London Live local programming commitments cut

UK broadcast regulator Ofcom has approved some cuts to London Live’s local programming commitments, after initially rejecting the station’s bid to reduce to its total local programming hours from 18 to eight per day.

In a new ruling, Ofcom said the local channel can reduce the hours of local programming repeats it runs per day from 10 hours to six in its first year.

In year two this has been cut from nine to five hours and in year three onwards has been reduced from eight to four hours.

In peak time, from 18.00 to 22.30, the hours of local programming repeats London Live is required to broadcast has been brought down to nothing, whereas before it stood at an hour and a half in the first year, and one hour in subsequent years.

Despite the changes, London Live’s first run local programme commitments remain the same at eight hours per day in year one, 9 hours per day in year two and 10 hours per day in year three onwards.

In peak time, it must still air three hours of first run local programming in year one, rising to three and a half hours from year two onwards.

Last month, Ofcom rejected London Live’s bid to make wider cuts to its homegrown output on the grounds that the changes proposed by the broadcaster would “substantially alter” its output.

London Live, owned by London Evening Standard proprietor Evgeny Lebedev, had bid to reduce its local programming hours from 18 a day to eight, and three hours to one hour in peak time.