A local television station is hoping to hit the big time after being listed in an announcement by Ofcom.
Grimsby’s Channel 7 has been named by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt as one of the front-runners in plans to set up 20 local TV stations in the UK by the end of 2013.
The announcement could result in the local station, which is broadcast on Virgin Media 879, moving to Freeview Channel 8. This would increase its viewing figures dramatically.
Channel 7 has been broadcasting locally for 15 years and is supported by the Grimsby Institute Group and public sector grants.
Channel 7’s executive producer, Lia Nici, said: “We’re overjoyed by the reaction to this news. We’re the only local TV station running in the country and we have 15 years of experience, which we hope will have some influence at ministerial level.
“The next step in the process will be for us to bid for the licence. If we are lucky enough to be successful the key for us will be to work in partnership with local businesses and other media providers in our area.
“We’re hoping that this will allow us to broaden the type of programming that we offer, we’re already in discussions with local television producers for entertainment and children’s programming, but primarily we would start with news and current affairs, which is something that we know people like to watch.
“We think this has real potential for Grimsby and the surrounding area, we want to get the best out of that potential and everyone at Channel 7 is really excited at the prospect.”