UTV hopes to launch Welsh ITV news pilot by October

Michael Wilson, the managing director of UTV and leader of the Wales Live consortium that is the preferred bidder for the Welsh ITV news pilot , said today that he hoped to have the service up and running by October. Wilson said UTV, which owns the ITV Ulster licence, had gone into the independently funded news consortium process "with our eyes open", given the Conservative threat to scrap the plan to provide replacement ITV national and regional news services around the UK. Wales Live, a partnership between UTV and Welsh company NWN Media, promises to have a studio in north Wales, at the local newspaper group's HQ at Mold in Swansea, with its radio partner, and is now talking with ITV Wales about using its main Cardiff studios. The Welsh ITV news pilot deal runs for two years and is worth £12m in public funding, which is expected to come from the BBC licence fee digital switchover surplus. "We approached this with seriousness, and have already set up Wales Live, our news website, and a Twitter feed. At UTV we produce the most watched regional news for Northern Ireland and we can transfer that approach to Wales," Wilson said. "We hope to set up our replacement service in early October, though we have yet to sign contracts with DCMS and with ITV. We know that this is opposed by the Conservatives, we have known the issues all along, and went into it with our eyes open." Wilson would not disclose how many of the ITV Wales news staff would transfer across to Wales Live under Tupe employee rights protection. But he said: "We intend to work with everyone, we know ITV Wales staff are well trained and skilled." The members of the winning consortium met with the Welsh secretary, Peter Hain, to discuss developing their plans earlier today. There is widespread support for the scheme in Wales, due to dissatisfaction with current provision, and a fear of a BBC monopoly, since the corporation also makes Welsh language news for S4C. Wales Live was the only bidder to have made a vox pop video of what people in Wales wanted to see in their regional news as part of its pitch for the contract. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".