Manchester media watchers will be interested to hear that former Channel M boss Mark Dodson will be talking about his experiences of local television at a major conference tomorrow.
City University London’s conference on Local Television has attracted big name speakers to discuss future provision now that the issue is in the spotlight again after culture secretary Jeremy Hunt’s proposals for local or even, hyperlocal, channels across the UK. This itininery detailed at View Magazine describes a session called Local Television-the story so far;
“A conversation with conference attendees who’ve worked in local TV, past and present. These include Philip Graf (formerly Chief Executive of Trinity plc, operators of Channel One Liverpool, then CEO of Trinity Mirror, now Deputy Chair of Ofcom) David Dunkley Gyimah (ex-Channel One London) Mark Dodson (ex-Channel M Manchester), Helen Philpot (Channel 7 Lincolnshire), David Lowen (ex-Local Broadcasting Group), and Daniel Cass (SixTV).”
Dodson, who left MEN Media at the point of its sale to Trinity Mirror, was the mastermind of the Manchester-based channel which earned praise from Hunt when he was a shadow spokesman.
The London conference, which also includes appearances from Kelvin McKenzie and Stewart Purvis is Friday 5 November 5 2010 at The Performance Space, College Building, City University London, St John’s Street, EC1V 4PB.
Meanwhile today another event looking at the future of local tv is taking place in Norwich. The 1000Flowers event (so named after this famous Clay Shirky quote) has also attracted some Greater Manchester interest with both Nigel Barlow from Insidethe M60 and John Eccles from Oldham College and SaddleworthNews attending.
But while the topic under discussion may be the same, organiser Rick Waghorn explains the entirely different approach.
“1000Flowers aims to bring together some of the brightest and the best thinkers and doers in this local space… to find inspiration amongst those who look at the world from the bottom up and not the top down.”
1000 Flowers is at 112-114 Magdalen Street NR3 1JD Norwich and can be followed using the hashtag #1000flowers on Twitter.
