Zinc Media Regulatory News (ZIN)

18 Sep 2009 11:00



18 September 2009

Ten Alps Plc

Ten Alps and Belfast Telegraph join forces to bid 

for a Northern Ireland Local News Pilot

Ten Alps Plc, the factual media company, today announced that it plans to bid with Independent News and Media (NI), publishers of the Belfast Telegraph, for any local Independently Funded News Consortium (IFNC) pilot contracts tendered for regional news services for Northern Ireland. 

So far, Northern Ireland is the only one of the UK's nations that has been denied a recommendation for a pilot IFNC in OFCOM's landmark Digital Britain report.

At the Royal Television Society's conference in Cambridge this morning, Ten Alps and the Belfast Telegraph therefore appealed for a pilot for the province. The groups said they believed a successful pilot IFNC could have positive economic, democratic, technological and cultural implications for Northern Ireland, and they outlined a vision of a cross-platform rolling news service taking in Channel 3 news bulletins, press, localized websites and online TV coverage.

Bob Geldof, non-executive director and co-founder of Ten Alps, said today in London: 

"The exclusion of Northern Ireland from the pilots in the Digital Britain report was something frankly odd. But it is also something rare - an unfortunate accident which can easily be put right.

No interpretation we've heard actually makes sense - from lack of funds for the province, to lack of credible alternative news suppliers.

So we ask the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to give Belfast a tender process, and allow Northern Ireland to fully engage in a democratic process in the vitally important news sector. Let all companies with great ideas come forward, and take this chance to explore the best way to cover local news for the coming decades. 

Fair competition for public funding, and equality for Northern Ireland with England, Scotland and Wales: surely no one will disagree with that?" In Belfast this morning, Michael Brophy, chief executive officer of INMNI, said:

"This is a tremendously exciting project that has the potential to transform the provision of television news and current affairs in Northern Ireland.  "The combined strengths of these two great companies is both clear and effective. The Belfast Telegraph is perhaps Northern Ireland's most respected brand, bringing with it the editorial strength of the largest newspaper news-gathering network in the Province and a long history of fairness, excellence and sound judgement.  "Ten Alps, meanwhile, brings a record of excellence and innovation as one of the UK's leading producers of factual broadcast television, while in Below The Radar we have the perfect partner with local television expertise. Between us, we have the financial strength, expertise and reputation to offer a real alternative in regional television news in Northern Ireland."