You only have to look at local independent radio to realise that by and large (I am sure there are exceptions) it has fallen in to the hands of the corporate big boys and many of the stations are no longer truly local. The only things local are the ads, the news and traffic reports.
Unfortunately goverments of both colours have failed to regulate were it is important that monopolies or large corporations can if not regulated manipulate and have a unhealthy influence on our media.
We really do need a indipendent media and local TV is our last chance .
I do not think that anybody involved in local TV is doing it for the opportunity of large financial gain , but are doing it for the right reasons .
So they need as much support as is possible from Ofcom, goverment and the rest of us by not slagging them off while they are finding their feet ,with minimul resources.
You only have to look at local independent radio to realise that by and large (I am sure there are exceptions) it has fallen in to the hands of the corporate big boys and many of the stations are no longer truly local. The only things local are the ads, the news and traffic reports.
I have been watching the Brighton local TV for the local news at 6pm and I am
impressed that it's technical standards are good (compared with the dire local
tv stations in the USA!) It does fill a gap in the market as BBC Regional news
from Maidstone, and ITV, from Southampton were perceived as being remote and
do not cover Brighton very much. Latest TV is carried by Virgin cable, which many
viewers in Brighton use.
I have been watching the Brighton local TV for the local news at 6pm and I am
impressed that it's technical standards are good (compared with the dire local
tv stations in the USA!) It does fill a gap in the market as BBC Regional news
from Maidstone, and ITV, from Southampton were perceived as being remote and
do not cover Brighton very much. Latest TV is carried by Virgin cable, which many
viewers in Brighton use.
BBC South East is from Tunbridge Wells. Meridian while its broadcast from Southampton have a news room in Maidstone.
You only have to look at local independent radio to realise that by and large (I am sure there are exceptions) it has fallen in to the hands of the corporate big boys and many of the stations are no longer truly local. The only things local are the ads, the news and traffic reports.
The problem with local radio was too many stations. It was successful when we had a single local station that overlapped areas but once you started adding sally stations to heritage and community, etc thats when it all went wrong.
Local TV was ruined by the increase in Satellite channels. However, ITV is making a good buck now. They could invest some money in some local programmes again, but dont hold your breath.
I can see the new wave of Local TV joining together off peak, bit like local radio was, local between breakfast and tea time.
Local TV was ruined by the increase in Satellite channels. However, ITV is making a good buck now. They could invest some money in some local programmes again, but dont hold your breath.
.[/QUOTE]
Just a matter of time before Murdoch gets his hands on 100 % of ITV.
Yer know usuall stuff ,generouse donation to a political party , followed by lobbying of the regulator via MP with influence.
Goes on all the time and has been for years .
To retain democracy a independent media that isn't corrupt is very important .
Most involved in local TV are sincere and decent people and what we need is a multitude of successful local TV stations that will ensure our media isn't dominated by powerful companies such as News Corp .
Fox here in the US (News Corp) has a unhealthy large share of the media market ,both printed and TV .
I remember the news bulletins at the time of both Iraq wars and the invasion of Afghanistan .
The propaganda spield out at the time was disgracefull .
The same is now happening in the Ukrain and we are not getting a balanced view about what is happening .
That is why we need independent media and local TV that may become the nucleus of a media not tainted by vested interests
Watching this evening, the picture is terrible - with sort of delayed movement throughout the broadcast.
Thats Solent has been on air a while now, yet no closer to the kind of output proposed in its licence application. Living local, the channel has potential but comes with no marketing or any desire for quality from the owners.
Watching this evening, the picture is terrible - with sort of delayed movement throughout the broadcast.
Thats Solent has been on air a while now, yet no closer to the kind of output proposed in its licence application. Living local, the channel has potential but comes with no marketing or any desire for quality from the owners.
Sounds like a fault with the transmitter,some that have been used on local TV are about ten years old and I believe don't meet normal broadcast standards .
Sounds like a fault with the transmitter,some that have been used on local TV are about ten years old and I believe don't meet normal broadcast standards .
Are the other two channels on the mux affected ? If not, it won't be the transmitter, it'll be the coding.
Are the other two channels on the mux affected ? If not, it won't be the transmitter, it'll be the coding.
With the greatest respect Mark it can be either .
But one of the technical errors and I believe this was deliberate on local TV is ,
carrying three programs modulated at QPSK , this will result in lower definition due to the codec needing to be set at a low bit rate ,plus the code rate cannot be maximised for maximum efficiency
This will result is less coverage than a single TV program in the transport stream ,similar to reducing TX power by 50%
Plus if the transmitter is old and not performing as it should modulation error can affect one TV program in the transport stream if the codec is not set equally on all programs .
Arqiva will be responsible for the codec ,but I do accept the problem could be at the studio to transmitter link , but aren't Arqiva also responsible for this via their unofficial division Co Mux ?
But one of the technical errors and I believe this was deliberate on local TV is ,
carrying three programs modulated at QPSK , this will result in lower definition due to the codec needing to be set at a low bit rate ,plus the code rate cannot be maximised for maximum efficiency
This will result is less coverage than a single TV program in the transport stream ,similar to reducing TX power by 50%
Plus if the transmitter is old and not performing as it should modulation error can affect one TV program in the transport stream if the codec is not set equally on all programs .
Arqiva will be responsible for the codec ,but I do accept the problem could be at the studio to transmitter link , but aren't Arqiva also responsible for this via their unofficial division Co Mux ?
I don't think CoMux and Arqiva are financially linked companies,
The three channels for each transmitter are coded and muxed at and by Comux in Birmingham. Sorry, but I don't understand how impairment at any point could affect
only one channel when the transport stream has the data for all channels, plus the SI, all interleaved together ?
I don't think CoMux and Arqiva are financially linked companies,
r ?
Canis Media the founders of Co Mux are in the same building at Chalmont Grove as Arqiva and their previouse address was also in the same building as Arqiva .
Most of the key personal involved in Co Mux either worked for Arqiva in the past or had extremely close links .
I believe that the architects of a Mux Co were Arqiva
In my opinion if ever there was a rigged process to protect a monopoly this us a blatent example .
It's unbelievable how the regulators have been so asleep on the job.
Hardly a ringing endorsement for how things are going at That's TV
Dan Cass the who runs Thats Solent is a commited hard working decent guy who is strongly commited to the benefits that local TV will bring to our democracy.
Over the years he has fought a uphill struggle against vested intrests who's strategy through lobbying and donations to political party's , in my opinion has been to ensure the failure of local TV .
This has been going on since the first local TV stations launched in analogue .
This has been brought to the attention of the regulators and several politicians who have just sat on thier hands and have done nothing about it other than to further enhance the interests of those who wish for local TV to fail.
A clear example of this was the creation of Mux Co that re morphed into Co Mux .
I also believe the same investors who persuaded the regulators to break up the IBA are also responsible .
I suspect news corp may have been involved as they have been trying to get control of ITV for years and I also suspect the very same people are behind the attempt to cull the BBC.
If my suspicions are true , it disgusts me that such manipulation has been allowed to go on , as we will all pay a heavy price if our media is not independent and controlled by the
the very same people who have screwed us all in the investment and banking sector ,who are highly skilled at manipulating and rigging markets to line thier disgusting pockets.
So give That's Solent a break and stop criticising decent people trying to do the right thing for the right reasons .
Dan Cass the who runs Thats Solent is a commited hard working decent guy who is strongly commited to the benefits that local TV will bring to our democracy.
Over the years he has fought a uphill struggle against vested intrests who's strategy through lobbying and donations to political party's , in my opinion has been to ensure the failure of local TV .
This has been going on since the first local TV stations launched in analogue .
This has been brought to the attention of the regulators and several politicians who have just sat on thier hands and have done nothing about it other than to further enhance the interests of those who wish for local TV to fail.
A clear example of this was the creation of Mux Co that re morphed into Co Mux .
I also believe the same investors who persuaded the regulators to break up the IBA are also responsible .
I suspect news corp may have been involved as they have been trying to get control of ITV for years and I also suspect the very same people are behind the attempt to cull the BBC.
If my suspicions are true , it disgusts me that such manipulation has been allowed to go on , as we will all pay a heavy price if our media is not independent and controlled by the
the very same people who have screwed us all in the investment and banking sector ,who are highly skilled at manipulating and rigging markets to line thier disgusting pockets.
So give That's Solent a break and stop criticising decent people trying to do the right thing for the right reasons .
The UK had local TV - in ITV - until the sell off of the franchises to the highest bidder under the Thatcher government. That was the beginning of the end for local TV.
The regional TV companies made their own programmes, some of which were networked. Now only Scotland and Northern Ireland have local TV because their ITV contractors are not part of ITV plc.
Also the huge number of channels now available has diluted audiences and in ITV's case almost certainly reduced advertising rates too. Very few programmes now get 10m viewers.
It is not ITV that Murdoch wants but the remainer of Sky that News Corp does not own. When the fuss over phone hacking and malpractice on his newspapers has died down, I think there will be another bid by him for Sky. However, BT Sport has now come in to the picture and Sky does not have it quite so easy now.
When Murdoch dies, I expect the UK newspapers to be sold off. His sons do not have the interest in newspapers and see them as part of yesterday. Murdoch is highly political but he has lost much of his influence in the UK since the scandals involving his newspapers.
As for local TV, I always thought it would be a struggle to make it work. I live in the Totton area of Southampton and cannot receive That's Solent. If I paid £100 plus for a new aerial I may be able to but since the general reaction to the channel is lukewarm, there does not seem any pont. However, I have Virgin Media TV and That's Solent is still not available on that.
Sadly, I think local TV is doomed. Even in London it is struggling.
Dan Cass the who runs Thats Solent is a commited hard working decent guy who is strongly commited to the benefits that local TV will bring to our democracy.
Over the years he has fought a uphill struggle against vested intrests who's strategy through lobbying and donations to political party's , in my opinion has been to ensure the failure of local TV .
This has been going on since the first local TV stations launched in analogue .
This has been brought to the attention of the regulators and several politicians who have just sat on thier hands and have done nothing about it other than to further enhance the interests of those who wish for local TV to fail.
A clear example of this was the creation of Mux Co that re morphed into Co Mux .
I also believe the same investors who persuaded the regulators to break up the IBA are also responsible .
I suspect news corp may have been involved as they have been trying to get control of ITV for years and I also suspect the very same people are behind the attempt to cull the BBC.
If my suspicions are true , it disgusts me that such manipulation has been allowed to go on , as we will all pay a heavy price if our media is not independent and controlled by the
the very same people who have screwed us all in the investment and banking sector ,who are highly skilled at manipulating and rigging markets to line thier disgusting pockets. So give That's Solent a break and stop criticising decent people trying to do the right thing for the right reasons .
I'll call it as I see it, thanks very much. You clearly have your own agenda, which is your prerogative. However, you also seem happy to throw mud yourself whilst feeling that those you support should just be left alone whatever their failings - whether in terms of technical quality, financial realism or living up to their promises.
I have no reason to doubt that Dan Cass or many other people in local TV projects are decent and trying to do the right thing. That's not the point. If local TV companies fail to live up to reasonable expectations or promises made - given that no one forced them to bid and most of the companies were happy to make pretty ambitious claims and promises in their applications which they were sure they could keep - it is equally reasonable to point this out or to at least raise matters of concern for discussion.
So give That's Solent a break and stop criticising decent people trying to do the right thing for the right reasons .
I've seen Solent TV. Sorry but it's low quality crap, people will simply not watch it, there are far more 'attractive' looking channels to watch. I don't doubt for one moment what Solent are trying to achieve, and their motives are admirable, but they have to raise their game, because no one in their right mind will sit and watch their output in its current form for more than a minute or so.
Canis Media the founders of Co Mux are in the same building at Chalmont Grove as Arqiva and their previouse address was also in the same building as Arqiva .
Most of the key personal involved in Co Mux either worked for Arqiva in the past or had extremely close links .
I believe that the architects of a Mux Co were Arqiva
In my opinion if ever there was a rigged process to protect a monopoly this us a blatent example .
It's unbelievable how the regulators have been so asleep on the job.
I see, and my other question, you've not answered ?
The UK had local TV - in ITV - until the sell off of the franchises to the highest bidder under the Thatcher government. That was the beginning of the end for local TV.
Regional TV ≠ local TV. I agree with your other sentiments.
Sadly, I think local TV is doomed. Even in London it is struggling.
London is too big an area to be truly local, and is already well served by the national channels. Some of the smaller local TV channels are reportedly doing quite well.
I'll call it as I see it, thanks very much. You clearly have your own agenda, which is your prerogative. However, you also seem happy to throw mud yourself whilst feeling that those you support should just be left alone whatever their failings - whether in terms of technical quality, financial realism or living up to their promises.
I have no reason to doubt that Dan Cass or many other people in local TV projects are decent and trying to do the right thing. That's not the point. If local TV companies fail to live up to reasonable expectations or promises made - given that no one forced them to bid and most of the companies were happy to make pretty ambitious claims and promises in their applications which they were sure they could keep - it is equally reasonable to point this out or to at least raise matters of concern for discussion.
Local TV to succeed needs sufficient revenue to provide quality programming .
The multitude of available channels dilutes the revenue of most Local TV stations ,perhaps with the exception of London and even then the coverage of London can be improved with the correct level of engineering know how.
What has been clear to me in my opinion is the strategy of compromising coverage by the planners is a clear attempt to ensure the failure of local TV .
Channel M and Shefield Local TV are blatent examples in my opinion as there is no technical reason why coverage should be compromised.
QPSK modulation if this is employed now with nearly all local TV enables very little transmitter power to be used for good coverage and consequently enables the very efficient use of the available spectrum to be used without interference to other main freeview channels .
The planners (Arqiva ) who seem to have a stratergy to compromise coverage or are not applying in my opinion the appropriate engineering skill gives rise to my opinion that they wish local TV to fail
What is needed is a competent independent organisation to do the coverage planning .
This could bring the cost of transmision down considerably thus releasing revenue to produce quality programming
The planners (Arqiva ) who seem to have a stratergy to compromise coverage or are not applying in my opinion the appropriate engineering skill gives rise to my opinion that they wish local TV to fail
This is just paranoid, chip on the shoulder bollocks. I'm miles outside of London and Oxford, yet I can view broken up fragments of both local muxes from time to time (yes and I know they are co channel with each other), in the same way I can the main national muxes from the same sites (implication, the coverage is easily comparable, seeing as the target areas are a lot smaller than the national muxes).
There are many reasons why local TV will probably fail in most areas, the choice of technical parameters for the transmission is at the bottom (not the top) of that list.
Local TV to succeed needs sufficient revenue to provide quality programming.
That says it all. Almost everything else in your endless stream of posts is irrelevant or nonsense.
There will never be sufficient revenue for any worthwhile local news and entertainment channels because the potential audience is too small now and always will be. Hence they are not viable commercially and at a time when the BBC is being cut no justification for substantial public funding.
Likewise what is "quality programming" on a UK local TV channel? Experience even in London shows that "local" entertainment, which most viewers want, is no different from what is already available on endless national channels. Even a big city rarely has more than a few hours a week of presently unavailable local news worth putting on TV and providing such news bulletins is very expensive.
The one worthwhile route for local TV in the UK might be as a public service broadcasting council meetings, mayor's question time, etc plus short local news bulletins. This could start as full time regional versions of BBC Parliament but even that would not come cheaply if taken down to a truly local level for the entire country. Frankly, I doubt most tax (licence?) payers want any of it.
That says it all. Almost everything else in your endless stream of posts is irrelevant or nonsense.
it.
So you think that if the number of homes actually served by a local TV channel and consiquently the number of viewers is compromised , this is irrelevant nonsense ?
I will not be rude to you by voicing my opinion of your post.
You are entitled to your opinion ,but there is no need to be insulting .
The STV local channels in Scotland seem quite successful, as they have the backing and experience needed to produce a decent channel.
Many of the others just seem to be extremely amateur ventures with little hope of surviving. Signal strength should be the least of their worries as few people would watch even if the signals were as strong as the main national channels.
The STV local channels in Scotland seem quite successful, as they have the backing and experience needed to produce a decent channel.
Many of the others just seem to be extremely amateur ventures with little hope of surviving. Signal strength should be the least of their worries as few people would watch even if the signals were as strong as the main national channels.
Good I hope local TV in Scotland has a good long term future.
Scottish people have been well screwed with the loss of jobs in the shipbuilding and other similar industrial sectors ,by the shysters in the city .
Local TV will make it affordable for high street businesses to market their products on telly and perhaps the local butcher , baker and greengrocer will come back to the high street.
Some of the new local TV companies are having to employ interns and students on media study courses as they haven't the revenue to spend on improving the program quality by employing professionals.
Even if the programs were outstanding ,you would only get 50% of potential revenue with 50% of coverage.
The actual coverage of local TV is worse than the coverage maps that have been published in my opinion .
The same criteria hasn't been applied as to the power needed to accommodate terrain and vegetation clutter as has been for the main channells ,plus the margin applied also is not to the same standard .
Consequently in my technical opinion a large percentage of terrestrial viewers can't receive local TV within the so called coverage area .
If you need examples I will oblige .
I hear that a couple of real Pros would be happy to try and put things right there for not much money - just because they care! They are not being given the opportunity. why is that? Best thing that could happen is that it becomes a community station. No one has been hired to get any local advertising and because there is no marketing no one knows it is there. Why won't Dan Cass allow it to be saved? Remember he is getting money from you and me through the BBC Licence Fee.It could be truly local and great community broadcasting. You need Pros with Big TV and Newspaper experience to make it watchable and get the ratings. They are there just waiting for the call. Vital now Esther and Mary have taken their valuable experience with them.
Comments
Unfortunately goverments of both colours have failed to regulate were it is important that monopolies or large corporations can if not regulated manipulate and have a unhealthy influence on our media.
We really do need a indipendent media and local TV is our last chance .
I do not think that anybody involved in local TV is doing it for the opportunity of large financial gain , but are doing it for the right reasons .
So they need as much support as is possible from Ofcom, goverment and the rest of us by not slagging them off while they are finding their feet ,with minimul resources.
So everybody needs to support local TV.
I have been watching the Brighton local TV for the local news at 6pm and I am
impressed that it's technical standards are good (compared with the dire local
tv stations in the USA!) It does fill a gap in the market as BBC Regional news
from Maidstone, and ITV, from Southampton were perceived as being remote and
do not cover Brighton very much. Latest TV is carried by Virgin cable, which many
viewers in Brighton use.
BBC South East is from Tunbridge Wells. Meridian while its broadcast from Southampton have a news room in Maidstone.
The problem with local radio was too many stations. It was successful when we had a single local station that overlapped areas but once you started adding sally stations to heritage and community, etc thats when it all went wrong.
Local TV was ruined by the increase in Satellite channels. However, ITV is making a good buck now. They could invest some money in some local programmes again, but dont hold your breath.
I can see the new wave of Local TV joining together off peak, bit like local radio was, local between breakfast and tea time.
Local TV was ruined by the increase in Satellite channels. However, ITV is making a good buck now. They could invest some money in some local programmes again, but dont hold your breath.
.[/QUOTE]
Just a matter of time before Murdoch gets his hands on 100 % of ITV.
Yer know usuall stuff ,generouse donation to a political party , followed by lobbying of the regulator via MP with influence.
Goes on all the time and has been for years .
To retain democracy a independent media that isn't corrupt is very important .
Most involved in local TV are sincere and decent people and what we need is a multitude of successful local TV stations that will ensure our media isn't dominated by powerful companies such as News Corp .
Fox here in the US (News Corp) has a unhealthy large share of the media market ,both printed and TV .
I remember the news bulletins at the time of both Iraq wars and the invasion of Afghanistan .
The propaganda spield out at the time was disgracefull .
The same is now happening in the Ukrain and we are not getting a balanced view about what is happening .
That is why we need independent media and local TV that may become the nucleus of a media not tainted by vested interests
Thats Solent has been on air a while now, yet no closer to the kind of output proposed in its licence application. Living local, the channel has potential but comes with no marketing or any desire for quality from the owners.
Sounds like a fault with the transmitter,some that have been used on local TV are about ten years old and I believe don't meet normal broadcast standards .
Are the other two channels on the mux affected ? If not, it won't be the transmitter, it'll be the coding.
With the greatest respect Mark it can be either .
But one of the technical errors and I believe this was deliberate on local TV is ,
carrying three programs modulated at QPSK , this will result in lower definition due to the codec needing to be set at a low bit rate ,plus the code rate cannot be maximised for maximum efficiency
This will result is less coverage than a single TV program in the transport stream ,similar to reducing TX power by 50%
Plus if the transmitter is old and not performing as it should modulation error can affect one TV program in the transport stream if the codec is not set equally on all programs .
Arqiva will be responsible for the codec ,but I do accept the problem could be at the studio to transmitter link , but aren't Arqiva also responsible for this via their unofficial division Co Mux ?
I don't think CoMux and Arqiva are financially linked companies,
The three channels for each transmitter are coded and muxed at and by Comux in Birmingham. Sorry, but I don't understand how impairment at any point could affect
only one channel when the transport stream has the data for all channels, plus the SI, all interleaved together ?
Canis Media the founders of Co Mux are in the same building at Chalmont Grove as Arqiva and their previouse address was also in the same building as Arqiva .
Most of the key personal involved in Co Mux either worked for Arqiva in the past or had extremely close links .
I believe that the architects of a Mux Co were Arqiva
In my opinion if ever there was a rigged process to protect a monopoly this us a blatent example .
It's unbelievable how the regulators have been so asleep on the job.
Hardly a ringing endorsement for how things are going at That's TV
Dan Cass the who runs Thats Solent is a commited hard working decent guy who is strongly commited to the benefits that local TV will bring to our democracy.
Over the years he has fought a uphill struggle against vested intrests who's strategy through lobbying and donations to political party's , in my opinion has been to ensure the failure of local TV .
This has been going on since the first local TV stations launched in analogue .
This has been brought to the attention of the regulators and several politicians who have just sat on thier hands and have done nothing about it other than to further enhance the interests of those who wish for local TV to fail.
A clear example of this was the creation of Mux Co that re morphed into Co Mux .
I also believe the same investors who persuaded the regulators to break up the IBA are also responsible .
I suspect news corp may have been involved as they have been trying to get control of ITV for years and I also suspect the very same people are behind the attempt to cull the BBC.
If my suspicions are true , it disgusts me that such manipulation has been allowed to go on , as we will all pay a heavy price if our media is not independent and controlled by the
the very same people who have screwed us all in the investment and banking sector ,who are highly skilled at manipulating and rigging markets to line thier disgusting pockets.
So give That's Solent a break and stop criticising decent people trying to do the right thing for the right reasons .
The UK had local TV - in ITV - until the sell off of the franchises to the highest bidder under the Thatcher government. That was the beginning of the end for local TV.
The regional TV companies made their own programmes, some of which were networked. Now only Scotland and Northern Ireland have local TV because their ITV contractors are not part of ITV plc.
Also the huge number of channels now available has diluted audiences and in ITV's case almost certainly reduced advertising rates too. Very few programmes now get 10m viewers.
It is not ITV that Murdoch wants but the remainer of Sky that News Corp does not own. When the fuss over phone hacking and malpractice on his newspapers has died down, I think there will be another bid by him for Sky. However, BT Sport has now come in to the picture and Sky does not have it quite so easy now.
When Murdoch dies, I expect the UK newspapers to be sold off. His sons do not have the interest in newspapers and see them as part of yesterday. Murdoch is highly political but he has lost much of his influence in the UK since the scandals involving his newspapers.
As for local TV, I always thought it would be a struggle to make it work. I live in the Totton area of Southampton and cannot receive That's Solent. If I paid £100 plus for a new aerial I may be able to but since the general reaction to the channel is lukewarm, there does not seem any pont. However, I have Virgin Media TV and That's Solent is still not available on that.
Sadly, I think local TV is doomed. Even in London it is struggling.
I'll call it as I see it, thanks very much. You clearly have your own agenda, which is your prerogative. However, you also seem happy to throw mud yourself whilst feeling that those you support should just be left alone whatever their failings - whether in terms of technical quality, financial realism or living up to their promises.
I have no reason to doubt that Dan Cass or many other people in local TV projects are decent and trying to do the right thing. That's not the point. If local TV companies fail to live up to reasonable expectations or promises made - given that no one forced them to bid and most of the companies were happy to make pretty ambitious claims and promises in their applications which they were sure they could keep - it is equally reasonable to point this out or to at least raise matters of concern for discussion.
I've seen Solent TV. Sorry but it's low quality crap, people will simply not watch it, there are far more 'attractive' looking channels to watch. I don't doubt for one moment what Solent are trying to achieve, and their motives are admirable, but they have to raise their game, because no one in their right mind will sit and watch their output in its current form for more than a minute or so.
I see, and my other question, you've not answered ?
Regional TV ≠ local TV. I agree with your other sentiments.
London is too big an area to be truly local, and is already well served by the national channels. Some of the smaller local TV channels are reportedly doing quite well.
The multitude of available channels dilutes the revenue of most Local TV stations ,perhaps with the exception of London and even then the coverage of London can be improved with the correct level of engineering know how.
What has been clear to me in my opinion is the strategy of compromising coverage by the planners is a clear attempt to ensure the failure of local TV .
Channel M and Shefield Local TV are blatent examples in my opinion as there is no technical reason why coverage should be compromised.
QPSK modulation if this is employed now with nearly all local TV enables very little transmitter power to be used for good coverage and consequently enables the very efficient use of the available spectrum to be used without interference to other main freeview channels .
The planners (Arqiva ) who seem to have a stratergy to compromise coverage or are not applying in my opinion the appropriate engineering skill gives rise to my opinion that they wish local TV to fail
What is needed is a competent independent organisation to do the coverage planning .
This could bring the cost of transmision down considerably thus releasing revenue to produce quality programming
This is just paranoid, chip on the shoulder bollocks. I'm miles outside of London and Oxford, yet I can view broken up fragments of both local muxes from time to time (yes and I know they are co channel with each other), in the same way I can the main national muxes from the same sites (implication, the coverage is easily comparable, seeing as the target areas are a lot smaller than the national muxes).
There are many reasons why local TV will probably fail in most areas, the choice of technical parameters for the transmission is at the bottom (not the top) of that list.
That says it all. Almost everything else in your endless stream of posts is irrelevant or nonsense.
There will never be sufficient revenue for any worthwhile local news and entertainment channels because the potential audience is too small now and always will be. Hence they are not viable commercially and at a time when the BBC is being cut no justification for substantial public funding.
Likewise what is "quality programming" on a UK local TV channel? Experience even in London shows that "local" entertainment, which most viewers want, is no different from what is already available on endless national channels. Even a big city rarely has more than a few hours a week of presently unavailable local news worth putting on TV and providing such news bulletins is very expensive.
The one worthwhile route for local TV in the UK might be as a public service broadcasting council meetings, mayor's question time, etc plus short local news bulletins. This could start as full time regional versions of BBC Parliament but even that would not come cheaply if taken down to a truly local level for the entire country. Frankly, I doubt most tax (licence?) payers want any of it.
I will not be rude to you by voicing my opinion of your post.
You are entitled to your opinion ,but there is no need to be insulting .
Many of the others just seem to be extremely amateur ventures with little hope of surviving. Signal strength should be the least of their worries as few people would watch even if the signals were as strong as the main national channels.
Good I hope local TV in Scotland has a good long term future.
Scottish people have been well screwed with the loss of jobs in the shipbuilding and other similar industrial sectors ,by the shysters in the city .
Local TV will make it affordable for high street businesses to market their products on telly and perhaps the local butcher , baker and greengrocer will come back to the high street.
Some of the new local TV companies are having to employ interns and students on media study courses as they haven't the revenue to spend on improving the program quality by employing professionals.
Even if the programs were outstanding ,you would only get 50% of potential revenue with 50% of coverage.
The actual coverage of local TV is worse than the coverage maps that have been published in my opinion .
The same criteria hasn't been applied as to the power needed to accommodate terrain and vegetation clutter as has been for the main channells ,plus the margin applied also is not to the same standard .
Consequently in my technical opinion a large percentage of terrestrial viewers can't receive local TV within the so called coverage area .
If you need examples I will oblige .