'Journal TV' could go up against BBC.

Byline: Joanne Butcher

LOCAL television news could soon be provided by The Journal after parent company, Trinity Mirror, teamed up with national news agency the Press Association and TV production company Ten Alps in a bid to bring a new pilot scheme to the North East.

The consortium would produce regional news broadcasts to rival the BBC and replace ITV's news service, which currently makes a loss. A pilot scheme could begin as early as April next year.

It follows the publication of the Digital Britain white paper in June, which warned viewers could be left with no choice over where they got their news.

The report said that trusted, professional TV news in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions could end up only being provided by the BBC, unless action was taken.

As a result, the Government proposed the introduction of independently-funded news groups to produce regional TV news.

"Top slicing" the television licence fee - paying out money to each of the broadcasters - is the preferred source of funding. But this is vigorously opposed by the BBC.

Announcing its bid yesterday, the consortium said it brought together the Press Association's expertise in covering and commissioning content, Trinity Mirror's on-the-ground news-gathering strength and the award-winning programme-making skills of Ten Alps, which was co-founded by Sir Bob Geldof.

And bosses stressed the value of piloting the scheme in the North East.

Trinity Mirror Chief Executive Sly Bailey said: "The North East region is home to 2.4 million adults, meaning it is large enough to host a fully robust pilot of scale, while also being compact enough to launch quickly and cost effectively. The area is highly representative of Britain with its mix of urban centres and rural communities.

"We are convinced our plans for the North East are the ideal blueprint and will offer crucial learning experiences to the industry ahead of the full national roll-out of local news consortia."

And David Simms, managing director of NCJ Media, which produces The Journal and sister papers the Evening Chronicle and the Sunday Sun, said: "We are convinced the North East is the best region to host the pilot. It's the UK in microcosm, which is why we think it would be the ideal test-bed for the new service."

Press Association managing director Tony Watson agreed that the North was an ideal size, adding: "With the consortium partners we have in place, we believe we can launch an innovative new service in the North East fast, and to a high standard."

Chief executive of Ten Alps, Alex Connock, added: "The consortium partners have a clear view of our respective roles and how we would dovetail together.

"We are all very excited about the potential for creating something original and fresh that isn't just about a TV show but spans a range of online channels as well."