2015年经济学人 地方电视台 小城眼光（在线收听）

Local television

地方电视台

Small-town views

小城眼光

The fruits of government meddling in the television market

政府干预电视市场的后果

FOR more than a decade staff and media students at the Grimsby Institute, a college in Lincolnshire, have broadcast worthy programmes to a smattering of nearby cable TV subscribers. In November their audience quadrupled. With a new name—Estuary TV—and a prominent spot on Freeview, a free digital television platform, their news and discussion shows now reach 350,000 homes around the Humber. A station long propped up by grants and donations is courting advertisers.

十多年来，林肯郡格里姆斯比学院的一些员工和传媒专业的学生，一直为附近零星几户有线电视用户播报有价值的节目。11月，他们的听众翻了两番，而且名字改成了河口电视，同时还在免费数字电视平台Freeview上占据了显要位置，现在亨伯河附近收看他们新闻和讨论节目的用户达到了35万家。一个昔日需要靠补助金和捐款苦苦支撑的电视台现在居然可以招商引资了。

Estuary TV is the first of 19 television stations launching in Britain's towns and cities over the next year—the fruits of a plan laid out in 2010 by Jeremy Hunt, then the culture secretary, to revitalise local media. Ministers hope they will help promote small businesses, train new creative talent and generally make people more civic-minded. London will get a station in March, Birmingham in the summer. Ofcom, the television regulator, plans to license about 30 more.

河口电视是19家电视台中第一个登陆英国乡镇的电视台，下一年的目标是城市，2010年文化部长亨特为了复兴地方传媒业而制定了此计划，现在的发展就是计划结出的果实。部长希望这个举措可以带动小型企业，培训新兴有创意的人才，并且逐步让人们变的越来越热心公益。明年3月，伦敦就会新增一电台，而伯明翰在明年夏天也会跟随其脚步。电视总局英国通讯部计划，明年会再批准成立30余电视台。

High costs and low positions on on-screen TV channel guides have killed previous efforts to launch local services. So the government has tilted the market to help them. In England and Northern Ireland local television will air on Freeview channel eight, a coveted slot. A single operations centre in Birmingham, set up with ￡25m($41m) from the television licence fee, will keep them on air. Over three years the BBC will dole out a further ￡15mto the stations, in exchange for local footage that can be used in its own news reports.

屏幕上电视频道的高成本、低地位，使先前许多开展地方电视服务的努力都付诸东流。对此，政府为他们调整了市场。英格兰和北爱尔兰本地的电视，会在每晚8点黄金档在Freeview频道播出。独立运营的电视节目将集中在伯明翰展开，需要花2500万英镑（约合4100万美元）的电视许可费才能保持其正常播出。未来三年，为了能让地方电视中的画面能被自己的新闻报道所用，BBC将要为此多付1500万英镑给地方电视台。

These bungs have attracted some well-known firms. STV, a big Scottish broadcaster, plans services in Glasgow and Edinburgh; the Evening Standard, a newspaper, will launch London's channel. In many towns local papers are involved, in part for fear of interlopers such as Made TV, a firm from the capital which will run services in Leeds, Newcastle and three other cities.

这一系列福利吸引了许多知名的企业。苏格兰一家大型广播公司，苏格兰广播，计划对格拉斯哥和爱丁堡提供电视服务；《标准晚报》将会登陆伦敦。许多当地报纸都包括其中，某种程度上是担心伦敦Made TV这样的入侵者会在利兹、纽卡斯尔和其他三个城市推行电视服务。

Most will air only a few hours of new telly each day. Local bulletins are a condition of the licence; cheap chat shows are inevitable (station controllers like to cite “The One Show”, a jovial BBC programme, as a model). Bill Smith of Latest TV, Brighton's new channel, hopes viewers will want to contribute films on topics that engross them. Estuary TV is airing a nightly talk show for fans of the paranormal.

大多数城市每天只用几小时播放新的电视节目。本地新闻快报是许可执照的条件之一；廉价的谈话类节目是难以避免的（广电总局总喜欢引用BBC一档娱乐节目“一个秀”作为反面教材）。布莱顿一个新频道“最新电视”的史密斯希望，观众能够提供可以鼓舞他们的影片。河口电视为一些灵异事件爱好者还提供了夜间谈话节目。

Britain's local channels are inspired by America. But there the market is different, and more favourable. The tiniest local channels, of the kind lovingly lampooned in “Wayne's World”, a comedy, are publicly funded. Others are supported by advertising from large regional businesses. But Britain's high streets are dominated by national firms who advertise nationally. Jamie Conway of Made TV insists big chains that do not yet splurge on costly campaigns will welcome a chance to experiment in smaller media markets. His team have already secured more than half the cash they hope its channels will make next year.

英国的本地频道是受美国启发。但是英美的市场是截然不同的，而且英国的更有优势。最小的本地频道是政府资助的，这类频道会被亲切的笑话成喜剧《反斗智多星》。其他频道由大型地区企业的广告支撑。但是英国高速公路的广告还是全国广告的国企占了主导地位。Made TV的康维坚持认为，大型连锁不会在耗资高昂的活动中撒钱，而会倾向在小型传媒市场中尝试。他的团队已经筹集到所需资金的一大半了，他们希望频道明年就能建立。

In titchier towns where local television stations are planned, such as Cambridge and York, the economics look grimmer. Small businesses increasingly advertise online. Simon Terrington, an analyst, thinks channels may survive through the benevolence of local bigwigs and the generosity of volunteers. “People get involved in media for no money,” he points out. Regional studios will test that.

已规划的地方电视台在例如剑桥和约克这样的小城镇中，经济问题似乎更加严峻。小型企业不断增加网络广告的份额。分析家特林顿认为，本地频道要靠当地权贵的手下留情和志愿者的慷慨解囊才能幸免于难。他指出，“人们被无偿的卷入了传媒”。地方电视会检测这一说法。