Starting date for broadcast of local TV
Local television for the Black Country could start to be broadcast from February 28 next year.
Kaleidoscope TV, which is being run by Wolverhampton-born Chris Perry and former ATV presenter Mike Prince, has been awarded the local TV licence for the area which will also cover Birmingham and Solihull.
Mr Perry, who also runs the Kaleidoscope heritage television organisation which is based in Stourbridge, said that Walsall was among four sites – the other three are in the Aston area – where the new company is looking to have its studios.
Ofcom's broadcast licensing committee has awarded the licence to Kaleidoscope TV following the collapse of City TV earlier this year.
The media regulator has given the license on condition it launches the new digital service on Freeview before the end of February.
Kaleidoscope's commitments include an initial 41 hours of local programmes a week, including a 90-minute breakfast show, news at noon and a half-hour programme of news at 6pm and 10pm.
Kaleidoscope director Chris Perry owns half of the company with the other half owned by Mr Prince, who was to have been City TV's programme controller.
Mr Prince, who lives in Birmingham, said Kaleidoscope TV was totally separate from the heritage television organisation.
"It is a holding company for the new TV channel, the name of which has yet to be announced.. It will cover part of Wolverhampton and hopefully the whole city. We are looking to start the service on February 28."
Mr Perry, who used to live in Pedmore, started Kaleidoscope 26 years ago and runs TV conventions in Stourbridge and has a team of volunteers who hunt down missing or lost vintage TV programmes.
