Mustard TV
Headquarters | Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich, NR1 1RE |
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Ownership | |
Owner | Archant Community Media Ltd |
Mustard TV is a local television station based in Norwich, Norfolk. It broadcasts to over 400,000 people, covering Norwich and much of Norfolk reaching Cromer in the north of the county, Dereham to the west and parts of south Norfolk and north Suffolk. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of regional media group Archant. It is one of 19 initial local TV stations awarded licences by the government.[1]
Mustard TV's original aim was to "redefine what people think of as local television". The channel was named as a nod to the Colman family, which have deep-rooted history in Norwich.[2] The production team and studios can be found at Prospect House, Rouen Road in Norwich at Archant's headquarters.
History
Mustard TV was launched on 24th March 2014 following tests on the internet in January 2013.
2012
On 23 May 2012 the media regulator Ofcom extended the invitation for local operators in cities across the United Kingdom to operate a new local television service in their area. Two rival bids were lodged - one from regional publisher Archant and the other from NR One which was headed up by former ITV Anglia presenter Kevin Piper. On 19 September 2012 Archant was revealed as the winner of the licence, originally proposing a television service which would run from 6am until midnight each day.[3]
2014
Mustard TV launched on Freeview on Channel 8 on 24 March 2014. It was the second local television station to launch in the UK. It offered a catch-up service on the Mustard TV website, and by the end of the year had extended its reach by launching on Virgin Media too.
2015
The station received some controversy in its earlier years with widespread press attention in March 2015 after accidentally broadcasting an exchange between presenters Helen McDermott and Darren Eadie where an obscene word was used.[4] In July 2015 it also experienced technical difficulties in trying to broadcast a live pre-season Norwich City friendly against West Ham. A recording of the match went out around 90 minutes later with bosses forced to apologise for the technical hitch.[5]
2016
On 5 April 2016, following the closure of BBC Three on Freeview Mustard TV and other local television stations moved from Channel 8 to Channel 7. At the start of May the station moved to broadcasting a 24-hour 'Norwich News Wire' when it was not broadcasting programming. The station also started streaming some of its live studio programming on its YouTube channel 'Norfolk Now'.[6]
2017
Following the success of Norwich City FC content on Mustard TV's YouTube channel a new channel was launched to focus on sport and football video in time for the new football season. The channel has been branded under The Pink Un brand [7].
Programming
Mustard TV broadcasts a wide range of local programming including news, current affairs, entertainment, culture, sports, property and cookery.[8]
The station broadcasts 90 minutes of local news from Mustard TV's Norwich studio every weekday evening. These shows include:
- Mustard News - airing every hour on a weekday evening from the Mustard TV studios, the station promises to devote roughly five times as much airtime to Norwich than the existing coverage provided by BBC Look East and ITV Anglia
- The Mustard Show - a nightly magazine show on local life, comedy, drama, game shows, culture, arts and human interest stories is one of its flagship programmes, airing at 6.30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. Presenters include NCFC football player Darren Eadie, former ITV Anglia presenter Helen McDermott, BBC Radio Norfolk breakfast presenter Nick Conrad, and Future Radio presenter Beth Davison.
- This Week - A panel of local guests answer questions on local issues. This airs in the 6.30pm slot usually occupied by The Mustard Show.
- The Pink Un Show - During the football season The Pink Un Show airs on a Wednesday evening for NCFC fans. The show is usually fronted by The Pink Un reporter Michael Bailey, and features a panel of guests talking about the club's performance.
- Walks Around Britain - the syndicated series featuring walks from across the country all between 2 - 8 miles.
References
- Notes
- ^ Audience data for Local TV channels across England, Wales & N. Ireland are measured and reported together, as "Local TV Macro Network".
- Sources
- ^ BBC News (24 March 2014). "Norwich local TV Service launches on Freeview". BBC News. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ^ BBC News (24 March 2014). "Norwich local TV Service launches on Freeview". BBC News. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ^ New TV station comes to Norwich as Ofcom gives green light to Mustard - EDP
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/media/11506950/Local-TV-station-aired-four-letter-word-before-watershed.html
- ^ Mustard TV apologises over Norwich City coverage - EDP
- ^ Norfolk Now YouTube Channel
- ^ The Pink Un YouTube Channel
- ^ Parr, Jonathan (14 November 2014). "Is local television working?". Royal Television Society. Retrieved 14 November 2014.