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The media industry is going through tough times, due to the Internet revolution. Holding on to viewers, listeners and readers who make up its critical market share has become a ruthless fight. ITV's boss, Michael Grade, announced last month that the network was to slash one-third from its £120m regional news budget. The company described its service as ‘an analogue map in a digital age'. It provoked a furious response from local authorities, keen to protect local identity and an outlet for getting their messages to local people. Carlisle City Council warned that the decision by ITV to merge Border with Newcastle Tyne Tees would have a ‘direct impact on the lives of local people', and warned it would have an adverse effect on how news in the rest of Cumbria was reported. And West Sussex County Council has gone into battle to prevent Meridian Television's evening news programme being merged with two others. The announcement was followed by the launch of Kent TV, the 24-hour broadband Internet station backed by Kent County Council and run by production company Ten Alps TV, which also produces Teachers TV. News will be provided, independently, by a local media group, and information films will also be a part of the service. On the face of it, the events are unrelated, but with part of the place-shaping agenda, including councils telling the story of their area, there are two questions. Can and should local government fill the gap? Stephen Horn, chief executive of HBL Media, which produces the Local Government Channel, says the firm is in talks with 20 councils to produce broadband television channels for them. He questions whether the audience is there. ‘The advantage of television through broadband is that you can reach a lot of people,' he says. ‘The only disadvantage is in deprived areas, where many people still only watch programmes through their televisions.' Mr Horn says there are still areas in England where 80% of residents do not have access to broadband. ‘It's all about making the content relevant,' he adds. ‘If councils are putting something together which people will not watch, then it's a waste of time.' Mr Horn says broadband television does offer more interaction, and IP channels will soon be rolled out in this country, allowing people to watch the Internet through their TV sets. ‘It will work for councils as long as they make it relevant and show that they want to listen,' he says. Tanya Oliver, head of the strategic development unit at Kent CC, argues there are big gains to be had. She says: ‘Kent TV has opened up new horizons for the county's 600-plus schools, colleges and universities, which will have an outlet for their own content and can get involved in real programme-making. ‘There has been an overwhelming level of support from businesses and community groups, all of which are excited about the opportunity this gives to them and to Kent to raise its profile. ‘KCC will use Kent TV as a new way to engage with Kent residents, and with the service being available on ipods, mobile phones and MP4 players, the opportunities for Kent residents to have their say and upload their own comments on a range of issues are extensive.' Sir Bob Geldof, chairman of Ten Alps TV, adds that other agencies would also get involved, and the democracy gap can be bridged. ‘The PCT could go direct to people and dispel the MMR myths,' he says. ‘We can drill down and find out what a person is really like.' But not everyone is convinced cash should be ploughed into a project that could be interpreted by viewers as Pravda-style . Bedfordshire CC's assistant director of communications, Andy Allsopp, was recently approached by Anglia ITV about producing short films for its broadband TV service. ‘In the media environment, we are in where elements of the local press are very hostile. It's an opportunity to get our message across on our own terms,' he says. ‘And the resources needed to do it are not substantial. But my fear is that it becomes a replacement for the existing news service we've got.' Other councils are also using the Internet to reach out to their residents. Staffordshire CC is in the process of launching its own Internet television programme, which will be a monthly magazine show, broadcast on its own website. The council has its own in-house camera man and editing suite, and its website already gets 350,000 individual visitors a month. Meanwhile, Devon CC chief executive, Phil Norrey, is about to launch his own podcast for the authority's staff. No-one doubts that the technology exists to make Internet television a reality. It comes down to whether the demand – measured in viewing numbers – will develop over time. One certainty is this revolution will not be televised. ‘TV is a 1950s medium and we are in the 21st century,' says Sir Bob Geldof. ‘It's not providing people with what they want. ‘They're dropping out because nobody's watching. There's a new beast in town – and it's the web.'

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Thinking outside the box

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