pretty small. However, you are correct to argue that you really can't copy and paste the US model here. Local TV in the US relies heavily on syndication and on-air advertising. The local TV programmes are littered with product placements and paid-for features. The European model of local TV would have been a more acceptable concept, but the Conservatives would never have opted for that. They are heavily subsidised by local government and taxation, and they're often 'interfered with' politically, leaning in the direction of whichever political party is in charge in that region. The Valencian Community in Spain is a classic example of where it can go badly wrong. The TV station was pro-People's Party until it realised it faced lots of cuts. The moment it started critcising the governing party it was shut down for 'wasteful use of public funds'.
I think we can all agree, local TV has had its day.
It terrifies me anyone in government thought the US model could just be duplicated. A quick answer to why the UK can't just duplicate what happens in the US can be answered by comparing the relative geographical scale and populations of the two countries.
Scale and population isn't a justifiable argument. US TV markets are actually pretty small. However, you are correct to argue that you really can't copy and paste the US model here. Local TV in the US relies heavily on syndication and on-air advertising. The local TV programmes are littered with product placements and paid-for features. The European model of local TV would have been a more acceptable concept, but the Conservatives would never have opted for that. They are heavily subsidised by local government and taxation, and they're often 'interfered with' politically, leaning in the direction of whichever political party is in charge in that region. The Valencian Community in Spain is a classic example of where it can go badly wrong. The TV station was pro-People's Party until it realised it faced lots of cuts. The moment it started critcising the governing party it was shut down for 'wasteful use of public funds'.
I think we can all agree, local TV has had its day.
OM
From experience, stories featuring wish lists of potential buyers of businesses are often "leaked" by the seller to drum up interest from others.
BR
The advantage with London is so much national content can be passed off as Local, and London Live has always looked more at home alongside other channels when you look through it's schedule.
Politically (but almost certainly not commerically) they'd be arguments for Sky and C4 to consider buying the channel - one to try and cement the future of Sky News and the other to justify it's position in London. Sky London could essentially be padded out with content from existing channels with the addition of some dedicated London news bulletins and the odd local commission. C4 could use 4Seven as the spine of a local channel with the addition of news and a limited number of commissions, with a view that those commissions will get a second outing on their digital channels.
Politically (but almost certainly not commerically) they'd be arguments for Sky and C4 to consider buying the channel - one to try and cement the future of Sky News and the other to justify it's position in London. Sky London could essentially be padded out with content from existing channels with the addition of some dedicated London news bulletins and the odd local commission. C4 could use 4Seven as the spine of a local channel with the addition of news and a limited number of commissions, with a view that those commissions will get a second outing on their digital channels.
RK
I can’t find the post but I don’t think CBS would be interested in something that’s losing money. Their owned stations group are going through major cut backs now eliminating localized master control and centralizing it, offering buyouts to the sales staff (those that make you money), centralizing the traffic department (essentially those that schedule the programs and specifically the advertisements), and apparently automating their remaining stations (one or two). They are cutting a lot of fat out.
I know some local stations air BBC local radio feeds during the morning but have any partnered up with local BBC TV stations. Could a local TV station contract out news service to the BBC or ITV and still run ads during the newscast?
I wonder if a local station could go for a very niche audience and work out. Say a station focused on and import news for expats of a country - let’s say the US (what country makes up the highest percentage of expats living in London?). Since CBS was mentioned let’s say the local tv station in London would simulcast CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News along with Special Reports. The rest of the schedule could be London or regionalized content.
I know some local stations air BBC local radio feeds during the morning but have any partnered up with local BBC TV stations. Could a local TV station contract out news service to the BBC or ITV and still run ads during the newscast?
I wonder if a local station could go for a very niche audience and work out. Say a station focused on and import news for expats of a country - let’s say the US (what country makes up the highest percentage of expats living in London?). Since CBS was mentioned let’s say the local tv station in London would simulcast CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News along with Special Reports. The rest of the schedule could be London or regionalized content.
IS
Scale and population isn't a justifiable argument. US TV markets are actually pretty small. However, you are correct to argue that you really can't copy and paste the US model here. Local TV in the US relies heavily on syndication and on-air advertising. The local TV programmes are littered with product placements and paid-for features.
There are a lot of small markets in the US (and a lot of the smallest either just have a repeater or a virtual channel of a neighbouring station) but there are a lot more big ones. Here once you get past London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow the stations here have a very small TSA for a stand alone station.
The biggest difference though is that in the US local stations have always been the norm, and for decades the primary way of watching the most popular programmes. Its not something that's been added 70 years aster TV started, they're not a part of our TV radar
Scale and population isn't a justifiable argument. US TV markets are actually pretty small. However, you are correct to argue that you really can't copy and paste the US model here. Local TV in the US relies heavily on syndication and on-air advertising. The local TV programmes are littered with product placements and paid-for features.
There are a lot of small markets in the US (and a lot of the smallest either just have a repeater or a virtual channel of a neighbouring station) but there are a lot more big ones. Here once you get past London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow the stations here have a very small TSA for a stand alone station.
The biggest difference though is that in the US local stations have always been the norm, and for decades the primary way of watching the most popular programmes. Its not something that's been added 70 years aster TV started, they're not a part of our TV radar
IS
I wonder if a local station could go for a very niche audience and work out. Say a station focused on and import news for expats of a country - let’s say the US
That's a good idea actually, if that was done the best niche would be an 'Asian' focused station (India/Pakistan and/or Bangladesh), it could do well and presumably there's a load of content that could fill it, Indian soap operas for example.
There are a few Asian media companies, though the oldest and most successful Asian radio station in London, Sunrise, which was once a massive part of that community had financial troubles and sold out to the Lyca mobile phone company.
Whether the local license would be worth it for such a station I'm not sure, if the will was there then there's no reason it can't be done on satellite or Freeview, and that way it wouldn't just be for London Asians
Not sure, but probably France or Poland. The biggest ethnic population is South Asian but that's different to ex-pat/immigrant.
There are only around 200,000 American born people in England,a lot of them stationed at military bases like Mildenhall. They of course already have plenty of access to American TV channels and programmes
I wonder if a local station could go for a very niche audience and work out. Say a station focused on and import news for expats of a country - let’s say the US
That's a good idea actually, if that was done the best niche would be an 'Asian' focused station (India/Pakistan and/or Bangladesh), it could do well and presumably there's a load of content that could fill it, Indian soap operas for example.
There are a few Asian media companies, though the oldest and most successful Asian radio station in London, Sunrise, which was once a massive part of that community had financial troubles and sold out to the Lyca mobile phone company.
Whether the local license would be worth it for such a station I'm not sure, if the will was there then there's no reason it can't be done on satellite or Freeview, and that way it wouldn't just be for London Asians
Quote:
(what country makes up the highest percentage of expats living in London?)
Not sure, but probably France or Poland. The biggest ethnic population is South Asian but that's different to ex-pat/immigrant.
There are only around 200,000 American born people in England,a lot of them stationed at military bases like Mildenhall. They of course already have plenty of access to American TV channels and programmes
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 11 June 2018 9:29am - 4 times in total
ST
Well given this thread's love for the channel, and the large number of French ex-pats in the capital*, I dare say a direct retransmission of BFM Paris probably wouldn't do much worse in the ratings!
*https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/emmanuel-macron-london-to-be-the-sixth-biggest-french-city-a3473126.html
*https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/emmanuel-macron-london-to-be-the-sixth-biggest-french-city-a3473126.html