It has been touted in some quarters as the biggest new development in UK TV since Channel 5 was unveiled in 1997. London Live, the capital’s first 24 hour entertainment channel, is to launch at the end of this month, presenting a tremendous opportunity for PRs and the station’s coordinators to work together to produce innovative content for the channel.

Ofcom has licensed 19 channels to deliver local TV services around the country with the initiative expected to grow to many more towns and cities over the next few years.

The local TV channel has pledged a massive five-and-a-half hours of news every day, with at least one hour of original current affairs programming. This offers PRs a great chance to put forward relevant content that may normally be overlooked by national broadcasters and their London counterparts.

There is no story, however minor, that cannot be improved by the presence of an on-the-spot reporter or helicopter hovering above the scene, beaming live pictures back to the studio. London-based events, openings and launches will have the chance to appear on the channel and achieve recognition for the first time

The London Live team needs as much input as possible from PRs in both consumer and B2B PR to reflect not only ethnicity and age, but also the different tastes, likes and cultures of viewers across London’s 33 boroughs.

Many viewers are currently relying on ITV and BBC bulletins covering a number of major cities that although geographically close to each other, have little in common culturally.

The launch of London Live signifies an interesting move into local TV, offering bespoke news for London that with the help of PRS, will offer the chance to engage with viewers on a much deeper level than before.