Mike Hancock News
Mike Hancock's concern at sudden disappearance of popular soaps from analogue TV
Mike Hancock, MP (Portsmouth South – Liberal Democrat) has expressed his great concern at the sudden disappearance of popular soaps such as Neighbours and Home and Away from the TVs along the South Coast of people who still watch them on analogue TV. Digital UK announced earlier these week that Channel Five which broadcasts these popular soaps will be switched off from analogue TV in two months time on March 25th 2009 for those who get Five from the Fawley transmitter. The MP is particularly outraged that only two months’ notice has been given of the change when other regions have had years to prepare for the change.
According to Digital UK: “The analogue Five service is broadcast from the Fawley transmitter to around 100,000 homes in the Southampton, Gosport and Portsmouth areas and parts of the Isle of Wight.” One in three households according to Digital UK still have at least one analogue TV set that they watch.
MP’s concern at sudden disappearance of popular soaps from analogue TV Many others may find that their Freeview boxes suddenly stop working then. They will need to retune on March 25th from them to continue to work.
Mike Hancock said: “I am utterly dismayed that Digital UK has only given 2 months notice of this change. The Meridian TV region will be the last region for Digital Switch Over and the analogue signal to be turned off. However many local people will now have to make the choice of whether to go and buy equipment to keep enjoying their favourite shows on their TV sets. With budgets already stretched by the difficult economic situation, this is a sudden cost that many on low incomes will find difficult to meet. So I am very concerned that only two months’ notice has been given to people. If they had been given longer they could have prepared and budgeted for it.
“I am sure that many people will be confused as to why they suddenly can’t get their favourite shows because such a short time period will not have been long enough for them to have heard about it. Others will not understand why their Freeview boxes have stopped working. I am writing to the Culture minister asking that more publicity is now given to this and that organisations in the South are given details of the help to purchase digital receiving equipment that is available to those that qualify. And that elderly people in particular know why they can’t now get Five and how they can get their Freeview box to work again.”
Mike Hancock’s letter to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is reproduced below:
Rt Hon Andy Burnham, MP
Secretary of State
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2-4, Cockspur Street
LONDON SW1Y 5DH
OUR REF: MA/DSO
30 January 2009
Dear Secretary of State
I am writing to you because as you I am sure you aware, Channel Five on 25th March is due to be switched off analogue television for those that get it on the South Coast from the Fawley transmitter, it was announced by Digital UK on 28th January. In addition 500,000 homes served by the Rowridge Transmitter will have to retune their Freeview boxes. According to Digital UK, one in three households still have at least one TV that they watch that is analogue.
I am writing to you specifically because this is only two months away. I appreciate that there will be publicity from Digital UK about the change. However I am very concerned that two months is a very short time. I don’t believe that many, particularly the elderly will be aware of the change – either to Five or to the Freeview service. Many will suddenly wake up to find that they cannot watch their favourite shows such as Neighbours or Home and Away and not know why. Others will be bemused as to why their Freeview box is not working.
I am writing to you on several fronts. Firstly to register my dismay that Digital UK has given local people such a short time to prepare for the switch off of Five from analogue TV. I appreciate that this is not a complete switch off but other regions have had years to prepare for DSO. I appreciate that some who qualify will receive financial help for the purchase of digital equipment. However others on very limited means will have to make the choice whether to purchase new equipment to continue to be able to watch their favourite shows. Even if is not a great deal of money, they have had very limited time to plan and budget for this at a difficult economic time.
I would be grateful if you could tell me why your department has allowed Digital UK to do this so quickly. Secondly I would be grateful if you could review the plans that Digital UK have for letting people know about this and satisfy yourself that they are adequate and that everyone will be aware of the changes. I would also be grateful if you could also ensure that organisations that people may turn to, particularly bodies such as those that help the elderly or those on limited means and local councils are given both the information they need to give people advice and also funding from Digital UK or your department to help with the extra costs that they will incur at what is the end of the financial year and something that they will not have been aware of when they planned their budgets.
Given the timescale, I look forward to receiving your reply as a matter of great urgency.
Best wishes
Yours sincerely
MIKE HANCOCK CBE MP
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