Local Television Stations

Madeleine Moon Excerpts

Tuesday 25th February 2014 Westminster Hall

[Mrs Madeleine Moon (Bridgend) (Lab)]

It is a delight to speak under your chairmanship, Mr Walker.

The plans to introduce local television throughout the United Kingdom had cross-party support. The Minister had previously concluded that legislation on local television came as a result of “all-party support”. He said that, in his opinion, it was one of the Government’s “more popular policies”. Given the lack of competition for that dubious honour, I am not exactly sure how wonderful an accolade that is, but nevertheless.

Wales, rightly, has a reputation for the quality of its contribution to the television industry. We are proud to be associated with genuine screen legends such as Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Sheen and, more recently, Rob Brydon, an ex-Porthcawl comprehensive school pupil—the school is in my constituency—and Ruth Jones, from the popular “Gavin and Stacey” programme.

Those individuals have not just left Wales and gone to develop their careers outside Wales; they have come back to Wales and invested in developing the ability of Welsh people to get into television, theatre and film. For example, Ruth Jones has set up Tidy Productions, which specialises in comedy and comedy drama set and always filmed in Wales. New investment is coming all the time.

Television companies are recognising the benefits that Wales can bring to their work. Pinewood Studios announced in 2012 that it would move the bulk of its studio facilities to Cardiff. It has brought the largest indoor film studio in Europe to Swansea, where top dramas such as “Da Vinci’s Demons” are filmed. Wales is also the home of some of the BBC’s most successful programmes recently, such as “Doctor Who” and “Sherlock”, which were filmed and made in Wales.

Wales has become the home to innovative production companies and companies developing local talent and skills. It’s My Shout Productions, headed by ex-Porthcawl drama teacher Roger Burnell, seeks out and showcases emerging talent and skills. The company produces around 30 short films a year for Welsh television and has won several awards. It also has a training programme to pair young people with professionals in their chosen area of interest, so that their skills can be developed. All that shows how Bridgend and Wales as a whole have contributed to our television industry

From the start, Welsh Members of Parliament have recognised that the introduction of local television services would bring us new opportunities, which we were eager to embrace. The introduction of local television in Wales moved relatively quickly. Made Productions was given a 12-year licence as the first local TV station to be based in Cardiff, called Made in Cardiff. As part of its agreement with Ofcom, it will provide a wide range of programming, focusing on local news, sport, traffic, community affairs and local entertainment.

Welsh MPs recognised the opportunities to showcase our skills and talent. From the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama to the engineering department at Bridgend college, there were opportunities to be grasped. We recognised the wide range of employment opportunities for our constituents that the new and emerging talent, production and TV opportunity offered. The creative industries are not just for performers or just about actors or musicians; they bring work for writers, caterers, handling crew, set designers, movers, drivers, electricians, scaffolders and costume designers, as well as lawyers, salespeople, web designers and economists. All would have opportunities for work, thanks to Made in Cardiff coming to Wales.

Unfortunately, as the process moved forward, it became clear that the situation in Wales—as opposed to England and Northern Ireland—was not as positive as we had hoped. It is particularly disheartening that Made in Cardiff will be allocated channel 26 on Freeview, compared with its counterparts in England and Northern Ireland, which will be allocated channel 8.

Channel numbers have a direct impact on viewing figures—the lower the number, the more likely a viewer will turn to that channel. The majority of all viewings on Freeview take place on the first 10 channels. England and Northern Ireland have been included within the first 10, so will the Minister tell us why Wales is being disadvantaged by being allocated a channel that few viewers will ever explore?

As recently as two weeks ago, the Minister reaffirmed his personal commitment to maintaining the prominence of our public service broadcasters. Both the Secretary of State and her predecessor have regularly spoken about the importance of such broadcasters. Therefore, why are public service broadcasters in Wales and Scotland being treated in this way, with services in England and Northern Ireland given a higher priority on Freeview?

The Minister has previously admitted that the criterion for public service broadcasting—appropriate prominence —is “a relatively vague term”. He said that it was important that we update the regulations. Will he tell us when that will be done, and why it was not done before the roll-out of local television?

The Minister also claimed that the presence of S4C in the Welsh television market is “an idiosyncratic situation”, a description I am not sure S4C or indeed the people of Wales feel particularly flattered by. Is the Minister claiming that the existence of S4C means that, while local television in England and Northern Ireland will be able to occupy the channel 8 slot, local television in Wales must be satisfied with channel 26? S4C does not operate in Scotland, so why is Scottish local TV also going to be placed at 26? The argument about S4C simply does not make sense to me.

The Minister has said that we should be grateful to be at channel 26, as when the plans were originally tabled, it was the intention that local television in Wales should be allocated channel 45, and that 26 is a huge improvement. While it is undeniable that going from channel 45, which most viewers would never find, to channel 26 is better than nothing, that will still place the channel below shopping and music channels. If the local television station is placed below those sorts of programming, will anyone ever find local television in Wales? Does the Minister feel that that will bring appropriate prominence? If channel 26 is good enough for Wales and Scotland, why is it not good enough for England and Northern Ireland?

[Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West) (Lab)]

I associate myself with the points being made by my hon. Friend and wish to add to them. One of the problems for local television is the marketing of a new and important service. Some of the first 10 channels in Wales—such as ITV2 at channel 6 on Freeview, BBC3 at channel 7 or ITV3 at channel 10—have lots of opportunities for cross-marketing, such as by ITV1 or other ITV services, whereas local television does not have such opportunities. That is why it is crucial for local television not to have to spend lots of money on marketing because it is on an obscure channel lower down on the dial.

[Mrs Moon]

My hon. Friend made a point that I intend to come on to, but one that I hope the Minister is listening to, because this matters a great deal to us in Wales.

Wales has experienced a double injustice. Services in Scotland will also suffer from being placed on channel 26, but they will join England and Northern Ireland on Sky channel 117, while Wales has been given channel 134. That is a double reduction in prominence for Wales compared with the other nations. Will the Minister explain why? Why is Wales being singled out in that way?

The reduction in viewers will severely harm the income that local television services will receive and use to make and develop programmes, taking up the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff West (Kevin Brennan). Made Television will be forced to allocate more of its resources to market its position on channel 26, because that is so low down the list, and that will result in reduced programme output and employment opportunities—the absolute opposite of what the Minister was trying to achieve and which we in Wales were desperate to be provided.

The responsibility for channel allocation on Freeview lies with Ofcom. Clearly, it does not have the powers to force any type of change to the position that Made in Cardiff will be placed in on Freeview. The Minister has previously spoken of his desire to update the regulations. Is he consulting with Ofcom and will he grant it the necessary powers?

The previous debate in Westminster Hall left us with a guarantee that the Minister would go away and keep us updated on a consultation to grant Ofcom those powers. He expected the consultation to take about three months, but he gave no indication of when it was likely to begin. Since then, while he has been working on the issue, has a date been set? If not, will he explain why we are still waiting for a consultation to begin?

The Made in Cardiff channel launches this summer. Unless a consultation is about to start in the next few days, no decision will be made in time for the company to do the marketing necessary before the launch of its new channel. The argument is not esoteric, but about basic business, and it could demonstrate a greater chance of success for Made in Cardiff. It is important for the Minister to address the matter as soon as possible.

This is the second Westminster Hall debate on local television in two months. The channel in Cardiff, and the one in Glasgow to which the previous debate referred, launch in the summer. How can we allow that launch to take place with the channels at a lower level on the electronic programme guide than in England and Northern Ireland? Why are the two devolved Administrations in Wales and Scotland being dealt with in a totally different manner?

Prominence on the EPG has been used to ensure that local services in England and Northern Ireland will be given the spot that they deserve, without detriment to Channel 4. The Minister also places a lot of importance on the prominence of public service broadcasters. Can we therefore agree today that action will be taken to ensure that Wales does not get a worse deal than the rest of the UK? Any consultation needed by the Minister in order to make changes to the regulations affecting Ofcom, so that it can address greater prominence for Made in Cardiff, should begin, so that the three-month period indentified for the consultation can be completed and a decision made before the marketing for Made in Cardiff starts.

I hope that the Minister understands that for us in Wales the matter is of grave importance. We have a huge reservoir of talent and we want the opportunities for people, in particular young people, to find work in the creative industries across a wide spectrum of job and skills. I hope that the Minister has some positive news for us today.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Vaizey]

I will conclude my point and then come on to when we are planning to publish the consultation.

It is important to stress that the situation is different in England and Northern Ireland, because the channel 8 slot used there for local television is used by BBC Alba in Scotland and by Channel 4 in Wales since the usual slot for Channel 4 is occupied by S4C in Wales. That is why the channel 8 slot is not available for local television services in Scotland and Wales. When we originally put together the policy on local television, the slot available was channel 45, so there have been significant changes.

I hate to give a response to the hon. Member for Cardiff West (Kevin Brennan) that he will almost certainly regard as inadequate, but I will have to answer in the same way as I have answered him before, which is that we are due to publish the consultation shortly. We have it drafted and have had discussions with Ofcom to clarify exactly what powers it currently has so that we can make it crystal clear in the consultation what powers we seek to change. The consultation will go for Whitehall clearance shortly, so we are on the verge of publishing it. I hope that will be in the next few weeks.

[Mrs Moon]

I will be brief. Will the Minister tell us whether that “shortly” will be short enough to let Made TV hang back from putting out publicity on which slot the channel will have, in the possibility that it will have an opportunity to move up to another slot before its launch in the summer? That is the dilemma being faced at the moment.

[Mr Vaizey]

It is important to emphasise that those people who have bid for local television licences—and we welcome the people who bid and who have been awarded the licences and will run those pioneering services—have gone into the process with their eyes open. They knew what the slot was when we began the consultation. They have seen the slot change as we have encouraged Freeview to push local television up the rankings when slots became available. The hon. Lady will have worked out that if we publish a consultation in March, there will be a period of consultation and then decisions about making changes will have to be taken. There is no way I can offer any kind of guarantee to Made TV or any other local television provider that changes will happen rapidly enough to move its slot up. It is, in any event, a consultation, and I cannot prejudge its outcome. I am sorry to disappoint her.

To return to my earlier theme, we should look at local television from the perspective of the glass being half full. It is a fantastic innovation that has brilliant cross-party support. We are going to see pioneers and innovators take to the airwaves over the next six months. I hope that the next debate we have on the matter will be celebrating the successful launch of a first for the UK broadcasting ecology.