Llanelli to get Local Digital TV?

Llanelli could be one of the 11 communities across Wales which could get new local TV services, say UK ministers.

More than 800,000 homes across Wales will be able to take advantage of the new service and those able to bid for licences include Cardiff, with coverage to include Bridgend and Newport; Mold, which includes Denbigh and Ruthin, and Swansea with Llanelli.  Bangor, Carmarthen and Haverfordwest can also bid.

It had “huge potential” for how Welsh towns would access news said Wales Office Minister David Jones MP.

“Very exciting time for broadcasting in Wales” and would strengthen the ability of communities to hold their representatives to account and I encourage local communities in to make the case for local TV in their area,” he said.

Six Welsh areas – covering 11 towns and cities – are on a longlist of 65 locations across the UK in the running to pioneer the UK’s first local TV services.

The Cardiff coverage would include Newport and Bridgend; the Swansea coverage would include Llanelli, while Mold’s coverage is expected to include Denbigh and Ruthin.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt is keen to mirror the concept of US-style local television in the UK.

In the US many citieshave their own news and entertainment coverage, a model Mr Hunt wishes to embody here.

Mr Hunt said:

“These new, local TV services will be a fundamental change in how people get information about their own communities, and how they hold their representatives to account.

“There’s a huge appetite for local news and information in communities the length and breadth of the country.

“I want people to be able to watch television that’s truly relevant to them, about what’s happening where they live and featuring the people they know.”

The first licences will be open to bidders in a few months’ time and will be awarded after the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has judged the level of interest from potential broadcasters and audiences.

The views of companies who are interested in bidding for the single multiplex licence will also be sought.

Around £40m of licence fee money has been earmarked for start-up costs but projects will need to be self-sustaining.

Over the next few weeks a series of events will be held in different areas aimed at encouraging local communities to bid for the licences, which will be awarded next year.

The Welsh TV Summit with Mr Hunt will be held in Cardiff on 26 August.

In the meantime, you can see Llanelli’s very own online TV station by clicking here.

If you would like to get involved, then please contact us for information.  If you fancy yourself as a presenter, then click here.