Stewart Purvis Calls for Quick Action to Enable Local TV

Professor Stewart Purvis, former Ofcom partner and ITN CEO, has called for quick action on ITV, a reversal of European regulation, and the relaxation of advertising and impartiality rules. He said the “polite game of poker” which ITV is now playing will need to come to an end “if the Government is going to deliver its very ambitious timetable for local television set out in the DCMS business plan.”

Prof Purvis gave the RTS Fleming Memorial Lecture, entitled Calling Time on Analogue Regulation – An Agenda for the Next Communications Act, on 11 November. He said Britain should “stop Europe taking us any further down the road to more statutory regulation” and should pull back from where it has gone too far already.

He questioned the future of the European directive which defines the amount of TV advertising allowed in each hour, proposing that local TV should experiment with a different system for advertising minuteage and allow “sponsorship around but not inside news programmes on local TV.”

On impartiality, Prof Purvis said local television and radio “should be allowed to operate a self-regulatory model perhaps using a version of the PCC code which requires accuracy but not impartiality.”

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s four year plan, published on 8 November, included a section on the creation of new local TV stations with new licensing arrangements to be proposed by November next year. A consultation paper is due to be published in January, final decision published by April, and any necessary directions or draft legislation issued between May and October. Legislation will also be brought forward this year to abolish all local cross-media ownership restrictions.

Prof Purvis organised a conference on Local TV at City University on 5 November.

• Full text of RTS Fleming Memorial Lecture 2010 by Stewart Purvis
• Jeremy Hunt’s four year vision for DCMS
• Stewart Purvis at the ‘What is our Audience’ session, Society of Editors Conference
• Ex-Channel M boss Dodson insists Local TV will work (Press Gazette)

For further information please contact Lynne Anderson on 020 7362 7421 or e-mail lynne_anderson@newspapersoc.org.uk.