Highfield hopes to launch local online TV

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2013/jan/22/ashleyhighfield-online-tv

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Johnston Press chief executive Ashley Highfield would like to launch a series of "mini, ultra-local TV stations" for some of the smaller communities served by his company's papers.

He believes journalists issued with the latest smartphones could provide video content for such website channels and, during an interview on BBC Radio Scotland, said he expects the amount of video content on JP websites to rise "massively" over the next few years.

He pointed out, reports HoldTheFrontPage, that journalists are increasingly taking photos, shooting video and using social media like Twitter, rather than just writing stories.

He also told the BBC interviewer that there had been a substantial increase in the number of subscribers to the Edinburgh-based daily, The Scotsman, partly because of a print and iPad app package.

Johnston Press is part of a consortium that was awarded a local TV licence in Southampton to launch That's Solent Ltd.

<em>Sources:</em> BBC Scotland/HoldTheFrontPage/allmediaScotland