News consortia must redraw local news map, forge partnerships, says ITN

The government must create a new map for regional news coverage to ensure that no region is left out, ITN's chief executive has said.

Speaking at a Westminster Media Forum event yesterday on the future of local media, John Hardie said the government's plans for a series of independently funded news consortia (IFNC) - made up of newspaper, radio and television groups - should involve separate contracts for England, Scotland and Wales.

The plans, which include proposals for a pilot in each country starting next year, should be tailored to each nation and not run under a master contract for the whole of the UK, Hardie said.

"We must deliver for viewers in all parts of the country. We should be wary of following models that don't protect this. We need to safeguard local autonomy in the funding model," he said.

ITN, Johnston Press, Guardian Media Group and a host of others publishing and media groups have entered the consultation process for the consortia, which were first proposed by media regulator Ofcom and subsequently included in the government's Digital Britain report.

The consortia would form a replacement service for ITV's regional news network, which will no longer run as a result of an estimated £38-£64 million deficit.

Hardie described ITN's bid as 'a grand alliance' between local media groups: "Now is the time to create an entirely new service for the digital age. We will seek to form an unprecedented network of partnerships.

"Our virtual news network will bring an unrivalled breadth and depth of reporting for local audiences."

The broadcaster would seek to involve smaller groups, such as community radio stations, in the consortia and establish a 'two-way exchange of news and picture gathering and cross promotion' between newsrooms and journalists.

ITN has already begun to establish partnerships on a national level with its video service ITN On, said Hardie. Earlier this month ITN signed up its first regional partner, the Midlands News Association, to the service.

But there are more opportunities under the consortia model to offer journalism training to local newsmakers and community groups, he added.

While the industry awaits the results of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's consultation on the plans, which closed last month, including the use of the surplus from the BBC's digital switchover fund to finance the changes, an alternative means of financial support must be explored, said Hardie.

"We should fear the consequences of a patchwork quilt of disparate, independently funded regional news consortia. A piecemeal approach will most likely be out-funded, out-produced and outperformed by the BBC," he said.

Fellow speaker at the event, group strategy and development director for Global Radio Will Harding, said his employer was interested in a consortia bid.

"There are opportunities for us to work with other players and we're starting to have those conversations, but we're not sure how," he said.

Keynote speaker Stewart Purvis, content and standards partner at Ofcom, said the news consortia could offer a more local map for news in the UK beyond the existing ITV news regions.

"I think everyone in this room is agreed that additional funding and plurality is needed, but we need to consider the impact of government funding on editorial independence and impartiality of news," he said.

The industry regulator will make a statement to government on cross-media ownership rules by November 13, Purvis said.

"We are certainly suggesting to government that there should be no rules stopping the ownership of newspapers and radio stations," he said.

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