Channel 6 Local TV MPs Survey

A survey of MPs conducted on behalf of Channel 6.

Date Published: 03 May 2011

Categories: Energy | Media | Policy Makers | Politics | Technology & Telecoms | UK

Description

ComRes poll for Channel 6 shows massive cross-party support for local TV
Around 90% of MPs support the introduction of local TV

On the eve of the local elections, Channel 6, the national network set up to deliver local TV across the UK, has published the results of an exclusive poll of MPs about the Government’s plans for local TV.

The poll carried out by ComRes, found that the vast majority of MPs would support local TV, with support evenly distributed across all parties. More than three quarters of MPs felt that there was not enough TV coverage of local issues and a large majority of MPs thought local TV would help create a greater sense of community identity.

The poll attracted responses from 155 MPs. The results have been weighted to reflect the exact composition of the House of Commons in terms of party representation and regional constituency representation.

The headline results also include:

ï‚· 87% of MPs would support local TV, with support evenly distributed across all parties.
76% of MPs across all parties appreciated the role of local TV in strengthening local democracy.
85% of MPs agreed that local TV needs high-quality programmes to compete for viewers with the national channels, with near-unanimity across all three main parties.
74% of MPs felt that TV news and features tend to be too London-centric.

The potential for local TV to help constituents support their local community through ideas such as volunteering was also recognised, with 80% of MPs in agreement.

Richard Horwood, Chief Executive of Channel 6, said:

“The Channel 6 poll shows that the launch of local TV is one of those rare policies on which MPs of all parties agree, as long as its quality is comparable with programming on other channels. This will not only enable local TV to attract viewers, but also justify placing the channel in the number 6 slot.

“The benefits for local democracy are clear: TV has a unique power to engage audiences, shining its spotlight on issues which often concern people most in their neighbourhoods.”

ComRes surveyed 155 MPs on the ComRes Parliamentary Panel between 21 February and 16 March 2011 by self-completion postal questionnaire and online. Data were weighted to reflect the exact composition of the House of Commons.