THE company that runs local TV stations in Scotland has been rapped by the broadcasting watchdog for its lack of original programmes and news coverage.
That’s TV Scotland has been found to be in breach of its broadcasting licence following a probe by regulator Ofcom.
That’s TV, which runs 20 local TV stations across Britain, bought the Scottish local TV broadcasting licence after the closure of STV2 in June 2018.
As part of its licensing commitments its channel, That’s Scotland Central, which covers Glasgow and surrounding areas, had to show 1,400 hours of original local programming during 2018 but it only broadcast 1,214 hours.
It broadcast 698 hours of “first-run local programming” in peak hours instead of the required 700 hours.
Ofcom also found the channel, which is available on Freeview, had broadcast no repeats of its news and current affairs programming instead of the required 75 hours.
That’s TV blamed the reduced coverage of a three-month period when the channel was off air ahead of a relaunch.
In its written decision, Ofcom said: “Ofcom has a duty to ensure that the character of the licensed service, as proposed by a licence holder when making the application for a licence, is maintained for the duration of the licence.
“That’s TV admitted that it had not met the Programming Commitments identified for its Glasgow service.
“Ofcom recognised that the ultimate reason for this failure to meet its commitments was a result of the period of three months, following the acquisition of the licence-holding companies, in which the service was not broadcasting any content.
“That’s TV would have been aware of the requirement to continue to deliver the Programming Commitments annexed to the licence for the remainder of the year, once the acquisition had taken place.
“As That’s TV under-delivered its Programming Commitment of first-run local programming, first-run local programming in peak hours, and repeated news and current affairs programming, Ofcom found the licensee in breach of its licence.”
The regulator has not imposed any sanction on the company but the breach will remain on its record.
That’s TV took control of the five Scottish licences, covering Glasgow, Edinburgh, Ayr, Dundee and Aberdeen in July 2018.
The company told Ofcom “there was a material period ‘off-air’ following the change of control of the five Scottish licences” and “excluding this period, local programming has been consistently delivered”.
In its response, they provided an explanation covering its scheduling model for all of its Scottish services and said, when the services were on air, they would comfortably meet programming commitments.
In 2011, then culture secretary Jeremy Hunt announced plans for a nationwide network of local TV stations to broadcast quality local news.
That’s TV has since become the main player in UK’s local TV market, launching its first channel, That’s Solent – which covers the Southampton and Portsmouth areas – in November 2014.
That’s TV has been approached for comment.
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