Tag Archives: Television

Sheffield submits bid to host Channel 4 HQ

Sheffield’s pitch to host a new national headquarters for Channel 4 has been submitted with the support of Sheffield Council, South Yorkshire regional mayor, Dan Jarvis, and local filmakers and educational institutions. With the message “If Channel 4 was a city it would be Sheffield” the bid document sets out the city’s offer including potential city centre locations and opportunities to engage with and develop the region’s filmmaking talent. Cities across the UK are competing to host the new national headquarters or one of two new Creative Hubs as part of Channel 4 plans to increase its profile and expenditure outside of London. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohamed spoke to Dan Jarvis and to Sheffield Council cabinet member for business and investment, Mazher Iqbal.

Sheffield bids for Channel 4 relocation

Sheffield Council has submitted proposals to bring Channel 4 to the city in response to a government consultation on relocation of the public service television channel. Sheffield faces stiff competition from Cardiff, Liverpool, Bradford and Birmingham, as well as Manchester where the BBC’s Media City is situated. Government is seeking views on relocation of the broadcaster’s activities to an outside London location to help drive creative jobs in the regions. Sheffield Live! reporter Simon Thake spoke to Councillor Mazher Iqbal.

Sheffield Live! TV – how and what to watch

Sheffield Live! TV is Sheffield’s new local TV channel, launching today (watch news item here). How can you watch it – and what will it cover? Jamie Veitch explains.

It all began when a group of Sharrow community activists made a radio broadcast, from a caravan, of a four-day festival in Sharrow in 2000.

Sharrow Live – as the radio transmission was known – became Sheffield Live! 93.2FM – a community radio station, and secured a full time license to broadcast on FM radio from October 2007.

In the 7 years since Sheffield Live! has built up an eclectic and diverse schedule of radio programming featuring passionate, knowledgeable presenters, and a loyal audience of around 40,000 listeners per week.

Shows, presented by volunteers, cover local music scenes and genres including rock, folk, garage, 50s classics, ska, reggae and more. Other radio programming includes comedy, business news and interviews, film reviews, arts discussion, and topical “Communities Live” show.

Now Sheffield Live! starts a new phase, as Sheffield’s local television channel. Sheffield Live! TV, begins broadcasting this evening on Freeview Channel 8, Virgin Cable and the internet, part of a “cross-platform” media offer unique in the UK.

The new local TV service is set to broadcast news about Sheffield, alongside programmes covering Sheffield music, sport, culture and much more.

Sangita Basudev

Sangita Basudev

Sangita Basudev, Director of Programming at Sheffield Live, commented,

“Our flagship daily news programme, from 6:30pm to 7pm, will give Sheffielders the latest news and key stories from the city – and our news team have already been actively covering key issues. After the news bulletin, discussion show Talking Sheffield will enable Sheffielders to dissect the topics they care most about.”

News and debate – great! What else can you watch?

From 8pm to midnight, the channel will show new, original productions: sport, comedy, music, and more – from independent local producers, as well as video streaming of shows from the existing community radio station. And we will welcome your input, calling on Sheffielders to get involved and to bring your ideas to the station.

What’s local TV all about?

Sheffield’s local TV service comes in the first wave of local stations launching this year across the UK, in cities including Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Norwich, Belfast, Bristol and Oxford. All will be available within their local area on Freeview channel 8 and through Virgin cable. Sheffield’s unique geography means the city, and the local channel, have had to wait for Ofcom’s appointed infrastructure provider to build the technology necessary to enable Sheffielders to tune in. But the city was nearly not included in the Government’s first wave of places to get a local TV license.

Steve Buckley, SLTV Chair

Steve Buckley, SLTV Chair

Steve Buckley, Chair of SLTV, commentss:

“When Ofcom, the Government’s media regulator, initially advertised the opportunities to bid for local TV licenses in 19 cities in 2012, Sheffield wasn’t even on the list of the first areas. So a number of local social enterprises, businesses, education organisations, and individuals, along with the national Community Media Association, based in Sheffield, and supported by local MPs, lobbied hard for Sheffield to get its own local TV channel in this first wave.

“Once Ofcom accepted that Sheffield should have a local license, three companies bid for the right to operate it. SLTV – a locally owned organisation – secured the license.

“We know that Sheffielders want more local news, and programming about our city’s exciting music scene, local sport, our heritage and events to watch on TV. Sheffield Live TV will deliver this. And uniquely compared with other local TV channels Sheffield Live TV is community owned – it’s part of a society setup for community benefit which earlier this year raised over £165,000 of investment through a community share issue in which ordinary Sheffielders became part owners of their local media.”

So what’s going to be on?

The channel will operate “on a public access model, providing a platform for local talent – Made in Sheffield, Made by you.” The flagship daily news programme will cover Sheffield news in depth. Other programmes will cover Sheffield’s “rich, varied, and diverse” music, events, culture, arts, and sports and include:

  • What’s On Sheffield – a magazine based events round-up with video clips and guests (film, music, theatre, clubs – 6pm every weekday)
  • Sheffield Live! News – our flagship, 30 minute television news programme (news headlines, interviews, reportage – 6:30pm daily).
  • Talking Sheffield – our daily (weekdays) news, culture, sports and community affairs show, from 7pm to 8pm each weekday – and repeated at 9am the next day – with presenters including Max Munday, Alan Biggs, Jawwad Janjua and Brigidin Crowther.
  • community gardening show Grassroots that will inspire you to get the best from your garden (Thursdays from 8pm-8:30pm and repeated 10am and 4pm on Fridays).
  • Urban Expression – the best in hip hop underground from Jose Spinola and Phil Robinson, every Tuesday evening from 9pm-11pm.
  • Peak Signal 2 Noise – (Saturdays, 21:00-21:30) – Sheffield is known as a pioneer music city…but what is less celebrated is its true musical underground: cutting-edge experimental music and arts, avant-garde approaches that challenge the status quo. Peak Signal 2 Noise will help give back a voice to the true alternatives in Sheffield, enabling the scene to articulate itself effectively alongside the already well-heard musical mainstream.
  • Nice Out Innit? – Dave Hodgson visits places of interest for a good day out across the region. Places visited include Stately Homes and sites of Historical Interest, Wildlife Trusts, Adventure Trails with lots for children to do, Village Festivals and Markets, Museums and Activity Centres – in fact anywhere that will appeal to families and children as well as older people. (Wednesdays, 8pm-8:30pm – and repeated at 10am and 4pm on Thursdays).
  • Chips – UTC students Bradley, Ed, Oliver and Conor discuss the latest on the tech scene: robotics, virtual reality, gadgets and prosthetics. Reviews and interviews will cover interesting community uses of technology, open source initiatives, how technology is transforming lives, and amazing geek initiatives. (Mondays, 8:30pm then repeated on Tuesday daytime).
  • Cool Beans – a melting pot of comedy sketches, special guests and good times, presented by legendary local DJ and promoter Chris Arnold and team (Saturdays, 8pm-8:30pm).
  • Sport on Saturday and on Sunday – 7pm to 8pm for dedicated sports news and coverage;

and a diverse schedule of further programmes: music, sports (including The Sheffield Sharks basketball) – and more – see www.sheffieldlive.org/shows for more details.

Who can watch and how do you watch?

You can watch SLTV through Freeview Channel 8 if you are tuned to the Crosspool transmitter in Sheffield and through Virgin Cable channel 159 in Sheffield (plans are also underway to add another Freeview transmitter, at Grenoside). About 450,000 people will be able to watch through these routes.

Steve Buckley, chair of SLTV Ltd., adds “Sheffield Live Television will reflect the interests of Sheffield people and communities – and provide a platform for local talent and opportunities for local businesses. It will be an open, diverse and inclusive channel, locally owned and run for community benefit. We look forward to providing Sheffield with the local news and types of programming they’ve asked for from a new local TV channel.”

Sheffield Live! TV is locally owned and run for community benefit. Get involved, send us your photos, news stories or what you want to see on air. Call us on 0114 281 4082 or email info@sheffieldlive.org

Sheffield Live! TV launches today

 

From a caravan in Sharrow to an FM radio station, to digital TV – community broadcaster Sheffield Live! starts a new phase in its journey today (Tuesday 23 September).

The new local channel will provide the city with local news, programming produced by local people and archive material. A founding member of Sheffield Live! Sangita Basudev, talks with Charlotte Reid about today’s launch.

What next?

TV channel hits launch funding target

Sheffield Live TV, the local television channel for Sheffield, has achieved its launch fundraising target – with over 100 supporters applying to become “community shareholders”.

Sheffield Community Media Ltd, a new community benefit society which owns Sheffield Live TV, has raised £160,000 through community shares and social investment commitments: nearly £10,000 more than its target.

The crowdfunding initiative to put Sheffield’s local TV channel into community ownership is the first of its kind in the UK media sector enabling Sheffield people, businesses and voluntary organisations to participate as investors in a society to support local community media.

In the last 7 days of fundraising, nearly £20,000 was generated, taking the campaign over the target it needed to achieve by 14 August. Over 100 individuals, businesses and voluntary organisations have each applied for between £100 and £20,000 worth of community shares. The cash will be used to purchase equipment and complete studio facilities for public access and independent production. Sheffield Community Media intends to pay its community shareholders a modest rate of interest.

The new TV channel will broadcast on Freeview Channel 8, Virgin Cable, and the internet. Once on air, from 23 September, it will benefit from revenue via a contract to supply news to the BBC – as well as local and national advertising and sponsorship. The channel will collaborate with existing community radio station, Sheffield Live!, which has been broadcasting via FM for nearly seven years.

Sheffield Live TV will broadcast news about Sheffield alongside programmes covering Sheffield music, sport, culture and much more. It promises unique, high quality content, “Made in Sheffield, Made by you.” A flagship daily news programme will cover Sheffield news in depth while other programmes will cover Sheffield’s “rich, varied, and diverse”  music, events, culture, arts, and sports.

Steve Buckley, the Chair of the new TV channel and a director of Sheffield Community Media, said:

“We are delighted that so many Sheffield people and organisations have shown their support for Sheffield Live TV and community-owned media by applying for community shares. We’d like to thank them for their support and we look forward to their involvement in the channel.  We are in the final phase of our planning to launch Sheffield Live TV which will be locally owned and run for community benefit.  We aim to develop a multimedia news service and to deliver original, locally-made programming, reflecting the interests and talent of Sheffield people and communities.”

Sheffield Community Media Ltd has raised £90,000 in community share applications and pledges from 114 individuals and businesses and a further £70,000 in social investment loans from the Key Fund, a community development finance institution. Sheffield Community Media Ltd is a society for the benefit of the community incorporated under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965. Registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Registration No: 31727R. Registered address: 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX

Sheffielders becoming media owners!

A Sheffield campaign inviting anyone who lives, works, or has interests in Sheffield to own their very own television channel has reached over 90% of its fundraising target with one week left to the closing date.

Sheffield Community Media has now raised £136,050* through its Pioneer and Community Share Offer and in investment commitments.

And excitement is building about the plans, as the launch date for Sheffield Live Television was revealed today.

Sheffield Community Media is in the final leg of fundraising to purchase equipment and finish the studio facilities for public access and independent production.

Once on air, it will benefit from revenue via a contract to supply some news to the BBC – as well as local and national advertising. But it needs to reach its £150,000 target in the next 7 days and is offering Sheffielders a chance to invest and to be involved – and it aspires to pay investors a modest return.

Scores of Sheffield individuals have already become “community share” owners. People like Jodie Marsh, who said:

“I would really like to take shares in this project as I believe it’s a great opportunity for Sheffield, and as someone working on the frontline in Sheffield within the arts and working with young people and educating them in this area, I believe it could be a great opportunity for Sheffield to put even more onto the creative map of the UK.”

And Peter Johnson, who said: “I’m buying shares in Sheffield Community Media because I’ve always been a huge fan of Sheffield Live radio and if the television channel is going to be anything like the output of the radio, it’ll be a great service for Sheffield.”

Plenty of businesses, social enterprises and organisations are involved. Organisations such as MK PR, The Sheffield Window Centre, Heason Events, Wosskow Brown Solicitors, Thornbridge Brewery / The Greystones, Mercury Taxis, The Sheffield College, The Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, and many more have invested, pledged support, and/or booked advertising.

Read about others here.

It’s easy to get involved, as a personal or organisational shareholder, with a minimum commitment of £100 which can be paid in 10 instalments if preferred.

If you love the idea of locally owned media bringing you great local news and programming, then please become a shareholder in Sheffield Community Media Ltd.

Act quickly – the deadline is 14th August.

The “Pioneer and Community Share Offer” prospectus is available at www.sheffieldlive.org/shares

Questions about the Pioneer and Community Share Issue: call 0114 281 4082 or email shares@sheffieldlive.org

*Sheffield Community Media Ltd has to date (7 August) raised £66,050 in community share applications received from Sheffield individuals and businesses and £70,000 in offers of loan finance from social investors. It is a society for the benefit of the community incorporated under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965. Registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Registration No: 31727R. Registered address: 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX

Launch date for Sheffield’s new local television channel announced

The countdown has begun for Sheffield’s local television channel as Sheffield Live Television’s launch date has been revealed.

Sheffield Live! Television will begin broadcasting, via Freeview channel 8, Virgin Cable and the internet, on Tuesday 23rd September.

The television channel will broadcast news about Sheffield alongside programmes covering Sheffield music, sport, culture and much more.

It promises unique, high quality content, “Made in Sheffield, Made by you.” A flagship daily news programme will cover Sheffield news in depth. Other programmes will cover Sheffield’s “rich, varied, and diverse”  music, events, culture, arts, and sports.

The channel will collaborate with existing community radio station, Sheffield Live!, which has been broadcasting via FM for nearly seven years; and will benefit from a contract to supply some content to the BBC.

The license for the channel was secured in November 2012 after Ofcom – the Government’s media regulator – advertised licenses in Sheffield and 20 locations.  Sheffield Local Television Ltd, wholly owned by Sheffield Community Media Ltd, was the winning applicant for the Sheffield local TV service.

Since then, SLTV has appointed a launch team, supported programme development, and worked with the other local television channels and with Ofcom as the national and local infrastructure needed to deliver local television was progressed.

Steve Buckley, chair of SLTV Ltd., said “Sheffield Live Television will reflect the interests of Sheffield people and communities – and provide a platform for local talent and opportunities for local businesses. It will be an open, diverse and inclusive channel, locally owned and run for community benefit. We are thrilled to be able to announce our launch date and look forward to providing Sheffield with the local news and types of programming they’ve asked for from a new local TV channel.”

A preview showreel, showcasing some of the programming in development for the new channel, is available to view

Sheffield Live! TV is locally owned and run for community benefit. People and businesses from Sheffield can still become “community shareholders” through the Sheffield Community Media Ltd Pioneer and Community Share Offer, which is open until 14 August.

What next?

Sheffield Live! TV first screening

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Television programmes in production for Sheffield Live! TV were enthusiastically applauded by a public audience including shareholders and supporters at a Showroom Cinema screening last week.

The first Sheffield Live! TV showreel has now been published online to view and comment. Sheffield Live! TV, the digital local TV channel for Sheffield, will launch in autumn on Freeview, Virgin cable and the internet. The showreel provides a taster of the range of content planned for the new channel including music, film, outdoors, sport, comedy and experimental work.

 

Sheffield Live! TV is locally owned and run for community benefit. Sheffielders have been invited to invest in the project to help get it off to a flying start and to join a growing band of community shareholders. The Sheffield Community Media Ltd Pioneer and Community Share Offer is open until 14 August, with full details available online at: www.sheffieldlive.org/shares

Sheffield Live! Television: exclusive preview screening

Sheffield Live! is hosting an exclusive preview of programmes under development for Sheffield’s new local TV channel.

Join us for a breakfast screening with an eclectic selection of showreels from our independent producers. Sheffield Live! TV will carry a diverse mix of news and current affairs, music, culture, sport, community and alternative programming, featuring Sheffield talent and creativity.

Join us for breakfast, with refreshments, light snacks, a chance to talk to some of our programme makers and a screening at the Showroom Cinema on 24 July 2014 – a taste of things to come.

Please book early – places will be limited! Further details here.

Spot the local stars in Sheffield Community Media film

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A new short film shows how excited Sheffielders are about the plans to allow people who live, work, or have interests in Sheffield to own their very own television channel.

Figures from notable Sheffield businesses, and from the worlds of music (including one of Sheffield’s home grown music stars – watch the film to find out who), media and education, have joined Sheffielders in welcoming the channel:

As excitement grows (you can read more comments here), so does investment into Sheffield Community Media Ltd, an organisation set up for community benefit which has been established to support community media development in Sheffield, including the new local digital TV channel.

Readers can become a part owner and can invest from £100 to £20,000, payable by instalments if preferred. Sheffield Community Media aims to pay a modest rate of interest after 3 years. Details here.

Community Shares are a form of social investment to raise funds for projects of community benefit. Sheffield Community Media Ltd want Sheffielders to support this groundbreaking project. The “Pioneer and Community Share Offer” is available at www.sheffieldlive.org/shares

Sheffield Community Media Ltd is a society for the benefit of the community incorporated under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965. Registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Registration No: 31727R. Registered address: 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX

We’d like to thank Matthew Neale of The Sheffield College and Norton Creative for editing and directing this film, and College students for capturing footage; Daren Eagles and Sheffield Hallam University students for the introductory ident; Rob Speranza and Sangita Basudev for supplying additional footage; and the featured Sheffield Live show producers, as well as all of the interviewees, for taking part.